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EU Trade: Huddersfield

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many jobs in Huddersfield he estimates are dependent on (a) exports and (b) investment from other EU member states. [162542]

Mr. Timms: No such estimates have been made.

In the year ended March 2007, HM Revenue and Customs recorded exports from Yorkshire and The Humber to the EU totalling £7.2 billion out of a total export figure of £12.3 billion for the region. Exports to the EU, therefore, accounted for 59 per cent. of the total. This excludes exports of services and lower value exports, which are not recorded by HM Revenue and Customs.

The number of companies in the region exporting to the EU in the year 2006 has been recorded by HM Revenue and Customs as 1,717. Since the Intrastat survey covers only the largest traders, the total actually exporting is likely to be much higher. The number of companies in the region exporting anywhere in the same period was recorded as 5,589, though as it included the 1,717 exporting to the EU it, too, is likely to be an underestimate of the true position.

On foreign direct investment, there are 595 EU-owned companies in Yorkshire and The Humber, of which 62 are based in Huddersfield. Over 1,700 new or safeguarded jobs were generated by new companies investing in Yorkshire and The Humber during 2006-07. Of this figure, investment by companies based in other EU states contributed 202 jobs.

Flexible Working

Ms Hewitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) what steps his Department is taking to encourage fathers of young children to take advantage of the right to request flexible working; [169921]

(2) how many (a) women and (b) men have exercised their right to request flexible working on the grounds of being a carer; [169923]


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(3) how many (a) women and (b) men have taken advantage of the right to request flexible working on the basis of having a young child. [169924]

Mr. McFadden: The Government encourage all types of flexible working for both fathers and mothers by providing detailed guidance, promoting the benefits and encouraging the sharing of best practice. Employees and employers can also access advice from the ACAS website and telephone helpline.

The right to request flexible working was extended to carers of adults in April this year. The Department’s estimate was that the right would be additionally available to about 2.65 million employees with caring responsibilities but, given the very recent introduction of the right, no research has yet been carried out into the take-up. The Department does, however, have in place a strategy for monitoring the law and the impact of the extension of it to carers. In 2008, for example, an employee omnibus survey is planned which will identify adults with caring responsibilities and look at what impact the law has had on them.

The Third Work Life Balance survey of employees (report available at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file38388.pdf) provides the most up-to-date data on employee take-up of flexible working. It shows that, over the two-year period of the survey, 38 per cent. of mothers and 11 per cent. of fathers of children below the age of six had made a request to change how they regularly worked.

Parental Leave

Ms Hewitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to encourage fathers of young children to exercise their right to parental leave. [169920]

Mr. McFadden: The Government encourage awareness of all leave entitlements—including parental leave—by providing detailed guidance to employees and employers through a variety of channels, including DBERR, Direct.gov.uk and BusinessLink.gov.uk websites, as well as via the ACAS helpline. The Department’s guidance on rights to paternity leave and pay also includes a summary of other entitlements for which fathers may be eligible, including parental leave.

Ms Hewitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many men have exercised their right to take paid paternity leave in the last three years; and what proportion of eligible men this figure represented in each year. [169922]

Mr. McFadden: The most recent estimates of take-up of 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.

93 per cent. of fathers surveyed took some time off around the time of the birth. Of these, 79 per cent. took at least some statutory paternity leave. The Government estimate that around 400,000 fathers are eligible for the entitlement.


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Post Offices: Closures

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform for what reasons he has instructed Post Office Ltd. not to make announcements on proposed post office closures during the period 2 April to 1 May 2008 in areas which have no local elections on 1 May 2008. [169475]

Mr. McFadden [holding answer 29 November 2007]: Due to the application of normal purdah procedures which apply during election periods, no public consultations will take place and no network change announcements will be made between 7 April and 2 May next year.

The spread of local authority elections to be held on 1 May 2008 in England and Wales means that all area plans for England and Wales cover at least one local authority holding elections on 1 May 2008. It would not be practical to try to subdivide area plans between local authorities with and without local elections due next May and work to separate timetables. Where no local elections are scheduled for next May, as in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the timing of local consultations and announcements of final decisions will not be affected.

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the findings of the consultation on proposed post office closures in west Suffolk will be published. [171618]

Mr. McFadden: I understand that Post Office Ltd. expects to announce final decisions on its area plan proposals for post office closures and new outreach services in Norfolk and west Suffolk in late June 2008.

Post Offices: Opening Hours

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has made to Post Office Limited in respect of (a) sub and (b) Crown Post Office branches' opening hours during the period 27 December to 31 December 2007. [169788]

Mr. McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Royal Mail: EU Law

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of European Court of Justice case C-357/07, 2007/C 247/15, with particular reference to the implications for the future of the Royal Mail’s scope of operations. [170649]

Mr. McFadden: VAT is a matter for HM Treasury though I can confirm that the Government believe that the current VAT treatment of postal services is fully consistent with European VAT law.


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Royal Mail no longer has a statutory monopoly in the UK postal services sector. The UK’s mail market has been fully opened up to competition since 1 January 2006.

Small Businesses: Carbon Emissions

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the London low emission zone on small and medium-sized businesses; and what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on that effect. [168685]

Mr. Timms: The powers to implement a Low Emission Zone in London rest with the Mayor and the London boroughs, rather than central Government. An economic and business impact assessment has been published by Transport for London. My Department has not prepared its own impact assessment nor have I met the Mayor to discuss this issue.

Trade Unions: Regional Development Agencies

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what procedures his Department uses to select trade union representatives appointed to regional development agencies. [171391]

Mr. Timms: All RDA board members are appointed by the Secretary of State following a recruitment process which meets the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment's (OCPA) code. Initially, a detailed specification for each role is drawn up and agreed with the Minister of State for Competitiveness and the OCPA-appointed independent assessor, following a wide consultation process both nationally and regionally with stakeholders, including TUC.

Applications are sifted against the essential criteria set out in the specification and those satisfying the criteria are considered by a panel consisting of the Government Office Regional Director, the RDA Chair and an OCPA independent assessor for interview. Once interviewed, details of candidates who are found suitable for appointment are forwarded to regional Ministers for advice and then forwarded to the Minister of State for Competitiveness to decide whom to appoint.

Children, Schools and Families

Care Homes: Children

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how often (a) local authority children's homes and (b) privately run children's homes are required to be inspected. [170109]

Kevin Brennan: Local authority children's homes and privately run children's homes are currently required to be inspected no less than twice in every 12-month period, in line with the provisions of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills (Fees and Frequency of Inspections) (Children's Homes etc.) Regulations 2007.


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Children: Databases

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps are being taken to ensure the security of the Contact Point database. [169444]

Kevin Brennan: As soon as we were made aware of the loss of data from HMRC, we made contact with the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre to identify any potential children’s welfare issues. As child safety and welfare issues are an absolute priority for us, we are maintaining close contact with the agencies involved to ensure that we all remain vigilant to any child welfare issues that may arise.

On Tuesday 20 November my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State asked the Department’s Permanent Secretary to conduct an immediate assessment of how personal data is stored and protected in the Department. The Permanent Secretary reported back within 24 hours to confirm the Department is confident that we have very robust procedures in place. In light of the security breach at the HMRC, we are continuing to check our procedures to ensure standards are as high as they can be. On Wednesday 21 November, the Prime Minister confirmed this approach when he asked all Departments to check their procedures for the storage and use of data. Given the obvious importance of ensuring that ContactPoint has extremely robust security measures in place, on Tuesday 20 November, the Secretary of State also asked for an independent assessment of ContactPoint’s security procedures. This will be conducted by Deloitte.

Security is, and always has been, of paramount importance to the ContactPoint project and we are mindful that the Data Protection Act 1998 requires that the level of technical and organisational security must be appropriate.

In line with best practice, ContactPoint will be routinely backed up. This will be done only by specifically identified system operators within Capgemini, with whom we have contracted for the build and initial host of ContactPoint. Two Capgemini staff will have to be present when back-ups take place. This dual control is considered best practice. The backup tapes will be encrypted, protected with a strong (complex) password and stored in a fire-proof safe in a secure room. The limited number of Capgemini staff who do have access to this data must have enhanced CRB clearance.

There is no facility that would allow users to copy personal identifiable information to a file, other than when files need to be backed up as indicated in the last paragraph. The vast majority of users will only be able to view child data on the screen—they will not be able to extract files in a personally identifiable form. A very limited number of people will be able to extract identifiable data, one record at a time, from ContactPoint in order to meet legal requirements as set out in The Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007, including responding to subject access requests. There is a clear right under the Data Protection Act 1998 for children and young people (or their parents or carers when acting
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appropriately on their behalf) to have access to their information on ContactPoint and for it to be corrected if it is found to be inaccurate.

A very limited number of people in local authorities and the national ContactPoint team will be able to run reports to, for example, produce aggregated data or support data quality checks. These reports will be in an anonymised form and will not contain personally identifiable data. The only exception to this is a report produced to support local authorities in their duty to identify children who are missing education. The information provided in this report is restricted by regulations and can only contain child name, address, date of birth, unique identifying number, parent/carer contact details and the details of start and end dates for educational institutions attended by the child or young person.

Access to ContactPoint will be strictly limited to those who need it to do their job and who will be subject to stringent security controls. Before being granted access, all users will have completed mandatory face-to-face training, have security clearance (including enhanced Criminal Records Bureau clearance) and have a user name, a password, a PIN and a security token to access ContactPoint. Mandatory face-to-face training will include the safe and secure use of ContactPoint and the importance of compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Human Rights Act 1998.

To gain access to a child's record, all users will have to state clear reasons why they are accessing ContactPoint, and all use of the system will be monitored and audited. Every access to a child's record will be detailed in the ContactPoint audit trail. This will be regularly monitored by local authorities, using on-line user activity reports, to ensure that any misuse is detected.

Departmental Computers

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many of his Department’s (a) computers and (b) laptops have been stolen in 2007; and what the value of those items was. [168595]

Kevin Brennan: The information is as follows.

The value of the items stolen amounts to £3,560.00 (the value for each of these is £890 (cost price for last purchase in January 2007).

Departmental Data Protection

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what reviews have been undertaken of his Department's rules on data protection in the last two years; if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the last review of his Department's compliance with data protection laws;
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and if (a) his Department and (b) his Department's agencies will undertake a review of their compliance with data protection laws. [168082]

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007, Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review,

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many employees of each grade in his Department (a) have access to confidential or sensitive data and (b) are authorised to download such data to disk; how many of his Department's employees have undergone data protection training in the last 12 months; what the average length of time is that each employee of his Department has spent on data protection training; how many investigations of employees of his Department for improperly accessing confidential information have taken place in the last 12 months; how many such investigations resulted in cases of disciplinary action; and what the circumstances of each of those cases were. [168270]

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many requests his Department received from the National Audit Office for access to databases containing personal information on members of the general public in each year since 1997; [169276]

(2) what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure that databases containing personal information on members of the general public are not accessed (a) by unauthorised staff and (b) by authorised staff for unauthorised purposes; [169277]

(3) how many electronic databases held by his Department contain (a) names, (b) addresses, (c) bank details and (d) other personal information on members of the general public. [169278]

(4) how many times databases held by his Department and containing personal information on members of the general public were accessed in each month of the last five years.[169275]

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Members to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007, Official Report, column 1179, The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on departments’ procedures will be made on completion of the review.


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