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11 July 2007 : Column 1540W—continued
Employment Dispute Resolution Review
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his Department expects to respond to the Gibbons review. [148096]
Mr. McFadden: The Government responded to the Gibbons review by publishing a consultation paper, “Resolving disputes in the workplace” (URN 07/734), on 21 March 2007. Copies were placed in the Libraries of the House. The consultation closed on 20 June 2007 and BERR will publish a response to the consultation in due course.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he plans to publish the evidence considered by the Gibbons Review. [148097]
Mr. McFadden: Michael Gibbons summarised the evidence he had considered in his report published on 21 March 2007. His review was independent of Government and did not invite formal submissions of evidence.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library all representations received on the Gibbons Review. [148101]
Mr. McFadden: Responses received to the Government’s consultation on the Gibbons review will be made publicly available in the usual way, except where confidentiality has been requested.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department has estimated the effect on the costs of (a) employees, (b) employers and (c) the Government of implementing the recommendations of the Gibbons Review. [148098]
Mr. McFadden: Estimates of the impact of implementing the Gibbons review were set out in the partial regulatory impact assessment published in the consultation paper “Resolving disputes in the workplace” on 21 March 2007. Copies of the paper were placed in the Libraries of the House.
Enterprise Act 2002: Insolvency
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of individual voluntary arrangements were made (a) pre-bankruptcy and (b) post-bankruptcy in each year since the introduction of the Enterprise Act 2002. [148966]
Mr. McFadden: The personal insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 came into force on 1 April 2004.
| Post-bankruptcy IVAs as a percentage of all IVAs | Pre-bankruptcy IVAs as a percentage of all IVAs | |
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002; and if he will make a statement. [148967]
Mr. McFadden: The Insolvency Service is undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of the Enterprise Act 2002 insolvency provisions, overseen by an Evaluation Group of independent stakeholders.
The evaluation includes both quantitative and qualitative data collected from various sources over a four-year period, including five pieces of independent academic research and internal analyses of Insolvency Service data. In order to better understand the evaluation data, benchmark information was obtained regarding the operation and effect of the pre-existing legislation.
Full details of the evaluation are set out in the minutes of the Evaluation Group, the evaluation planning papers, interim evaluation reports, academic research reports and internal analyses, available on the Insolvency Service website:
The final evaluation report on the corporate insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 is due to be published in summer 2007, and the final evaluation report on the individual insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 is due to be published in autumn 2007.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many bankruptcy orders have been made in each year since the implementation of the Enterprise Act 2002. [148968]
Mr. McFadden: The following table shows the number of bankruptcy orders in England and Wales from April 2004, when the individual insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 came into force.
| Bankruptcy orders in England and Wales, seasonally adjusted | |
| Bankruptcy orders | |
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many (a) fast-track voluntary arrangements and (b) post-bankruptcy individual voluntary arrangements were made in each year since the introduction of the Enterprise Act 2002. [147076]
Mr. McFadden: The individual insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 came into force on 1 April 2004.
| Fast track voluntary arrangements | Total number of post-bankruptcy IVAs | |
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department has assessed the volume of (a) individual voluntary arrangements and (b) fast-track voluntary arrangements resulting from the implementation of the Enterprise Act 2002’s insolvency provisions prior to its enactment. [148746]
Mr. McFadden: There are no statistics for the number of FTVAs for the period before the Enterprise Act was enacted as they were introduced by that Act. Insolvency statistics are produced quarterly. IVA numbers for the five calendar years prior to the enactment of the individual insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act and for the period subsequent to enactment are as follows:
| Number of IVAs | |
FTVAs were introduced on 1 April 2004. In the year 2004-05 there were five approved FTVAs, for 2005-06 there were 12 and for 2006-07 there were three.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the preliminary conclusions of the Insolvency Service’s interim evaluation of the Enterprise Act 2002 were in respect of (a) post-bankruptcy individual voluntary arrangements and (b) fast-track voluntary arrangements. [148747]
Mr. McFadden: The interim evaluation reports on the individual insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 can be accessed on the Insolvency Service website on
Neither of the interim evaluation reports reach any conclusions about post-bankruptcy IVAs or FTVAs as their main purpose is to inform stakeholders of ongoing work. The evaluation of the individual insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 will be published later this year.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to publish the results of the Insolvency Service’s evaluation of the Enterprise Act 2002; and if he will make a statement. [148748]
Mr. McFadden: The Insolvency Service is undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of the Enterprise Act 2002 insolvency provisions, overseen by an Evaluation Group of independent stakeholders.
The final evaluation report on the individual insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 is due to be published later this year.
Full details of the evaluation are set out in the minutes of the Evaluation Group, the evaluation planning papers, interim evaluation reports, academic research reports and internal analyses, available on The Insolvency Service website:
EU Law: Recycling
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the impact on small businesses of registration fees for the distributor take-back scheme of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. [148743]
Malcolm Wicks: Valpak Retail WEEE Services Ltd. operates the Distributor Takeback Scheme (DTS). As part of the Government’s desire to keep the costs down for SMEs the DTS registration fees have been tiered, based on the levels of sales of electrical and electronic equipment.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he made an assessment of the (a) likely cost to and (b) other implications for small businesses of depositing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment in a distributor collection facility; and the consequences for small businesses as a result. [148745]
Malcolm Wicks: The WEEE regulations do not alter current arrangements regarding businesses, including SMEs gaining access to local authority civic amenity sites and waste transfer stations. Local authorities are not obliged to accept trade waste and a decision on whether to do so is at their discretion.
Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the (a) financial and (b) other impacts of the implementation of the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Regulations and the necessary registration to Valpak on smaller retailers. [148822]
Malcolm Wicks: A full Regulatory Impact Assessment was published alongside the WEEE Regulations and provides an estimate of the costs and benefits of the implementation on smaller retailers. Retailers of electrical and electronic equipment are required to be a member of the Distributor Takeback Scheme (DTS) operated by Valpak Retail WEEE Services Ltd unless they offer in store take-back.
As part of the Government’s desire to keep the costs down for SMEs the DTS registration fees have been tiered, based on the levels of sales of electrical and electronic equipment.
Food: Packaging
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions his Department has had with major supermarkets on ensuring that food packaging is user friendly for the (a) elderly and (b) disabled. [147301]
Mr. Timms: No such discussions have been held.
Industrial Relations: Disputes Procedures
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what measures his Department has taken to increase the use of mediation in employment disputes. [148100]
Mr. McFadden: BERR funds the work of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) including the provision of conciliation for employment disputes.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the availability of mediation services for employment disputes; and whether his Department plans to increase that availability. [148457]
Mr. McFadden: The Department is aware that mediation is available from a variety of sources including ACAS. The recent consultation, “Resolving disputes in the workplace” sought views on encouraging earlier conciliation in appropriate cases; responses to this will be taken into consideration.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether guidance published by his Department on employment disputes contains information on local mediation services. [148458]
Mr. McFadden: Guidance published by this Department on employment disputes does not contain information on local mediation services.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his Department expects to bring forward proposals on the procedure to reform unfair dismissal employment disputes. [148467]
Mr. McFadden: The consultation paper “Resolving disputes in the workplace”, published on 21 March 2007, invited views on proposals on procedures for unfair dismissal employment disputes. My Department's plans on the way forward will be set out in our response to this consultation which will be published in due course.
National Grid: Carbon Emissions
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the carbon content of grid electricity is reduced. [148654]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 10 July 2007]: The Government have set out in the Energy White Paper measures aimed at reducing the carbon content of electricity generation. These include:
Strengthening the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Strengthening the Renewables Obligation
Consulting on civil nuclear power
Launching a competition to demonstrate carbon capture and storage in the UK
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