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9 Jun 2009 : Column 848W—continued
Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service: Industrial Health and Safety
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff of the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service have taken time off work as a result of a diagnosis of stress in each of the last five years. [277861]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 3 June 2009]: ACAS currently employs 892 people. The number of staff who have taken time off for stress in the last five years is as follows:
| Number of staff | |
| Notes: 1. The year is a calendar year. Some staff may have incurred more than one period of absence relating to stress within a year, however they have only been counted once for the purpose of this PQ. 2. Stress related absence—the information is based on the number of people who have their absence recorded as stress. ‘Stress’ comprises all types of stress, not just work related. Where people state the absence reason is stress and the cause for this is e.g. bereavement then bereavement is taken as the reason. | |
Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service: Industrial Relations
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff complaints against managers have been received by the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service in each of the last five years. [277862]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 3 June 2009]: ACAS currently employees 892 people. It takes its responsibilities as an advocate of good employment practices very seriously and thoroughly investigates any complaints it receives about its staff. The number of staff complaints against managers received by ACAS in each of the last five years are as follows:
| Number of staff complaints | |
Cabinet: Glasgow
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
(1) how much expenditure was incurred by his Department in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. [273971]
(2) what expenditure on (a) travel, (b) accommodation and (c) food was incurred by (i) the Secretary of State and (ii) officials in his Department in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. [273972]
Mr. McFadden: For information relating to the Cabinet and public engagement event held in Glasgow on 16 April I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 3 June 2009, Official Report, column 487W.
Departmental Air Conditioning
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of his Department’s buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with output greater than 250kW; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 since the Regulations entered into force; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each inspection report. [272128]
Mr. McFadden: BIS’s main headquarters building at 1 Victoria street is the only building on its HQ estate that is equipped with an air conditioning system with greater than 250 kW of output. An inspection of the system in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections)(England and Wales) Regulations 2007 is currently under way and is due for completion by 31 May.
The inspection results will be placed in both Libraries of the House.
Departmental Public Consultation
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North West Cambridgeshire of 19 March 2009, Official Report, column 1278W, on departmental public consultation, how many public consultations run by his Department in the last 12 months received (a) no response, (b) between one and 20 responses, (c) between 21 and 50 responses, (d) between 51 and 100 responses and (e) over 100 responses; which consultations received no responses; and if he will make a statement. [270928]
Mr. McFadden: Of the 36 consultations reported in the answer of 19 March 2009, Official Report, column 1278W:
(a) one consultation received no responses;
(b) nine received between one and 20 responses;
(c) 12 received between 21 and 50 responses;
(d) nine received between 51 and 100 responses; and
(e) five received over 100 responses.
The number of responses received for individual consultations is recorded in the Government responses—these are published on the departmental website alongside the consultations themselves at:
The one consultation which received no responses was 01-07-08 Consultation on a technical amendment to the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2008.
Employment Tribunals Service
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many actions under employment law have been brought against his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years; how many such actions were brought under each category of action; and how many such actions were contested by his Department at an employment tribunal. [277416]
Mr. McFadden: Since 2006 28 cases were lodged against the Department. We are unable to state the number in each category for reasons of confidentiality.
However in general terms the categories of claim were:
Age discrimination
Breach of contract
Disability Discrimination
Equal treatment of agency
Gender grounds
Race discrimination
Unfair dismissal
Unfair selection for redundancy
Public interest disclosure (whistle blowing)
Some individuals lodged claims under more than one category.
12 cases have proceeded to full hearing and were contested by the Department at employment tribunal. Four further cases remain pending.
Non-domestic Rates
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effects on business solvency and closures of levels of commercial rents. [270402]
Mr. McFadden: No assessment has been made by this Department of the effects on business solvency and closures of the level of commercial rents.
While rent levels are a matter for the market, the Government are concerned to promote a fair and efficient commercial property leasing market, and to this end prompted the property industry to introduce a voluntary code of practice. They are monitoring the impact of the current version of the code, introduced in March 2007, and are looking to it to ensure that business tenants are better informed about leasing options.
The code for leasing business premises is available at the following web address:
Parental Leave: Lone Parents and Low Incomes
John Bercow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the recommendations in the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Working Better report on the take-up of maternity and paternity leave by lone parents and parents on low incomes; and if he will make a statement. [275415]
Mr. McFadden: The Government welcome the EHRC’s contribution to the debate in this important area, and recognise the importance of ensuring mothers and fathers are both able to spend the time they need with their families, while also being able to balance work and family life. That is why we have progressively introduced a substantial package of measures to help working parents while recognising the needs of employers.
From April 2007 all employed mothers have been eligible to take up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave, of which 39 weeks are paid. We have also more than doubled the standard rate payable to those mothers from £55.70 in 1997 to £123.06 now. Longer and better paid maternity leave gives all mothers more choice about how much time to take off and 88 per cent. of mothers now take their full entitlement to paid leave(1).
We have also introduced statutory paternity pay at the same standard rate as SMP. More than nine-tenths of fathers take time off around the time of their child’s birth(2) of which seven tenths take two weeks or more.
Government financial support including statutory maternity pay and statutory paternity pay is now worth at least £9,000 for many families during a child’s first year, up from only £2,600 in 1997.
(1 )Maternity rights and mothers employment decisions, 2008.
(2 )Maternity rights and mothers employment decisions, 2008.
Public Houses: Manpower
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovations and Skills if he will assess the effect on employment in the beer and pub sector of trends in the level of alcohol sales from off-licences. [271602]
Mr. McFadden:
This Department is aware that recent research within the sector indicates that employment in
the beer and pub trade has been declining since 2006. We are working to ensure we can help all business in every way we can, so that they are well placed to benefit as soon as there is an improvement in economic circumstances. With effect from 1 March 2009, tied public houses became eligible to apply for Enterprise Finance Guarantee funding.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the net changes in the number of jobs in the brewing and public house sector in the last 12 months; and if he will take steps to safeguard jobs in this sector. [271607]
Mr. McFadden: This Department has not made any estimate of changes in the number of jobs in the brewing and public house sector in the last 12 months. The Department is aware that recent research undertaken within the brewing and public house sector indicates that employment in the beer and pub trade has been declining since 2006. We are working to restore greater confidence in our economy as a whole which should in itself help sectors such as this. With effect from 1 March 2009, tied public houses became eligible to apply for Enterprise Finance Guarantee funding.
Regeneration: Finance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what community-led physical regeneration projects each regional development agency funded in each year since 2000. [265271]
Mr. McFadden: The community-led physical regeneration projects shown in the following tables are national schemes comprising hundreds of individual grant awards. The cost of collecting data on each grant would incur disproportionate cost. Therefore, the projects have been grouped under broad titles such as “Single Regeneration Budget” or “Market Town Initiative” alongside their annual expenditure(1).
(1) A number of schemes (e.g. SRB) ran for a finite period, and had expenditure profiles that matched the commitments entered into at the outset of the programme. These will vary from region to region, depending on the priorities and different approaches taken by the stakeholders.
| Advantage West Midlands | |||||||||
| Total scheme funding (£000) | |||||||||
| Community Regeneration Scheme | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
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