20. To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on steps to increase the diversity of local councillors. (135450)

The independent Commission on Local Councillors, announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Ruth Kelly) on 8 February, has been set up to consider how a more diverse range of people, including more women, can be encouraged and supported to become councillors so that communities are better represented. The Commission is looking at the range of barriers preventing women, and other under represented groups such as from the BME community and younger people, from standing, including for example time requirement and public perception of the role of councillors. The Commission is expected to report to the Secretary of State with its recommendations in the autumn.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what plans she has to prevent age discrimination in the provision of goods and services. (135449)

The Government are considering whether there is a case for introducing legislation to prohibit harmful age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services as part of the Discrimination Law Review. The proposals emerging from the review will be published for public consultation later this month.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what progress has been made in the last 12 months in taking forward the recommendations of the Women and Work Commission; and if she will make a statement. (135451)

On 2 April we launched a report setting out the comprehensive programme of action being taken forward by Government to reduce the gender pay and opportunities gap one year on from the Women and Work Commission's recommendations. This included: details of a £500,000 fund to create more quality part-time work; the development of an Equality Check Tool to allow employers to see where they could improve their practices in relation to gender equality issues. I will also continue to chair a project board of Whitehall officials to drive forward the women’s economic participation agenda.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 307W, on the Rural Payments Agency, (1) when he expects analysis by constituency of claimants and payments made under the single payment scheme to be published; and where the information will be made available; (133135)

[holding answer 2 May 2007]: Detailed analysis of all the payments made under the 2005 single payment scheme is not yet available. Once the remaining 2005 scheme payments have been completed, a decision will be taken on the level of detail that will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of (a) UK honey production and (b) pollination services provided by beekeepers in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006. (133562)

The value of honey production in the UK in 2004 was £17.3 million and in both 2005 and 2006 was approximately £18 million per year. On the basis of an economic evaluation in 2001, the estimated economic value of crops grown commercially in the UK that benefit from bee pollination is £120 million to £200 million per year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the reduction required in UK carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 if the UK is to meet its share in an international goal of stabilising greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at between 450 and 550 ppm of carbon dioxide equivalent. (131737)

There is no simple relationship between a long-term stabilisation goal and the pathways required to get there. The most recent science indicates that to stabilise at between 450 and 550 ppm CO₂ equivalent, global greenhouse gas emissions would need to fall by between 10 per cent. and 65 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2050.

The UK’s target of a 60 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is consistent with this approach. However, we recognise that we will need to keep this goal under review in the light of emerging scientific evidence and other developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he intends to take in response to the Communities and Local Government Committee’s report on Coastal Towns. (135211)

My Department is considering the issues and contributing to the Government’s Response.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much coastal erosion occurred on the UK’s coastline in each of the last 30 years for which figures are available. (135210)

DEFRA has overall policy responsibility for coastal erosion risk in England and grant aids local authority improvement projects to reduce this risk, but does not build defences, nor direct the authorities on which specific projects to undertake. Management of coastal erosion risk and associated monitoring is the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area.

DEFRA does not measure the extent of coastal erosion or hold these figures centrally. Erosion risk will vary around the coastline depending on local conditions and defences in place. DEFRA has encouraged the relevant authorities to produce Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) which provide large-scale assessments of the risks associated with coastal processes and present long term policy frameworks to manage them in a sustainable manner. In 2001, DEFRA funded a national study of information on long term coastal processes and evolution over the next century (Futurecoast). This is designed to be used by coastal authorities to inform their current revisions of SMPs.

The then Office of Science and Technology’s Foresight Future Flooding report, published in 2004, also considered possible rates of coastal erosion under different scenarios over the next 80 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding and other resources have been (a) spent in each of the last three financial years and (b) allocated for each of the next three financial years for the Darwin Initiative fund. (132432)

The information is as follows:

(a) Expenditure on the Darwin Initiative in each of the last three years was as follows:

It is still too early to provide accurate and verified figures for expenditure under the Darwin Initiative for the 2006-07 financial year.

(b) The budget is £7 million for this financial year (2007-08). The allocation for future years will be determined in light of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department were employed on matters relating to climate change in each year since 2000. (135049)

[holding answer 1 May 2007]: The information requested cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff are employed by the Office of Climate Change, broken down by salary band. (135050)

[holding answer 1 May 2007]: The number of staff employed in the Office for Climate Change on 31 March 2007 taken from the central HR Database was as follows:

The numbers shown are full-time equivalents and exclude employment agency temporary staff, consultants and contractors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings took place between Ministers and outside interest groups between 1 January and 31 March; and what the date of each such meeting was. (131030)

The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Ministers and officials meet a large number of people and groups in the course of their official duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much energy in kilowatt hours was purchased by his Department from renewable sources in the most recent year for which figures are available. (134997)

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs purchased a total of 45,968,886 kilowatt hours from renewable sources in 2005-06. This equates to 63 per cent. of its total electricity and 27 per cent. of its total energy consumed.

Cross Government targets mandate Departments to source at least 10 per cent. of their electricity from renewable sources by 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of farmers who left the agricultural sector in Suffolk in each year since 1997. (134674)

Figures from the Agricultural and Horticultural Survey indicate labour on registered holdings at June each year. These figures therefore show net change only in the numbers of farmers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much combined heat and power (CHP) has been installed on the Government estate since 1997; and whether the Government expects to meet its CHP target by 2010. (135591)

Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reports, which monitor how the Government manage their land and buildings, set out that during the period 2001-02 (the date of the first report), three Departments sourced good quality CHP, while during the last reporting period (2005-06) seven Departments sourced good quality CHP. In this period DEFRA sourced 12 per cent. of their electricity from CHP and the DTI sourced 14.3 per cent.

The DTI’s digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) sets out that in 2005, 14 CHP schemes had been installed in buildings on the Government estate.

All Departments are working towards the sustainable operations targets launched by the Prime Minister in June of last year. Government Departments are also mandated within the new targets to source at least 15 per cent. of electricity from Good Quality Combined Heat and Power by 2010 (with allowances for Departments that already purchase 100 per cent. renewable energy).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on his commitment that 15 per cent. of electricity used in the Government estate will be from combined heat and power by 2010. (135594)

No representations have been made to me recently on the subject of the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate target to source at least 15 per cent. of electricity from Good Quality Combined heat and Power by 2010 (with allowances for Departments that already purchase 100 per cent. renewable energy).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Rights of Way have been established since the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; how many were in East Anglia; and how much land has been affected in (a) England and (b) East Anglia. (135212)

Local highway authorities are responsible for the management of rights of way and hold the relevant information on them. DEFRA does not hold the information requested which could be gathered only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many agreements have been made under the (a) Countryside Stewardship, (b) Entry Level and (c) Environmentally Sensitive Areas schemes, broken down by year of expiry. (134076)

The following table shows numbers of agreements currently recorded broken down by the year of expiry expected at the time the agreement was entered into under the three agri-environment schemes in question.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has made to the Home Department on the future of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Scheme. (134341)

My Department has regular discussions with the Home Office on a range of issues. The Government are aware of the importance of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Scheme (SAWS) to farmers and growers. The scheme plays an important role in helping the industry to meet its demand for seasonal and casual workers, particularly during periods of peak activity. The views of DEFRA Ministers are fully represented in decisions taken by the Government about the future of SAWS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many lots of seeds for (a) maize and sweetcorn, (b) winter oilseed rape, (c) spring oilseed rape, (d) sugar beet, (e) fodder beet, (f) beetroot and (g) winter brassicas were imported into the UK in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006; and what the (A) weight and (B) country of origin of the seeds was in each year. (133933)

The following table gives the volume of seeds imported to the UK by country of despatch in 2005 and 2006 for the seed types recorded in the official overseas trade statistics. Note, some of the seed types requested are not separately available.

The statistics are provided by country of despatch rather than country of origin. Details of country of origin are not available for the vast majority of imported seeds.

The data are subject to a degree of statistical error. The overall level of errors is low, but these errors have a much greater proportional effect on countries with small values or volumes of trade. Therefore, care is needed when interpreting the data.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Objective 2 schemes in the North East were held to be deficient in the management of expenditure, resulting in the suspension by the European Commission of all European Regional Development Fund payments to the UK. (135065)

[holding answer 2 May 2007]: The European Commission is holding back the reimbursement of some expenditure by the Government on European Regional Development Fund 2000-06 programmes in some regions in England, including the North East, not across the whole of the UK. The European Commission has required that more on site checks of projects funded from the European Regional Development Fund are carried out by the Government Office for the North East to ensure that projects are complying with particular European Commission requirements. The European Commission has not referred to specific projects in the North East programme in this regard. The Government Office for the North East has put in place a robust action plan to deal with the issues and has achieved targets for on site checks set for the end of March. Discussions are continuing with the Commission with a view to getting expenditure reimbursed as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking (a) to investigate and (b) to remedy the causes of the suspension of European Regional Development funding to the Government office for London; what those causes are; and if she will make a statement. (132513)

The European Commission is holding back the reimbursement of some expenditure by the Government on European Regional Development Fund 2000-06 programmes in some regions in England, including London, until additional on site checks have been completed to ensure that projects comply with particular European Commission criteria. The Government office for London put in place a robust plan to deal with the issues as soon as they were raised and action has been taken to deal with them. Discussions are continuing with the Commission with a view to getting expenditure reimbursed as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless people there were in (a) Hartlepool constituency and (b) Tees Valley sub-region in each of the last 10 years. (130903)

Information about local authorities’ actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level, in respect of households rather than people. There are five local authorities in the Tees Valley sub-region: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees. The constituency of Hartlepool comprises the local authority of Hartlepool.

Information reported each quarter by local authorities about their activities under homelessness legislation includes the number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty.

The duty owed to an accepted household is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. The number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by the councils under homelessness legislation, as at the end of each quarter, is reported by local authorities, and includes both those households who have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty, and those for which inquiries are pending.

These are data published in our quarterly statistical release on Statutory Homelessness, which includes a Supplementary Table showing the breakdown of key data, including acceptances and temporary accommodation, by each local authority. This is published on our website and placed in the Library each quarter.

Since 1998, information has also been collected on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night—and these are also published on our website, by local authority.

Summary tables showing the total number of households (a) accepted under homelessness provisions and (b) in temporary accommodation, from 1997-98 to 2005-06, and (c) rough sleeper estimates from 1998 onwards, for each local authority (including those within the Tees Valley sub-region), were placed in the Library in response to the answer given on 23 October 2006, Official Report, columns 1663-64W, to my hon. Friend the Member for the Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane).

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2007, Official Report, columns 1329-30W, on housing: construction, what estimate she has made of the number and percentage of the houses built in each category in 2005-06 that were built (a) for rental purposes and (b) as social housing. (131134)

Information on the total new build dwellings for rental purposes is not available centrally.

The following numbers of social dwellings for rent were provided in England, Hampshire and each district in Hampshire since 2003-04:

Social for rent supply includes new build and acquisitions. The figures only make up part of the affordable housing supply with other dwellings being provided through low cost home ownership schemes. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on the 5 March 2007, Official Report, column 1800W, for total affordable homes provided in Hampshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to use building regulation standards to promote (a) energy efficiency, (b) modern heating systems including solar thermal and (c) microgeneration. (135726)

Part L of the Building Regulations is concerned with the conservation of fuel and power. The provisions were amended in April 2006 to raise energy efficiency standards and change the method of showing compliance. Without prescribing solutions, this new approach and associated calculation tools, take into account the low carbon benefits of solar thermal and other microgeneration systems, thus encouraging their use. Guidance was published alongside the Part L changes to highlight the contribution that these technologies can make. These standards are kept under review and the Government have signalled the next comprehensive amendment will come into effect around 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to increase the number of new (a) affordable and (b) social houses available in Hartlepool constituency in the next five years. (130904)

The Housing Corporation programme for 2006-08 currently includes an allocation of over £3.7 million which should provide 65 new rented units in the borough. In addition a recent allocation has been made to fund 20 new social home buy units. There will be the opportunity for more homes to be provided by way of the next bidding round which covers the period 2008 onwards.

Through the planning system, the Secretary of State encourages planning authorities to assess need and make provision for that need through Local Development Frameworks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what policy reason Planning Policy Statement 3 prevents local authorities from using windfall sites to meet their housebuilding targets. (129235)

Planning Policy Statement 3: “Housing” (PPS3) does not stop local authorities taking advantage of windfall sites to boost the delivery of housing in their areas. But it does seek to ensure that, generally speaking, housing provision is properly planned, and that local authorities develop clear and informed strategies for the location of housing development, and for the infrastructure needed to service it. PPS3 asks local authorities, wherever they can, to identify specific sites in their plans where they consider homes should be built, including brownfield sites, and discourages an over-reliance on windfall sites (such as garden land) that may come forward randomly and speculatively.

We recognise that in some circumstances it may make sense for local authorities, within a planned strategy, to include a windfall allowance in planning their land supply. Under PPS3 policy, it is open to them to do this, if they can clearly demonstrate why, in the particular circumstances of their local area, specific sites cannot be identified.

Our objective is, however, that wherever possible, land supply and housing delivery benefit from a plan led approach.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the private sector housing renewal grant was for the south-west in 2006-07; what it is projected to be in 2007-08; and if she will make a statement. (131142)

The regional housing pot, which includes private sector renewal grant, provides investment for the provision of new affordable homes, bringing local authority stock up to the Decent Homes standard, improvements in private sector stock and provision of sites for Gypsies and Travellers. The balance between these priorities is determined on advice given by the regions.

The south-west share of the regional housing pot rose from £154 million in 2006-07 to £190 million in 2007-08. Following advice from the region, we allocated £31 million in 2006-07 to local authorities to support improvement work in the private sector and will be allocating £28 million later this month for the same purpose in 2007-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments her Department has made to Key Real Estate Ltd, trading as Key Homes in the last 12 months; and what the (a) date, (b) value and (c) purpose was of each payment. (133583)

The Department has made no payments to Key Real Estate Ltd, trading as Key Homes in the last 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will assess the merits of ringfencing council funding for noise abatement services. (135304)

Policy responsibility for the provision and funding of local authority noise abatement services rests with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Government provide funding for these services through Formula Grant (Revenue Support Grant and National Non-Domestic Rates). This is unhypothecated and decisions on the use of that funding are for local authorities. The Government are committed to ensuring that, wherever possible, councils receive funding through unhypothecated provision. The Chancellor announced in the recent Budget report that the Government are committed to set out a clear target to reduce specific grants and ring fenced funding to local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what initiatives she is considering for the use of local authority contracts to stimulate the skills training and employment of local unemployed men and women. (133938)

The Government’s established policy is that all public procurement should be based on value for money, having due regard to propriety and regularity. Subject to their legal duties, including public procurement law, the duty of best value and equalities law, local authorities are responsible for taking their own procurement decisions.

The use of contract clauses to promote social, economic or environmental factors, for example in relation to skills training and employment, may be permitted in circumstances where the clauses link into the subject matter of the contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons she has not responded to (a) the letter from Mr. Fielder of Weston-Super-Mare on home information packs forwarded by the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare on 5 February and (b) the letters of (i) 14 March and (ii) 29 March from the hon. Member. (133633)

I have now replied to the hon. Member’s correspondence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the Planning White Paper to be published; and what provision will be made in the White Paper relating to (a) increasing public participation and (b) third party rights of appeal. (132493)

The White Paper will be published later this spring. The Government of course recognise the importance of effective public participation in this area and the White Paper will propose arrangements for achieving this. The issue of third party rights of appeal was carefully considered when we developed proposals for radical reform of the planning system in 2001; the Government concluded then that such a proposal could add unacceptably to the costs and uncertainties of planning.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the document setting out the criteria used to determine the location of zebra and pelican crossings in England; what the requirements are for the minimum distance from which such crossings must be visible to oncoming motorists; and if he will make a statement. (135596)

There are no national criteria for the placing of pedestrian crossings in England. It is for the local highway or traffic authority concerned to decide on suitable crossing types and locations. The Department’s published guidance, Local Transport Note 1/95, The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings, recommends a decision framework approach which includes making an assessment of the visibility distance of crossings. Local Transport Note 2/95, The Design of Pedestrian Crossings, provides guidance on visibility distances. I have arranged for copies of both publications to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how a terrorist is defined for the purposes of the Temporary International Mechanism. (135562)

The Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) does not make payments to individuals if they appear on the following internationally-recognised terrorist lists:

Bank of England terrorist list;

European Union terrorist list;

United Nations sanctions list;

Office of Foreign Assets Control (United States Treasury) terrorist list; and

Hong Kong Monetary Authority terrorist list.

The TIM has also set up a comprehensive accounting and audit system to track payments.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many social welfare payments under the Temporary International Mechanism have been stopped by HSBC because of concerns of terrorism. (135563)

The purpose of terrorist checks under the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) is to provide assurance that EU assistance is not being used to support terrorism. Between 27 August 2006, when payments under the TIM began, and 1 May 2007 one welfare payment has been withheld because the individual's name was on one of the internationally recognised terrorist lists.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance he is (a) providing and (b) planning for policing in the internally displaced people's camps in Darfur. (135514)

Under the Darfur Peace Agreement, responsibility for monitoring security in camps for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Darfur rests with AMIS. The UK is currently paying the staff costs of the African Union Mission in Sudan’s (AMIS) civilian police and military staff, as well as helping AMIS with its running costs.

The UK also has seconded 12 police officers to the EU Supporting Action to AMIS in Darfur to train and advise AMIS’ civilian police force. These civilian police officers represent just under a half of the total EU contribution and cost the UK around £1 million a year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the use of clean coal technology and the administration of the climate change levy. (135593)

The Government receives a range of representations on the climate change levy and considers these representations, alongside other policy advice within the normal PBR and Budget cycle.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in each constituency; what the corresponding figures were in 1997; and what the percentage change in numbers has been in each constituency. (135561)

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

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 3 May 2007:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people are in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in each constituency; what the corresponding figures were in 1997; and what the percentage change in numbers has been in each constituency. I am replying in her absence. (135561)

The Office for National Statistics compiles employment statistics for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.

The table, attached, shows the number of people in employment by full-time and part-time status for all constituencies, in Great Britain, for the 12 month period ending in February 1997 from the annual local area LFS and for the 12 months ending in September 2006 from the APS. Data for the new Scottish constituencies, introduced in May 2005, are not available for the earlier period. The table also shows the percentage change between the periods, although most of these percentage changes are not considered statistically significant.

As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty. In this case, most of the sample sizes are not sufficient to give an accurate estimate of even the direction of the change over the period.

Since the information is so extensive, a copy of the table has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much the Government received for the sale of student loans in (a) 1998 and (b) 1999; and what the face value was of each of these loans at the time of sale; (132261)

I have been asked to reply.

In 1998 the Government received £1 billion for the sale of student loans with a face value of £1.02 billion. In 1999 the Government received £1 billion for the sale of student loans with a face value of £1.03 billion. These are UK figures.

The following table shows the amount of interest subsidy paid to the debt sale owners in each year since 1998.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs offices are currently unstaffed; and what the estimated cost to the public purse is of such offices. (134311)

HM Revenue and Customs currently holds 12 unstaffed offices which are still part of the estate due to various lease and legal title issues and longstanding commitments with other Government Departments.

The estimated annual cost of these offices is £1,435,512. HMRC is working to cease its liability for these offices as soon as is practical.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of employing Opinion Leader Research to organise the Skills Challenge: A Public Debate held on 8th February 2007 to discuss the Leitch Review. (133721)

I have been asked to reply.

On behalf of the DfES, the Central Office of Information (COI) managed a competitive tendering process to organise and deliver “The Skills Challenge: A Public Debate” to be held on 8 February 2007. The tender was won by Opinion Leader Research, with a contract value of £153,484.38.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties sold in (a) Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (b) the Suffolk county council area in each of the last three years attracted stamp duty at (i) zero per cent., (ii) 1 per cent., (iii) 3 per cent. and (iv) 4 per cent. (134687)

Estimates of the number of property transactions for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are given in the following table for Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency and Suffolk county, grouped by stamp duty band.

The number of transactions bearing stamp duty will be lower than the number shown in the non-zero bands due to the use of various reliefs, e.g. disadvantaged area relief, group relief, registered social landlord relief etc. There are also some lease transactions which fall in the 0 per cent. band on account of consideration, but which bear stamp duty on the lease rental.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many legal proceedings were instigated for recovery of tax credit overpayments in each (a) year and (b) quarter since April 2003; what the average level is of overpayment outstanding for which legal action has been instigated; what the total value is of overpayments for which legal action has been instigated; what the average cost has been of pursuing a case through the courts; and how much has been recovered through court action. (133995)

In 2006-07 some 38,000 legal proceedings were commenced at an average value of £2,260 and an average cost to HMRC of £135 to instigate proceedings. The other information is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons he plans to withdraw writing down allowances on industrial and agricultural buildings between 2008-09 and 2010-11; what assessment he has made of the likely impact of this change on the farming industry; how many farm businesses he estimates will be affected; and to what value. (135573)

The Government’s decision to withdraw the industrial and agricultural buildings allowances were based on an assessment of a number of issues, common across industry sectors. The Government have not sought to target the farming industry or any other industry with this change.

Industrial buildings allowances (IBAs) and agricultural buildings allowances (ABAs) were introduced in 1945 to encourage post-war reconstruction. They are now a poorly focused subsidy, selectively available on a disparate range of assets, including some that typically appreciate in value. IBAs and ABAs have long been recognised as a significant distortion in commercial property investment. These issues are compounded by the compliance burden imposed by their complicated rules.

The withdrawal of IBAs and ABAs is not an isolated measure. The Budget also announced cuts in both the basic rate of income tax and the main rate of corporation tax and introduced a new annual investment allowance (AIA) of £50,000 for business investment from 2008. Taken as a whole, these reforms to the business and personal tax systems are designed to deliver increases in investment and growth overall.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the impact on tax revenue of increased use of public transport; and if he will make a statement. (134639)

We monitor tax receipts on an ongoing basis and take into account all the relevant economic, social and environmental factors in future decisions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what proportion of families with children are (a) eligible for and (b) claimants of tax credits; (135559)

Estimates of take-up rates for child and working tax credits in 2003-04 and 2004-05, including information on families with children and families without children, are available on the HMRC website at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will be able to provide substantive replies to question (a) 133687, (b) 133686 and (c) 133685, on non-domicile tax status. (135263)

I did so on 30 April 2007, Official Report, column 1382W.

To ask the Solicitor-General how many unduly lenient sentences for crimes committed by serving police officers were referred to the Court of Appeal in (a) England, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) Dacorum in each of the last five years; and how many appeals were upheld in each year. (135324)

I regret that information on sentences referred by the Law Officers to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient is not recorded by reference to whether or not the offender was a serving police officer. This information can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many grievance procedures have been initiated in his Department in the last 12 months. (135160)

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many complaints of bullying have been investigated in his Department in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been upheld. (134824)

In the period April 2006 to March 2007, there were no complaints of bullying in the Scotland Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many complaints of sexual harassment have been investigated in his Department in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been upheld. (135378)

The Scotland Office has received no complaints of sexual harassment in the last 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the role of scientific innovation in tackling climate change. (135426)

I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss a wide range of issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Corporate Social Responsibility Academy; and if he will make a statement. (135438)

The CSR Academy played a significant role in raising the profile of CSR within UK companies. This success will now be built on as the work of the academy will continue through Business in the Community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to review the 21-employee threshold for trade union recognition by employers; and if he will make a statement. (135441)

The threshold was fully examined as part of the 2003 Review of the Employment Relations Act 1999. We continue to monitor the operation of the statutory recognition procedure, but we have no plans to undertake a further review of the threshold.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support the Government provided to British firms seeking to establish export agreements with African countries in the latest period for which figures are available. (134315)

[pursuant to the reply, 1 May 2007, Official Report, c. 1560W]: Incorrect figures were provided. They should read £6,194,177,000 and £5,777,083,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to place in the Library a copy of the Office of Fair Trading Report on the mis-selling of individual voluntary arrangements. (134337)

The Office of Fair Trading do not propose a specific report on the mis-selling of individual voluntary arrangements, however, its work in this area will be reported in its annual report, which will be laid before Parliament on 11 June 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress his Department has made towards reducing the burden of regulation on British businesses. (135428)

The Department's progress on reducing regulation is set out in our Simplification Plan which was published on 11 December last year. We will publish another report on the progress we have made and the further plans we have later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress his Department has made towards reducing the burden of regulation on British businesses. (135439)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mrs. Dorries) today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on the use of clean electricity generated using carbon capture and storage technology. (135592)

The Secretary of State has received many representations on CO₂ capture and storage (CCS).

The Budget 2007 announced that a competition will take place to demonstrate CCS on a full scale power plant in the UK. Further details will be announced in May 2007 and the outcome of the competition will be announced in 2008.

The Government are aware of eight to 10 potential full-scale CCS power plant demonstrations in the UK. My officials and the Department's technical advisers have discussed plans with all the project developers on a number of occasions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has made an estimate of the effect on costs to domestic customers and businesses arising from the time taken to publish the Government’s Energy White Paper. (135429)

Consumers and businesses will benefit from the measures we will set out in the Energy White Paper, because they will help us deliver cleaner, more secure energy supplies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to address the level of consumer complaints against energy companies. (135634)

Between 2002-03 and 2005-06, complaints to Energywatch declined substantially each year. We expect the final figures for 2006-07 to show an increase over 2005-06, principally because of complaints about British Gas. British Gas is working closely with Energywatch to address this. The Government have no plans to take any steps at this time. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), which is responsible for regulating gas and electricity supply, has extensive powers to act against suppliers that breach licence conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households in each parliamentary constituency were in fuel poverty in each year since 2001. (134612)

[holding answer 27 April 2007]: Fuel poverty statistics are currently only available at Government office region level. Latest available figures are sourced from the 2004 English House Condition Survey. Figures for fuel poverty in each of the Government office regions in 2001, 2003 and 2004 are given as follows. Figures for other years are not available.

Small variations between years may be due to sampling variability, rather than underlying trends in the data.

A fuel poverty indicator giving estimates of the level of fuel poverty in small areas of England is due to be launched on 25 May 2007. These will be published at lower super output area, a geography that splits England into 32,482 areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what average damages have been recovered by the 20 law firms with the greatest volume of claims for (a) vibration white finger and (b) chronic bronchitis and emphysema. (134782)

The averages damages recovered by the 20 claimants’ representatives with the greatest volume of claims for vibration white finger (VWF), and for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are shown on the following tables:

In each of the tables, figures of Claims Registered may be lower than in the previous answers due to claimants having changed representatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many coal health claimants are awaiting a medical examination in (a) Bassetlaw and (b) the UK. (135425)

The number of coal health claimants that are currently awaiting a medical examination for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Bassetlaw is 408 and in the UK is 65,221. For vibration white finger the figures for Bassetlaw is 35 and the UK is 1,639.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice is being given by his Department to the Export Credit Guarantees Department on loan guarantees for UK exports to Iran. (134322)

ECGD has advised Ministers on export credit cover policy towards Iran. For some time, ECGD has restricted the availability of cover. At present, applications for cover are not being processed pending clarification of the applicability of UN Security Council resolution 1747 to the provision of export credits. In any event, there has been a sharp decline in the demand for ECGD cover.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent changes have been made to Government policy on loan guarantees for UK exports to Iran; and if he will make a statement. (134323)

ECGD has pursued a cautious policy towards Iran for some time. Cover capacity has been limited in order to contain exposure. In the light of recent developments with Iran, ECGD is required to consult Ministers before approving any applications for export credit support.

Since the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1747 in March, ECGD is not processing applications for cover pending clarification on its applicability to the provision of export credits to Iran. In any event, there has been a sharp decline in demand for ECGD cover.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his role is in decisions on whether to approve export credit guarantees to companies wishing to trade with Iran; and if he will make a statement. (134329)

In the light of recent developments with Iran, ECGD is required to consult Ministers before approving any applications for export credit cover. No applications for cover are currently being processed pending clarification on the applicability of UN Security Council resolution 1747 to the provision of export credits. In any event, there has been a sharp decline in demand for cover for Iran.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that migrant workers (a) receive the minimum wage and (b) are protected from employer coercion in relation to their terms of employment. (135069)

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs minimum wage compliance teams are devoted to making sure all workers receive their entitlement to be paid at least the national minimum wage. Every year the DTI publicises details about the minimum wage and the number to ring (0845 6000 678) if workers need more information or believe they are being underpaid. The helpline operators have access to language line interpreters so that callers can be phoned back allowing the caller to speak in their own language.

The Government will not tolerate the mistreatment of migrant workers. Legal migrant workers have the same employment rights and recourses as their UK equivalents. To ensure migrant workers are aware of their rights we have produced ‘Know before you go’ leaflets in partnership with the Polish, Lithuanian and Portuguese governments. The Home Office is also distributing a one page DTI note on “basic employment rights and where to go for further advice”. This is going to all workers registering under the worker registration scheme and is available in a range of languages.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2007, Official Report, column 635W, on nuclear power, what additional areas the new consultation on nuclear energy will cover. (134929)

Our new consultation on nuclear energy will endeavour to bring together the evidence and analysis Government have collected and published since the Energy Review began. It will help people reach informed views and provide the Government with valuable contributions, which will help inform the Government’s decision in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money was (a) allocated for grants and (b) disbursed by the photovoltaics demonstration programme in each month since the scheme began. (131742)

[holding answer 16 April 2007]: The information requested is as follows.