To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent estimate he has made of the carbon emissions of his Department; what commitment he has made to reducing such emissions; and if he will make a statement. (81054)

The Scotland Office subscribes to the energy efficiency policies adopted by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, East (Bridget Prentice), on 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1615W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure that all flights undertaken by Ministers and officials in his Department are carbon neutral; and if he will make a statement. (81381)

The Scotland Office subscribes to the principles of environmental performance adopted by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, East (Bridget Prentice), on 6 July 2006, Official Report, column 1344W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement. (81189)

The Scotland Office subscribes to the environmental management principles adopted by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, East (Bridget Prentice), on 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 1992W

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which Private Members' Bills were drafted by his Department in each session since 1997; and which subsequently received Royal Assent. (78840)

Since the Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999, one private Member’s Bill has been drafted and has subsequently received Royal Assent—my Sunday Working (Scotland) Act 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those Private Members' Bills in respect of which his Department has adopted a policy of neutrality in each session since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement. (72484)

The Scotland Office has not adopted a policy of neutrality on any of the private Members' Bills since session 2001-02 for which it had the lead interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action has been taken by his Department to implement Scottish Affairs Select Committee recommendations since the 2001-02 session; and if he will make a statement. (78843)

The Government have responded to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee's recommendations in the period in question in the following published memoranda:

Session 2001-02

The Drinks Industry in Scotland: Response by the Government and the Scottish Executive (HC 696), published on 18 March 2002.

Customs Services in Scotland: Response by the Government (HC 1287), published on 5 November 2002

Session 2002-03

Employment in Shipbuilding on the Clyde: Response by the Government (HC 199), published on 19 December 2002

Homeworkers in Scotland and the Minimum Wage: Response by the Government (HC 816), published on 19 June 2003

Session 2003-04

The Coincidence of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in Scotland and the Consequences of Change: Response by the Government (HC514), published on 7 April 2004

The Proposed Whisky Strip Stamp: Response by the Government (HC 822), published on 5 July 2004

Session 2005-06

Meeting Scotland's Future Energy Needs: Government Response (HC 579), published on 24 October 2005

Each memorandum stated whether the Government accepted the recommendations in the relevant report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many disabled staff in his Department received support through the Access to Work scheme (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in 2006-07. (82231)

The table provides information on the numbers of NIO staff with disabilities for whom NIO requested support through the Access to Work scheme. This relates to the provision of workplace assessments to identify individual needs and recommend special aids and equipment and, where applicable, the provision of assistance with the cost of providing reasonable adjustments. While the scheme also assists with the cost of travel to work, the Department has no knowledge of assistance provided for NIO staff, as individuals must apply direct to the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to assess compliance with building regulations in Northern Ireland. (80954)

Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments do not hold this information. Enforcement of building regulations is the responsibility of district councils. Having written to district councils I can confirm that Building Control employ professionally qualified and trained staff to carry out independent and impartial plan assessments and detailed inspection of all sites to ensure compliance. Applicants must notify Building Control at various stages of projects, and if remedial action is necessary, it is always carried out prior to the issue of the completion certificate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homes built in the last 10 years in Northern Ireland do not comply with environmental building regulations. (80953)

Northern Ireland civil service departments do not hold this information. Enforcement of building regulations is the responsibility of district councils. Having written to district councils I can confirm that no homes built in the last 10 years contravene the environmental building regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision for those with (a) mental health difficulties and (b) learning disability is offered by further education colleges in the Province. (83728)

The Department for Employment and Learning is unable to provide the information in the format requested but can confirm that in 2004-05, the last year for which figures are available, further education colleges in Northern Ireland enrolled 14,231 students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities on a range of mainstream courses and, where more appropriate, on courses designed specifically for students with learning difficulties. FE colleges have also been provided with additional resources to make such physical adjustments as may be required to assist those with disabilities and learning difficulties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of providing assistance to prisoners in Northern Ireland to cease smoking in each of the last three years. (78738)

The information requested is not available for 2003 and 2004.

In 2005 the cost of providing nicotine replacement patches under prescription to prisoners was £12,082.09 and for the period 1 January to 31 May 2006 the cost was £4,692.45.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners have absconded from custody in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. (80444)

The Northern Ireland Prison Service undertakes a thorough risk assessment prior to decisions being taken in respect of prisoner release, and has a low incidence of absconds.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service classifies absconds as prisoners released from lawful custody under Rule 27(2), who are accompanied outside the confines of the prison establishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what improvements are planned for the A26 road between Ballymena and Coleraine over the next two years. (85725)

The Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, Mr. Geoff Allister, has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.

Letter from Geoff Allister, dated 18 July 2006:

You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what improvements are planned for the A26 road between Ballymena and Coleraine over the next two years.

As this issue falls within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.

I have to advise that there are no planned improvements for the A26 between Ballymena and Coleraine over the next two years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. (85180)

Two statutory instruments sponsored by my Department since October 2005 have been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective. Details are as follows:

(a) The Prison and Young Offenders Centre (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005/153). See the Fourth Report of the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments for session 2005-06, published on 19 October 2005; and

(b) The Pollution Prevention and Control (Amendment) and Connected Provisions (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005 No. 285). See Sixth Report of the JCSI for 2005-06, published on 26 October 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 8 June 2006, Official Report, column 1341W, on avian influenza, when and in what manner the discussion took place between a departmental official with Mr. Steve Moon at which an offer was extended to Mr. Moon, or another representative of the Association of Local Government Ecologists, to participate in the avian influenza stakeholder group; and who the official was. (81142)

There appears to have been some misunderstanding over this matter. A Defra official has written to Mr. Moon to express regret for this. I have also written to the Secretary of the Association of Local Government Ecologists inviting the association to participate in the AI Stakeholder Group.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the vaccination of domestic birds against avian influenza; and if he will make a statement. (85232)

The advice from the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) is that we should not vaccinate poultry in advance of an avian influenza outbreak, or as an immediate disease control response. Although currently available vaccines are able to reduce mortality, it is possible that some vaccinated birds would still be capable of transmitting the disease if they become infected, but might not display symptoms of disease. This would increase the time taken to detect and eradicate the virus. High standards of surveillance and biosecurity, early reporting of suspect cases and culling remain the most effective ways of preventing avian influenza and tackling an outbreak.

However, as I informed the House on 11 July, in order to be fully prepared we have invited tenders to supply us with a further 10 million doses of avian influenza vaccine for potential use in poultry and other captive birds. This is not a change in policy. The CVO has recommended this step as part of sensible contingency planning in the light of uncertainties about the future spread and nature of the virus, and the possibility of as yet unforeseen circumstances. The vaccine would only be used if a risk assessment and scientific evidence indicated it would help to prevent disease spread.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the status is of the investigation into possible blackfish landings of pelagic fish. (86438)

This is an issue for the Scottish Executive. As it is an ongoing investigation we are unable to comment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fly-tipping incidents were recorded by Flycapture in 2004-05, broken down by local authority area. (85710)

Data on fly-tipping incidents recorded by each local authority on the Flycapture database between April 2004 and March 2005 have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate how many (a) mobile telephones and (b) printer cartridges were (i) recycled, (ii) reused overseas and (iii) disposed of within the waste stream in the last 12 months. (84068)

This Department does not collect information on the recycling or reuse of mobile phones or printer cartridges. The mobile phone industry estimates that 18 million handsets are replaced every year and that in 2003 and 2004, about five million handsets were collected by mobile phone recycling and refurbishment companies in the UK. The industry estimates that about 60 per cent. of these were refurbished and the remaining 40 per cent. were sent for materials recycling.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what administrative savings have been made by his Department in each of the last eight years. (34937)

The Department's annual reports contain information on departmental management and public service delivery, including on measures taken to improve efficiency and value for money.

For the years 1997-98 and 1998-99, value for money and efficiency savings were not reported separately in the Department's annual reports but were contained within the chapters on the management of the Department.

During the period covered by the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review (1999-2002), the Department had a strategic efficiency target to achieve savings of 2.5 per cent. of its running costs each year. In 1999-2000 DTI achieved a saving of 2.6 per cent. of running costs (£10.6 million on projected costs of £406.6 million); and in 2000-01 a saving of 4.6 per cent. (£19.3 million on projected costs of £418.8 million).

The CSR98 efficiency target was replaced for the 2000 Spending Review period (2001-04) by a Public Service Agreement Target to “achieve value for money improvements of 2.5 per cent. a year across the Department”, which was carried over into the 2002 Spending Review (2003-06). In 2001-02 value for money improvements under this target amounted to 3.79 per cent. (£16 million on projected costs of £422.3 million); and in 2002-03 amounted to 4.5 per cent. (£20.2 million on projected costs of £449.9 million).

Value for money improvements related to administration under the SR2002 PSA12 value for the money target amounted to £35.4 million in 2003-04 and £351.7 million in 2004-05. The Department's performance for 2005-06 against this PSA target will be covered in the 2006 departmental report, which was due to be published in spring 2006.

In the 2004 Spending Review the Department committed to achieve annual efficiencies of at least £380 million by 2007-08. The 2005 Autumn Performance Report, published last December, provides the most recent assessment of the Department's performance against this target. £27.97 million efficiency gains related to administration spend were achieved by the end of Quarter 2.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government grants were awarded to BAE Systems for the purchase of shares in Airbus in 1979. (82416)

The Department has no record of grants being given to either British Aerospace or its successor BAE Systems for the purchase of shares in Airbus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost (a) gross and (b) net after loan repayments was of support by the UK Government to Airbus programmes in each year since 1985. (83570)

Launch investment is a risk-sharing Government investment in the design and development of civil aerospace projects in the UK. It is not a loan. The investment is repayable at a real rate of return, usually via levies on sales of the product.

The amounts paid to Airbus in launch investment and the amounts received from Airbus in repayment of launch investment in each of the years from 1984-85 to 2005-06 inclusive are set out in the following table, with the net figures (Receipts-Payments) in the final column.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) the Peterborough city council area (i) started up and (ii) ceased trading in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement. (85970)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1484-85, which contains data for each year starting nine years ago up to the latest available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether (a) he has and (b) Ministers in his Department have received official hospitality from Canatxx Ventures Ltd and Canatxx UK and its associated companies in the last four years. (85272)

No DTI Ministers have received official hospitality from Canatxx UK Ltd, Canatxx Energy Ventures Ltd or any of its associated companies in the last four years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people from science and technology backgrounds have been seconded into the civil service in his Department in each of the last three years. (48412)

The DTI has had and continues to have people seconded who have science and technology backgrounds. Where an S and T background is an essential requirement for a secondment we will take the appropriate steps to check the applicant’s qualifications.

The DTI has had a number of people seconded from science and technology backgrounds in the last three years, although we do not hold this information centrally. As the Department dedicated to maximising the contribution of the science and technology fields to the UK’s economic development—and the quality of our lives—we are delighted to have such expertise within the DTI.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which solicitors have received payments under the (a) vibration white finger and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease conditional fee agreement for coal health compensation claims for claims registered by claimants living in Leicester, South constituency; and whether Vendside Ltd has received any payment from his Department for coal health compensation claims registered by claimants living in that constituency. (84113)

Conditional fee agreements do not form part of either the vibration white finger (VWF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) schemes. Solicitors are paid according to a tariff set out in the respective Claims Handling Agreement. The tables list the solicitors, including Vendside/UDM, that have received payments in accordance with those tariffs for representing claimants from the Leicester, South constituency:

In addition, Vendside have been paid an additional £2,333 in costs for handling claims for Industrial Deafness for Leicester, South constituents which are dealt with under common law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which mining contractors have signed the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims handling agreement with his Department. (85431)

[holding answer 14 July 2006]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 12 May 2006, Official Report, columns 576-77W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent in each year since 1997 by his Department on salaries paid to civil servants. (41589)

The Department's expenditure on civil servants' salaries for 1998-99 to 2004-05 is detailed as follows. Figures from 1999-2000 are taken from the Department's Resource Accounts, which are published annually by the Stationery Office. Total resource budgets for 2002-03 and 2003-04 included exceptional provisions to reflect accounting adjustments in respect of the Department's liabilities. Prior to 1998-99, figures were not produced on the same basis and comparable figures are not available other than at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which external consultants were contracted to process submissions to the energy review; what criteria were adopted in choosing the consultants; whether the contract was subject to competitive tender; what the total value was of each contract; what responsibility each consultant was given; and what the length was of each contract. (85540)

AEA Technology Environment were contracted, by competitive tender, to support the analysis of the submissions to the Energy Review consultation exercise.

Their report is on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file31631.pdf

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his oral statement of 4 May 2006, Official Report, column 537WH, on Enterprise, on what date the manufacturing day during enterprise week will be held. (85684)

Enterprise Week is to be held from 13 to 19 November 2006. On 14 November there will be a strong focus on the manufacturing sector, with regional events taking place led by industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in which local authorities Enterprise Insight will be establishing local campaign hubs; on what basis these areas were selected; and how other local authorities can apply for campaign hubs to be based in their locality. (85679)

Local Enterprise Campaign Hubs are being set up in Coventry, Liverpool, Lowestoft, Tees Valley and Wakefield. The local authorities looking after these areas are Coventry city council, Liverpool city council, Waveney district council, Redcar and Cleveland borough council and Wakefield metropolitan district council respectively.

These areas were selected as they have low levels of entrepreneurial activity, and high levels of deprivation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what independent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of money spent by the Enterprise Insight campaign. (85682)

Enterprise Insight employs a variety of monitoring tools to assess the effectiveness on the campaign.

These include an annual survey that monitors young people's attitudes across the country and tracks changing levels of awareness of the campaign.

Enterprise Insight is currently commissioning an independent organisation to develop monitoring and evaluation systems for each enterprise campaign hub as it is rolled out. In early 2008, this organisation will produce an evaluation that will assess the impact of the campaign hubs.

Enterprise Insight has put in place a number of more specific monitoring tools that:

(a) Capture through on-line reporting all the events taking place during Enterprise Week.

(b) Independently, through ‘Growth from Knowledge—National Opinion Polls', run a post Enterprise Week survey of all organisations that ran activities during Enterprise Week.

(c) Independently monitor the level and range of media coverage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) salary and (b) benefits are paid to the Chief Executive of Enterprise Insight; and what salary was advertised when this position was last vacant. (85683)

Enterprise Insight is an independent organisation, founded and run by the four main business organisations (Institute of Directors, British Chambers of Commerce, CBI and Federation of Small Businesses), with support from DTI.

The DTI’s Small Business Service co-funds Enterprise Insight, but the Enterprise Insight Board independently determines its staff remuneration levels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) women and (b) men are employed in the Department; what the average pay was for (i) women and (ii) men in the Department in (A) 1997 and (B) 2006; what women’s average pay is as a percentage of men’s average pay; and how many (1) women and (2) men the Department employed in each of the last five years, broken down by grade. (67780)

The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. This includes data on the employment of men and women. Information on the numbers of women and men employed in the civil service broken down at 31 December 2005 is available in the Libraries of the House and on the civil service website at:

www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/employment/index.asp

It should be borne in mind that the figures for DTI published by Cabinet Office include additional staff such as those employed in Executive agencies.

The Department of Trade and Industry (including UK Trade and Investment and Small Business Service, but excluding Executive agencies) employs (a) 1,682 women (1,596.3 full-time equivalent) and (b) 2,176 men (2,165.3 full-time equivalent) at 9 November 2005.

DTI measures equal pay for those not in the senior civil service as part of a regular and ongoing equal pay review programme. Equal pay is measured for the senior civil service by the Cabinet Office.

The average pay was for (i) women and (ii) men in the Department in (A) 2000-01 and (B) 2005-06 and what women’s average pay is as a percentage of men’s average pay are shown in the following table.

2000-01 is the earliest period for which an accurate comparison can be provided.

The number of (1) women and (2) men the Department employed in three of the last five years, broken down by grade, is shown in the following table. Data for 2001, 2003 and 2005 are readily available having previously been used for other purposes. Data for 2002 and 2004 can be provided, but at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) mean and (b) median household (i) gas and (ii) electricity bill was in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will estimate the bill paid at each decile of income distribution in each case. (84736)

The Expenditure and Food Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics showed that in 2004-05 the mean amount spent on gas was £287 per annum, while the mean amount spent on electricity was £313.

The median spend on gas was £271, while the median spend on electricity during 2004-05 was £276.

The amount of spend for the top of each decile in the distribution is shown for both gas and electricity in the table:

Those in the lowest deciles of gas spend will pay nothing for their fuel due to a lack of connection to the gas network.

The amount spent on gas and electricity by each decile in the income distribution is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to eliminate fuel poverty in vulnerable households in England by 2010. (85461)

Responsibility for tackling fuel poverty in England is shared between the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Following the Energy Review, we will be taking forward work with energy suppliers and other key players to examine how the continuing challenge of fuel poverty can be best addressed. The Energy Review also commits us to looking hard at how we can maximise the contribution made by our existing schemes. The Department of Trade and Industry will play an important role in this analysis.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads on the Warm Front scheme in England. The Warm Front scheme has resulted in improvements to the energy efficiency of the housing of those on a range of qualifying benefits and has provided assistance to over a million vulnerable households since 2000.

The Department of Trade and Industry itself has a number of policies to tackle the issue of fuel poverty. It has liaised closely with energy suppliers on the development of the Home Heat Helpline, which provides vulnerable customers and their representatives with a central point of information relating to the help available from their energy supplier and Government. It has encouraged the introduction of social tariffs and price freezes for fuel poor and low income customers.

The Department's Design and Demonstration Unit is a team of private sector secondees that works in support of Energy White Paper objectives. As part of the Unit's work, it has designed and delivered projects to provide gas connections to deprived communities, and it is now developing community projects utilising renewable technologies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his estimate is of the difference in the average price of a litre of petrol in rural and non-rural areas in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. (85880)

I am not aware of any data source that provides information on rural and non-rural petrol prices. There is anecdotal evidence that petrol prices in rural areas are likely to be higher than non-rural areas.

There are a variety of reasons why this is likely to be the case. These include:

Fuel throughput, in that the higher the throughput the lower the retail margin required to give a return on the investment. Rural garages are likely to have lower throughputs.

Bulk delivery charges, many sites have relatively small storage tanks since they are cheaper to install. However, they require more frequent replenishment and this results in some sites paying higher delivery charges. Again smaller tanks are likely to be more prevalent is smaller, rural petrol stations.

Competition; large, particularly supermarket sites in close proximity to one another in urban areas do tend to lead to lower prices.

Regional petrol prices are available on the AA website at http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuel/index.html.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with representatives of the home computing industry about the consequences of the abolition of the Home Computing Initiative. (63837)

I would like to apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying to the matter raised. In response to his query I can confirm that the DTI has regular discussions with the industry on all matters of concern relevant to their sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date the Home Computing Initiative was made available to staff in his Department; and how many staff had (a) applied for and (b) expressed interest in the scheme before the Budget. (63838)

The Home Computing Initiative was made available to staff in DTI and Insolvency Service (an executive agency of DTI that is participating in the DTI scheme) on 15 March 2006 as part of a wider scheme incorporating computers, childcare and bikes.

Over 400 staff in DTI expressed an interest in the scheme when it was initially contemplated in mid-2005.

Sixty-four people had registered for computers in the period 15 to 22 March (Budget day) and approximately 240 had registered by the computer closing date of 30 March. These figures include staff from DTI and Insolvency Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the communications from his officials to HM Treasury on the home computing initiatives relating to the abolition of the tax exemption in the Budget. (66512)

I would like to apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying to the matter raised. In response to his query I can confirm that the DTI have regular discussion with the Treasury on budgetary initiatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of setting up his Department's Home Computing Initiative scheme, including consultancy and administrative costs. (66513)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Gauke) on 20 April 2006, Official Report, column 762W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he was first informed by the Treasury of the withdrawal of the tax exemption for loaned computer equipment under the Home Computing Initiative Scheme. (64166)

[holding answer 18 April 2006]: I would like to apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying to the matter raised. In response to her query the DTI have regular discussions with the Treasury on budgetary issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in his Department have been enabled to work from home in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. (67998)

All members of staff with an appropriate job are allowed to work from home subject to their line manager's approval. Laptops have been provided to staff that allow access to the Department’s IT Systems. Many of these were configured to allow staff to share them.

2003-04

1,400 Laptops were in use for secure remote access. The shared facility enabled up to 2,200 staff to use these machines if approved to do so.

2004-05

1,550 Laptops were in use for secure remote access. The shared facility enabled 2,550 staff to use these machines if approved to do so.

2005-06

1,550 Laptops were in use at the start of the year but this reduced to 1,200 by end-March 2006, as a consequence of the efficiency programme and reduction in staff numbers. A corresponding reduction in shared usage was applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months. (84009)

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has visited the North West twice and the North East, South East and East Midlands once.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to paragraph 5.134 of the Energy Review, Cm 6887, whether the Environment Agency will be able to recover (a) in full and (b) in part from any company putting forward proposals to build new nuclear plants the costs of the pre-licensing work. (86082)

Paragraph 5.9 of the Environment Agency submission to the Energy Review stated that:

“We will need to recover the costs associated with pre-authorisation/licensing assessments. There are legal provisions in the EA 95 to enable our costs to be recovered.”

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is his policy to replace those nuclear stations that he identifies in the Energy Review as coming to the end of their operational lives. (86114)

Any new power stations would be proposed, developed, constructed and operated by the private sector. It is for the private sector to make judgements on the future relative costs of different generating technologies, within the market framework established by Government. Developers will make their proposals for new generating capacity based on these judgments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate his Department has made of the level of government subsidies likely to be required to stimulate the commissioning of new nuclear generating stations by energy companies. (85568)

It will be for the private sector to initiate, fund, construct and operate any new nuclear power station, and also meet full decommissioning costs and their full share of long term waste management costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether vessels transporting nuclear material are escorted by the Royal Navy. (84866)

[holding answer 13 July 2006]: All shipments of civil nuclear material on a UK flagged vessel are carried out in accordance with the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations (NISR) 2003 which are administered and enforced by the Government's independent security regulator, the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS). Before any shipment can commence, OCNS must be satisfied that the overall security measures are adequately robust to prevent the theft or sabotage of the material being transported.

British flagged transport vessels carrying nuclear material are not routinely escorted by the Royal Navy, but, where appropriate, prior coordination with the Royal Navy will be an important factor in the assessment of a Transport Security Plan. The ships will carry an escort unit of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary's (CNC) Marine Escort Group, which provides armed security for nuclear materials in transit. The Marine Escort Group has been specially trained to a high standard by the Royal Navy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to paragraph 5.57 of the Energy Review, what the scope is of the work being conducted on developing an offshore transmission regime; and if he will make a statement. (85723)

[holding answer 17 July 2006]: Following my announcement on 30 March 2006 that the Government had decided to extend the regulated price control model to offshore transmission, DTI and Ofgem are working with industry to develop that new regime.

Ofgem issued a scoping document setting out the main issues that need to be considered on 3 April 2006. The document can be found at:

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/temp/ofgem/cache/cmsattach/14533_6006.pdf

Further information about the project to deliver the new regime including project structure, governance and timetable can be found at:

http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/policy/offshore-transmission/page28604.html

and

http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/policy/offshore-transmission/offshore-transmission-experts-group/page28711.html

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the closure of the Shrewsbury post office. (85484)

I understand that the directly managed office in Shrewsbury is to be relocated to premises 50 yards away under a franchising agreement and customers will benefit from extended opening hours and have access to the same full range of services. Decisions on individual offices are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The 500 directly managed post offices made combined annual losses of some £50 million in 2005-06 and Post Office Ltd are seeking more cost-effective ways of providing main post office services to the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years. (68337)

Expenditure on recruitment for the past three financial years has been extracted from the Department’s finance system. Information for the other years requested is not readily available on a consistent basis and would be available only at disproportionate cost.

The following table shows the breakdown on recruitment, search and selection agencies by DTI and its agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made when benchmarking UK performance of the proportion of (a) energy and (b) electricity in other EU countries which is supplied from renewable sources. (84956)

According to data published by Eurostat in 2004 the United Kingdom ranked 17^th of the 25 member states of the EU in terms of the share of electricity from renewable energy to gross electricity consumption. In 1995 the UK ranked 19^th and if all countries meet their 2010 targets the UK will move up to 15^th. It should be noted that the countries that rank highest (Austria, Latvia and Sweden) have significant and well developed hydro resources and plentiful supplies of biomass (mainly wood).

The International Energy Agency (IEA) produces statistics that exclude hydro generation from the renewables share of electricity production, but this is available for only 19 of the 25 EU member states that are also IEA members. On this basis the UK ranked 13^th out of 19 in the latest available year (2003) with Denmark the highest ranking because of its well-developed wind power sector.

The IEA also produces statistics on the contribution of renewable sources to total primary energy supply for the 19 EU member states. Here the UK ranked 17^th out of 19 in 2003.

The spring 2006 edition of the “Ernst and Young Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices”, which provide scores for national renewable energy markets, support mechanisms, renewable energy infrastructures and their suitability for individual technologies, placed the UK fifth most attractive in the world (third in Europe) of all countries http://www.ey.com/global/content.nsif/International/ECU_Library

The UK has a target that by 2010, 10 per cent. of all UK electricity produced will come from renewable sources. It was recently announced in the Energy Review (2006) that, in order to further boost investors’ confidence, the Renewables Obligation would be extended to 20 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances regulations from small business and sole traders; and if he will make a statement. (85583)

The DTI consulted on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive on three separate occasions before the regulations were laid before Parliament. On each occasion we received representations from a wide range of stakeholders including small businesses, sole traders and trade bodies representing these interests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how much gas his Department estimates the UK will import from Russia in (a) 2006, (b) 2010 and (c) 2020, (i) as a percentage of total consumption and (ii) in cubic metres; and what percentage of that gas his Department estimates will be (A) produced by Gazprom and (B) transported through Gazprom's pipeline network; (85082)

The UK's gas import dependence is set to rise to 80-90 per cent. by 2020, of which a significant proportion is expected to be imported from the European mainland through existing and planned interconnection capacity. The International Energy Agency forecast that the EU will import 25 per cent. of its gas needs from Russia by 2030. It is, therefore, possible that some Russian gas will be imported into the UK, albeit indirectly and commingled with gas from other sources (such as Norway, the Netherlands and LNG from outside Europe) as part of the European gas system.

The contractual origin of imports into the UK is a decision for companies operating in the UK's liberalised gas market, taking into account elements such as cost, reliability, availability and the need for a diverse range of sources to provide security of supply. Given that there is no direct physical interconnection capacity with Russia and contractual flows do not necessarily follow physical flows, estimates of the type requested are not made.

Given that the UK does not import directly from Russia, any impact on the UK from Russia's legislation or compliance with international agreements such as the Energy Charter Treaty will be felt most directly through its effect on European markets. As such, the UK will continue to press for open, competitive and liberalised European energy markets.

In the short term, we expect the Russian gas export laws to have very little real effect on European security of supply, as Gazprom's already holds a defacto monopoly on exports by virtue of their network ownership. Longer-term effects are unclear; however, should gas transit through Russia become too commercially unattractive, Caspian and Central Asian producers will begin to seek alternative supply routes for their products to European and global markets.

The proposed legislative changes surrounding Russia's subsoil law continue to be subject to discussion in the Russian government. The DTI and FCO are in contact with UK businesses involved in the Russian Energy market, in order to remain updated on the impact that any final series of laws may have.

The UK, with other EU member states, will continue to encourage Russia to liberalise its domestic markets and provide fair and open access to its resources and pipelines in order to foster further competition in energy supplies into Europe and to ensure best use is made of its finite resources.

The UK, with other G7 members, has encouraged Russia to move forward during its G8 presidency and ratify the Energy Charter Treaty, of which it is already a signatory and applies on a provisional basis. We would envisage that these Global Energy Security discussions will continue during the Russian presidency of the G8.

Russia has called for the negotiations on the Transit Protocol to be completed before it can ratify the full Treaty. Through the EU, we continue to work with Russia towards an agreed text for the Transit Protocol while at the same time emphasising to Russia the importance of open, transparent, efficient and competitive markets at all stages of the energy supply chain as the key to global energy security..

Whilst the absence of ratification may bring some uncertainty to the rights of both foreign and domestic investors, it is important to note that the UK has a separate bi- lateral investment Treaty with Russia that protects the investment of UK firms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when Sir Alistair Graham was appointed to the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of the Telephone Information Services; when he took up his position; and what his rate of remuneration is. (85541)

Sir Alistair Graham was appointed as Chairman of ICSTIS on 2 February 2006. Sir Alistair took up his appointment on 1 June 2006 and he receives an annual salary of £45,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department and its agencies have taken following the launch of the Government's Small Change Big Difference Campaign. (72015)

None specifically. The Department already promotes healthier lifestyles by providing its employees with gym facilities; healthier eating choices and fresh fruit are always available in the staff canteen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total cost was of (a) staff away days and (b) staff team building exercises in his Department in each of the last three years. (69005)

This information is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what analysis his Department has undertaken of the security and sustainability of the UK's supply of uranium for civil use. (85462)

In addition to responses to the Energy Consultation the Department analysed the following:

OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency, “Uranium 2005—Resources, Production and Demand”. OECD Publications, Paris, June 2006.

OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency, “Uranium 2003—Resources, Production and Demand”. OECD Publications, Paris, July 2004.

Sustainable Development Commission, “The role of nuclear power in a low carbon economy—Paper 8: Uranium Resource Availability”. March 2006.

Morgan Stanley, Supply/Demand Outlook: Uranium Oxide—Inventory Cycle Coming to an End, “Basic Materials: Global Insights”. December 15, 2004, pp 47-52

Morgan Stanley, Uranium Oxide—Gaining Momentum on a Forecast Supply Deficit, “Metals & Mining: Global Insights”—April 6, 2005 pp 16-19

TradeTech, LLC's Uranium Information web site: http://www.uranium.info/ind.ex.html

World Nuclear Association, Resources and Uranium Market: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/info.htm#resourcesumarket

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which aspects of energy policy in Wales are (a) devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government and (b) reserved matters for the United Kingdom Government. (86423)

In energy policy the Welsh Assembly Government are responsible for the areas of fuel poverty, energy efficiency and some aspects of planning.

The Energy Review document, “The Energy Challenge” provides detail about which areas of planning are devolved, and which are reserved.

This information can be found on pages 138-141 of the above document, which can be accessed on the DTI website: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complimentary tickets his Department has received for games taking place at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. (63907)

We have not been notified of any employees receiving complimentary tickets for World Cup matches that took place in Germany this summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department provided to 4ps in each of the last five years; and how much funding has been allocated for 2006-07. (86252)

The Government paid the following amounts of Revenue Support Grant to the Public Private Partnerships Programme:

In addition, the Department's predecessors paid the 4ps the sum of £80,250 for the development of a procurement pack for Joint Service Centre PFI projects, of which £35,250 was paid in 2002-03 and £55,000 in 2003-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role 4ps has in the decision-making process during procurement; and if she will make a statement. (86253)

Subject to their legal duties, including the duty of best value and public procurement law, local authorities are responsible for taking their own decisions on procurement. In conjunction with other change agents, such as the regional centres of excellence, 4ps offers support to local authorities, including through the national efficiency and strategic procurement skills programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to 4ps about its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to make available, on request, its reports on projects which it has considered. (86254)

4ps is an independent company owned by the Local Government Association. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), alongside other bodies, provides 4ps with funding to meet the capacity building needs of local authorities. DCLG has not issued guidance to 4ps on its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to what extent her Department stores responses to consultation papers (a) electronically and (b) solely in hard copy. (85707)

Where responses to consultation papers are received electronically, they are stored in that format, but they are made available in hardcopy where requested. Where responses are received as hardcopy we do not normally convert to electronic format, although the need to do so may be considered on a case by case basis.

The Department for Communities and Local Government welcomes consultation responses in any format as consultation is a key part of the policy making process. All public consultations are subject to the Consultation Code of Practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate the Government has made of the proportion of an average Band D council tax bill in England that funds (a) domestic waste collections and (b) domestic waste disposal. (85714)

It is not possible to say how much of council tax income can be attributed to pay for any particular service. This is because it is not possible to say whether any item of revenue expenditure is funded from council tax or from the government grants and business rates that also finance revenue expenditure.

Domestic waste collection and disposal costs for local authorities in England in 2004-05 are estimated at £1.3 billion and £1.4 billion respectively. This is 1.4 per cent. and 1.5 per cent. respectively of net current expenditure by local authorities in England.

Source:

2004-05 Revenue Outturn (RO) forms

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what internet domain names her Department owns; and for what purpose they were purchased. (83102)

The following domain names are owned by DCLG:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what websites come under her Department’s responsibility; and what the (a) cost and (b) number of visitors to those sites were in 2005-06. (83099)

I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry) on 4 July 2006, Official Report, column 958W for the list of websites under the Department’s responsibility and the cost of those sites. Visitor figures are shown as follows for DCLG sites April 2005-March 2006. DCLG websites are hosted on a number of platforms with different methodologies for evaluating usage. I have listed those sites for which visitor figures are available. Where estimated, figures are based on averages or projections of available data where hosting arrangements changed during the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps are being taken to promote opportunities for (a) women and (b) men of ethnic minority origin to gain employment in (i) Coventry, South and (ii) the West Midlands. (83418)

I have been asked to reply.

We are committed to helping all those who may be disadvantaged in the labour market. Specifically, we have a public service agreement target to

‘Increase the employment rate of ethnic minorities and significantly reduce the difference between the overall employment rate and that of ethnic minorities’.

Support for people from ethnic minorities is provided locally through Jobcentre Plus, which offers employment services to all people of working age. For those furthest from the labour market and who are not using Jobcentre Plus services, our Ethnic Minority Outreach programme also offers the opportunity for people to find and keep work. Since its introduction Ethnic Minority Outreach has achieved over 10,000 successful job outcomes.

On 11 July we announced the launch of a new independent body to help ethnic minorities find work. The Ethnic Minority Advisory Group, which is made up of 22 representatives from across the ethnic community, has been set up as part of the Government’s welfare reform agenda to boost employment opportunities for ethnic minorities.

The new advisory group will be a way of getting to the heart of the community and finding out the best ways to close the employment gap. To do this, we will work in partnership, focussing on what will work for local communities.