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14 Nov 2007 : Column 249W—continued
Railway Stations: Shipley
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been allocated to accessibility improvements at Shipley railway station under the Access for All programme. [163836]
Mr. Tom Harris: Shipley station has been targeted to receive an estimated £3,054,000 investment under the Access for All Main Programme.
This will see the installation a new footbridge and lifts to platforms 3 and 4, as well as new lifts to the existing footbridge connecting platforms 1 and 2; thus creating an accessible route into the station and between platforms. These works are currently targeted for completion during spring 2008.
Transport: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of transport infrastructure needs in Hertfordshire; and if she will make a statement. [163423]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The local highway and planning authority, Hertfordshire county council, has the responsibility for assessing the infrastructure needs in Hertfordshire in conjunction with the development of their local transport plan (LTP). They have recently reported good progress against their LTP targets and I expect them to continue to reassess the transport infrastructure needs of the county against these indicators and in line with published proposals for future growth.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Bankruptcy
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; and if he will make a statement. [164228]
Mr. McFadden: The personal insolvency provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 came into force on 1 April 2004. The number of IVAs since then is set out in the following table:
| 2004-05 | 2005-07 | 2006-07 | |
I do not intend to make a statement on this matter.
Departmental Public Consultations
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many citizens’ juries were arranged for his Department for each year between 1997 and June 2007; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens’ jury; and what the cost was of each. [163602]
Mr. Timms: The narrowing of the scope of the right hon. Member’s previous question by removing the reference to agencies does not alter my reply to the right hon. Member of 30 October 2007, Official Report column 1323W.
EC Reform: Treaties
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect of the implementation of the EU Reform Treaty on the control of UK oil reserves. [162653]
Malcolm Wicks: Article 176a of the Treaty does provide for the EU to help manage the functioning of integrated European energy markets, but does not seek to move control of any nation’s energy resources to the EU. A key passage included in Article 176 reads:
“Such measures shall not affect a member state’s right to determine the conditions for exploiting its energy resources, its choice between different energy sources and the general structure of its energy supply...”
It is clear from this that the UK and other EU nations will continue to have control over their indigenous energy resources.
Export Credits Guarantees: Iran
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer of 3 May 2007, Official Report, column 186W, on Iran: export credits guarantees, what conclusions have been reached on the applicability of UN Security Council Resolution 1747 to the provision of export credits to Iran; and if he will make a statement. [163949]
Malcolm Wicks: The Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) of Member States of the European Union have not reached a common understanding of the applicability of UNSCR 1747 to the provision of export credit guarantees. Each ECA determines its cover policy as described in the answer [2857] provided on 16 July 2007, Official Report, column 49W on Iran, Export Credit Guarantees. No applications for cover for Iran are being processed by ECGD while the market is under review.
Fuel Poverty: Stroud
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of pensioner householders were defined as being in fuel poverty in Stroud constituency in each of the last 10 years. [163575]
Malcolm Wicks: In 2003 the Fuel Poverty Indicator dataset (available online at http://www.fuelpoverty indicator.org.uk/) estimates that there are approximately 2,700 fuel poor households in Stroud. There is no split available for whether these are pensioner households or not.
Nationally 47 per cent. of households that are fuel poor have a household compositions of “couple, no dependent child(ren), aged 60 or over” or “one person aged 60 or over”. These data are available from the “Detailed Breakdown of Fuel Poverty in England in 2004; Version 1, April 2004” available online at:
There are no timeline data available.
Manufacturing Industries: Automation
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) what assessment he has made of the effects on the costs of UK manufacturing industry investment of increased use of industrial robots; [163877]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effects of increased use of industrial robots on UK industrial productivity. [163876]
Mr. Timms: No recent assessment has been made. Officials are liaising with the Engineering and Machinery Alliance and the British Automation and Robot Association about the role of robotics in improving productivity.
Minimum Wage: Scotland
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people in Scotland earn the minimum wage; what percentage of the population in work this figure represents; and if he will make a statement. [163526]
Mr. Thomas: The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings estimates that in April 2007 there were around 70,000 employee jobs in Scotland paid a rate within 5p of the relevant national minimum wage rate. In April 2007 this was £5.35 for those aged 22 or over, £4.45 for those aged 18 to 21 and £3.30 for those aged 16 to 17. This represents approximately 3 per cent. of Scottish employee jobs.
Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the Government’s policy on proposals by the European Union to cut the cost of mobile telephone calls throughout the EU. [163545]
Mr. Timms: The aim of the UK Government in negotiating the Mobile Roaming Regulation was to strike a balance, introducing changes that would benefit all mobile phone users, without distorting the market or stifling competition and innovation in the mobile phone industry.
Our view was that roaming prices were indeed higher than could be justified, and the question was how—not whether—to address the problem. But we had severe misgivings about the nature of the solution initially proposed by the Commission, which would have had a serious effect on competition (particularly on smaller players) and could have led to increases in domestic call rates.
We worked closely with business and our European partners to find a solution which was good for consumers and which supported a viable and competitive market. We welcome that result. UK consumers are already reaping the benefits.
Nuclear Power Stations
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects his Department to approve the first pre-authorisation consent for new nuclear power stations. [163000]
Malcolm Wicks:
Following a request from the Government, the regulators (the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency) developed a process for generic design assessment of new nuclear
reactor designs, which they are carrying out on a contingent basis pending the outcome of the consultation on the future of nuclear power. The regulators published their guidance on the Generic Design Assessment process in January 2007.
The regulators estimate that performing generic design assessments for a competitive number of reactor designs could take around three and a half years, running until around 2010-11. Greater clarity on the time needed for the generic design assessment process should become available as the process unfolds. The time needed will also depend on the number of designs that are assessed concurrently.
Nuclear Power Stations: Design
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether any proposed designs for new nuclear power stations have been received by his Department for generic design assessment. [162999]
Malcolm Wicks: The consultation document “The Future of Nuclear Power”, published on 23 May 2007 invited vendors of nuclear reactor designs who are interested in having their designs assessed through the Generic Design Assessment process to write to the regulators’ Joint Programme Office by 22 June 2007.
By this date, the regulators had received four applications for Generic Design Assessment.
Following assessment of the applications by the Government, all four were found to have met the criteria set down in the consultation document and as a result, the regulators (the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency) agreed to assess all four designs in the initial stage of the generic design assessment process. A press notice setting out the outcome of the Government’s assessment of applications was released on 5 July 2007. This, along with the letters of application sent by the vendors, and their letters of endorsement from operators, can be found on the BERR website.
Nuclear Power: Public Participation
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his Department plans to publish a formal response to the recently concluded consultation on the future of nuclear power; and if his Department will publish a list of all respondents to the consultation. [162998]
Malcolm Wicks: I plan to publish a response to the consultation around the turn of the year. I will also publish on my Department’s website all responses to the consultation, except where the respondents asked for their responses to remain confidential.
Post Codes: Charities
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions his Department has had with Royal Mail on the provision of a free postcode database for use by charities. [163912]
Mr. McFadden: My Department has not had any discussions with Royal Mail on the provision of a free postcode database for use by charities. The Postal Address File is owned and managed by Royal Mail. Under the Postal Services Act 2000 and a condition of its licence, Royal Mail is required to maintain and make the PAF available to any person who wishes to use it on such terms as are reasonable. Postcomm is responsible for enforcing this.
Post Office: Manpower
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people served by English postal sorting offices reside in Wales. [164075]
Mr. McFadden: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked Adam Crozier, Chief Executive of Royal Mail to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Regional Development Agencies: Finance
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the total budget is for each regional development agency for (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10 and (d) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [164158]
Mr. Timms: The regional development agencies' allocated budgets for 2007-08 are set out in the following table. The Department has also given them indicative budgets for 2008-09 to 2010-11 to enable them to produce corporate plans for approval in the new year.
| £000 | ||||
| RDA | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
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