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14 May 2007 : Column 478W—continued
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) former miners and (b) former miners’ families in Copeland have received compensation payments from the Miners’ Compensation Scheme. [135814]
Malcolm Wicks: The number of former miners and former miners’ families in Copeland who have received compensation payments for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Vibration White Finger (VWF) are shown in the following table:
| COPD | VWF | |
These include some claimants who have received an interim payment but the claim is not yet settled.
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether there are any outstanding compensation claims for (a) former miners’ and (b) former miners’ families that are yet to be resolved in Copeland. [135815]
Malcolm Wicks: The number of outstanding claims for former miners and former miners’ families in Copeland for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and for Vibration White finger (VWF) yet to be resolved are shown in the following table:
| COPD | VWF | |
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he plans to recover the fees paid from the public purse to solicitors acting for former miners and their families where there is evidence of double charging. [135816]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has a contractual agreement to pay legal costs for claimants under the coal health compensation schemes. The costs and disbursements paid to solicitors are set out in the Claim Handling Agreement (CHA) under an agreed set of tariffs.
The Department has made considerable efforts to secure repayment of fees taken in addition to those paid under the CHA and to make claimants aware of their options if they have been charged a fee. Ultimately, this is a matter for the Regulation and Legal Complaints Boards of the Law Society with whom we continue to work to seek redress. The Department’s Compensation for Miners newsletter features advice on this issue and the Legal Complaints Service continues to advertise, receive and investigate complaints.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of claims for compensation for miners and former miners suffering from arthritis. [135900]
Malcolm Wicks: 15,041 rheumatic disease claims have been registered by the Department since 1998.
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the percentage of compensation payments made in Copeland to former miners and their families that were subject to double charging. [135927]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department is unable to identify where “double charging” has occurred. These are essentially matters about conduct within the legal profession and the Department has no direct role, although we continue to raise awareness of the issue in conjunction with the Legal Complaints Service and others in order that proper redress can be achieved.
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what average period of time was taken to resolve a compensation claim from former miners or their families in Copeland. [135928]
Malcolm Wicks: The average period of time taken in days to resolve a compensation claim from former miners or their families in Copeland for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Vibration White Finger (VWF) are shown in the following table:
| Average time taken in days from date of claim to date of settlement | |
| Days | |
The figures include claims settled by payment, denial, those withdrawn by solicitors and those that have been subject to strike out. Many claimants will have payments before settlement.
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many compensation claims from former miners and their families in Copeland were for chronic lung diseases such as emphysema and pneumoconiosis. [135929]
Malcolm Wicks: The number of compensation claims received from former miners and their families in Copeland for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is 2,490.
Some claims that are awarded compensation may include payment for Pneumoconiosis and this depends on certain criteria being met. However, claims made just for Pneumoconiosis do not fall within the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation, and are dealt with by Common Law.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he plans to take to reduce the (a) length and (b) cost of the legal process for miners claiming compensation for knee problems developed in the mines; and if he will make a statement. [136743]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department is fully committed to ensuring the legal process for potential compensation claims progresses quickly and will be complying with directions provided by Leeds county court on 30 April 2007. The Department will seek to ensure that unnecessary costs are not incurred so far as is it able to do so.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what factors he considered when deciding not to meet the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers recently to discuss a compensation scheme for miners with knee problems caused by their work in mines; and if he will make a statement. [136744]
Malcolm Wicks: I received a request from the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers for a meeting in February 2006, when a group litigation order had only just been applied for. No evidence of liability had been produced and therefore a meeting at that point would have been premature.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration he has given to providing a scheme for miners with knee problems caused by their work in mines; and if he will make a statement. [136745]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government are unable to establish a compensation scheme for knee injuries without liability for those injuries being established against it. To date, such liability has not been established.
ITV: British Sky Broadcasting
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from ITN and Channel 4 News on the proposed acquisition of 17.9 per cent. of ITV by BSkyB. [137120]
Mr. McCartney: No representations have been received from ITN or Channel 4 News about this matter. However, both ITV, which has a 40 per cent. shareholding in ITN, and Channel 4 have submitted representations to Ofcom in the context of its initial investigation into whether this transaction raises public interest issues and to the Office of Fair Trading in the context of its initial investigation into whether this transaction raises competition issues. Those submissions are summarised in the reports the Secretary of State received from the Office of Fair Trading and Ofcom on 27 April 2007. Previously, both ITV and Channel 4 had submitted views to the Office of Fair Trading about the transaction and these submissions were forwarded to the DTI to assist the Secretary of State in reaching a decision on whether to issue an intervention notice. Separately, at DTI’s invitation, ITV had submitted views direct to the DTI on the question of whether to issue an intervention notice.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received the OFT report into the proposed acquisition of 17.9 per cent. of ITV by BSkyB; and what the timetable is for the publication of the report's findings. [137121]
Mr. McCartney: The Office of Fair Trading’s report on this transaction was received on 27 April 2007. The report will be published no later than when a decision is announced on whether the Secretary of State will refer the transaction to the Competition Commission for a full investigation. The statutory deadline for taking this decision is 26 May although there is scope to extend the deadline in certain circumstances.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received the Ofcom report into the proposed acquisition of 17.9 per cent. of ITV by BSkyB; and what the timetable is for the publication of the report’s findings. [137122]
Mr. McCartney: Ofcom’s report on this transaction was received on 27 April 2007. The report will be published no later than when a decision is announced on whether the Secretary of State will refer the transaction to the Competition Commission for a full investigation. The statutory deadline for taking this decision is 26 May although there is scope to extend the deadline in certain circumstances.
Low Carbon Buildings Programme
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Peter Luff) of 24 April 2007, Official Report, column 1072W, on the low carbon buildings programme, how many of the 4,550 households allocated grants under the programme have been checked to ensure they comply with the terms of the scheme. [135687]
Malcolm Wicks: Under the terms of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, the programme manager carries out inspections on a percentage of commissioned installations. The first 50 of these inspections is due to take place in Quarter three of this year. Installation inspections will also be carried out as part of the certification scheme that supports the programme.
Mining: Compensation
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will establish an inquiry into the operation of the Miners’ Compensation Scheme. [136142]
Malcolm Wicks: No. An independent review of the schemes was conducted in 2005. The report is available at the DTI website:
The National Audit Office is also carrying out a value for money review of the Department’s administration of the Coal Health Compensation Schemes. The report is anticipated during the summer.
North Sea Oil
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much revenue was generated by the UK's North Sea oil and gas fields in each year since 1997. [136810]
Malcolm Wicks: Total revenue from UK Continental Shelf oil and gas production in each year since 1997 is given in the following table:
| Income (£ billion) | |
| Source: http://www.og.dti.gov.uk/information/bb_updates/appendices/UKCS _I_and_E_Annual.pdf: data for 2006 are still being compiled. | |
Nuclear Fuels: Storage
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the International Atomic Energy Agency proposal for an international nuclear fuel bank; and if he will make a statement. [135605]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 8 May 2007]: The International Atomic Energy Agency has not proposed the creation of an international nuclear fuel bank. It has, however, asked Governments and interested organisations to share ideas about how the risks of the proliferation of sensitive nuclear technologies through the international development of nuclear energy could be prevented. The UK “Enrichment Bond”, which has been placed in the Library of the House, is currently being considered by the IAEA, with a number of other proposals. The IAEA is due to bring out a paper in June, taking into account the various suggestions already made, which Ministers will have an opportunity to see.
OM Energy
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2007, Official Report, column 1361W, on OM Energy, what his definition is of academic validation of the technology; and who validated the technology. [136726]
Mr. McCartney: By academic validation, I mean that appropriately qualified experts have judged that the technology works. The experts were Dr. Juan Matthews PhD, FInstP (DTI International Technology Promoter), Dr. Fulcieri Maltini, former World Bank scientist and fuel cell expert who conducted the on-site inspection, and Professor Derek Fray, B.Sc.(Eng.), Ph.D., D.I.C., M.A., A.R.S.M., C.Eng., M.I.M., F.I.M.M., F.Eng., Head of Cambridge University Department of Materials Chemistry, who met the scientists involved.
Overseas Companies: Sudan
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidelines his Department provides to British companies active within Sudan. [135257]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 1 May 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 8 May 2007, Official Report, column 117W, to the same question asked of my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how his Department is implementing the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003; what powers the Information Commissioner has under these regulations; and if he will make a statement. [135748]
Margaret Hodge: The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations came into force in December 2003. Under the regulations no one may make an unsolicited marketing telephone call to a consumer who has previously notified the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls or who has been registered with the telephone preference scheme for at least 28 days.
The Information Commissioner has responsibility for enforcement of the regulations by the following mechanisms:
Informal resolution;
Preliminary Enforcement Notice;
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