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24 Jun 2008 : Column 182W—continued
Intellectual Property
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform for what reasons his Department decided to hold a consultation exercise on the implementation of Council Directive 93/98 EEC of 29 October 1993 on copyright and related rights. [211652]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has made no decision to conduct any such consultation exercise.
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to implement recommendation 40 of the Gower Review of Intellectual Property on consultation on measures to tighten the regulation of occasional sales and markets. [212688]
Mr. Thomas: Like all other Government bodies, the Department’s resources are inevitably limited, and it is necessary to prioritise new projects and work on new issues. It has not so far been possible in that framework to set a specific time frame for implementing this recommendation. However, it remains our intention to do so as soon as may be practicable.
Joint Economic and Trade Committee: India
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made in establishing the Joint Economic and Trade Committee with India since the joint declaration with India of 20th September 2004. [212171]
Mr. Thomas: The UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) held its inaugural meeting on 13 January 2005 in New Delhi, co-chaired by the then Secretary of State for the Department of Trade and Industrymy right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, West (Ms Hewitt) and the Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry (Shri Kamal Nath).
Since then the ministerial meetings have been held annually, alternating between London and New Delhi—the most recent on 13 December 2007 in London chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Minister Nath.
Nuclear Power
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) costs and (b) security of the UK's domestic fuel cycle in relation to nuclear power electricity generation; and if he will make a statement. [212283]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has published a number of pieces of analysis of the costs of meeting our long-term carbon dioxide emissions target. These include work undertaken by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) for the 2007 Energy White Paper as well as analysis for the 2008 Nuclear White Paper.
A summary version of the analysis is available at:
The full report by the UKERC is available at:
The analysis for the 2008 Nuclear White Paper is available in Annex A at:
Our analysis for the Nuclear White Paper concluded that, without the option of nuclear power, the costs to the economy could amount to an additional £1 billion per annum by 2050 and £5 billion per annum if carbon capture and storage were not to prove a feasible technology. Excluding nuclear as an option would mean the UK would also be reliant on a less diverse mix of technologies to insure us against the future developments that could undermine security of supply, for example higher fossil fuel prices.
Departmental Press Office
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department’s press office cost in each of the last five years, in (a) staffing, (b) accommodation and (c) other overhead costs. [210265]
Mr. Thomas: The information is as follows:
| Cost of Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform press office | |
| £000 | |
Following a machinery of government change in July 2007, figures for BERR 2007-08 will not be available until after the accounts are audited.
Figures are not available for the DTI prior to 2004-05 as that year saw the introduction of a new accounting system and the accounts for previous years were not transferred.
Total pay costs represent the costs of staff in post—comprising salary, overtime, NI and superannuation.
The accommodation and overhead costs are managed centrally for the whole Department and are not therefore separately identifiable for press office.
Royal Mail: Crewe
Mr. Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has received on the proposed closure of the Royal Mail sorting office in Crewe; and if he will make a statement. [209401]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 6 June 2008]: Ministers are aware of Royal Mail’s review of its North West mail centres but have not received any formal representations. This review is an operational matter for the company.
Tourism: Marketing
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much regional development agencies spent on marketing and promoting tourism in each of the last five years. [210256]
Mr. McFadden: The following table shows the regional development agencies (RDAs) spend on marketing and promotion of tourism in their region. Several RDAs deliver tourism marketing and promotion at regional, sub-regional and/or local levels through a third party organisation(s). In these cases the amount has been included in the figures given.
| £000 | |||||
| RDAs | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| (1) Estimated figures. (2) Data represent the grant to Visit London. It is not possible to separate out marketing and promotion of tourism. London is recognised by the UK tourism industry as supporting the success of other UK destinations through its gateway role and Visit London plays an important delivery role in promoting London as a gateway to the rest of the UK. | |||||
Work and Pensions
Care Homes: Winter Fuel Allowance
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether an individual residing in a care home and paying their own fees in full is entitled to the full winter fuel allowance; [213663]
(2) whether an individual residing in a care home whose fees are being (a) paid in full or (b) partially paid from public funds is entitled to the full winter fuel allowance. [213664]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: A person residing in a care home who is not in receipt of pension credit is entitled to a shared winter fuel payment. This includes someone paying their own care home fees. This is because they share their home with other people who are also entitled to the payment.
A person residing in a care home who is in receipt of pension credit is not entitled to a winter fuel payment.
This is because the vast majority of people receiving pension credit also receive public funding from the local authority towards their care costs including heating.
Child Poverty Unit
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the operational plan for the Joint Child Poverty Unit. [211137]
Mr. Timms: The Child Poverty Unit’s workplan is determined by the unit’s vision and mission.
The Child Poverty Unit’s vision is to eradicate child poverty by 2020 and ensure that no child has their childhood or life chances blighted by poverty. Its mission is to make child poverty everybody’s business and work in partnership with stakeholders within and outside Government to drive the changes needed to achieve the vision.
The unit’s detailed workplan constitutes advice to Ministers, and in accordance with previous convention on these matters, such advice is not made public.
Child Support Agency
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total value is of the contracts the Child Support Agency (CSA) has with external debt collectors; how much has been paid to date under such contracts; with which debt collectors the CSA has contracts; how many cases they are handling; what the total debt outstanding on transfer to the external debt collectors is; how many cases they have successfully recovered outstanding debt from (a) in full and (b) in part; and what total sum has been recovered. [185895]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Mark Grimshaw, dated 24 June 2008:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As the Chief Executive is currently out of the office on business, I am responding, with his authority, on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total value is of the contracts the Child Support Agency (CSA) has with external debt collectors; how much has been paid to date under such contracts; with which debt collectors the CSA has contracts; how many cases they are handling; what the total debt outstanding on transfer to the external debt collectors is; how many cases they have successfully recovered outstanding debt from (a) in full and (b) in part; and what total sums has been recovered. [185895]
The Agency currently has contracts with Eversheds LLP and iQor debt collection agencies under which fees are based on the amount collected. A total of £2.47m had been paid up to the end of April 2008.
Since August 2006, the Agency has referred over 63,000 cases to debt collection agencies with a total debt of £335.9 million. By the end of March 2008, £11.9 million had been collected from 17,358 cases, of which 4030 had paid in full. Additionally, in the same period, the seven-day warning letter sent by the Agency to inform clients that their debt is being transferred to the debt collection agencies has resulted in an additional £6 million being collected by the Agency bringing the total collected in this period to £17.9m.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Fuel Poverty
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on using energy efficiency measures to tackle fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement. [211940]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) works closely with a number of Government Departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on measures aimed at tackling fuel poverty. Regular meetings are held at both official and ministerial level.
Jobcentre Plus: Manpower
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment advisers are employed by Jobcentre Plus; and what proportion of them specialise in dealing with people who are (a) disabled and (b) over the age of 60 years. [212352]
Mr. Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 24 June 2008:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many employment advisers are employed by Jobcentre Plus; and what proportion of them specialise in dealing with people who are (a) disabled and (b) over the age of 60 years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
There are currently 8,918 full time equivalent employment advisers within Jobcentre Plus. Of these 1,615 (18.1%) specialise in dealing with people with a disability as Disability Employment Advisers, Incapacity Benefit Advisers or New Deal for Disabled People Advisers. There are no employment advisers who specialise in dealing with people over the age of 60 but there are 114 (1.3%) employment advisers for those people over 50.
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