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24 May 2007 : Column 1442W—continued
Legal Aid: Ethnic Groups
Ms Abbott: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (1) what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the recommendations of the Carter Review of legal aid on black and minority ethnic legal firms in London; [138978]
(2) if she will undertake to conduct a race impact assessment of the proposed Carter Review reforms of legal aid; [138979]
(3) what assessment she has made of the impact of the implementation of the recommendations of the Carter Review of legal aid on access to justice by clients with disabilities. [138980]
Vera Baird: The Government set out their overall strategy for the reform of legal aid procurement in “Legal Aid Reform: the way ahead”, published in November last year. This was accompanied by a final regulatory impact assessment of those policies that were fully developed for implementation. These can be found on the Legal Services Commission’s website at:
In addition, as we progress along the proposed reform programme, the LSC and Ministry of Justice are, between us, producing draft and final regulatory impact assessments as appropriate at each step of the process. These assessments take into account any relevant impacts that are identified in the policy formulation and decision-making process, such as for BME-owned firms and BME practitioners, for clients with disabilities and for rural areas.
Where possible, impacts are also identified on a local level, including for London. These will be available on the Legal Services Commission’s website. As we progress with our reforms, our overarching aim is to ensure access to quality legal aid services for all clients.
Medical Tribunals
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what plans she has to record details of the nature of medical conditions of people who attend medical tribunals; and if she will make a statement. [139024]
Mr. Sutcliffe: There are no plans to record details of medical conditions of people who attend medical tribunals.
The Tribunals Service does record the benefit type and the issue to be decided on their processing system in all benefit cases.
Social Security Benefits: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what guidance her Department has provided to benefit appeal tribunals on the chronic condition of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis; and if she will make a statement. [139023]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Guidance is not issued by any Government Department to appeal tribunals on how to approach cases or decide them. Instead, the Department for Work and Pensions has made available to tribunals the disability handbook which contains a section on chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Written Questions
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice when she will reply to parliamentary question 122915, tabled by the hon. and learned Member for Harborough for written answer on 20 February 2007. [137484]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I have replied to the hon. Gentleman’s question today.
Young Offenders: Education
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will revise the prison orders applying to young female offenders to make specific provision for their education. [138086]
Vera Baird: The provision of education for young female offenders is set out in the under-18 version of the offender's learning journey, the document that specifies the service to be delivered by the Learning and Skills Council's providers. The offender's learning journey requires providers to assess the learning needs of offenders, providing a service personalised to their needs. The offender's learning journey is currently being updated. No consequential amendments will need to be made to Prison Service Order 4950 on the Care and Management of Young People.
Youth Justice Board
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the answers of (a) 21 March 2007, Official Report, column 976W and (b) 24 April 2007, Official Report, column 1060W, on the Youth Justice Board, whether the research published on the Youth Justice Board's website represents all research that the Board has commissioned. [138835]
Mr. Hanson: All completed research which meets the YJB’s quality assurance standards has been published on the YJB’s website. Some projects have not been published because they do not meet research quality standards, for example they have limited data quality and sample sizes which are too small to validate findings.
Trade and Industry
Airports
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce changes in policy on the ground operations of all UK airports. [138629]
Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
We have no plans to change policy on ground operations at UK airports. These operations are governed by the EU Groundhandling Directive 1996 which aims at liberalising the provision of groundhandling services through the introduction of competition.
Broadband
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what benchmarking exercises his Department has undertaken on the (a) minimum speed used to define and (b) availability of broadband in the UK and other European countries; and if he will make a statement. [135518]
Margaret Hodge: In order to maximise resources my Department agreed with Ofcom in June 2005 that we would share research data on (a) minimum speeds and (b) availability of broadband. It seemed sensible for Ofcom to lead in light of their responsibilities under the Communications Act 2003.
Ofcom’s report, entitled ‘The International Communications Market report' benchmarks the UK's performance against international competitors and allows us to monitor minimum speed and availability of broadband. We also source research and information from other EU and OECD reports. The latest update of Ofcom’s 'The International Communications Market 2006’ can be found on their website at:
Ofcom define the speed of broadband as being “always on” and providing a bandwidth greater than 128kbit/s. OECD data define the speed of broadband as any connection that has download speeds equal to or faster than 256 Kbit/s.
My Department did commission two reports from 2002 to 2006, which benchmarked the (b) availability of broadband in the UK and other European countries. Both are available on the DTI website.
1. The International and UK Broadband Market Report produced by Ovum. http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file29469.pdf International Broadband Market Comparisons Update
2. The Sophisticated Broadband Services Report produced by Analysys Consulting.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file29468.pdf Sophisticated Broadband Services Report - May 2006.
Combined Heat and Power: Building Regulations
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on possible amendments to the Building Regulations to include a requirement to install microgeneration technologies in new and refurbished buildings. [138384]
Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Minister for Energy have held regular discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government on a range of energy issues including the role of Building Regulations in promoting microgeneration.
Competition
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets are set by his Department for regional development agencies (RDAs) to support the Government’s target on regional competitiveness; what assessment he has made of performance by each RDA against these targets; and if he will make a statement. [138753]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 22 May 2007]: The RDA tasking framework, introduced in April 2005, comprises a set of 10 output targets: with the RDAs agreeing specific numbers against them. The targets cover employment creation and support, business creation and support, leverage of public and private sector infrastructure investment, brownfield land reclamation/redevelopment, and skills development. The performance of the RDAs against their targets is laid before Parliament every six months. Nationally, as a network, the RDAs have achieved or exceeded their targets every year since a common target framework was introduced in 2002, except in 2002-03 when the employment target was not met, and in 2005-06 when the level 2 skills sub-target was not met.
Competition: North West Region
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that the spending decisions of the North West Regional Development Agency are consistent with the public service agreement target for regional competitiveness. [138755]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 22 May 2007]: The RDA tasking framework requires each RDA, including the North West Development Agency, to show in its corporate plan how it will contribute to the delivery of a number of Government PSA targets, including the regional economic performance PSA. The NWDA’s current corporate plan for 2005-08 outlines the RDA’s proposed expenditure over the current spending review settlement period and was approved by Ministers in July 2005. To monitor the progress against the targets the RDAs are required to report their results every six months.
Departments: Official Visits
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on visits and related activities undertaken by his Department’s (a) Ministers and (b) officials, including departmentally sponsored agencies, in each of the last three years. [134626]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information in the format requested would be available only at disproportionate costs. However the following table shows the total expenditure for each of the last three years for both Ministers and officials on travel and subsistence.
| Total (£000) | |
The totals shown cover the Core DTI, the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Weights and Measurement Laboratories and the UK Intellectual Property Office.
Travel and subsistence payments include: rail and air fares, taxis, mileage allowances, hotel costs and subsistence payments.
Glaztek
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on (a) facilities closure and (b) redundancies at Glaztek in Harworth. [139035]
Margaret Hodge: I have received no representations concerning either the facilities closure or redundancies at Glaztek in Harworth.
Mining
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much methane was extracted from former colliery sites in (a) the UK, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) Hemsworth constituency in the most recent year for which figures are available. [138141]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information on colliery methane production and consumption is published in Table 4.2 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2006. The latest data relate to 2005 and show production of 757 GWh. Data are available at the UK level only and relate to production from operating collieries. There was no recorded production of coal bed methane from former colliery sites in 2005.
Nuclear Power: Pollution Control
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions have been (a) initiated and (b) won in the courts by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate against (i) companies, (ii) local authorities and (iii) individuals in relation to incidents of pollution, broken down by (A) region, (B) band of level of fine and (C) type of pollution incident. [137851]
Malcolm Wicks: None: the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive does not investigate or prosecute cases of pollution. (The Environment Agencies are the responsible bodies for investigating or prosecuting cases of pollution.)
Radioactive Wastes: Waste Management
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what requirements there are for the return for long-term management or disposal of radioactively contaminated metals exported from decommissioning facilities at Sellafield to the Studsvik decontamination plant once processed; whether safety and security plans covering shipments from Sellafield to Studsvik have been approved by his Department; and what the costs are to (a) British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd and (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of the planned shipments of such material from Sellafield to Studsvik. [137664]
Malcolm Wicks: The return of radioactively contaminated metals exported from decommissioning facilities at BNG Sellafield to Studsvik Sweden must meet the requirements of regulators both in the UK and Sweden. Following treatment by smelting in Sweden, the metal is recycled through the Swedish metals industry. This might require the metal to be held at Studsvik Sweden for a period of ‘decay’ storage in order to achieve the recycling concentration criteria established by the Swedish environmental regulator and the European Commission. If the concentration of radioactivity in the metal is too high to achieve the recycling criteria within 10 years of ‘decay’ storage it will be returned to the UK for storage or disposal. If repatriation is required it will usually occur within two years of the smelting process. Radioactive waste materials separated out in the smelting process (for example in the slag) are separated and returned to the UK consignor for disposal, together with any other radioactive wastes produced.
These arrangements are contractual obligations and have been agreed between the Environment Agency and the Swedish regulator (SSI).
The costs of such shipments are a commercial matter for the NDA and BNG Sellafield.
Renewable Energy: Research
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding was provided by his Department for research and development into renewable energy technologies in each year since 1990, broken down by type. [136243]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department and Research Councils expenditure on R and D on renewable energy technologies from 1996 is set out in the following tables. It has not been possible to collate expenditure since 1990 in the time available at proportionate cost.
| DTI Renewable energy R and D expenditure | ||||||
| £ | ||||||
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | |
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