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18 Feb 2008 : Column 391W—continued
Imports: Furniture
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the effects of furniture imports from (a) China and (b) Poland on the British furniture manufacturing industry. [182247]
Malcolm Wicks: No such assessments have been made. Imports from low cost economies represent a significant challenge to all parts of UK manufacturing and Government are taking action through the Manufacturing Strategy to help companies to compete on value rather than low wages. We have started a review of the Strategy to ensure that it continues to meet the changing demands on the sector and so that companies can take advantage of opportunities in emerging markets.
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what payments were made under coal health schemes in each year for which figures are available. [185178]
Malcolm Wicks: The following table shows the payments made under the coal health compensation schemes since its inception as at 3 February 2008.
| £ million | ||||
| COPD | VWF | |||
| Damages | Solicitors costs | Damages | Solicitors costs | |
| Note: Figures do not add-up due to rounding. | ||||
Information and Communications Technology: Energy
Steve Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the information and communications technology (ICT)
industry on the energy efficiency of ICT products. [185387]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 7 February 2008]: Government Ministers and officials have regular discussions with representatives of the information and communications technology (ICT) industry on a wide range of issues including the energy efficiency of its products.
International Trade
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department discussed in advance with HRH Prince Andrew, in his role as special representative for international trade and investment, the businesses whose interest he would promote during his visit to the world economic forum in Davos. [183788]
Mr. Thomas: In advance of HRH The Duke of York’s attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, in his role as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, UK Trade and Investment discussed the programme for his visit with the Duke of York’s Private Office.
Liquified Natural Gas: Milford Haven
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage capacity that will be provided at the two new LNG import terminals to be commissioned at Milford Haven. [185064]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 6 February 2008]: These developments are a commercial matter. Based on BERR's current data on capacity under construction, the information requested is:
South Hook—LNG storage capacity equivalent to 470 mcm of gas in gaseous form;
Dragon—LNG storage capacity equivalent to 100 mcm of gas in gaseous form.
I should take this opportunity to make the following correction to the answer given to the hon. Member's earlier question, 30 January 2008, Official Report , column 416W. The figure for LNG storage capacity at import terminals is equivalent to 120 mcm of gas in gaseous form (not the 50 mcm previously indicated). Consequently Great Britain's total existing fixed storage capacity for liquefied natural gas is the equivalent of 380 mcm of gas in gaseous form (not the 310 mcm previously indicated).
London Development Agency: Grants
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) whether his Department (a) records, (b) monitors and (c) audits grants made by the London Development Agency; [184429]
(2) what records his Department holds of grants made by the London Development Agency to bodies other than trade unions. [184729]
Mr. McFadden: The Secretary of State's approval is only required by the London Development Agency for expenditure on individual projects where these exceed the Agency's current financial delegation of £50 million and for a proportion of projects between £10 million and £50 million. The Department keeps records of these projects and receives monitoring reports on them. The Department does not keep records of smaller grants made by the Agency.
It is not the Department's role to audit grants provided by the LDA. As a functional body of the GLA, the LDA's external auditor is the Audit Commission.
Manufacturing Industries: Employment
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many jobs in the manufacturing sector there were in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire county council area and (c) England in each of the last 10 years. [182266]
Mr. Thomas [holding answer 25 January 2008]: Figures from the Office for National Statistics detailing the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector as per the hon. Member's question are shown in the following table:
Figures for 2007 are not yet available.
| (a) Ribble Valley | (b) Lancashire CC | (c) England | |
Minimum Wage: Publicity
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government has taken to promote awareness of the national minimum wage since its introduction. [185371]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 7 February 2008]: There were high profile publicity campaigns to raise awareness of the national minimum wage in the early years following its introduction. Since then the Government have run a campaign to inform workers and employers about the rates.
This year we are running a more sustained national and regional campaign including radio and poster advertising, an online campaign targeting young workers, an outreach campaign involving a national minimum wage bus visiting more than 30 towns and cities across Great Britain, and a campaign targeting migrant workers bringing in elements of these campaigns. These campaigns seek to promote awareness of the minimum wage, the rates and where workers and employers can get advice or make a complaint.
We are also working with business to identify what support they need to ahead of new penalties for underpayment of NMW which are being introduced through the Employment Bill.
Minimum Wage: Young People
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the number of 18 to 21-year-olds in the Halifax area who are being paid more than they otherwise would because of the minimum wage. [184722]
Mr. McFadden: Estimates of earnings distribution by region are derived from the ONS's Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). ASHE data are not available at the level of detail required to identify the Halifax area.
However, it is estimated that around 7 per cent. of employee jobs held by 18 to 21-year-olds in Yorkshire and the Humber region stood to benefit from the October 2007 increase in the national minimum wage.
Ministers: Responsibilities
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether Baroness Vadera's ministerial responsibilities include oversight of (a) UK Trade and Investment and (b) the Defence and Security Group; and if he will make a statement. [183629]
Mr. Hutton: No. My noble Friend, the Minister for Trade Promotion and Investment has ministerial responsibility in BERR for UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). His responsibilities will also include defence and security trade promotion when UKTI takes over responsibility for defence exports from the Defence Export Services Organisation on 1 April 2008. He is responsible for the Department's general relations with the defence and security business sectors.
Mobile Phones: Fraud
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what regulations his Department has introduced prohibiting phishing texts on mobile telephones. [180380]
Malcolm Wicks: The practice of attempting fraud by text message, also known as “smishing”, is rare in the UK. Under the provisions of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, any unsolicited text messages are illegal. Text messages should only be sent with the prior consent of the individual subscriber, but there is an exemption where the subscriber has given his or her mobile telephone number direct to a company in the context of the purchase of a product or service. Enforcement is undertaken by the Information Commissioner.
Nuclear Installations Act 1965
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Government plans to consult on amending the Nuclear Installations Act 1965. [180089]
Malcolm Wicks: I understand the hon. Member to be referring to the Government’s intention to consult on amending the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 to implement the amendments made in 2004 to the Paris and Brussels Conventions on third party nuclear liability. We intend to consult on this later this year.
Nuclear Power
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, Official Report, column 1632W, on nuclear power, how many respondents requested anonymity for their submissions; how many such respondents were (a) companies, (b) individuals and (c) others; and how many submissions were made to the consultation. [185486]
Malcolm Wicks: We received 2,728 written responses to our public consultation on nuclear power. Of these, 261 were treated as confidential. We asked respondents to identify themselves by category in making their responses. Of the 261 responses treated as confidential, 62 defined themselves as coming from a company-related sector. Of these, two responses were on behalf of a company, and 60 were individual responses. 149 responses came from those defining themselves as individuals. Of these, four indicated that they were making a response on behalf of an organisation. 50 responses came from a group of sectors summarised as “other”, including academic, consultancy, Government agency or sponsored body, local or regional government, trade union, voluntary or environmental organisation. Of these, five indicated that they were making a response on behalf of an organisation.
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