To ask the honourable Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if he will list the (a) companies and (b) countries to which the Church's policy on disinvestment is being applied. [55696]

It is not possible to list individual companies in which the Commissioners have agreed in the light of the ethical investment policy not to invest, as this information is commercially sensitive. There is no blanket policy on investing in, or excluding investment from, any specific country.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what (a) advice, (b) guidance and (c) policies the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group has (i) developed and (ii) published (A) excluding and (B) advising against investment in certain countries. [54673]

The Ethical Investment Advisory Group develops ethical investment policy on behalf of the three central Church investment bodies, as set out in the Church's Statement of Ethical Investment Policy. The policy proscribes investment in certain industrial or business activities from which the Church does not wish to benefit. There is no blanket policy on either investing in or excluding investment from any specific country.

To ask the honourable Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the policy is of the Ethical Investment Advisory Group of the Church of England on investment in (a) China, (b) Cuba, (c) Iran, (d) Libya, (e) North Korea, (f) Sudan and (g) Syria. [54675]

There are no blanket policies relating to specific countries. However, the Church expects companies in which it invests to observe any national or international sanction regimes in place from time to time.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if he will list the (a) companies, (b) countries, (c) markets and (d) sectors in which the Ethical Investment Advisory Group of the Church of England has a policy not to invest. [54676]

The Commissioners' Statement of Ethical Investment Policy proscribes investment in tobacco, alcohol, pornography, armaments, and gambling. Companies whose activities breach the Church's policy are avoided but it is not possible to list them as this information is commercially sensitive. There is no blanket policy on either investing in, or excluding investment from, any specific country.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners which companies the Anglican Church has investments in; and which of those (a) trade with and (b) provide supplies for the Governments of (i) Zimbabwe, (ii) China, (iii) Burma, (iv) Saudi Arabia and (v) Iran. [54869]

The Commissioners held investments in China valued at £1.2 million at the end of 2005. There are to my knowledge no investee companies which are wholly or mainly engaged in trading with any or all of the regimes listed by the hon. Gentleman but, in a globalised economy with large numbers of multinationals, many investee companies will do some business with at least some of these countries provided that there are no sanctions in place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) of 12 December 2005, Official Report, column 1707W, on alcohol-related crime, if he will break the figures down by constituency. [54626]

Data are not collected in this format. The information requested can therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed within the British Transport Police. [50758]

The number of people employed within the British Transport Police as at 8 February 2006 is 4,133. This figure includes police officers and civilian staff. This has increased from 3,757 in 2004–05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total operating budget was of the British Transport Police in the last year for which figures are available. [50759]

The total operating budget for the British Transport Police from 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 is £200,861,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used in making the decision not to include an underground siding for Crossrail trains; and if he will make a statement. [55275]

The engineering of sidings within the central underground section of the proposed Crossrail route would be very difficult and costly, given the need to negotiate the piled foundations of buildings and changing gradients between stations. In operational terms the addition of sidings would not significantly improve existing reversing capability or the process for removing a failed train from the tunnel. The inclusion of sidings in the central section is therefore unlikely to deliver good value for money for the taxpayer and farepayer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the Government's target outlined in the 10-Year Transport Plan to triple the number of cycling trips by 2010; and if he will make a statement. [54910]

In the July 2004 White Paper "The Future of Transport" we announced that we were moving away from the "one size fits all" national target and would instead be encouraging local authorities to include sharper and more focussed targets within their local transport plans. These plans are due for submission by 31 March 2006.

We are working closely with our advisory body, Cycling England, to increase participation in cycling through initiatives to improve the physical environment, raise standards of training, and improve safety.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what strategies he is pursuing to increase cycling in Peterborough; and if he will make a statement. [54911]

Local authorities are responsible for developing their own cycling strategies as part of the Local Transport Plan (LTP) process. New LTPs covering the period from 2006–11 are currently being finalised by highway authorities and are due to be submitted to the Department for Transport by the end of this month.

In 2004 Peterborough was picked as one of the Department's "sustainable travel demonstration towns". An additional £3.24 million is being invested in the city over five years on measures to encourage more sustainable travel behaviour in the city. This includes an intensive programme of measures to promote cycling.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the average increase in rail fares for each financial year between 2005–06 and 2012–13; and what is the total estimated increase over that period. [52066]

The average increase in rail fares is monitored annually by the Office of Rail Regulation. Future fares levels are not known and cannot be estimated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 13 February 2006, Official Report, column 1500W, on Rail Safety (Hampshire), if he will provide the names and addresses of the organisations which hold this information. [53590]

Network Rail holds the data for those level crossings in Hampshire for which they are the statutory undertaker. Their address is 40 Melton Street, London, NW1 2EE.

Other crossing operators holding records of level crossings for Hampshire may include:

Mid Hants Railway plc (The Watercress Line), The Railway Station, Alresford, Hampshire, SO24 9JG.

Port Director, ABP Southampton, Ocean Gate, Atlantic Way, Southampton, SO14 3QN.

Marine Terminal Manager, Esso Petroleum Ltd. Esso Refinery, Fawley, SO45 1TX.

Business Manager, EWS Railway Ltd. Infrastructure Services, Lakeside Business Park, Carolina Way, Doncaster DN4 5PN

Alstom Wessex Train Services, Eastleigh Works, Campbell Road, Eastleigh, SO50 5ZB.

Chief Executive's Office, HO DSDA, Defence Rail Agency (Marchwood and Ludgershall), Ploughley Road, Lower Arncott, Bicester, Oxon, OX25 2LD

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value was of British exports to (a) the Eurozone area, (b) the pre-enlargement 15 EU member states and (c) the post-enlargement 25 EU member states in (i) 2005 and (ii) each quarter of 2005. [54956]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 3 March 2006

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for the total value of British exports to(a) the Eurozone area, (b) the pre-enlargement 15 EU member states and (c) the post-enlargement 25 EU member states in (i) 2005 and (ii) each quarter of 2005. (54956)

The attached table shows exports on a Balance of Payments basis in £ million for goods and services for those quarters for which data are available. They are consistent with the UK Trade First Release published on 9 February 2006 and on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1119

£ million

⁽¹⁾ Not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2416W, on child trust fund accounts, what estimate was made of the cost of providing the information; and whether he contacted Lancashire county council to obtain the figures. [54760]

When I answered the hon. Member's earlier question I was advised that the cost of providing figures for Child Trust Fund accounts opened by HMRC for children looked after by Lancashire county council would have greatly exceeded the disproportionate cost threshold. Lancashire county council were not approached for this information as it was believed that they would not know how many Child Trust Fund accounts HMRC had opened for the children being looked after by them.

It has subsequently come to light that it is possible to obtain this information. I now understand that by 20 February 2006, HM Revenue and Customs had opened 165 accounts for children looked after by Lancashire county council. I very much regret that it was not possible to provide this information in reply to the hon. Member's earlier question. Details of the total number of Child Trust Fund accounts opened by HMRC for all looked after children will be published along with other annual Child Trust Fund statistics later this year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to review the relocation of Civil Service jobs from the South East of England; whether he plans to meet representatives from local authorities in the East of England to discuss this matter; and if he will make a statement. [54914]

The Government has accepted the recommendations of Sir Michael Lyons' Independent Review of Public Sector Relocation in 2004, and reflected these in the target to relocate 20,000 civil service posts out of London and the south east by 2010. Pre-Budget report 2005 reported that over 6,300 posts have already been moved out of London and the south east. Progress will continue to be closely monitored but the Government have no current plans to undertake a further review of civil service relocation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) gross domestic product and (b) GVA per capita was for each local authority area in (i) Kent, (ii) Surrey and (iii) Sussex in each of the last eight years; and what the equivalent average figures were for England in the same period. [55189]

The ONS does not produce gross domestic product data for local authorities. It does produce gross value added figures for counties and unitary authorities.

The following tables show the latest total gross value added and gross value added per capita data for the unitary authorities in Kent, Surrey and Sussex for years 1996 to 2003. Further information is available on the ONS website at the following web address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=7359

Headline gross value added (GVA) per head by NUTS3 area at current basic prices 1996 to 2003 -- £ per head⁽²⁾⁽³⁾

⁽²⁾ The headline GVA series for this publication have been calculated using a five-period moving average.

⁽³⁾ Estimates of workplace based GVA allocate income to the region in which commuters work.

⁽⁴⁾ The GVA for Extra-Regio comprises compensation of employees and gross operating surplus which cannot be assigned to regions.

Headline gross value added (GVA) by NUTS3 area at current basic prices 1996 to 2003 -- £ million^(5)(6)(7)

⁽⁵⁾ The headline GVA series for this publication have been calculated using a five-period moving average.

⁽⁶⁾ Estimates of workplace based GVA allocate income to the region in which commuters work.

⁽⁷⁾ Components may not sum to totals as a result of rounding.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer

(1) when he was informed that national insurance contributions records were not up-to-date; [52677]

(2) whether a deadline has been set for the Inland Revenue to have all records of national insurance contributions recorded up-to-date. [52678]

HM Revenue and Customs has public service agreements targets to process 97.5 per cent. of returns by 31 December and 98 per cent. by 31 March. While the majority of records are up to date, the Department reported in November to Ministers that they had expectations of a missed 31 December target. And they have continued to provide progress reports thereafter. They have also kept employers and representative bodies informed of progress.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of nominal business investment was in each (a) year and (b) quarter since 1997. [54960]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 3 March 2006

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on the level of nominal business investment since 1997. (54960)

The information is shown in the attached tables. More information about business investment is available in the First Release, available on the National Statistics website at:

http://wvw.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk= 171&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422

UK nominal business investment: 1997–2005Annual data

⁽⁸⁾ provisional estimate.

Note:

At current prices.

UK nominal business investment: 1997Q1–2005Q4 Quarterly data

⁽⁹⁾ provisional estimate.

Note:

At current prices, seasonally adjusted.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of public expenditure in Northern Ireland was in each of the past 30 years at today's prices; and how much was raised through taxation in Northern Ireland in each year. [55565]

Table 8.1 of the Treasury publication Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2005 (Cm 6521) details total identifiable expenditure by country and region for the years 1999–2000 to 2004–05. Information relating to earlier years can be obtained from previous editions of PESA.

The Treasury does not produce estimates of the total amount of taxes raised by region or country.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last discussed with the Office for National Statistics the operation of its website; and if he will make a statement. [54955]

I discuss a wide range of issues with the National Statistician and her staff. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings between Ministers and their officials.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which measures he uses for oil prices in making forecasts for the UK economy; and what the average price of oil has been according to that measure in each (a) month, (b) quarter and (c) year since 1997. [54957]

The measure of the oil price used in Treasury forecasts is the Brent crude price. Brent crude dollar prices since 1997 are given in the following table.

Brent crude prices

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what productivity growth was in (a) output per worker and (b) output per hour worked in each (i) year and (ii) quarter since 1989. [54961]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 3 March 2006

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what productivity growth was in(a) output per worker and (b) output per hour worked in each (i) year and (ii) quarter since 1989. (54961)

The tables below show the growth of output per worker and output per hour for the UK whole economy for each year from 1989 to 2004. Table A shows the annual growth and Table B the quarterly growth.

Table A: UK whole economy productivity annual growth,1989 to 2004

Note:

Output per hour figures start in the second quarter of 1992 and it is therefore not possible to calculate a measure for 1992 or previous.

Table B: UK whole economy productivity quarterly growth,1989 to 2004

Note:

Output per hour figures start in the second quarter of 1992 and it is therefore not possible to calculate a measure for 1992 or previous.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government expects to make an announcement in respect of developing a new tax for capturing the uplift in value created by the granting of planning permission and public investment in infrastructure. [54689]

The Government's consultation on the proposed Planning-gain Supplement ended on 27 February 2006. Responses to the consultation will be considered carefully and further announcements made in due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of public spending in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland for future years. [54641]

The 2004 Spending Review set out spending settlements for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the UK Government departments up to and including 2007–08. Public spending beyond that period is matter for the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) the gross domestic product (GDP), (b) the level of public spending and (c) public spending as a share of GDP was in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales, (iv) Northern Ireland and (v) each region of England in each year since 1992–93. [54642]

Information on total identifiable expenditure for each region of England and for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is set out in the HM Treasury publication, "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses" (PESA) 2005, April 2005 (Cm 6521). This provides outturn data from 1999–2000 to 2003–04. Previous editions of PESA provide outturn data for years prior to 1999–2000. "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 1998–99", April 1998 (Cm 3901) provides outturn data from 1992–93.

The Office of National Statistics provides data on Gross Value Added (GVA), the Government's preferred measure of regional economic output, for each region and country of the UK on its website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme economy/NUTS1_Tables_1–8.xls

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the contribution the security industry makes to the UK economy; and if he will make a statement. [54940]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 3 March 2006

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what contribution the security industry makes to the UK economy. (54940)

There are published statistics for industry Group 74.6 of the Standard Industrial Classification, 2003 which covers both investigation and security activities. The most recent figures available relate to 2004.

The turnover of this sector of the UK economy, which consists of almost 6,000 businesses, was valued at £5.1 billion. Their approximate gross value added to the economy was £3.8 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the disaggregated micro-data from the (a) Labour Force Survey, (b) New Earnings Survey and (c) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. [54736]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 3 March 2006

The National Statistician, has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for the publication of the disaggregated micro-data from the(a) Labour Force Survey, (b) New Earnings Survey and (c) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. I am replying in her absence. (54736)

ONS places great importance on maintaining confidentiality of responses to its surveys, to safeguard the trust of data suppliers and so ensure that good quality data continues to be available to users. Whilst the demand for more detailed and better quality data is growing, respondents and society at large are increasingly concerned about confidentiality protection. ONS must be responsive to user needs and concerns and safeguard trust in the ONS and our reputation for quality service. The National Statistics Code of Practice, and its associated protocols is the regulatory framework under which the ONS operates. More detail can be found at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp.

On the specific surveys you mention;

1. Labour Force Survey (LFS). LFS data is provided voluntarily by private individuals under a guarantee of confidentiality and no statistics can be published that are likely to identify individuals unless specifically agreed with them. Specifically, the Data Protection Act 1998 protects personal data relating to living individuals, and identifiable records are subject to a Common Law duty of confidence.

2. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). ASHE, and its predecessor the New Earnings Survey, are carried out under the Statistics of Trade Act 1947. This act prohibits the publication of disaggregated data. The records of individual employees collected in the ASHE survey are personal data and subject to the Data Protection Act and the duty of confidence.

I hope this explains why ONS are not able to publish these disaggregated data in a form which alone, or in combination with any other information reasonably available, could allow for the identification of individuals or the disclosure of information relating to them.

It may interest you to know that anonymised disaggregated data from the LFS is available under license for statistical and research uses only through the UK Data Archive at Essex University.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change in unit wage costs was in each (a) year and (b) quarter since 1989. [54958]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 3 March 2006

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what the change in unit wage costs was in each(a) year (b) quarter since 1989. (54958)

The tables below show the growth of unit wage costs for the UK whole economy for each year from 1989 to 2004. Table A shows the annual growth and Table B the quarterly growth.

Table A: UK whole economy unit wage costs annual growth,1989 to 2004

Table B: UK whole economy unit wage costs quarterly growth, 1989 to 2004

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to ensure that broadband will be available to all new houses built in Milton Keynes. [54870]

Virtually all the exchanges in the UK have been enabled for broadband, which means 99.7 per cent. of all households have access to broadband.

Building upon the high availability and high demand for broadband, DTI and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are working with the industry to develop guidance to ensure that new builds are "broadband ready", thereby minimising disruption at a later stage. We expect the guidance to be ready for publication later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set for (a) UK Trade and Investment and (b) the Office of Fair Trading to achieve (i) efficiency savings and (ii) Civil Service workforce reductions. [52811]

UK Trade & Investment negotiated efficiency savings targets with the Treasury, as part of its 2004 Spending Review settlement. Under this settlement, these targets are £5.8 million for 2005–06; £18.0 million for 2006–07; and £35 million for 2007–08.

By 31 March 2008, UK Trade & Investment plans to reduce the number of posts in its London and Glasgow headquarters' offices by 200.

Office of Fair Trading agreed to achieve £1.5 million efficiency savings in 2005–06 and £2.5 million in each of 2006–07 and 2007–08.

By 31 March 2008, Office of Fair Trading plans to reduce the number of posts for those activities it carried out at April 2004, by 30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the level of fraud involving use of fake construction skill cards; and what action is being taken to combat such fraud. [54787]

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) was launched in 1995 by the construction industry to bring different occupational schemes together under one set of standards with one easily recognisable 'badge'. It covers over 220 occupations and currently has approximately 1 million cardholders.

The key aims of the scheme is to set an industry standard for the quality of work onsite, to improve industry health and safety and to encourage construction employers to use competent workers. It provides employers and clients with proof that cardholders have the skills required for their stated occupation and have health and safety awareness. The scheme is owned and managed by CSCS Ltd, a company representing construction employers, trade unions and clients. Government has no responsibility for the scheme and its decision-making. These responsibilities fall within the remit of the CSCS Ltd Board.

The CSCS Ltd and the Construction Industry Training Board have jointly responded to incidents of fraud and called on the industry to help them to police the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made by (a) the Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies of compliance with digital switchover Certification Mark scheme rules; and if he will make a statement. [54652]

The Department of Trade and Industry developed the digital switchover certification mark scheme in conjunction with key stakeholders, including retailers, manufacturers, broadcasters and consumer bodies. Key industry bodies are aware of the scheme's requirements, which are clearly set out in their licence agreements and on a public website.

As part of a process of monitoring compliance with the terms of the digital switchover certification mark licence agreements, the Department of Trade and Industry commissioned a programme of mystery shopping in early 2005 during the first year of the scheme. This surveyed approximately 10 per cent. of retail licensees across the country. It did not identify any examples of deliberate attempts by retailers to mislead the public, but did show there was room for improvement in the provision of information. Results were used to inform developments for the second year of the scheme. In addition, several retailers and manufacturers have been contacted directly where the certification mark was being used incorrectly. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has appointed Digital UK, the independent not-for-profit organisation that is coordinating digital switchover, to administer and supervise key aspects of the second year of the scheme. Digital UK is currently developing its own programme of compliance monitoring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on support for the British engineering industry. [55003]

The Government is seeking to provide the right macroeconomic conditions and support to ensure that UK engineering companies can compete successfully in world markets. We are working closely with the Engineering Employers Federation and other key stakeholders to further develop the support we are providing through the Manufacturing Strategy and working with the member of the Manufacturing Forum, which I co-chair with Kevin Smith, Chief Executive of GKN. DTI is also working closely with the Royal Academy of Engineering and other leading science, engineering and technology institutions to support the "Shape the Future" campaign which promotes science, engineering and technology to young people as a career option.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the proposed EU directive on services, with particular reference to the country of origin principle. [55500]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry meets regularly with his EU counterparts and has had discussions on the proposed EU Services Directive as well as on other issues. Ministers will discuss the Services Directive during the Competitiveness Council on 13 March, and conversations between DTI Ministers and their counterparts will take place in preparation for that Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential future role of small independent retailers in the economy. [53657]

DTI considers the role of small independent retailers as a matter of course in its work but has not undertaken a specific piece of work on the future role of small independent retailers as such. The focus of the Department's research has been on the key factors affecting the economic performance of the retail sector as a whole.

When looking at particular regulatory (or deregulatory) proposals we look at the impact on small business or small retailers when relevant as part of that work.

In our analysis of the sector, the role of small retailers does feature. For instance, one of the recommendations of a report that we commissioned to assess the productivity of the retail sector was to look at the development of a small number of efficiency metrics of relevance for smaller retailers. Following this recommendation we consulted with several trade associations and some retailers, and found no consensus over what those benchmarks should be. We also concluded that if there was any value in taking this work forward, it needs to be led by the industry.

In addition the DTI recognises that independent retailers are important to communities so, we ensure that representative bodies of smaller retailers are involved with our key retail fora: Retail Policy Forum (better regulation); Retail Innovation Group (identification and exploitation of good practice); and have been invited to be part of the steering group for the fledgling regional retail strategy that is exploring good practice in working with retail at regional/local level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice his Department issues on internet service providers and the right to privacy of individuals using internet services including search engines. [55485]

The DTI website provides information on choosing an internet service provider (http://www.dti.gov.uk/industries/information_security/pdfs/Choose_ISP.pdf), and information about the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (http://www.dti.gov.uk/industries/ecommunications/directive_on_privacy_electronic_ communications_200258ec.html). The Government is a supporter of the Get Safe Online initiative (http://www.getsafeonline.org/). This provides information on how to protect against internet threats, including advice on how to protect privacy online. Our advice on choosing an Internet Service Provider is tailored towards small business, but most points will also apply to individuals. The advice focuses on encouraging people to understand their requirements, and not to just choose on a technical basis. The information we provide about the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 focuses on the related European Directive and the consultation about and implementation of the regulations. The Information Commissioner's Office provides guidance to organisations and individuals regarding this legislation and the Data Protection Act. Information regarding the rights of individuals under the Data Protection Act and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations is available from the Information Commissioner's Office website (http://www.ico.gov.uk/).

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the five largest British exporters to Poland in 2004–05. [54601]

For reasons of commercial confidentiality, the Department does not publish this type of information about where individual companies operate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government is taking to prevent the closure of branch post offices; and if he will make a statement. [54849]

In 2003 the Government introduced an annual subsidy of £150 million to help maintain the rural post office network. On 24 February we secured European Commission approval for an extension of the subsidy to 2008. Up to £25 million of the Government's subsidy package is available to Post Office Ltd to finance pilot activity to test modern, innovative ways of delivering services in rural areas.

The Government's requirement for Post Office Ltd to prevent avoidable sub-post office closures in rural areas currently runs until the end of March 2006 and a further announcement will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) nature, (b) duration and (c) location is of pilot studies to (i) assist with the long-term viability of post offices and (ii) assess the viability of remote post office branches after the end of the Post Office card account. [54906]

holding answer 2 March 2006

Post Office Ltd. is conducting trials of modern, innovative ways of delivering post office services to rural communities. The trials will operate for 12 months and are focused on a 'Core and Outreach' approach. There are four types of Outreach service being piloted:

Hosted (fixed or portable)—a full service offer by the sub-postmaster/mistress (SPM) or a fully trained employee;

Partner Service—a basic service (e.g. access to cash, bill payment, stamps, weighing and leaving parcels) provided by another retailer alongside their main business, generally a petrol station or pub. The Core SPM maintains a remote overview and provides the site with the products required.

Home Service—a full service is offered via telephone or internet ordering. The SPM then arranges to deliver, in person or by post, the products requested.

Mobile—a full service is offered by a mobile post office visiting a number of locations at set times.

I have asked Post Office Ltd. to publish a report detailing findings on its pilot activity and expect them to do so shortly.

The locations of the 'Core and Outreach' pilots are detailed in the following table.

Location of Post Office Ltd. 'Core and Outreach' pilot activity

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether alternative funding will be put in place to ensure the continuation of Post Office banking in remote communities after the withdrawal of Post Office card accounts. [54907]

holding answer 2 March 2006

I understand that Post Office Ltd. is currently developing new banking and savings products which might be suitable for existing Post Office card account customers, in addition to the 25 or so bank accounts that can already be accessed at post offices. The company is also piloting innovative ways of delivering its products and services to remote communities in a sustainable way. It is too early to speculate on the need for any alternative funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices in Ogmore constituency receive rural support funding. [55389]

holding answer 1 March 2006

The Government's annual £150 million funding is used to underpin the fixed element of sub-postmaster remuneration, known as their 'Assigned Office Payment' and to meet the costs incurred by Post Office Ltd. in supporting the non-commercial part of the rural network, such as IT costs, cash delivery arrangements, training and marketing.

How this funding is used to benefit rural post offices in Ogmore constituency is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook, the managing director, has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) Crown post offices and (b) sub-post offices there were in each local authority area in Hampshire in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) the latest period for which figures are available; how many he expects there to be by 2010; and if he will make a statement. [55535]

This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook, the managing director, has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the European Commission has cleared the payment of subsidies to Post Offices Limited for the forthcoming financial year; and when an application for clearance was made to the Commission. [55599]

The European Commission gave state aid clearance on 24 February to the Government's £300 million support package to the rural post office network for the two years from April 2006 to March 2008. The application for state aid clearance was submitted to the Commission in March 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry,

(1) how many (a) males and (b) females have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, (S.I. 2003, No. 2426); and if he will make a statement on the operation of the Regulations; [52410]

(2) how many complaints were made to the Information Commissioner about the enforcement of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, (S.1.2003, No. 2426) in the last year for which information is available. [52414]

Statistics concerning complaints, prosecutions and convictions are a matter for the Information Commissioner, who has responsibility for the operation of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) individuals, (b) internet companies, (c) companies and (d) Government departments responded to his Department's consultation on the EC Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications; if he will list them; if he will place a copy of each response in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [52415]

The public consultation on how to implement the Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications closed on 19 June 2003. More than 420 responses were received. A list of non government respondees, excluding private individuals in order to protect their privacy, has been published on the DTI website which gives details of how to obtain hard copies of any non confidential responses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many retail businesses have been closed in each year since 1997. [56127]

DTI data on the number of retail business¹ closures in the UK from 1997 to 2004, based solely on VAT de-registrations, are shown in the following table.

¹ Standard Industrial Classification 52, retail trade (except of motor vehicles), repair of personal and household goods.

VAT de-registrations 1997–2004

Source:

Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2004, Small Business Service, available at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats

VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. In the retail sector, 63 per cent. of enterprises (200,000 out of 320,000) were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the efficiency savings targets for UK Trade and Investment are to be cashable; and under what budget headings these cashable efficiency savings will be re-spent. [52817]

UK Trade and Investment's efficiency savings target for the period 2005–06 to 2007–08 is £35 million. £5.8 million is required to be found in the first year for redeployment within the organisation.

The first year savings are being re-deployed to achieve better delivery of UK Trade and Investment services. The component relating to UK Trade and Investment's programme funding (2.1 million) is improving service delivery in the English regions. The component relating to UK Trade and Investment's admin funding from the Department of Trade and Industry (£1.6 million) is enhancing inward investment activities. The remainder (£2.1 million), which relates to admin funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is strengthening UK Trade and Investment's presence in overseas markets that are priorities for UK businesses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

(1) what recent representations he has received from (a) hon. Members, (b) Members of the House of Lords and (c) members of the public in favour of legislation to make it a criminal offence to send unsolicited commercial e-mail unless the consent of the recipient has been gained; and if he will make a statement; [52412]

(2) what recent representations he has received from (a) hon. Members, (b) Members of the House of Lords and (c) members of the public about spam e-mails; and if he will make a statement. [52416]