Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 11 October 2007
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Postal Services: West Yorkshire
10. Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his Department plans to announce which post offices in West Yorkshire are due to close and the proposed dates of the closures. [156877]
Mr. McFadden: On 17 May, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the Government’s response to the public consultation on the post office network.
Post Office Ltd is carrying this forward through 50 local area implementation plans over the next 15 months.
No decisions have been made about any individual post offices in West Yorkshire. According to the timetable set out by Post Office Ltd., which is publicly available on its website, the local consultation on the West Yorkshire plan is scheduled to begin in April next year.
Economic Partnership Agreements
11. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on negotiations on the European Union economic partnership agreements. [156878]
Mr. Thomas: The economic partnership agreements that the European Union is negotiating with the six regions of the African Caribbean and Pacific countries are at a critical point. We would be happy to keep the House informed as the negotiations progress.
Postal Services
13. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made with the Post Office’s network consultation; and if he will make a statement. [156880]
Mr. McFadden: On 17 May, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the Government’s response to the public consultation on the post office network. Post Office Ltd is now carrying that forward through around 50 local implementation plans.
Consultations on the first area plans were launched on 2 October. This process will continue over the next 15 months.
Competition Policy
14. Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his Department’s policy is on promoting competition within the EU. [156881]
Mr. Timms: Our policy is for an effective, proactive competition regime, as key to tackling—for example—hard-core cartels, and to encouraging innovation, quality and value for money. The UK and EU have among the best competition regimes in the world. We are committed to further improvement.
Renewable Energy
15. Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will consider the introduction of a feed-in tariff to support the development of renewable energy. [156882]
Mr. McFadden: The Government have considered the use of feed-in tariffs for this purpose. However, we remain firmly committed to the renewables obligation as the principal means of driving the deployment of large-scale renewable electricity in the UK. The renewables obligation has been successful in driving deployment, offers continuity of policy to maintain investor confidence, and fits well with our pro-competitive approach to energy markets.
World Trade
16. Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the progress of negotiations in the current world trade round. [156883]
Mr. Thomas: Negotiations on all aspects of the Doha Development Agenda continue to take place at the WTO in Geneva. The UK Government remain fully committed to working with the EU Trade Commissioner, other EU member states and other WTO members to secure an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Doha Round.
Yorkshire Forward
17. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many applications there have been to the small business recovery scheme provided by Yorkshire Forward. [156884]
Mr. Timms: By the end of last week there had been 1,135 applications.
Enterprise: South Derbyshire
19. Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on potential infrastructure development to permit business location and growth in South Derbyshire. [156887]
Mr. Timms: The Regional Funding Allocation processes prioritises key infrastructure schemes of regional significance. The South Derbyshire Local Transport Plan sets out local schemes to be brought forward for funding consideration. Key current projects in South Derbyshire include access to the Drakelow Power Station site, and the new rail freight facility. The report on the latter project is due to be published next month.
UK Competitiveness
Mr. Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he plans to take to improve UK competitiveness. [156885]
Mr. Timms: The Government are committed to achieving continued long-term improvements in UK competitiveness, through raising long-term productivity growth and thereby reducing the productivity gap with our international competitors.
This week's pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review illustrate that continued commitment with policies aimed at improving performance through the five drivers of productivity: investment, innovation, skills, enterprise and competition. These include increased investment in higher education and skills, continued development of a world-class science base and simplifications of the tax system.
This is underpinned by the Government's commitment to maintaining macroeconomic stability, which provides firms and individuals with the certainty needed to invest for the future.
Coats Viyella
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much the East Midlands Development Agency paid for the Coats Viyella site in Worksop; and how much has been spent on security for the site. [155602]
Mr. Timms: The East Midlands Development Agency (emda) purchased the Coats Viyella site for £576,000 on 30th March 2001. Between 30th March 2001 and 25th April 2006, when emda owned the site, it spent £223,000 on its security.
Departments: Accountancy
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what accounts directions were issued by his Department’s predecessors in financial year (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07. [156626]
Mr. Timms: Under the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 HM Treasury issues accounts directions to Departments, pension schemes and agencies and under the Government Trading Funds Act 1973 to trading funds.
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform operates a policy for the issue of accounts directions, where they remain existent until superseded by a new direction.
For the years 2005-06 and 2006-07 the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has issued accounts directions for the form and content of resource and other accounts to the following sponsored bodies. Where an existing accounts direction is in place this has also been noted.
Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Advantage West Midlands Regional Development Agency.
East Midlands Regional Development Agency.
East of England Regional Development Agency.
North West Regional Development Agency.
One North East Regional Development Agency.
South East England Regional Development Agency.
South West of England regional Development Agency.
Yorkshire Forward Regional Development Agency.
Civil Nuclear Police Authority.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils.
Economic and Social Research Council.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Medical Research Council.
Natural Environment Research Council.
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.
Research Council Pension Schemes.
British Hallmarking Council.
Coal Authority.
Competition Commission.
Competition Service.
Consumer Council for Postal Services.
Design Council.
Gas and Electricity Consumer Council.
Hearing Aid Council.
National Consumer Council.
Simpler Trade Procedures Board.
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.
Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Economic and Social Research Council.
Medical Research Council.
Natural Environment Research Council.
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.
Research Council Pension Schemes.
Advantage West Midlands Regional Development Agency.
East of England Regional Development Agency.
East Midlands Regional Development Agency.
North West Regional Development Agency.
One North East Regional Development Agency.
South East England Regional Development Agency.
South West of England regional Development Agency.
Yorkshire Forward Regional Development Agency.
British Hallmarking Council.
Civil Nuclear Police Authority.
Coal Authority.
Competition Commission.
Competition Service.
Consumer Council for Postal Services.
Design Council.
Gas and Electricity Consumer Council.
Hearing Aid Council.
National Consumer Council.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Simpler Trade Procedures Board.
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.
Departments: ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many new (a) laptops, (b) mobile telephones and (c) personal digital assistant devices his Department and its predecessors have bought for the use of departmental Ministers following each Cabinet reshuffle since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [156740]
Mr. Thomas: The Department has not purchased any new laptops, mobile telephones or personal digital assistant devices as a consequence of any Cabinet reshuffle. The Department recovers assigned ICT equipment from departing ministerial teams and reallocates the devices accordingly. If insufficient devices for ministerial teams are available at the time of a Cabinet reshuffle, the Department utilises devices that are within the reserve capacity held by the Department’s ICT suppliers as contingency and recovered devices are returned to this capacity pool. The Department’s arrangements with its ICT suppliers are structured such that this capacity is not charged for until used and the net effect on the ICT budget as a consequence is zero.
Children, Schools and Families
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service: Complaints
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he plans to publish the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service’s consultation on its complaints policy; and if he will make a statement. [154955]
Kevin Brennan [holding answer 10 October 2007]: This is a matter for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 13 September 2007:
I am writing to you in response to the parliamentary question that you recently tabled:
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