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17 Jan 2008 : Column 1468W—continued
Political Funds
16. Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what role his Department and the Certification Officer play in regulating trade union political funds and donations to political parties. [179538]
Mr. McFadden: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has no regulatory role in these areas. The Certification Officer has a number of statutory functions relating to political funds and the financial affairs of trade unions.
Fuel Poverty
18. Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of recent trends in fuel poverty. [179540]
Malcolm Wicks: Since 1996, we have made good progress towards our targets on fuel poverty. Most recent figures show there are approximately 2.5 million households in fuel poverty in the UK in 2005. This is around four million fewer than in 1996, but represents an increase of 0.5 million households since 2004, reflecting the impact of rising energy prices on fuel poverty. While initiatives to tackle fuel poverty have helped millions of households, recent trends in energy prices present a significant challenge.
Exports: China
19. Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to assist UK exports to China. [179541]
Mr. Thomas: The Department, together with UK Trade and Investment, assists UK exports to China in many ways, largely through its partnership with the China-Britain Business Council and by nurturing the already strong bilateral relationships during ministerial visits in order to retain the UK as China's preferred partner in Europe.
Employment Agencies
20. Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to improve the regulation of temporary worker employment agencies; and if he will make a statement. [179542]
Mr. McFadden: Last December, Amendment Regulations to the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 were approved by both Houses. These implement additional measures to protect vulnerable agency workers and come into force on 6 April.
We are also proposing measures in the current Employment Bill to increase penalties for offences against the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and to improve investigative and enforcement powers for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.
Last September we also announced our intention to double the number of Employment Agency standards inspectors: recruitment processes are already in train.
Regulation
22. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, when he next expects to meet small business groups to discuss regulatory burdens. [179544]
Mr. Timms: I shall be meeting small business representative bodies on Monday to discuss the forthcoming enterprise White Paper, and regulation may well be one of the topics raised.
Accountancy: Tax Avoidance
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what powers he has to investigate the affairs of accountancy firms which have been found to be selling tax avoidance schemes which have been declared unlawful by tax tribunals. [178522]
Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply
The Government are committed to protecting the tax system against tax avoidance and ensuring that all taxpayers pay their fair share of tax.
The Tax Avoidance Disclosure regime means that those selling avoidance schemes have a direct obligation to provide information about (“disclose”) a scheme to
HMRC if it falls within certain descriptions. The Finance Act 2007 gave HMRC new powers to inquire into a promoter it reasonably suspects of failing to disclose a scheme if required
Aside from this, HMRC’s powers in relation to third parties (including those who sell avoidance schemes) are generally restricted to collecting information relating to the tax payable by the individual or corporate taxpayer. Powers to inquire into the affairs of an agent are generally restricted to instances of criminal behaviour by the agent.
It is not illegal to sell tax avoidance schemes, whether or not they are successful in their aim of avoiding tax.
Nuclear Power Stations: Contracts
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what steps he will take to ensure that UK firms can bid for contracts to undertake work on nuclear power stations developed by foreign owned companies. [179369]
Malcolm Wicks: We have invited companies to bring forward proposals to build new nuclear power stations.
It will be for the private sector to manage these projects, and we are keen that the market chooses the best options for all parts of the projects. Government should not impose conditions on any part of the process that are not designed to ensure that this objective is met.
Political Levy
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how the Certification Officer oversees political funds and finances of trades unions. [179427]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 16 January 2008]: The certification officer determines complaints brought by members alleging breaches of political fund rules or about the conduct of political fund ballots or the application of general funds for political purposes. He also considers for approval the draft political fund rules of a trade union and the draft rules for ballots concerning political funds.
The certification officer receives, examines and makes available for inspection the annual returns of the financial affairs of trade unions, which include accounts of political funds. I refer to my answer to question 2007/968 about the certification officer's treatment of the annual returns of trade unions. He may, in specified circumstances, appoint an inspector to investigate and report upon the financial affairs of a trade union (except certain federated trade unions). He may also, if he thinks there is good reason to do so, require a trade union to produce relevant documents and explanations of the documents.
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of the Certification Officer’s time is spent overseeing political funds and finances of trades unions. [179428]
Mr. McFadden
[holding answer 16 January 2008]: The certification officer (CO) estimates in broad terms the proportion of time spent by his staff (not including the CO’s time) in certain areas of his statutory duties. His annual reports for the past five years show the following in relation to the proportion of time spent by
his staff on finances of trade unions and political funds. The column headed ‘Political Funds’ will mainly relate to the approval of political fund ballot rules and political funds rules. However, some political fund work may also be included in the other two columns.
| Percentage | |||
| 1 April to 31 March | Political funds | Annual returns of trade unions and employers’ associations and the maintenance of the lists of TUs and EAS | Complaints and trade union finances |
| (1) Political funds and trade union independence | |||
Trade Unions
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Certification Officer may take to investigate the affairs of a trade union. [179430]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 16 January 2008]: The certification officer has no statutory authority to undertake general investigations into the affairs of trade unions. He may, in specified circumstances, appoint inspectors to investigate and report upon the financial affairs of a trade union (except certain federated trade unions). He may also, if he thinks there is good reason to do so, require a trade union to produce relevant documents and explanations of the documents.
Trade Unions: Complaints
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many hearings before the Certification Officer were held to consider complaints against trades unions in each of the last five calendar years. [179429]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 16 January 2008]: The following table shows the number of hearings before the Certification Officer that were held to consider complaints against trades unions in each of the last five calendar years:
| 1 January to 31 December | Number of hearings |
Unfair Commercial Practices Directive
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2008, Official Report, column 684W, on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, what steps he plans to take to strengthen consumer protection from misleading copycat packaging once the regulations come into force; and what assessment he has made of the capacity of Trading Standards to enforce the regulations. [179266]
Mr. Thomas: The Office of Fair Trading and Trading Standards Services will have a duty to enforce the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs) implementing the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. The Government believe that these enforcement arrangements suffice to adequately enforce the CPRs, including in relation to misleading copycat packaging design. OFT and Trading Standards Departments will have to act in a manner consistent with their duty to enforce the regulations. Indeed the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property notes that in this context the Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services have said that once the UCPD is in place they will act on behalf of consumers by pursuing businesses who act improperly.
For this reason the Government do not propose to allow businesses to enforce the regulations. However, it will review the position three years after the regulations come into force.
Communities and Local Government
Christmas
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) her Department and (b) the Minister of State for Housing spent on (i) Christmas cards and (ii) postage of Christmas cards in 2007. [176908]
Mr. Dhanda: Communities and Local Government spent £2,221.70 plus VAT on Christmas cards in 2007. The other information requested is not held separately.
Council Tax: Lone Parents
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department gives to local authorities on claims for single person discount for council tax from single parents whose children are serving with the armed forces. [179710]
John Healey: The Secretary of State for Defence announced on 25 September 2007 that service personnel on operational duty in Iraq or Afghanistan will receive a flat rate payment of £140 for a six-month tour of duty to help with the cost of their council tax and is equivalent to 25 per cent. of the average council tax bill for 2007-08.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what products featuring departmental or Government branding were procured by (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years. [179919]
Mr. Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any of her Department’s special advisers have outside appointments. [178498]
Mr. Dhanda: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, copies of which are in the Library of the House.
Departmental Recycling
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s policy is on recycling. [174397]
Mr. Dhanda: The recycling policy for Communities and Local Government is:
to meet the cross-government target of increasing the recycling rate to 40 per cent. of total waste arisings by 2010, which the Department has already met, and to increase the rate to 75 per cent. by 2020.
to use resources more efficiently by following the waste management hierarchy; that is, to eliminate the requirement for resources where possible, to reduce consumption and to encourage re-use, to provide recycling and composting schemes wherever possible and to ensure any non-recyclable waste is disposed of by the most sustainable method available
to ensure that
i. all waste is dealt with according to the law and best practice guidance
ii. key staff are trained in what the law and best practice demands
iii. all staff are encouraged to adhere to the waste management hierarchy, avoiding waste production wherever possible, recycling all waste where facilities exist and only using general waste bins for non-recyclable waste
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of its waste her Department recycled in each of the last five years. [174434]
Mr. Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 December 2007, Official Report, column 542W.
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