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19 Feb 2008 : Column 655W—continued
The NDA’s latest estimates of the cost of decommissioning and clean-up of the 10 Magnox stations in discounted 2007 money values are as follows:
£4.8 billion for the first 10 years (2007 to 2016 inclusive) for the decommissioning and clean-up of all ten Magnox stations.
£0.6 billion for the second ten years (2017 to 2026 inclusive) for the decommissioning and clean-up of all 10 Magnox stations.
Post Offices
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has to restore the Crown Post Office network to profit. [186825]
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.
Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Post Offices: Closures
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what account is taken by Post Office Ltd. of the effects of post office branch closures when consulting on its reconfiguration programme. [186802]
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.
Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Private Sector: Redundancy
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what criteria his Department uses in allocating funds to private sector companies to prevent redundancies. [179732]
Mr. McFadden: State aid may be granted to private companies only if they are in difficulty; and in accordance with the European Commission's “Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulties” (OJ C 244, 1.10.2004, p. 2.). A firm in difficulty is where, demonstrably, a company cannot stem its losses through its own resources, or with the funds it obtains from its owners/shareholders, or from market sources. In addition, the Department is obliged to follow the criteria set out in HM Treasury's Green Book:
on the economic assessment of all public sector spending and investment.
The Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE) scheme can provide funds to private sector companies to support new capital investment that will safeguard employment going forward. The criteria for the SFIE scheme are set out in the scheme guidelines that are publicly available:
Regional Development Agencies: Vehicles
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many cars were (a) owned and (b) leased by each regional development agency in the most recent year for which figures are available. [184802]
Mr. McFadden:
RDAs provide lease cars to staff to enable them to make essential visit to projects and clients. However, the arrangements vary and for example some RDAs pay staff, mileage and other
allowances for that purpose. The following details are of cars on long leases and cars owned by each RDA in 2006-07.
| RDA | Number of cars owned | Number of cars leased |
| (1) Utility vehicles at Avenue Coking works. | ||
Tidal Power: Expenditure
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much expenditure on (a) research and development on and (b) installation of tidal power his Department is planning in each of the next three years. [178648]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 5 February 2008]: The Government have in place a comprehensive range of initiatives that encourage the development of marine energy, including tidal power. The Government's main mechanism for supporting renewable energy is the renewables obligation (RO). On 10 January I announced, in our plans to reform the RO, a doubling of support to tidal barrages and lagoons up to 1 gigawatt and to tidal-stream technologies. Details can be found at:
The £50 million ‘Marine Renewables Deployment Fund’ provides a package of measures to support the commercial-scale demonstration of new tidal-stream devices. Details can be found at:
On 22 January the Government announced the detailed terms of reference for a feasibility study that will look into the potential for tidal power in the Severn estuary. Further details of the study can be found at:
In addition, support for research and development into tidal power technologies is available through the Research Councils’ SUPERGEN programme and the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) which is a joint Government and industry initiative. Details of the ETIs first call for tidal and wave power projects, launched on 17 December 2007 can be seen at:
Trade Unions
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what records his Department holds of grants made by institutions of the European Union to UK trades unions in the last five years. [186091]
Mr. McFadden: The Department holds no records of these individual grants. Deployment of the EU budget is a matter for the European Commission (within the agreed framework). The Commission publishes information on the grants awarded under each EU policy area on its website at:
Union Modernisation Fund: Audit
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 23 January 2008, Official Report, column 2036W, on the union modernisation fund: audit, which accountancy firms (a) have undertaken and (b) are undertaking the audits. [186086]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 18 February 2008]: In line with normal arrangements for Government grant funding, on project completion, each grant recipient is required to appoint an independent accountant to undertake an audit. The auditor's report accompanies the final claim and confirms that the union has expended the sums in respect of which all claims have been made.
It is for grant recipients to appoint an independent accountant, and therefore, we are unable to indicate the accountancy firms that they propose to, or have appointed to undertake audits at this time. However, the following accountancy firms have undertaken audits on union modernisation fund projects:
Gatwick LLP
Hardy Dowdy
HW Fisher and Company
Hope Agar.
Wind Power
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the proportion of energy needed to meet targets likely to be required under the EU 20 per cent. renewables target for total primary energy that will be supplied by means of wind generation. [175678]
Malcolm Wicks: Later this year the Government will launch a consultation on what more we should do to increase renewable energy use to meet our share of the target. This will cover a broad range of issues, including what contribution different types of renewable generation might make to the target. However the precise technology mix in the electricity sector in 2020 will be a matter for electricity generators to determine.
Health
Abortion Act 1967
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to amend section 1(1)(d) of the Abortion Act 1967 to provide a definition of the words seriously handicapped; what recent representations he has received about this issue; and if he will make a statement. [186247]
Dawn Primarolo: Parliament did not define serious handicap in the Act. It chose to leave this to the expert judgment of the two doctors involved, who are required to form their own opinion about the seriousness of the handicap the child would suffer if born, taking into account the facts and circumstances of each individual case.
The Department has received nine letters on the topic of abortion for fetal abnormality in the last six months.
Abortion: Private Sector
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how frequently private sector abortion clinics are inspected; what action is taken by his Department and its agencies when a clinic fails to meet minimum standards; how many such clinics closed following adverse inspection findings in each year since 1992; what (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation provides the regulatory regime for abortion clinics; whether he plans to change this regime; and if he will make a statement. [186244]
Dawn Primarolo: Private sector abortion clinics are inspected according to the Private and Voluntary Healthcare (England)(Amendment) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/539), (Section 32A), which states that providers will be subject to a minimum of one inspection every five years. Independent sector clinics, approved to perform abortions, by the Secretary of State for Health, are registered with and inspected by the Healthcare Commission. The number of additional inspections is informed following the completion of an annual self-assessment document. If following an inspection, there are areas identified that do not meet regulations, an action plan is requested from the provider to achieve compliance and a time scale for completion. More serious breaches are dealt with by the issue of legal enforcement notices and if non-compliance is still evident, prosecution and possible eventual cancellation of the provider’s registration. If the situation poses a serious threat to the health and welfare of clients, the Commission has the power to seek urgent closure of an establishment using a court order.
Since 1992, one abortion clinic has been closed and one clinic closed voluntarily following an adverse inspection.
The primary and secondary legislation which provides the regulatory regime for abortion clinics in England is:
The Abortion Act 1967, as amended the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, and the Care Standards Act 2000 as amended, the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003; and
Abortion Regulations 1991 (SI 1991/499) as amended by the Abortion (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/887) and the Private and Voluntary Health Care (England) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3968), as amended by the Private and Voluntary Healthcare (England)(Amendment) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/539), the Private and Voluntary Healthcare (England)(Amendment No2) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/1734) and the Care Standards Act 2000 (Establishments and Agencies) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/865), the Care Standards Act 2000 (Establishments and Agencies) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/1770) and the Care Standards Act 2000 (Establishments and Agencies) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2006 (2006/1493), the National Care Standards Commission (Registration) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3969), as amended by the National Care Standards Commission (Registration)(Amendment) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/369).
Under the terms of approval for the termination of pregnancy by the Secretary of State, clinics are also required to meet the relevant independent health care core, acute and termination of pregnancy national minimum standards. They must also comply with the principles set out in Department’s Procedures for the Approval of Independent Sector Places for the Termination of Pregnancy.
The Health and Social Care Bill, currently before Parliament, seeks to enhance professional regulation and create a new integrated regulator, the Care Quality Commission, for health and adult social care, with focus on providing assurance about the safety and quality of care for patients and service users.
Alcoholic Drinks: Children
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under 14 years old were treated for alcohol-related health problems in the last 12 months, broken down by strategic health authority. [185738]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 18 February 2008]: The information is as follows.
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