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13 Jan 2009 : Column 561W—continued
Bankruptcy: Self-Employed
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many bankruptcy orders for self-employed individuals he estimates have occurred in 2008-09. [246171]
Mr. McFadden: For 2008-09 the latest available number of self-employed individuals going bankrupt is for the period April to June 2008. In this period there were 1,828 self-employed bankrupts.
Self-employed figures for this period and earlier years can also be found on the internet here:
Business: Postal Services
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will seek to increase the cost charge for private companies on bulk mail deliveries. [245819]
Mr. McFadden: The price that other postal operators are charged to access Royal Mail's delivery network is a matter for negotiation between those postal operators and Royal Mail.
If agreement cannot be reached through negotiation, it is the responsibility of Postcomm, the independent postal regulator, to determine an appropriate access price.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in departmental buildings in the last 12 months. [246592]
Mr. McFadden: During the calendar year 1 January to 31 December 2008 a total of £391,000 (inc. VAT) was spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to BERR Ministers.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many special advisers were employed in his Department at each pay band on 30 November 2008; and what his Department's expenditure on special advisers was in 2007-08. [243581]
Mr. McFadden: The Government are committed to publishing an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008, Official Report, columns 99-102WS.
Departmental Procurement
Alan Duncan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses were paid within 10 days of receipt by (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [243492]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 16 December 2008]: BERR is currently collecting data from other Government Departments and from its own delivery partners on performance in making payments to suppliers within 10 days of receiving a correctly rendered invoice. Although complete figures are not yet available, Government Departments and public bodies have embraced payment within 10 days and are working to implement this across their own organisation and to encourage suppliers to pass on these terms.
Departmental Telephone Services
Mike Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many telephone numbers for which callers are charged at the rate applicable to 0845 numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies for public access to services. [246991]
Mr. McFadden: From the central records available there are seven 0845 telephone numbers services administered by the Department for public use.
I have asked the chief executives of the Department’s agencies to respond directly to the hon. Member.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 13 January 2009:
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.
Companies House has one 0845 number, (0845 757 3991), used as first-line support for customers using the Companies House Direct search service.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 13 January 2009:
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to your question (2008/446), how many telephone numbers for which callers are charged at the rate applicable to 0845 numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies for public access to services.
The Insolvency Service has three 0845 lines. These are; The Insolvency Service Enquiry Line, The Redundancy Payments Helpline and The Enforcement Hotline.
Insolvency
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses he estimates have been the subject of liquidation or other insolvency procedures during 2008-09. [246170]
Mr. McFadden: For 2008-09 the latest available number of companies in liquidation is for the period April to September 2008. In this period there were 7,748 liquidations.
Liquidation figures for this period and earlier years can also be found on the internet here:
Internet
Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent meetings his Department has had with internet service providers on websites which advocate anorexic or bulimic practices. [246755]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 12 January 2009]: The Department meets with Internet Service Providers on a regular basis to discuss matters of mutual interest. I am not aware that the subject of websites that advocate anorexic or bulimic practices has arisen in recent meetings.
The new UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) will unite over 100 organisations from the public and private sector working with Government to deliver recommendations from Dr. Tanya Byron’s report: ‘Safer Children in a Digital World’.
Reporting directly to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, the Council will help to improve the regulation and education around internet use, tackling problems around online bullying, safer search features, and violent video games. This unprecedented coalition of experts and organisations will ensure that parents and young people have a voice in the development of a Child Internet Safety Strategy, to be delivered in 2009.
establish a comprehensive public information and awareness and child internet safety campaign across Government and industry including a ‘one-stop shop’ on child internet safety;
provide specific measures to support vulnerable children and young people, such as taking down illegal internet sites that promote harmful behaviour;
promote responsible advertising to children online; and
establish voluntary codes of practice for user-generated content sites, making such sites commit to take down inappropriate content within a given time.
Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department has taken to encourage internet service providers to practise regulation of websites which advocate anorexic or bulimic practices. [246757]
Mr. McFadden
[holding answer 12 January 2009]: The new UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) will unite over 100 organisations from the public and
private sector working with Government to deliver recommendations from Dr. Tanya Byron’s report: ‘Safer Children in a Digital World’.
The Council will be a powerful union of some of our key players giving support to parents and guidance to children as they come more and more accustomed to the virtual world—it will also give families, teachers and most importantly children and young people the ability to input experiences and concerns. The UK is a world leader on internet safety for children and I look forward to others adopting this partnership approach.
Reporting directly to the Prime Minister, the Council will help to improve the regulation and education around internet use. This unprecedented coalition of experts and organisations will ensure that parents and young people have a voice in the development of a Child Internet Safety Strategy, to be delivered in 2009.
establish a comprehensive public information and awareness and child internet safety campaign across Government and industry including a ‘one-stop shop’ on child internet safety;
provide specific measures to support vulnerable children and young people, such as taking down illegal internet sites that promote harmful behaviour;
promote responsible advertising to children online; and
establish voluntary codes of practice for user-generated content sites, making such sites commit to take down inappropriate content within a given time.
Mobile Phones
Mr. Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) what representations he has received from (a) Ofcom, (b) mobile telephone operators and (c) other parties on the original timetable outlined by Ofcom to ensure the time taken to move a telephone number between mobile telephone operators is reduced from two days to two hours for UK consumers by September 2009; [244972]
(2) what assessment he has made of the recent Competition Appeals Tribunal ruling on mobile number portability and the consequent delay in the move to faster and more efficient mobile telephone portability for consumers; [244973]
(3) what assessment he has made of the likely effects on mobile telephone users of Ofcom's original deadline of September 2009 for two hour recipient-led mobile number portability not being met; [244974]
(4) what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on ease of transfer for consumers from one mobile telephone operator to another. [244975]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 18 December 2008]: The Department has regular discussions with Ofcom, mobile telephone operators and other parties on a range of telecommunications issues including on mobile portability.
The Department has made no assessments of the recent Competition Appeals Tribunal ruling on this issue or of the impact of this on UK mobile consumers. These are matters for Ofcom which, following the ruling, has initiated an internal policy review to identify what, if any, changes should be made to ensure that number portability arrangements meet the needs of UK consumers, in terms of facilitating consumer choice and effective
competition. The review is intended to undertake as thorough a stock-take of porting in the UK as possible, and will continue into 2009. Ofcom is committed to ensuring that consumers can switch in a competitive communications market with ease. The ability for consumers to be able to keep their telephone numbers if they so choose, and to do this quickly, easily and with confidence is a key part of this goal.
Offenders
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many former prisoners are employed by his Department; and what his Department's policy is on employing former prisoners. [246352]
Mr. McFadden: The Department does not keep a central record of the number of former prisoners it employs. To provide the information requested would involve disproportionate cost.
The Department's policy on employing former prisoners is that a criminal record is not an automatic bar to disqualify an individual from appointment. While recognising the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, and taking into account the individual circumstances of the case, the Department will decide whether any criminal record will disqualify an individual from appointment.
Regional Planning and Development: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what work has been undertaken by the regional development agency coastal towns network in the last 12 months. [244400]
Mr. McFadden: The RDA-led Coastal Towns Network aims to improve coordination between central, regional and local government in the development of policy and delivery, at a regional level, of interventions in coastal towns, providing a focus on good practice dissemination, and identification of barriers to policy implementation. It brings together representatives from all the RDAs except AWM, and includes central government departments, agencies and local authorities with an interest in the costal towns' agenda. It was formed earlier this year.
RDAs have also been working in co-operation with DCMS and CABE to coordinate engagement with the Sea Change programme (DCMS capital investment fund for seaside resorts to improve the arts, public space, cultural assets and heritage projects). The RDAs in partnership with local authorities are identifying suitable transformational projects to be taken forward by each region either individually or by matching with other funding streams, such as Single Programme, ERDF or Heritage Lottery Funding.
Set out in the list are examples of activities and interventions by RDAs designed to support coastal towns in their regions. More detailed activities, by region, can be found on relevant RDA Website or the RDA National Secretariat website.
In the North West, NWDA produced a North West coastal strategy "A New Vision for North West Coastal Resorts" in 2003 which provides the framework for agency support for coastal towns in the region. Specific activity in the last 12 months includes:
In Southport, Completion of the Lord Street Area improvement initiative where the RDA contributed £2.6 million in total; ongoing support for the refurbishment of Southport Floral Hall and Theatre to be completed in March 2009 with a total RDA contribution of £4.4 million; and support for the acquisition of Pleasureland amusement park by Sefton Metropolitan borough council with a total RDA contribution of £2.7 million.
In Morecambe, NWDA has signed a Resort Action Plan with the local authority to provide the framework for Morecambe's regeneration including contributing funding to the restoration of the Midland Hotel, feasibility work for the refurbishment of Morecambe Winter Gardens and is in discussion with Lancaster city council about further plans for the continued regeneration of Morecambe.
In Blackpool, NWDA has been providing ongoing support for ReBlackpool, the Urban Regeneration Company and the main delivery mechanism for Blackpool's regeneration.
In Blyth, the RDA has invested significantly in an internationally recognised centre of new and renewable energy research (NaREC) and has stimulated a cluster of innovative manufacturing around this critical new economic sector.
In other areas, such as Seaham, a former colliery town with significant economic challenges, the RDA has invested in place based regeneration and supported the attraction of businesses through business accommodation projects and public realm investment.
SEEDA, with partners, produced a Coastal South East Framework in 2008 that is reflected within both the Regional Economic Strategy and Corporate Plan of the agency. This identifies a number of actions to support regional and local action including;
Identifying a number of the regions coastal areas as priority places for investment and growth: Hastings, Margate and Dover for major regeneration, whilst Portsmouth and Urban South Hampshire is one of the initial MAAs and a Diamond for Investment and Growth.
Brighton and Hove, West and East Sussex and Thames Gateway Kent are identified as a Diamond and a potential MAA.
Supporting new university campuses in Hastings, Folkestone and Bognor Regis; and major infrastructure projects in Hastings, Southampton and Chatham Maritime. Pam Alexander, the CE, Chairs the Margate Renewal Partnership, and the agency has restructured, strengthening the Area Teams, to support work in priority places.
In the south-west the RDA is:
Investing £6.6 million into a £11.3 million programme of public realm work improvements along Weymouth seafront. The intention is to target the key gateways onto the seafront, create new high quality spaces and routes along the seafront and replace/upgrade existing buildings. Weymouth and Portland is the Olympic sailing venue host and the improvements will upgrade the image of the resort in time for the Olympics and provide a legacy for the town post 2012.
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