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29 Jan 2009 : Column 762Wcontinued
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2009, Official Report, column 955W, on official visits: Russia, when he plans to place a list of the Secretary of States engagements during his visit to Russia in October 2008 in the Library. [252417]
Mr. Thomas: A copy of the list of my noble Friend the Secretary of States engagements during his visit to Russia in October 2008 was placed in the Libraries of the House on 26 January 2009.
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government are taking to protect consumers from unsolicited mail offering loans without clearly stating the effective rate of interest applied to the loan. [250751]
Mr. Thomas: The Government have taken steps to protect consumers from misleading loan advertisements. In October 2004 the new Consumer Credit (Advertisements) Regulations came into force. These increase consistency and transparency, allowing consumers to compare financial products with confidence. Lenders are now required to provide consumers with clear information when advertising loans. Information relating to the cost of the loan must be displayed with equal prominence to other key mandatory information, ensuring consumers are not misled over additional charges or costs. In particular, any credit advertisement for a specific loan product must include a typical APR (Annual Percentage Rate of Charge).
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made in investigating whether Canadian subsidies to the video games industry breach World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules; and when the Government expect to lodge a formal complaint with the WTO. [246712]
Mr. Thomas [holding answer 12 January 2009]: BERR officials have discussed this issue with the European Commission on several occasions last year, as WTO disputes are a matter of Community competence.
No disciplines on subsidies exist under the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services, and Canada has not made any specific market access commitments with regard to computer games services.
On the basis of information examined to date, the Government currently share the Commissions analysis that there therefore appears to be little or no scope to bring a complaint to the WTO in relation to any subsidies Canada may be granting to video games producers established in Canada.
However, we have passed to the Commission additional details recently received from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) in response to earlier questions from the Commission.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 29 October 2008, Official Report, column 1133W, on caravans, which Minister in her Department is responsible for (a) mobile caravans and (b) Travellers. [252803]
Mr. Iain Wright: I am the Minister responsible for housing and planning policies within the Department relating to mobile caravans and Travellers.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 18 March 2008, Official Report, column 961W, on CMPi, what payments have been made since February 2008; and for what purpose payments were made to CMPi from 2007-08 to date. [252489]
Mr. Khan: The following table sets out payments made by the Department and its agencies to CMPi since 1 March 2008.
£ | |
Payments were made for various reasons including recruitment advertising, publications, exhibition stands at conferences and to cover conference delegation fees.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will commission research into the incidence of local authorities issuing court summonses for non-payment of council tax in error; and if she will make a statement. [251336]
John Healey:
The Government believe that the regulations governing the enforcement of unpaid council tax are robust enough to keep any errors in the system at a
minimum, and provide ample opportunity for citizens to establish that there has been an error. Local authorities are legally required to send the taxpayer at least two reminders about unpaid council tax before seeking a liability order from the court. They are required, in second reminders, to give the taxpayer 14 days within which payment of any outstanding amount must be paid and a warning that the local authority will apply to the magistrates court for a liability order if the debt remains outstanding after 14 days. The person summoned may appear before the court and always has an opportunity to establish that the council tax has been demanded in error. The court is required to satisfy itself that the sum demanded has become payable by the defendant and has not been paid. Commissioning such research would therefore not be a prudent use of public money.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the purpose is of her Departments (a) council tax discount grant, (b) performance reward grant and (c) restoration fund grant. [251823]
John Healey: Communities and Local Government does not administer a council tax discount grant.
The purpose of performance reward grant is to provide local authorities and their partners with a financial incentive to achieve targets agreed within Local Area Agreements.
The Restoration Fund was a one off £31 million fund paid out to the 62 local authorities who incurred significant unmet costs as a direct result of the summer 2007 floods. The funding was intended to support local authorities in their continued efforts to rebuild their communities. Local authorities were free to spend the fund as they saw fit, depending on local priorities.
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