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25 Apr 2007 : Column 1124W—continued
Sports: Schools
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will instigate a national debate to promote sport and fitness in schools. [133654]
Mr. Caborn: The Government implemented the National School Sport Strategy in 2002. This is underpinned by a joint DCMS/DfES PSA target, to increase the percentage of five to 16-year-olds participating in at least two hours high quality PE and school sport each week to 85 per cent. by 2008.
The 2005-06 annual school sport survey showed that 80 per cent. of pupils in school sport partnership schools are participating in at least two hours in a typical week, which surpassed the target of 75 per cent. We are therefore making excellent progress towards the PSA target of 85 per cent. by 2008. The long-term ambition is to offer all children at least four hours of sport a week by 2010, comprising two hours at school and a further two to three hours delivered by a range of school, community and club providers.
Trade and Industry
Departments: Parliamentary Questions
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many oral questions tabled by hon. and right hon. Members to his Department have been transferred to other departments since May 2005. [133797]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A total of 14 oral questions, tabled to this Department since May 2005, have been transferred to other Government Departments.
Financial Services: Marketing
Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what safeguards are in place to ensure that businesses offering individual voluntary arrangements do not use misleading marketing; and if he will make a statement. [134172]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Only an authorised insolvency practitioner is able to administer an individual voluntary arrangement. Insolvency practitioners are required to comply with professional standards agreed
by the bodies that regulate them. All of the authorising bodies apply common ethical codes and professional standards to the insolvency practitioners and the way in which they obtain their work falls within the regulatory regime.
In addition the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has made it clear that insolvency practitioners who act in relation to individual voluntary arrangements require a Consumer Credit License and are therefore subject to OFT regulation.
Earlier this year the OFT warned 26 IVA providers that their advertisements and/or websites were potentially misleading and the OFT continues to monitor that situation.
Natural Gas: Prices
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the percentage of the price of gas from the cost of companies buying gas is maintained through price fluctuations. [133379]
Malcolm Wicks: This is a commercial matter for the gas supply companies. As I mentioned in an earlier answer on 2 March 2007, Official Report, column 1602W, Ofgem, as the independent sectoral regulator, keeps the level of competition in the gas market under review, and has the powers it needs to deal with any failure of competition.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2007, Official Report, column 1601W, on natural gas: prices, what steps the Government have taken to encourage gas companies to consider their most valuable customers; and what the results were of such encouragement. [133380]
Malcolm Wicks: Subject to any regulatory controls, it is for gas suppliers, not Government, to determine who their most valuable customers are.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will instruct the regulator to analyse and to report to him on the time taken between raw material gas prices falling and any reductions in domestic retail gas prices; and if he will place such a report in the Library. [133647]
Malcolm Wicks: No. Ofgem, as the independent sectoral regulator, produced a fact-sheet last month called ‘Household Energy Bills Explained’, which explains why there is a time lag between the falls in the wholesale price and domestic prices see:
http://www.ofgem.gov/uk/Media/FactSheets/Documents1/Update%20-%20Household%20energy%20hills%20 explained.pdf.
As I mentioned in an earlier answer on 2 March 2007, Official Report, column 1602W, Ofgem keeps the level of competition in the gas market under review, and has the powers it needs to deal with any failure of competition.
Redfern: Inquiry
Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Redfern Inquiry will have
access to the National Archives files on radiation exposure experiments from 1950. [133214]
Malcolm Wicks: If Mr. Redfern wishes to have access to the National Archives files on radiation exposure experiments, I am sure that he will make appropriate representations to see them.
Small Business Service
Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the reorganisation of the Small Business Service. [133864]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 24 April 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 26 October 2006, Official Report, columns 95-97WS.
Northern Ireland
Absconding Prisoners
9. Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to introduce greater deterrents for prisoners who abscond from custody in Northern Ireland. [132691]
Paul Goggins: Details of prisoners who escape from prison custody are brought to the attention of the relevant authorities with a view to prosecution. In cases where prisoners have absconded while on temporary release, prosecution is also possible.
In addition, the governor is able to punish the prisoner with a range of measures including cellular confinement. The prisoner also has the number of days he was unlawfully at large added to his original release date.
Alzheimer’s Treatment
12. Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the provision of Alzheimer's treatment by the NHS in Northern Ireland. [132694]
Paul Goggins: A range of treatment and care is provided for people with Alzheimer's disease, across the primary, community, specialist and secondary care sectors.
The treatment and management of Alzheimer's disease includes life-style measures and therapeutic interventions, which aim to promote active physical and mental health and help maintain an individual's capacity for independence. Appropriate drug interventions are also provided, including medicines designed to improve cognitive function
Northern Ireland Office
13. Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what effect he expects the transfer of responsibilities to the devolved Assembly to have on the future size of the Northern Ireland Office; and what estimate he has made of the likely change in administrative costs. [132695]
Mr. Hain: The Northern Ireland Office—as distinct from the 11 Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments—will be relatively unaffected by the restoration of devolution on 8 May, although there will be a reduction in the NIO ministerial team.
The eventual devolution of policing and justice functions will, of course, have a much greater impact on the size of the NIO. When that happens, the respective administrative funding streams attached to those functions will devolve with them.
Cancer
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were diagnosed with cancer in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years, broken down by type of cancer. [133107]
Paul Goggins: The following table details information on the incidence of cancers by type of cancer in Northern Ireland for each of the last six years for which data were available.
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