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9 Jan 2008 : Column 670W—continued
Departmental Recycling
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recycling schemes are in operation in each building operated by his Department. [176366]
Mr. Thomas: My Department currently recycles paper, card, plastic, cans, and toners at the following buildings on our HQ Estate; 1 Victoria Street, Kingsgate House, Westfield House, St. Mary’s House and Atholl House.
Additionally batteries are recycled at 1 Victoria Street, Kingsgate House and Atholl House.
Glass recycling has recently been added to 1 Victoria Street.
Departmental Redundancy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost was of redundancies in his Department in the 12 months preceding (a) 30 June 2004, (b) 30 June 2005 and (c) 30 June 2006. [175340]
Mr. Thomas:
Details of the costs of redundancies (including voluntary early retirements and severance) of staff leaving the former DTI (now the Department
for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) are not readily available in the format requested for the 12 month periods preceding (a) 30 June 2004 and (b) 30 June 2005 and the cost of preparing the answer would be disproportionate.
However the cost of voluntary departures for the period from April 2005 to June 2005 was £1.37 million and for the period July 2005 to June 2006 was £3.25 million.
Energy
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent on legal costs associated with the judicial review of the energy review process. [175679]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government’s legal fees incurred with respect to the Greenpeace judicial review were around £81,000. However, this does not include the costs of Greenpeace, which remain the subject of discussion, or of Government consideration of the amount of those costs.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of whether his Department will reach the target of 15 per cent. improvement in energy efficiency by 2010. [175961]
Mr. Thomas: Since 1999 my Department has made progress in energy efficiency by reducing the size of the property estate space by 46 per cent. with a decrease of 11.2 per cent. in energy consumption.
BERR will make further energy efficiency improvements by 2010.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what improvements his Department made in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07 towards the 15 per cent. improvement in energy efficiency by 2010. [175962]
Mr. Thomas: BERR are working toward achieving the energy efficiency targets expressed in the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) framework. The targets set are to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings on the estate by 15 per cent in terms of KWH usage and that used per square metre by 2010-11.
The main strategy to improve energy efficiency is to reduce the physical size of the estate and the number of buildings. As a result the BERR estate has been reduced by 46 per cent with a decrease of 11.2 per cent in energy consumption since 1999 to 2000. This included the introduction of flexible desking throughout our main buildings on the basis of eight work stations for every 10 staff.
The Department has also implemented a number of energy efficiency initiatives since the target was published. In 1 Victoria Street this included a number of energy efficiency projects to improve lighting and environmental controls as well as occupant awareness. The Department has also undertaken a study into the use of localised micro-generation of energy on the estate. Energy efficiency is taken into account in any estate project undertaken and has included the introduction of energy minimising technology within the recent IT systems refresh.
Engineering: Research
Mr. Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much the Government are proposing to spend on engineering research in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010. [166266]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), funded by the Government through the Science budget, invests in high-quality basic, strategic and applied research and related postgraduate training to maintain and develop a strong research base in engineering and the physical sciences; and to promote future economic development and an improved quality of life in the UK.
EPSRC has provided £257 million to support engineering research in 2007-08. This is expected to rise to £271 million in 2008-09, £277 million in 2009-10 and £284 million in 2010-11, depending on the quality of proposals received by EPSRC.
EU Grants and Loans
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much and what proportion of the structural funds allocated to the UK under the 2000 to 2006 EC financial perspective have been paid out to date. [176047]
Mr. Timms: To the end of December 2007, approximately £9.5 billion of the United Kingdom's structural funds allocations under the 2000-06 financial perspective has been spent (paid to projects). This is some 83 per cent. of the overall allocation of approximately £11 billion. Expenditure by these structural funds programmes continues until 31 December 2008.
Exports: Renewable Energy
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the future export potential of each sector of the UK renewables industry. [175686]
Malcolm Wicks: My Department has not made any such estimate. However, the Government published ‘UK Energy Excellence: an International Marketing Strategy for the UK’s Energy Business’ for the UK’s energy sector (which includes renewables) on 17 December 2007. This is available from BERR’s website at:
Inward Investment
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much inward investment was made to the UK for each £1 spent on attracting inward investment by UK Trade and Investment in the most recent period for which figures are available. [172138]
Mr. Thomas: We welcome the capital invested in the UK by foreign-owned companies. However, we do not collect comprehensive data about it. This is because we are seeking to attract companies in knowledge-driven sectors that bring in new technologies or management methods, so as to improve the UK’s competitiveness and productivity over the long term. Injections of capital, though important, are less sustainable.
Minimum Wage
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many London-based staff are employed by his Department on the national minimum wage. [175977]
Mr. Thomas: Across the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, there are no London-based staff who are employed on the national minimum wage.
Mining: Sports
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what meetings he has had with ministerial colleagues on the effect of the development of miners’ welfares for participation in sports. [174651]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 17 December 2007]: I have had no such meetings.
New Businesses
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the number of new (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses started up in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England in each year since 1997. [177062]
Mr. Timms: VAT registration data provide the only accurate indicator of the level of business start-up activity.
The number of new VAT registrations in Jarrow, South Tyneside, the North East and England are shown in the table for 1997 to 2006, alongside the total number of VAT registered businesses at the start of each year. Data for registrations and de-registrations in 2007 will be available autumn 2008.
Although only data for businesses of all sizes registered for VAT is published by BERR, it is estimated that the majority (97.9 per cent.) of these will be small (with fewer than 50 employees) and 1.7 per cent. will be medium-sized (with 50-249 employees).
| New VAT registrations and start of year stock of VAT registered businesses | ||||||||
| New registrations | Start of year stock | |||||||
| England | North East | South Tyneside | Jarrow | England | North East | South Tyneside | Jarrow | |
| Source: Business start-ups and closures: VAT registrations and de-registrations in 2006 available at: http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/vat/index.htm | ||||||||
Although the number of new registrations has fluctuated over the period, the total number of VAT registered businesses in Jarrow, South Tyneside, the North East and England has increased.
In Jarrow, the total number of VAT registered businesses has increased from 935 at the start of 1997 to 1,130 at the start of 2007, an increase of 195 (21 per cent.).
The total number of VAT registered businesses in South Tyneside has increased from 1,690 at the start of 1997 to 2,050 at the start of 2007, an increase of 360 (21 per cent.).
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