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18 Nov 2008 : Column 421W—continued
Departmental Databases
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East of 9 October 2008, Official Report, column 711W, on departmental databases, in what way the MOSAIC data was used to segment audiences during the campaign. [233397]
Mr. McFadden: The National Minimum Wage publicity campaign used MOSAIC data to help map concentrations of low paid workers. This mapping was instrumental in enabling the Department to run a regionally based campaign that reached its target audiences in a cost efficient and effective way.
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent on salaries for press and communications officers in (a) his Department, (b) its non-departmental public bodies and (c) its agencies in each of the last three years. [231338]
Mr. McFadden: The information is as follows:
| Salary cost for Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Press Office | |
| £000 | |
| Salary cost for UK Trade and Investment Press Office | |
| £000 | |
The figures refer to total pay cost of staff in post, comprising salary, overtime, NI and superannuation.
I have asked the chief executive officers of our two agencies to respond directly to the hon. Member.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 18 November 2008:
The Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, has asked me to reply to your question on how much was spent on salaries for press and communications officers in its departments and agencies.
The Insolvency Service is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The Service spent the following on salaries in the last three financial years:
| £ | |
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 18 November 2008:
I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
The salary cost for the press and communication officers, in the last three years is as follows:
| Salary (£) | |
Departmental Land
Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has for each of the sites owned by his Department and registered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land; what construction projects are planned for each site; and when he expects each site to be returned to use. [236444]
Mr. McFadden: No surplus land is owned by BERR and consequently this Department has no sites registered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land.
Departmental Liability
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on what dates in each of the last five years his Department informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to his Department or its non-departmental public bodies. [232730]
Mr. McFadden: The dates and details are as follows:
EU External Trade: Sri Lanka
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what requirements apply to third countries under the Generalised System of Preferences plus (GSP plus) programme; and what timetable has been set for the European Commission’s investigation of compliance of Sri Lanka with its obligations under GSP plus. [235463]
Mr. Thomas: The Generalised System of Preferences plus (GSP plus) scheme is a special incentive scheme granted to countries that are classified as a vulnerable economy and are willing to ratify, implement and adhere to 27 core conventions on human rights, labour rights, environment and good governance. The full list of conventions can be found on page 30.6.2005 of the official journal of the European Union.
Countries currently receiving GSP plus have had three years to ratify and implement the 27 core conventions, the deadline for this was 31 October 2008. New applicants also had to submit applications by this date but must have also ratified and be effectively implementing all 27 core conventions.
GSP plus countries are expected to uphold these conventions. Failure to do so results in them being temporarily withdrawn from the scheme and, depending on the seriousness of the breach, can lead to a temporary withdrawal from the Generalised System of Preferences therefore losing all preferential access to the EU.
For the period 2009 to 2011, to be eligible for GSP plus, a country must meet the following ‘vulnerability criteria’:
it has not been classified as a high income country during three consecutive years, and the five largest sections of its GSP-covered exports to the Community represent more than 75 per cent. in value of its total GSP-covered exports; and
GSP-covered imports into the Community represent less than 1 per cent. in value of the total GSP-covered Community imports.
Separately, the European Commission announced its GSP plus related investigation of Sri Lanka on the 18 October 2008. The Government of Sri Lanka have four months in which to submit evidence to the investigation team. The investigation could take up to a year.
Home Computing Initiative
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of the tax exemptions provided to employers as part of the home computing initiative. [235154]
Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.
The estimated cost to the Exchequer of the tax exemptions provided to employers as part of the home computing initiative was stated in the second table (Cost of Salary Sacrifice for Proposed Options—Option 1) of the full regulatory impact assessment ‘Exemptions for Computers and Mobile Phones’.
The impact assessment was published in April 2006 on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
Illegal Broadcasting
James Brokenshire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) what recent estimate he has made of the loss of income to commercial broadcasters arising from the disruption caused by the activities of illegal broadcasters; [232126]
(2) what assessment he has made of the health and safety risks to the public associated with illegal radio broadcasting. [232127]
Ian Pearson: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive’s letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Manufacturing Industries
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will meet representatives of the British Made for Quality organisation to discuss their campaign to support British manufacturing. [234117]
Ian Pearson: The Government are committed to helping UK manufacturing to get through the current economic downturn. Ministerial colleagues and I regularly meet main industry organisations and trade associations representing manufacturing to discuss their concerns. The Government published their new manufacturing strategy in September which sets out a powerful vision for UK manufacturing in the global economy.
Paternity Pay
Susan Kramer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of increasing the period for which a father can claim statutory paternity pay from two weeks to (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) nine months, broken down by category of cost. [235199]
Mr. McFadden: There are no current plans to extend statutory paternity leave to three, six or nine months and as such we do not have any estimates of the costs that such options may incur.
Post Offices: Closures
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many post office branches were closed in the SS8 and SS7 post code areas between 1987 and 1997. [236043]
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.
Regional Development Agencies: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the budget is for each of the regional development agencies for each of the next three years. [236759]
Mr. McFadden: Regional Development Agencies' total grant in aid budgets for the next three years are set out in the following table. Please note that budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are indicative allocations.
| £ million | |||
| Indicative Allocations | |||
| RDAs | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
Regional Economic Council
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what (a) matters were discussed and (b) decisions were taken at the first meeting of the Regional Economic Council on 5 November 2008; and if he will (i) post on his Departmental website and (ii) place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meeting. [234426]
Mr. McFadden: A note will be placed in the Libraries of the House and on the BERR and HMT websites following each meeting.
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