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22 May 2008 : Column 416W—continued
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those convicted for road traffic offences have received a sentence including both a curfew and an electronic tagging order since 1999. [206940]
Mr. Hanson: The following table shows how many of those convicted for road traffic offences received a sentence including a curfew that was to be electronically monitored since 1999, up to 2006. Under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, an electronically monitored curfew became one of a number of requirements of the new community order for adults that courts could impose for offences committed after 4 April 2005. Since its introduction courts have only recorded the number of community orders imposed rather than the requirements used. The table from 2005 therefore reflects the number of curfew orders for juveniles and a declining number of orders given to adults for offences committed before 4 April 2005.
These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
Young Offender Institutions: Restraint Techniques
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which recommendations of the Carlile inquiry into the physical restraint of children in custody have been implemented. [207075]
Mr. Hanson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) on 28 January 2008, Official Report, column 153W.
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) published its response to Lord Carlile’s inquiry in July 2006. Since that time, the YJB has been working hard to implement those of the recommendations that it accepted.
The YJB has implemented a code of practice across the secure estate for children and young people and is actively monitoring establishments’ compliance. It has also improved monitoring and data collection arrangements and undertaken a safeguarding review. The YJB is developing a work force development programme for the young people’s secure estate and is working with the Children’s Workforce Development Council to agree core competencies for people working with children.
The YJB is also in the process of developing more sophisticated conflict resolution techniques. Pilots in restorative justice and therapeutic crisis intervention techniques are both under way. The YJB has also considerably increased the number of outdoor exercise facilities for young people.
The YJB’s safeguarding review team has completed its work and is expected to report to Ministers shortly.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Corporate Responsibility
14. Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what advice and assistance his Department provides to companies on their corporate and social responsibilities in relation to the local community in which they are situated. [206994]
Mr. McFadden: BERR encourages UK companies to build effective corporate responsibility practices into their operations. In addition to the legal framework, BERR helps UK companies operating internationally to take into account their economic, social and environmental responsibilities in these countries. BERR offers advice and assistance for all UK companies operating in the UK or overseas via the Corporate Responsibility website.
Work-life Balance
15. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government have taken to assist workers with dependants to manage their work-life balance. [206995]
Mr. McFadden: The Government have doubled the rate of maternity pay, extended maternity leave, and introduced paid adoption and paternity leave. In addition, carers and parents of children under six have the right to request flexible working, and we have just announced as a result of the Walsh Review that this will be extended to parents of children up to 16.
Post Office Network
16. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on progress on the post office network consultation. [206997]
Mr. McFadden: To date, 28 out of the network change programme's 47 area plans have gone out to public consultation and final decisions have been announced for 20 of them.
Business Support
18. Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he plans to take to simplify business support. [206999]
Mr. Thomas: In March this year, the Government published their document “Simple Support, Better Business”, outlining the steps they will take to simplify publicly funded business support by 2010. The main route to secure support from Government in all its forms will now be through Business Link, where services are being expanded and developed.
Energy Supplies
19. Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with energy supply companies on assistance to vulnerable consumers. [207000]
Malcolm Wicks: I held a number of discussions with the six largest energy supply companies during March and April, securing individual agreements with them to treble their collective spend on assistance to vulnerable customers from around £50 million to around £150 million a year by 2010-11.
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the future security of UK energy supplies. [206990]
Malcolm Wicks: As set out in the Energy Markets Outlook report published in October 2007 we currently have enough gas and electricity supply infrastructure to enable demand to be met until about the middle of the next decade. However, additional investment will be needed to meet demand after that. Provided that the commercial and regulatory environment remains favourable we expect the market to make the necessary investment.
Royal Mail
20. Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the future of the Post Office and Royal Mail. [207001]
Mr. McFadden: The Government are providing total funding of up to £1.7 billion up to 2011 to modernise and reshape the post office network and to put it on a stable footing.
Royal Mail needs to transform into a modern, efficient postal services provider so that it can compete in a liberalised market. The Government have made available £1.2 billion to enable the management to implement its business plan to achieve this.
The Government announced an independent review of the postal services sector on 17 December 2007. Following the publication of its initial findings, which paint a stark picture of the huge changes in the postal market, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has asked the review panel to bring forward ideas urgently, including changes to the system of regulation, to meet our ambition for a Royal Mail that provides a timely and efficient postal service for domestic and business consumers.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on Postcomm's proposal for the part-privatisation of Royal Mail. [206998]
Mr. McFadden: Postcomm's proposal that Royal Mail should have greater access to private capital was part of a submission to the independent Review of the postal services sector.
It would not be appropriate to have a running commentary on points made in submissions to what is an independent review.
The review panel is expected to report to the Secretary of State later this year.
Agency Workers
21. Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the oral statement by the Prime Minister of 14 May 2008, Official Report, columns 1385-89, on the draft legislative programme, when he plans to complete consultation on legislative proposals on the treatment of agency workers. [207002]
Mr. McFadden: Following my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's statement, the Government have been in close contact with the CBI and TUC and welcome the agreement that they reached on 20 May on how fairer treatment for agency workers should be promoted. The Government will now engage with their European partners to seek agreement on the terms of the agency workers directive that will enable this agreement to be brought into legal effect in the UK.
Nuclear Power
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effect on manufacturing industry of building a new generation of civil nuclear power stations. [206978]
Mr. Hutton: The building of new nuclear power stations in the UK could create up to tens of thousands of new jobs. It will be a major opportunity for our manufacturing and construction sectors, with a significant proportion of the work likely to be done in the UK.
Energy: Metering
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what consultations his Department has held on policies relating to smart meters over the last five years. [206981]
Mr. Hutton: My Department held consultations on metering and billing in November 2006 and August 2007. We have also undertaken extensive impact assessment work on smart metering, which we've published for informal consultation. We will decide finally on smart metering for domestic consumers and small businesses following the second report from the smart meter trials—due in November.
EU Law
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made on the implementation of the recommendations of the Davidson review on implementation of EU legislation. [204152]
Mr. McFadden: All the Davidson review recommendations have either been implemented or are in the process of being implemented.
In July 2007, legislation came into force to remove the insurance activities of freight forwarders and storage firms from the scope of Financial Services Authority
insurance regulation, where the insurance activity relates to a commercial customer. HM Treasury will reconsider the case for extending the exemption to cover retail customers once codes of practice of sufficient standard are in place.
The Financial Services Authority has made progress in addressing those recommendations on the insurance mediation directive for which it is responsible by publishing new, simplified insurance conduct of business rules in December 2007 that replaced a number of detailed prescriptive rules with greater reliance on principles; completing a review of the retail mediated activity return (RMAR) which will result in a 30 per cent. net reduction in the number of data elements required from end 2008; and publishing a consultation paper in March 2008 to seek views on proposals to reform the Client Assets Sourcebook with the intention to simplify the structure following the implementation of the markets in financial instruments directive.
The Department for Transport intends to issue a consultation document in the near future.
The Home Office has committed to reduce the administrative burdens arising from the regulation of animal experiments by at least 25 per cent. by 2010. So far, a standard wordings list has been posted on its website for use by personal licence applicants and licensees; fast-track personal licence processes have been put in place; and a revised web-based Certificate of Designation form has been posted.
The Financial Services Authority published a consultation paper on the close links requirements in December 2005
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