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15 Sep 2008 : Column 2135W—continued
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library the minutes of the meeting of 12 September 2007 in Brussels between his Department, the European Commission and Post Office Ltd. [208928]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 5 June 2008]: No minutes of the meeting were taken.
Post Offices
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many Post Office branches subject to the Network Change programme have been submitted for further review by Postwatch; and how many decisions on Post Office branches that have been subject to the agreed review mechanism between Post Office Ltd and Postwatch have been altered as a result of this process. [221474]
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: Cash Dispensing
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to encourage the installation of free cash machines at post office branches. [223238]
Mr. McFadden: The Government support Post Office Ltd. (POL) in expanding the range of financial services offered to customers, including the introduction of up to 4,000 free-to-use ATMs across the network.
However, this is an operational matter for 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
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what annual cash savings the Post Office expects to make from the closure of the post office branch at (a) 157 Broadway, Bexleyheath and (b) 301-303 Brampton Road, Bexleyheath. [214490]
Mr. McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Limited (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: Competition
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to lift the restrictions on sub-post masters offering services which compete with Post Office Ltd. services. [213253]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 23 June 2008]: No. This is a contractual matter between Post Office Ltd. (POL) and sub-postmasters. POL believes that retaining restrictions in the sub-postmaster contract are essential to the survival of the network. The National Federation of SubPostmasters supports the company’s position. These restrictions cover only the key products and services that generate income for the network and preserve POL’s ability to negotiate new business on behalf of the full network. Allowing potential suppliers to cherry-pick branches in which to sell their products, would make it impossible for POL to negotiate agreements for all branches across the network.
Post Offices: Cornwall
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will require Post Office Ltd to publish details of the objections raised to each of the proposed branch closures in Cornwall during the network change consultation process. [223395]
Mr. McFadden: The implementation of the Network Change Programme is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. All of the Area Plan decision booklets published by Post Office Ltd. contain summaries of the key aspects of the responses received by Post Office Ltd. for each of the branches proposed for closure under the Area Plan proposals.
Due to the substantial response to each of the Area Plan proposals it is not feasible to set out in full all of the responses in the decision booklets. However, all such responses are reviewed, considered and taken into account by Post Office Ltd. when making its decisions on which branches should close.
Post Offices: Stoke on Trent
Mr. Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate has been made of the likely financial savings which will arise from the closure of (a) Dresden post office branch and (b) Trentham post office branch in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency. [223325]
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.
Public Houses
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many (a) forfeitures, (b) involuntary surrenders and (c) voluntary surrenders of tied public houses there were in each year since 2004. [219908]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform does not collate information on this matter.
Radioactive Wastes: Waste Management
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the length of time spent nuclear fuel discharged from the reactor cores of the new nuclear reactors planned would remain in store at the respective reactor site or sites prior to removal for long-term management. [220446]
Malcolm Wicks: The management of any spent fuel arising from the operation of new build reactors in the UK is a matter for the owners of that material, namely the operators. However, the current assumption is that any fuel would remain in storage at the reactor site through life pending disposal. We believe that interim storage provides an extendable, safe and secure means of containing waste for as long as it takes to site and construct a geological disposal facility.
Regional Development Agencies: Pay
Julia Goldsworthy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what pay scales are used by regional development agencies; and
what guidance is provided to regional development agencies about the salary levels of management and senior management staff. [210415]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 12 June 2008]: The regional development agencies have determined their pay scales for staff up to chief executive level based on recognised evaluation systems which determine the level of responsibility for each job along with local market benchmarking. Any changes in their pay framework have to be included in their pay remits, following Treasury Pay Remit Guidance for approval each year by BERR.
Any proposed increase in salaries for staff in the regional development agencies is submitted through their Pay Remits which are forwarded to BERR, except for the chief executives.
Pay Remit Guidance is issued by the Treasury.
The Pay Remits are sent to BERR and once all of the information is received are submitted to the Pay Co-ordination Group and then Secretary of State for approval.
The pay scales for the chief executives of the RDAs are agreed by the Secretary of State and increases are in line with the recommendations of the Senior Salaries Review Body. Progression awards and bonuses are forwarded to the Secretary of State for consideration based on performance and to the structure detailed in the Financial Memorandum and Management Statement issued to the RDAs.
Regional Planning and Development: Finance
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what funding each of the regional development agencies plans to provide to each of the regional equality and diversity partnerships in 2008-09. [215067]
Mr. McFadden: The following table shows RDAs' funding to regional equality and diversity partnerships in 2008-09.
No such single, legally constituted equality and diversity partnership exists within the east of England, east midlands, London, the north west, south east or the south west.
Renewable Energy
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the evidential basis is for the Government’s calculation that £100 billion is required for investment in renewables to meet its EU obligations by 2020; and if he will make a statement. [219390]
Malcolm Wicks: This calculation was based on the Renewables Advisory Board’s report, “2020 Vision—how the UK can meet its target of 15 per cent. renewable energy”, which is available at:
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the cost (a) on average to the consumer and (b) to the economy of the renewables obligation in each of the last five years. [221450]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is as follows.
(a) The annual cost of the renewables obligation to the consumer (based on an average domestic electricity consumption figure quoted by Energywatch) was:
| £ | |
(b) The cost to the economy of complying with the renewables obligation was:
| £ | |
Renewable Energy: Nuclear Power
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of supply chain constraints in (a) the renewable energy sector and (b) the nuclear sector, what strategy his Department is pursuing to overcome such constraints; and if he will make a statement. [220160]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 21 July 2008]: There has never been a greater global demand for finance, equipment and skills to build and operate renewable energy and nuclear power stations.
BERR commissioned a report on the supply chain constraints in the renewable energy sector which was published on the BERR website last month. As we have stated in the UK Renewable Energy Strategy consultation document, we will be working with the regional development agencies, UK Trade and Investment and other relevant bodies to develop a co-ordinated strategy to address the supply chain barriers in this sector.
We have asked NAMTEC, the National Metals Technology Centre, to produce a preliminary study of our nuclear supply chain which will analyse the expertise developed through 50 years of nuclear power in the UK and our potential to compete with the best in the world. The new Office of Nuclear Development will work with industry and others to identify and manage potential supply chain issues.
Severn Barrage: Railways
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the feasibility study on the Severn Barrage commissioned by his Department is examining the possibility of the inclusion of a rail link. [220076]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 21 July 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 July 2008, Official Report, column 1147W: Severn barrage: railways.
Shropshire
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the value was of each grant provided by his Department, its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies to (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council, (b) Shropshire county council and (c) Telford and the Wrekin borough council in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and what grants have been planned for 2008-09. [184107]
Mr. Thomas: The information is as follows.
The Department paid Shropshire county council a resource (revenue) grant of £136,375.20 in April 2007 and paid a similar grant of £91,244.40 to Telford and Wrekin council in August 2007. The grants were made under Section 31 of the Local Government Finance Act 2003 in respect of the cost of treating and disposing of household hazardous waste electrical and electronic equipment during the period 1 June 2006 to 30 June 2007.
The Department has not made available any other direct funding to Shropshire county council, Telford and Wrekin council or Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council in 2007-08 in respect of its current responsibilities following the machinery of government changes. No further grants to the councils are planned in 2008-09.
Additionally, BERR and the previous Department of Trade and Industry provided PES cover to ERDF grant offers approved in the West Midlands Objective 2 Programme for 2000 to 2006. The amounts shown as follows relate to the ERDF grant offers where the PES cover is provided by BERR/DTI. ERDF is paid in calendar years not financial years.
Details of grants made to Telford and Wrekin council are detailed in the following table; no grants were approved for Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council or Shropshire county council during the years in question.
Other associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies
Information on grants provided by the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies is held by the bodies themselves. This information is not held centrally.
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