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Working Time Directive
Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received concerning the implementation of the Working Time Directive in the mining industry. [68912]
Mr. Ian McCartney: Draft regulations to implement the Working Time Directive were published for consultation on 8 April. DTI Ministers received a couple of responses from the quarrying sector but have not received any representations from the coal mining industry in response to the consultation or since.
Food Standards Agency
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what role will be played by the Minister with special responsibility for small firms in the Government's consultation with small businesses on the proposed levy for the Food Standards Agency. [68972]
Mr. Wills [holding answer 2 February 1999]: As Minister with responsibility for small firms I am concerned to ensure that the arrangements over the levy to recover some of the costs of establishing the Food Standards Agency are fair to the smaller businesses involved. My hon. Friend the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs takes a strong interest in the development of these proposals and will continue to be involved as they evolve.
Power Stations
Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the power stations with FGD, indicating their capacity and the cost of installation of FGD in each case at current prices. [69065]
Mr. Battle:
There are two power stations currently fitted with FGD abatement: Drax, owned by National Power plc with current registered capacity of 3,945 MW, and Ratcliffe, owned by PowerGen plc with a current registered capacity of 2034 MW.
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 48
In the February 1995 prospectus for the sale of the Government's remaining shares in the two companies, National Power estimated the capital cost of installing FGD at Drax at about £650 million and PowerGen estimated the capital cost of installing FGD at Ratcliffe at about £250 million. These estimates were made at the time the FGD plant was being installed.
In recent years, the cost of FGD plant has fallen. On 27 January 1999, Eastern Generation Ltd. applied for consent under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to retrofit FGD abatement to its 2012 MW plant at West Burton. In its original announcement of the project, Eastern Generation estimated the cost as being
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates he has made of the cost of electricity per KWh produced by (a) existing coal-fired power stations, (b) new CCGT gas-fired power stations and (c) existing coal-fired power stations with FGD. [69064]
Mr. Battle:
The costs of electricity from gas-fired and coal-fired power stations were considered as part of the Government's Review of Energy Sources for Power Generation.
The views of consultees and the Government's conclusions relating to new CCGT gas-fired stations and existing coal-fired stations, with and without FGD, are set out in paragraphs 5.38 to 5.41 of the Government's October 1998 White Paper "Conclusions of The Review of Energy Sources for Power Generation and Government response to fourth and fifth Reports of the Trade and Industry Committee" (Cm 4071).
Mr. Gummer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the impact on emissions of Government policies which have protected the market for coal. [69566]
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 49
Mr. Battle:
The White Paper of October 1998, "Conclusions of The Review of Energy Sources for Power Generation and Government responses to fourth and fifth Reports of the Trade and Industry Committee" (Cm 4071), set out the Government's programme of reform in the electricity market and introduced a stricter policy on consents for gas-fired stations to protect diversity and security of supply while the programme of reform was under way. The White Paper discussed the environmental aspects of the Government's policy in Chapter 9 (Achieving sustainable energy supplies). An environmental appraisal was provided as Annexe H.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to review the issuing of statutory redundancy payments by his Department. [68033]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
The responsibility for making a statutory redundancy payment lies in the first instance with the redundant employee's former employer. It passes to the National Insurance Fund, however, in cases where the former employer is insolvent or otherwise unable to meet it, for example by reason of severe financial difficulty. We keep this aspect of the employment rights legislation under review, but have no plans to change it at present. The Department's Redundancy Payments Service processes applications for payment, working to performance targets published in its Service Charter and reviewed annually.
Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if it is his policy to ensure that the MAI is negotiated in open session in the World Trade Organisation. [69487]
Mr. Wills:
Negotiations on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) are no longer taking place. The Government are now pursuing a long-held objective, shared by their EU partners, of placing the international investment issue on the agenda of the World Trade Organisation. However, any investment negotiation in the WTO would be a new negotiation, based on a new set of objectives to be established by consensus. The Government will continue to work within the WTO to achieve the maximum degree of openness on this and on other issues, and will keep the British public fully informed of their own actions.
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce the Civil Aircraft and Research Demonstration budget. [69500]
Mr. Battle:
Details of the allocations for all DTI budgets, including CARAD, will be announced when the Department publishes its Expenditure Plans Report in March.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when (a) Juniper Communications
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 50
Ltd, (b) Juniper Productions Ltd, (c) Kaizuka Films Ltd, (d) Spring Communication Ltd and (e) Attractions Ltd ceased trading. [68793]
Mr. Byers:
Records at Companies House show that none of the 5 companies indicated has ceased trading, in the sense of being dissolved. However, 3 of them, Juniper Productions Limited, Kaizuka Films Limited and Spring Communications Limited, are currently dormant.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential environmental risks of NASA's Cassini Space Probe. [69215]
Mr. Battle:
Before launch, NASA have commissioned two independent risk assessments, and scientists of the European Space Agency, of which the UK is a member, independently evaluated the mission. The spacecraft design meets demanding safety criteria set by the United Nations and independent US health and safety organisations.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in Wales are claiming compensation for suffering from vibration white finger; and if he will make a statement. [69537]
Mr. Battle:
The total number of Vibration White Finger claims received by IRISC, the Department's claim handlers, from people in Wales is 6,286.
I am pleased that the complex negotiations between the DTI, who inherited British Coal's liabilities, and the Plaintiff Solicitors Group, who represent the majority of the claimants, have produced an agreement on the compensation levels for miners suffering from VWF. The agreement announced in the High Court in Manchester on 22 January means an end to uncertainty for the some 31,000 ex-miners who have made claims to date. They can now look forward to receiving fair compensation which will be based upon a claimant's British Coal working history, age and the medical assessment of the level of damage caused by the use of vibrating tools.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to paragraph 12 of the Safeguards Office Review of The Nuclear Materials Accountancy Aspects of the UKAEA's Dounreay Shaft Inventory report, what were (a) the number of man days expended on safeguards by Euratom inspectors and (b) the number of facility attachments, material balance areas and particular safeguards provisions applying to Dounreay. [69625]
Mr. Battle:
A precise figure for the number of man-days expended by Euratom inspectors at Dounreay is not available because such information is not recorded routinely by the Safeguards Office. However, Euratom safeguards inspector presence at the site is essentially continual.
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 51
"in excess of £100 million".
Budget
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