9. John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what discussions he has had with employers organisations and trade unions on skills shortages in the construction industry. [147644]
Mr. Timms: I have had no such meetings with the industry though I am looking forward to having discussions with them on a range of issues. My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge), discussed skills and other matters with the industry and trade unions on many occasions.
10. Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many voluntary and compulsory closures of post offices there will be over the next two years; and if he will make a statement. [147645]
Mr. McFadden: The Government have set out a policy framework for the future of the post office network and announced up to £1.7 billion to set the network on a more stable footing. Post Office Ltd. will need to make strategic changes to the network including the compensated closure of up to 2,500 sub-post offices by the end of 2008. The Post Office will carry out the programme on a compulsory basis to ensure that it meets the Governments objectives of maintaining a truly national network providing the right services in the right places.
11. Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what plans he has to reform the process of regulation. [147646]
Mr. Hutton: We have set out a range of measures to reduce the burden of regulation on business, the public sector and third sector. Further measures will be announced shortly.
The World Bank ranks us sixth in the world and first in the EU for ease of doing business.
13. Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what recent measures he has introduced to encourage and support people who wish to start their own enterprise. [147648]
Mr. Timms: This Government continue to encourage and support people who wish to start their own enterprises via Business Link branded services. Business Link assisted 183,000 pre-starts in the year ending March 2007.
The Business Link website www.businesslink.gov.uk also attracted 7 million unique visitors in the year ending March 2007.
14. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will make a statement on progress in the World Trade Organisation talks. [147650]
Mr. Thomas: We regret that G4 members failed to agree a common platform in the DDA negotiations last week in Potsdam. We welcome Pascal Lamys intention to continue negotiations in Geneva. We continue to encourage all WTO members to work constructively with Pascal Lamy and the Chairs of the Negotiating Groups to try to take the negotiations forward to achieving an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Doha Round.
15. Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Insolvency Service; and if he will make a statement. [147653]
Mr. McFadden: The performance of the Insolvency Service is assessed by Ministers following the submission of a quarterly report by the Agency Chief Executive, the most recent report being received in May 2007. Ministers also assessed the performance of the agency in setting its targets for 2007-08. The targets set for 2007-08 were announced in the House by way of ministerial statement on 29 March 2007.
16. Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what mechanisms are in place to reduce the risk of corruption in the award or approval of contracts by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [147654]
Mr. Thomas: The Department is committed to meeting its legal and best practice obligations as set out in Government Accounting and the Public Contracts Regulations 2006. The Department has a zero tolerance policy for fraud and corruption.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what volume of asphalt was produced in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what estimate his Department has made of the volume of asphalt which will be produced in the next five years. [147895]
Mr. Timms: The Office for National Statistics publishes data on natural bitumen, natural asphalt, asphaltites and asphaltic rocks as part of its annual publication Product Sales and Trade PRA 14500: Other Mining and Quarrying. However, data for UK manufacturer sales are suppressed as being statistically disclosive.
The Quarry Products Association estimates that the asphalt industry produces more than 26 million tonnes of asphalt every year.
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what work his Department is undertaking on the research and development of carbon sequestration in the United Kingdom. [147157]
Mr. Hutton: The Government announced in the Budget in March 2007 that a competition to build the UKs first commercial scale demonstration of carbon capture and storage will take place. As indicated in the recent Energy White Paper, the competition is expected to launch in November and we intend that it will be up and running sometime between 2011 and 2014. Current indications are that we will be among the firstif not the firstin the world to do this.
The Government are also working towards a regulatory regime which will manage the safe and reliable storage of CO2 and does not conflict with international agreements. We currently expect to consult on UK regulation of CCS in November.
Regulatory work also includes amendments to international conventions and working towards the inclusion of CCS in the EU ETS. The UK has already taken the lead in proposing and securing amendments to the London convention and OSPAR treaties which legalise CO2 storage beneath the seabed, a major step towards enabling the implementation of CCS.
With Norway we have established a taskforce to establish the underlying principles for CO2 storage in the North sea basin. The work of the taskforce is progressing well and has already produced its first deliverable, a report on a set of common principles for the regulation and management for storing CO2 in geological formations beneath the seabed.
DBERR also supports research and development for carbon capture and storage (CCS) through the Technology programme. During 2005-06 some £3.5 million was set aside for Carbon Abatement Technologies of which £2.3 million has been allocated to CCS. This funding will continue through 2007 at which stage the new arrangements for the Technology Strategy Board and Energy Technologies Institute will be introduced.
Additionally £35 million has been allocated for the demonstration of components for CCS technologies. To date some £1.4 million of those funds has been set aside for one project.
Funding is also made available by the Research Councils. The following table outlines their expenditure on CCS research to date:
£ | |
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department paid to Common Purpose in each of the last five years; for what purpose; and what the outcome of the expenditure was. [147610]
Mr. Thomas: Central records indicate that no payments have been made to Common Purpose in any of the financial years 2003-04 to date.
Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much the Department spent on (a) management consultants and (b) other external consultants and advisers in each year since 2000; and which of these consultants undertook work for the Department with a total contractual value in excess of £10 million over this period. [146328]
Mr. Thomas: The DTI introduced a new finance system during 2003-04 and obtaining figures prior to 2003 from the old system would be at disproportionate cost.
(a): Yearly expenditure figures for management consultancy, since 2003 | |
£ | |
(b): Yearly expenditure figures for external consultants and advisors since 2003 | |
£ | |
Over the same period the Department did not spend £10 million or more on any single contractual consultancy service.
Government procurement exercises above £500 are subject to fair and open competition. We ensure that we follow procurement practices laid down by HM Treasury to achieve value for money.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which agencies of his Department maintain offices overseas; in which countries each agency maintains an office; how many staff work in each; and what the cost of each office was in 2005-06. [144921]
Mr. Thomas: I can confirm that my Department's agencies do not have any offices overseas.
Where UK trade and investment operate overseas, the buildings are maintained and managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps are being taken by the Government to tackle homophobic bullying in the workplace. [146397]
Mr. McFadden: The Government believe that workers should be able to work without fear of being bullied or harassed in the workplace. The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 provide specific protection against discrimination, victimisation and harassment in the workplace on the grounds of sexual orientation. Individuals who feel that they have been treated unfairly on those grounds may make a claim to an Employment Tribunal.
ACAS has published guidance on the legislation and provides a nationwide telephone advice line offering assistance to employers and employees on bullying and other employment issues.
The Department's Partnership at Work Fund has made available £1 million to a project involving Amicus, BT, Legal and General, BAE Systems and Royal Mail to address the issue of bullying in the workplace. The project promotes best practice and workplace initiatives to tackle bullying.
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many free-to-use cash machines have been installed in sub-post offices. [147222]
Mr. McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook the managing director has been asked to reply direct to my right hon. Friend.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many voluntary and compulsory closures of post offices he expects there to be over the next two years. [147649]
Mr. McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) earlier today.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory Post Office closures there will be over the next two years; and if he will make a statement. [147869]
Mr. McFadden: The Government have set out a policy framework for the future of the post office network and announced up to £1.7 billion to set the network on a more stable footing. Post Office Ltd. will need to make strategic changes to the network including the compensated closure of up to 2,500 sub-post offices by the end of 2008. The Post Office will carry out the programme on a compulsory basis to ensure that it meets the Governments objectives of maintaining a truly national network providing the right services in the right places.
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much of the funding allocated to the post office network by the Government have been allocated for (a) training, (b) new equipment and (c) marketing. [147219]
Mr. McFadden: The Governments investment of up to £1.7 billion for the post office network announced on 17 May 2007, ( Official Report 17 May 2007, column 753) covers network change, continued annual subsidy and network losses. Decisions on funding for training, new equipment and marketing are commercial matters for post office management.
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