§ Mr. KaufmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the effect of recent trends in investment in renewable energy upon residents of Manchester, Gorton. [167537]
§ Mr. TimmsRecent trends in renewable energy investment have been encouraging. More new capacity has been constructed in the last few years than in the previous decade, and a significant amount is currently in the pipeline. This covers a wide range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and biomass.
While this investment has not translated into capacity within Manchester, Gorton itself, Renewables Northwest, a joint venture between the Regional Development Agency and United Utilities, is actively working with local authorities on the development of urban renewables in the area. This is looking to promote the installation of renewable energy systems in new build and urban regeneration projects in the Greater Manchester area. An example of this is the CIS Tower, Manchester, which has been awarded a sizeable grant from the DTI's Major Photovoltaic Demonstration Programme, towards the costs of a large PV cladding installation.
§ Mr. KaufmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of women in Manchester, Gorton have taken 26 weeks maternity leave since 1997. [167354]
§ Mr. SutcliffeTake-up of maternity leave is not recorded centrally. It is possible to make an estimate of the numbers of women taking maternity leave based on employer returns to Inland Revenue for payment of Statutory Maternity Pay (since 2003 this has covered the first 26 weeks of leave). However, figures for the take-up of SMP are not available on a regional basis.
In addition, there will be some women who will qualify for maternity leave but not SMP (because they do not meet the earnings criteria) and similarly some who qualify for SMP but not leave (because they are employed earners for the purposes of SMP but not employees in order to qualify for leave).
§ Mr. KaufmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the effects of the EU Social Chapter on the residents of Manchester, Gorton. [167355]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe residents of Manchester, Gorton have benefited from the EU Social Chapter by having their employment rights extended to include
the right to Parental Leave, which gives parents the right to 13 weeks unpaid leave at the birth or adoption of a child;730Wthe entitlement of part-time workers to the same pro rata terms and conditions of employment as full-time workers, thereby removing any discrimination and improving the quality of part-time jobs;the provision that once a prima facie case has been made in an employment tribunal claim, the burden of proof is placed on the defendant (usually the employer), who will need to demonstrate that sex discrimination has not occurred;rights under the Fixed Term Work Directive that provide equal treatment and prevent abuse of fixed term contracts;rights under the European Works Council Directive which requires companies with at least 1,000 employees in total and at least 150 workers in each of the two member states, to establish structures for consulting workers on issues that affect them; andin addition, the Information and Consultation of Employees Directive to be implemented in the UK by March 2005, establishes a right to new minimum standards for workforce communication and involvement in large firms.
§ Mr. KaufmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the effects on residents of Manchester, Gorton of new rights for night-shift workers. [167356]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe Working Time Regulations came into force on 1 October 1998. The Regulations limit working time to 48 hours per week averaged over a 17-week reference period. For night workers the limit is eight hours per day on average, including overtime where it is part of a night worker's normal hours of work. There is no opt-out from the night working time limit.
Night workers are entitled to 11 hours rest between working days, one day's rest per week, and a 20-minute in work rest break if the working period is longer than six hours.
All night workers should be offered a free health assessment before they start working night and thereafter at regular intervals for as long as they are working nights. The health assessments should take account of the nature of the work and the restrictions on a worker's working time under the Regulations. Workers who suffer from problems as a result of working at night, should as far as practicable be offered alternative day work.
All workers are entitled to four weeks paid annual leave. There are no specific data available for night shift workers in Gorton, Manchester.
§ Mr. KaufmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Manchester, Gorton qualify for paid leave entitlements. [167357]
§ Mr. SutcliffeAll workers resident in Gorton qualify for paid annual leave entitlements; at least four weeks as set out in the Working Time Regulations. While all women are entitled to 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave, only those who meet the eligibility criteria will be able to claim statutory maternity pay for that period.
All employees in Gorton who are eligible will be entitled to take statutory paternity leave with pay and statutory adoption leave with pay.
§ Mr. KaufmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Manchester, Gorton have benefited from a reduction of the working week to 48 hours. [167358]
731W
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe Working Time Regulations provide workers with the right to refuse to work more than 48 hours on average, if they do not want to. Numbers for Manchester, Gorton are not available. However, it has been estimated that around 100,000 workers resident in Greater Manchester stood to benefit from the introduction of the weekly working time limits in 1998.