To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department will (a) carry out an age audit of its staff to establish an age profile of its work-force, (b) negotiate an age management policy with trade unions and employees to eliminate age discrimination and retain older workers, (c) identify and support training needs and offer older staff flexible working to downshift towards retirement and (d) extend to over-50s the right to request to work flexibly and the right to training with paid time off; and if he will make a statement. (96502)

The information is as follows:

(a) The Department regularly monitors the age profile of its work force.

(b) The Department has developed a diversity action plan in order to meet its aim of enabling all staff to reach their full potential, in discussion with the trade unions and the Department's diversity advisory groups and in line with the commitments set out in the Cabinet Office 10-point plan on diversity. The Department is committed to addressing discrimination on all grounds, including age and will complete diversity impact assessments on relevant policies to ensure that staff are treated fairly.

(c) As part of our annual appraisal process all staff are encouraged to identify and support training needs appropriate to their individual situation. Individuals and managers regularly review these as part of the reporting process.

(d) The Department is fully committed to flexible working and to providing its staff with the opportunity for good work life balance., Therefore all staff, of whatever age, are eligible for to apply to work flexibly and their applications are given careful consideration. Any member of staff may apply for special leave with pay to undertake approved adult further education.

As part of the diversity action plan the Department will be delivering diversity awareness training to all staff in the Department that will cover age discrimination.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employees in (a) his Department and (b) its (i) agencies and (ii) non-departmental public bodies were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October 2006. (98115)

Across DTI, its executive agencies and its non-departmental public bodies, two employees were affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October 2006.