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17 Jun 2010 : Column 538W—continued
Departmental Reviews
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2010, Official Report, column 137W, on Government Departments: reviews, what reviews his Department is undertaking; and what the (a) purpose and (b) timescale of each is. [2587]
Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Leader of the House of Commons on 8 June 2010, Official Report, column 32WS.
The Department will bring forward detailed information about reviews in due course.
Nuclear Power: Finance
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much the UK paid in contributions to the (a) International Atomic Energy Agency and (b) Euratom Supply Agency in the last 10 years. [2344]
Charles Hendry: The UK has paid a total of 116.95 million euros and US$ 84.42 million to the International Atomic Agency over the past 10 years. The UK does not make any direct contribution to the Euratom Supply Agency.
Trade Unions
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to consult trade unions in his Department on cost reduction plans. [604]
Gregory Barker: The Recognition Agreement (September 2009) between the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the recognised trade unions, the Public and Commercial Services Union, Prospect, and the First Division Association, clearly sets out the agreed processes for consultation.
The formal DECC Consultative Council meetings are held twice annually, normally in September and February. DECC Consultative Council has also appointed sub-committees to discuss particular issues which may not be appropriate to the main HQ Consultative Council.
Additionally, the DECC senior management team meets frequently and less formally with the trades unions through the year to address any emerging issues as they arise.
Women and Equalities
Rape: Defendants Anonymity
7. Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the implications for women of proposals to extend anonymity to defendants in rape cases. [2706]
10. Caroline Flint: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment her Department has made of the implications for women of proposals to extend anonymity to defendants in rape cases. [2709]
Lynne Featherstone: The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have, with the whole House, made clear the desire to increase the number of successful rape prosecutions and send more rapists to jail, as well as provide the best possible support to victims of this appalling crime. The Government regard rape as a very serious crime which should be prosecuted in all cases where sufficient evidence exists.
We will bring proposals to Parliament when all the options have been carefully considered. Our consideration of the options will include an equality impact assessment.
Asylum
8. Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent representations she has received on the granting of asylum to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons under threat of legal sanction in their country of origin. [2707]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government have received representations on this issue in the context of the recent hearings at the Supreme Court. The Home Secretary has also met with Ben Summerskill from Stonewall and received a copy of their recent report, "No Going Back" about the experiences of lesbian and gay people in the asylum system.
We will stop the deportation of asylum seekers who have had to leave particular countries because of their sexual orientation or gender identification puts them at proven risk of imprisonment, torture or execution.
Equal Pay Act
9. Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will bring forward proposals to mark the 40th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act 1970; and if she will make a statement. [2708]
Lynne Featherstone: Last month I made my first speech as a Minister for Equalities at an excellent event organised by the Fawcett Society and others to mark the 40th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act.
As the Queen's Speech made clear, we are committed to promoting equal pay for women. We are currently considering options, and we will make an announcement in due course. We agree that progress on equal pay is needed, and we made clear in the Queen's Speech that we will work to promote equal pay for women, as well as remove barriers to flexible working. We are currently considering our next steps, and we will make an announcement in due course.
House of Commons Commission
Food: Procurement
Dan Rogerson: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission what steps the House of Commons Commission is taking to set high standards of animal welfare for the in-house procurement of food. [2927]
Sir Stuart Bell:
The House of Commons Catering and Retail Services recognises its responsibility to carry out its procurement activities in an environmentally and socially responsible manner and operates a Sustainable
Procurement Policy, which covers all key components of the purchasing operation including animal welfare. The policy seeks to work within the guidelines set out by the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative, and in doing so endeavours to contribute to the Government's Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy. A copy of the policy will be placed in the Library.
Former Members: ICT
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission what guidance was issued to hon. Members in the last Parliament who have not been returned to the House on the retention and disposal of ICT equipment purchased with funds from their allowances as hon. Members; and if he will make a statement. [2919]
Sir Stuart Bell: Guidance entitled 'Dissolution Arrangements' was issued to all Members of the previous Parliament. The full document can be viewed at:
Paragraphs 2.4 to 2.6 relate to the retention and disposal of ICT equipment purchased with funds from allowances as hon. Members.
Treasury
Annuities
Mr Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to reform the requirement to purchase annuities at the age of 75 years; and if he will make a statement. [1141]
Mr Hoban: The Government are committed to removing the requirement to purchase a pension annuity by age 75. Further details, including information on when the Government intend to implement these proposals, will follow in due course.
Banks: Pay
Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he plans to restrict access to bonus payments in excess of £30,000 per annum for employees of banks in receipt of public funding; [2527]
(2) whether he plans to reduce bonus payments to (a) employees, (b) directors, (c) chief executives and (d) chairmen of banks in receipt of public funding. [2528]
Mr Hoban: The banks in which the Government is a shareholder are managed at arm's length and on a commercial basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI).
UKFI will continue to work with Government investee banks to ensure that incentives are properly linked to long-term value creation.
Business: Thanet
Laura Sandys: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses (a) were registered, (b) were newly registered and (c) ceased to be registered for value added tax in South Thanet in each year since 1997. [2669]
Mr Gauke: Between 1997 and 2008, the number of businesses registered for VAT at the start of the year, the number of businesses registering for VAT and the number of businesses deregistering for VAT in Thanet South are shown in the following table.
| Registrations | De-registrations | Start of year stock | |
These figures came from the report 'Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations', published by The Department for Businesses Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in November 2008. This report has now been discontinued. An extended series covering the last two years could be produced only at disproportionate costs.
Departmental Translation Services
Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) documents and (b) other information for which (i) his Department and (ii) its associated public bodies are responsible are published or provided in the UK in languages other than English; for what reason each such publication is required to be made available in a language or languages other than English; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the translation work so incurred in the latest period for which figures are available. [1775]
Justine Greening: The documents translated for people in the UK who do not speak English, and where available estimated costs, are as follows:
HM Treasury translates documents into other languages on a case-by-case basis as requests are received.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer set out in August 2008, Official Report, column 737W. Since then the following documents have been translated:
Press Notice 108_08 translated into Welsh in November 2008 at a cost of £95.00.
Chapter 1 of pre-Budget report 2008 translated into Welsh in December 2008 at a cost of £764.74.
The executive summary of the document 'Reforming Financial Markets' translated into German in August 2009 at a cost of £253.09
HM Revenue and Customs conforms to the legal requirement to provide Welsh language services in accordance with the Welsh Language Act 1993 and HMRC's own Welsh Language Scheme. Documents and information that have been translated into languages other than English are:
All of the most frequently used publications are translated into Welsh.
Marketing campaigns involving the Welsh language media are translated into Welsh.
Direct marketing products are translated into Welsh where there is a Welsh language notifier on the customer record.
A selection of regional press ads for Contact Centre Directorate about the change in opening times of the Enquiry Centres were translated into Welsh. The additional cost of translation and typesetting is absorbed by our Welsh Language Unit. Communications and Marketing incurred no cost for the translation.
Child Trust Fund fact sheets have been translated in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Tamil, Urdu and Polish.
The information on estimated costs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
NS&I translates all of its (1) brochures into Welsh to stock at Welsh Post Offices, (2) after sales communications into Welsh upon request and (3) has a Welsh Language portal which is an abridged version of the English website on the NS&I website to meet it commitments under the Welsh Language Act. NS&I does not provide translation into any other language. The cost to NS&I of producing such translations in the latest period for which figures are available are:
2009-10: £8,505.97
In line with its commitment to the Welsh Language Act, the VOA publishes a range of leaflets and forms in bilingual English/Welsh format. These are used with council taxpayers and business ratepayers. The information on estimated costs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
There are occasional requirements to translate correspondence for non-UK customers but the costs incurred are modest and are usually tied to commercial contracts which earn revenue for the Royal Mint.
This was the arrangement under previous Administrations and has not changed.
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