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16 July 2007 : Column 48W—continued
Government Shareholding
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007, Official Report, columns 1283-84W, on Government Shareholding, what the nature and status is of the special shares held by his Department in (a) Rolls Royce plc and (b) British Aerospace plc. [148946]
Mr. Timms: The information is as follows.
(a) The Solicitor for the Affairs of Her Majesty’s Treasury, as nominee for the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, holds the Government’s special share in Rolls Royce Group plc, going back to when the Company was privatised in 1987.
The purpose of the Rolls Royce special share, which has a nominal value of £1, is to protect the UK’s national security interests. These include security of supply issues associated with its nuclear business (nuclear propulsion for Royal Navy submarines) and for other defence equipment (mainly aero-engine and ship propulsion). The provisions of the special share are tailored as narrowly as possible and kept under review.
Key features of the Rolls-Royce special share are:
A 15 per cent. limit on the percentage of foreign shares in Rolls Royce Group plc (the holding company) that can be held by a single foreign shareholder, or foreign shareholders acting in concert. (A foreign shareholder includes an EU national.)
A requirement that the chief executive and the majority of directors of Rolls Royce Group plc (the holding company) are British.
A requirement that disposals of the whole or a material part of the nuclear business, or the group as a whole, require the consent of the Special Shareholder.
(b) The Solicitor for the Affairs of Her Majesty’s Treasury, as nominee for the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, holds the Government’s special share in BAE Systems plc (then known as British Aerospace plc). The purpose of the special share, created in 1985, and which has a nominal value of £1, is to protect the UK’s national security interests. The provisions of the special share are tailored as narrowly as possible and kept under review.
Key features of the BAE Systems’ special share are:
A 15 per cent. limit on the percentage of shares that can be held by any individual foreign shareholder, or group of foreign shareholders acting in concert, in the company; (A foreign shareholder includes an EU national.)
A requirement that the chief executive and the majority of the board are British;
A requirement that any executive chairman is to be British and, if both the chairman and the deputy chairman are non-executives, that at least one of them is British.
Heating: 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 low carbon potential of electric heating is realised. [148655]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 10 July 2007]: The Government are committed to addressing both the causes and consequences of climate change. As announced in the Energy White Paper we are considering a number of policy options to reduce the carbon impact of heat, including electric heating from low carbon sources, and its use in order to determine a strategy for heat.
Industrial Disputes: Mediation
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the merits of making mediation a compulsory step in employment disputes. [149471]
Mr. Timms: The Government are currently developing their plans for the way forward on the resolution of employment disputes including the role of mediation, in the light of Michael Gibbons’ review and the Government consultation “Resolving Disputes in the Workplace”. These plans will be published in due course.
Iran: Export Credit Guarantees
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2007, Official Report, column 621W, on Iran: export credit guarantees, whether his Department has received information from other European countries to the effect that they have limited the provision of export credit guarantees to Iran; and if he will make a statement. [148973]
Malcolm Wicks: ECGD receives information about the cover policies operated by other Export Credit Agencies (EGAs) in various international and bilateral fora but this is made known on a confidential basis. However, some EGAs post their current cover policies on individual countries on their public websites. Each EGA is responsible for taking its own decisions on cover policy for individual countries, taking account of its own risk assessments and any international arrangements and/or agreements that exist which may inform what the policy should be.
Maternity Leave
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of mothers eligible for maternity leave have taken maternity leave in the last 12 months; and what the average length of maternity leave was. [148701]
Mr. McFadden: The most recent estimates are based on the Maternity and Paternity Rights and Benefits in Britain: Survey of Parents, conducted in 2005. The survey is based on a random sample of mothers who had a baby in December 2003 and their partners. Of mothers in paid work, all took at least some of their entitlement to maternity leave, and 98 per cent. received some form of maternity pay; approximately 2 per cent. of mothers in paid work did not receive maternity pay. The survey found that the average length of maternity leave taken was six months.
Minimum Wage: Personal Income
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) the UK, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Tamworth whose income rose on the introduction of the minimum wage. [149270]
Mr. McFadden: The Department estimates that around 1 million people in the UK stand to benefit from the 2007 uprating of the national minimum wage in October, 110,000 of whom are in the West Midlands. Data at the parliamentary constituency level are not available.
Parental Leave: Industrial Disputes
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department holds figures on the number of employment disputes with (a) paternity leave and (b) maternity leave as a primary cause of action; and if he will make a statement. [148708]
Mr. McFadden: During the year 2005-06, 155 employment tribunal claims related to a person claiming to suffer a detriment and/or dismissal due to requesting or taking paternity or adoption leave or time off to assist a dependant.
During the same year there were 1,501 employment tribunal claims made related to a person claiming to suffer a detriment and/or dismissal on grounds of pregnancy, childbirth or maternity.
Parental Leave: Low Incomes
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate his Department has made of the number of people from low income families taking (a) paternity leave and (b) maternity leave in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [148697]
Mr. McFadden: The most recent estimates of take-up of maternity and paternity leave are based on the Maternity and Paternity Rights and Benefits in Britain: Survey of Parents, conducted in 2005. The survey is based on a random sample of mothers who had a baby in December 2003 and their partners. Of mothers in paid work, all took at least some of their entitlement to maternity leave. 93 per cent. of fathers took some time off around the time of the birth. Of the 93 per cent. who took some time off, 79 per cent. took paternity leave.
The Department does not collect data on low income families so has not estimated the number of low income families which have taken up paternity or maternity leave.
Paternity Leave
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of fathers eligible for paternity leave have taken paternity leave in the last 12 months; and what the average length of paternity leave was. [148700]
Mr. McFadden: The most recent data available on take-up of paternity leave are from the Maternity and Paternity Rights and Benefits: Survey of Parents 2005. The report of findings is available at the House of Commons Library and at www.berr.gov.uk/files/file27446.pdf. Statistics in this report are based on responses from a sample of mothers and fathers who had a child in December 2003 who were surveyed approximately 17 months after the child's birth.
The survey found that 93 per cent. of fathers took some time off around the time of the birth. Of the 93 per cent. who took some time off, 79 per cent. took paternity leave and the average duration was 9.3 days. Table 9.1 in the cited report provides further information.
Post Offices: WH Smith
Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many representations Post Office Ltd. received in response to the consultation on moving the Carlisle Crown Post Office to W.H. Smith; and how many of the responses raised problems about access. [149626]
Mr. McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook the Managing Director has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Telecommunications
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the number of households and businesses with a telephone connection provided using a line concentrator or other line sharing device due to shortages of line capacity; what steps he is taking to reduce the number of such households; and what discussions he has had with telecommunications companies on this issue. [149441]
Mr. Timms: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Tidal Power: Severn Estuary
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans his Department has to commission an independent strategic evaluation of all the options for exploiting tidal power in the Severn estuary; and if he will make a statement. [147987]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 9 July 2007]: A study of ‘Tidal Power in the UK' currently under way and led by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) working together with my Department, Welsh Assembly Government, the devolved Administrations and the South West Regional Development Agency is looking in some detail at the issues arising on tidal power.
The study will provide a strategic, independent and evidence-based consideration of all the environmental, social and economic aspects of and options for tidal power both in the Severn estuary and the wider UK from a sustainable development perspective.
The final report is expected to be published in September and will help inform any future consideration of these issues. Further details of the study can be seen at
Unfair Dismissal
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if his Department will undertake an assessment of the law of procedural unfairness in unfair dismissal employment disputes. [149473]
Mr. McFadden: The consultation “Resolving Disputes in the Workplace” covered this area, and in light of early responses the Government issued a supplementary review on procedural unfairness in unfair dismissal. The conclusions of this review and the Government's plans for the way forward will be published, alongside those for the main consultation, in due course.
Warwick Manufacturing Group
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 136W, on the Warwick Manufacturing Group, whether the payments were intended to fund in whole or part the Warwick Manufacturing Group. [148851]
Mr. Timms: The payments detailed in the answer of 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 136W, were made in respect of specific services provided by Warwick University, of which the Warwick Manufacturing Group is part, on projects designed to improve the performance of UK industry.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the Government provide financial support to the Warwick Manufacturing Group; and if he will make a statement. [148871]
Mr. Timms: The Government do not provide general financial support to the Warwick Manufacturing Group. They have however engaged the services of the University of Warwick, of which the Warwick Manufacturing Group is part, to provide specific services on a range of projects designed to improve the competitiveness of UK industry.
Home Department
Boris Berezovsky
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons Boris Berezovsky was granted political asylum. [147793]
Mr. Byrne: It is the policy of the Border and Immigration Agency not to comment publicly on individual cases.
Children: Internet
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on which social networking sites have (a) adopted and (b) not adopted mechanisms to prevent child abuse. [149443]
Mr. Coaker: This information is not held centrally.
However, the Home Secretary's Taskforce for Child Protection on the Internet has set up a working group which includes representatives from social network providers, law enforcement and children's charities. This group is looking at the safety issues for children caused by the development and growth of social networking sites and is developing good practice guidelines.
Crime: Banks
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what redress is available to a UK citizen against alleged criminal activities by Swiss banks with subsidiary offices located in London. [150234]
Mr. Coaker: Without knowing the full circumstances of a case it is difficult to assess what redress may be available. There may be a case for civil action, or where a criminal offence has been committed in the UK this should be reported to the police for them to decide on appropriate action.
Crime: Drugs
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much and what proportion of anti-drugs spending the Government allocated to the monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the UK drugs strategy in (a) reducing the availability of illicit drugs, (b) educating young people, (c) drug addiction treatment and (d) tackling drug-related crime; [148712]
(2) how much and what proportion of anti-drugs spending the Government allocated to research to inform the UK drug strategy on (a) availability of illicit drugs, (b) young people's attitudes to drugs, (c) treatment and (d) drug-related crime in each year since 2002. [148713]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office allocated £11.4 million between 2002-03 and 2006-07 on monitoring and evaluation. A further £0.9 million is allocated for the current financial year.
The success of the strategy will be measured by the Drug Harm Index, which captures a range of social and health harms caused by drugs. This is published annually by the Home Office. In terms of research and evaluation, the complex nature of drug misuse and its associated problems means that research projects often address a range of substantive issues. As such, it is difficult to break down funding into discrete themes. However key projects since 2002 have been around assessing the impact of interventions to tackle the availability and problems caused by drugs, measuring the relationship between drugs and crime, estimating the trends in drug consumption and the number of problematic users, and the relationship between drug consumption and young people. Completed projects are published on the Home office Research, Development and Statistics web page.
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