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Mr. Forth : I intend that in the next few weeks a draft order and regulations under the Estate Agents Act 1979
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will be sent to interested parties. My proposals for amending the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 by extending it to cover misdescription of real property have already been circulated.Industrial Investment
26. Mr. Bidwell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will next meet the director general of the National Economic Development Council to discuss the impact of Government policies on British industrial investment intentions.
29. Mr. Geoffrey Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will next meet the director general of the National Economic Development Council to discuss the impact of Government policies on British industrial investment intentions.
53. Mr. Radice : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will next meet the director general of the National Economic Development Council to discuss the impact of Government policies on British industrial investment intentions.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My Department has frequent contacts with NEDO officials on a wide range of business matters and I last chaired the council on 4 April. I have no immediate plans to meet the director general.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has for further industrial investment in the north-west of England.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My Department will continue to support investment as appropriate in the north-west, including through regional selective assistance and the consultancy and export initiatives.
Financial Services
27. Mr. Murphy : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the efficacy of the system of financial services regulation set up since 1979.
Mr. Redwood : The Financial Services Act 1986, which came into force in April 1988, established a comprehensive structure for the protection of investors and regulation of investment business in the United Kingdom. Under the Act, the Securities and Investments Board has prime responsibility for ensuring that the appropriate standard of protection for investors is provided in respect of persons carrying on investment business.
Steel Industry
28. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the future of the steel industry in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I am confident that the United Kingdom steel industry will continue to perform well now that all of it is in the private sector and free from Government interference.
104. Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the future of the steel industry in the United Kingdom.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Coventry, North-East (Mr. Hughes) earlier today.
89. Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tonnes of steel per man year were produced in the United Kingdom in (a) 1981 and (b) 1989.
102. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tonnes of steel per man year were produced in the United Kingdom in (a) 1981 and (b) 1989.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Crude steel production per man year rose from 159 tonnes in 1981 to 344 tonnes in 1989.
Iraq
31. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many British firms currently trade with Iraq ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : Iraq is an important market offering worthwhile opportunities to a wide range of United Kingdom exporters, but we do not keep records of the number of companies involved.
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library information given to potential British exporters to Iraq by his Department and by the British consulate in Iraq.
Mr. Redwood : A selection, and complete list, of the numerous handouts available to potential exporters to Iraq both here and at our embassy in Baghdad have been placed in the Library.
Arms Exports
32. Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to review the working of the export licensing system for arms exports.
Mr. Redwood : The administration by my Department of export licensing including arms exports, was thoroughly reviewed in 1988. The need for changes to ensure that the controls remain effective and are efficiently administered is kept under continual review.
Company Prosecutions
33. Mr. Orme : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions arising from company investigations commenced after 1 June 1979 ; and how many of the prosecutions were successful.
Mr. Redwood : I am aware of 132 successful prosecutions completed since 1 January 1979 arising from investigations under the Companies Acts ; some of those prosecutions may have commenced before that date.
The figure given includes prosecutions carried out not only by my Department but by other prosecution authorities, for example the DPP, Serious Fraud Office and the police.
Further information is given in the annual report prepared under section 729 of the Companies Act 1985 and published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. This report is available in the Library.
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Defence Industry
34. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a further statement about the United Kingdom defence industry and attempts to find alternative products.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I have nothing to add to the replies I have given to the hon. Member's earlier questions on this subject.
Monopolies and Mergers
35. Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will initiate a review of monopolies and mergers legislation.
44. Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will initiate a review of monopolies and mergers legislation.
Mr. Redwood : We have recently implemented the conclusions of our review of mergers policy, which were published in 1988. As we said in our White Paper, "Opening Markets : New Policy on Restrictive Trade Practices", Cm. 727, we are currently reviewing the provisions in the Fair Trading Act 1973 and Competition Act 1980 dealing with the position of the individual, anti-competitive firm.
58. Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next expects to meet the directors of the Office of Fair Trading to discuss monopolies and mergers.
92. Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next expects to meet the directors of the Office of Fair Trading to discuss monopolies and mergers.
Mr. Redwood : My right hon. Friend and I met the Director General of Fair Trading on 2 April. There are no further meetings currently planned with Ministers in this Department.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will visit the state of Massachusetts to study its regulatory system for mergers and takeovers.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 14 May 1990] : Neither my right hon. Friend nor I have current plans to visit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
European Community Trade
36. Mr. Doran : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will next meet his counterparts in the European Commission to discuss United Kingdom trade with the European Community.
73. Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will next meet his counterparts in the European Commission to discuss United Kingdom trade with the European Community.
Mr. Redwood : Ministers meet European Commissioners on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues of common interest.
Pharmaceuticals
37. Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on the subject of parallel imports of pharmaceuticals.
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Mr. Redwood : Representatives of the pharmaceutical industry have contributed to consultations initiated by my Department on the question of parallel imports in overseas markets.
Eastern Europe
38. Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to improve the provision of export credit guarantees for Warsaw pact countries ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : The provision by ECGD of export credit
guarantees--including those for countries in the Warsaw pact--is kept under regular review. Any improvement in the provision of such guarantees is made as and when justified. A review of ECGD's investment insurance cover for eastern European countries was recently undertaken and as a result some wide-ranging extensions to the scheme for those markets were announced.
Postal Service
39. Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the future of the postal service monopoly.
Mr. Forth : The letter monopoly is a privilege, not a right. While we keep the options under review, there are no plans to end the letter monopoly at present, although in the event of serious disruption we would consider suspending it. The Government and the Post Office remain fully committed to the existence of a national letter service available to everyone, including those in rural areas, at a reasonable and uniform tariff.
106. Mr. Allen Adams : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next intends to meet the chairman of the Post Office to discuss the future of the postal service.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to meet the chairman of the Post Office, Sir Bryan Nicholson, on 21 May. They will discuss matters of mutual interest.
Product Safety
42. Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with trading standards officers on product safety.
90. Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with trading standards officers on product safety.
Mr. Forth : I have met trading standards officers and members of their representative organisations on several occasions at which product safety was one of the issues discussed. Also officials of my Department keep in regular contact with trading standards officers.
72. Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Consumers Association on product safety.
115. Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Consumers Association on product safety.
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Mr. Forth : I have had no recent meeting with the Consumers Association but it meets officials in my Department on a regular basis.Dangerous Goods
43. Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will consider introducing legislation to extend the time limit for prosecuting sellers of dangerous goods.
45. Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will consider introducing legislation to extend the time limit for prosecuting sellers of dangerous goods.
117. Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will consider introducing legislation to extend the time limit for prosecuting sellers of dangerous goods.
Mr. Forth : When the Consumer Protection Act 1987 passed through the House there was no concern expressed about the time limit of six months in respect of prosecutions for a breach of general safety requirement. If there is substantial evidence that this time limit is now leading to proceedings being frustrated I am prepared to consider what might be done to help the enforcement authorities.
66. Mr. Turner : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further steps he is taking to strengthen legislation against sellers of dangerous goods.
Mr. Forth : The introduction of the general safety requirement in part II of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 means that it is now a criminal offence to sell any consumer product that is not reasonably safe. This is supported by specific regulations and by a range of enforcement powers that enable action to be taken effectively and swiftly against unsafe consumer goods. I see no justification for further legislation in this area.
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Textiles Industry
46. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met representatives of the textiles industry ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Minister for Trade met members of the North East Lancashire Textile Manufacturers Association on 4 May. The main topic of discussion was the multi-fibre arrangement.
Insider Dealing
47. Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the present regulations to deal with insider dealing.
71. Mr. Buchan : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the present regulations to deal with insider dealing.
Mr. Redwood : The Government will continue to pursue all insider dealing cases where prosecution is justified under the code for Crown prosecutors. Convictions have been obtained in 11 out of 20 cases brought under the legislation. Two prosecutions are in progress and 13 inspections into possible breaches of the legislation are being carried out.
The Government published a consultative document on proposals for changes to the law on insider dealing late last year. I am grateful to all who responded, and careful consideration is being given to their comments.
Bankruptcies
49. Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the latest figures on the trend in business bankruptcies in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) England and (c) Cornwall.
Mr. Redwood : Because of the differences in the relevant legislation for the different parts of the United Kingdom, it is inappropriate to provide figures for the United Kingdom as a whole. Separate figures are not available for England or Cornwall. The available information is given in the following table :
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|c|Insolvencies-England and Wales|c|
Individuals Companies
|Total |Bankruptcy |Individual |Deeds of |Total |Compulsory |Creditors'
|orders |voluntary |arrangement |liquidations|voluntary
|arrangements |liquidations
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989
1st quarter |2,224 |1,972 |251 |1 |2,567 |854 |1,713
2nd quarter |2,418 |2,103 |315 |0 |2,814 |1,103 |1,711
3rd quarter |2,159 |1,837 |321 |1 |2,027 |548 |1,479
4th quarter |2,565 |2,226 |337 |2 |3,047 |1,515 |1,532
1990
1st quarter |2,942 |2,514 |427 |1 |3,339 |1,267 |2,072
|c|Insolvencies-Scotland|c|
Individuals Companies
|Sequestrations|Total |Compulsory |Creditors'
|liquidations |voluntary
|liquidations
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989
1st quarter |445 |121 |67 |54
2nd quarter |659 |99 |60 |39
3rd quarter |563 |143 |87 |56
4th quarter |634 |95 |45 |50
1990
1st quarter |665 |113 |60 |53
|c|Insolvencies-Northern Ireland|c|
Individuals Companies
|Total |Bankruptcy |Other<1> |Total |Compulsory |Creditors'
|adjudication |liquidations|voluntary
|orders |liquidations
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989
1st quarter |59 |54 |5 |28 |15 |13
2nd quarter |59 |52 |7 |30 |16 |14
3rd quarter |53 |50 |3 |28 |14 |14
4th quarter |66 |64 |2 |38 |24 |14
1990
1st quarter |58 |50 |8 |27 |6 |21
Procurement and Information Technology
50. Mr. Cunliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made to him about public procurement policy and information technology in the European Economic Community.
65. Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made to him about public procurement policy and information technology in the European Economic Community.
86. Mr. Ernie Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made to him about public procurement policy and information technology in the European Economic Community.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has not received any representations about public procurement policy and information technology in the European Economic Community.
64. Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the Department's latest estimate of the balance of trade in information technology with Japan and the United States of America.
75. Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his Department's latest estimate of the balance of trade in information technology with Japan and the United States of America.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his Department's latest estimate of the balance of trade in information technology with Japan and the United States of America.
Mr. Redwood : In the year to March 1990 the estimated crude deficit on trade in electronics and information technology products (defined as divisions 75 and 76 of the standard international trade classification) was £2 billion with Japan, and £1.6 billion with the United States of America.
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Manufacturing Industry
51. Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next intends to meet the president of the Confederation of British Industry to discuss the performance of British manufacturing industry.
79. Mr. Eadie : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next intends to meet the president of the Confederation of British Industry to discuss the performance of British manufacturing industry.
81. Mr. Eastham : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next intends to meet the president of the Confederation of British Industry to discuss the performance of British manufacturing industry.
87. Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next intends to meet the president of the Confederation of British Industry to discuss the performance of British manufacturing industry.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I have no immediate plans to discuss the performance of British manufacturing industry with the president of the CBI, although I expect to see him at the CBI's annual dinner on 17 May.
Environment Policy
52. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any new proposals to encourage British industry to be environmentally friendly.
68. Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any new proposals to encourage British industry to be environmentally friendly.
Mr. Forth : I shall continue to encourage British industry to respond positively to the challenges and opportunities presented by environmental issues.
European Commission
54. Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met the Vice President of the European Commission, Sir Leon Brittan, to discuss competition policy.
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60. Mr. Boateng : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met the Vice President of the European Commission, Sir Leon Brittan, to discuss that part of his remit which affects the United Kingdom.
62. Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met the Vice President of the European Commission, Sir Leon Brittan, to discuss industry policy.
Mr. Ridley : I meet Sir Leon Brittan as and when necessary for discussion of a wide range of topics.
Engineering Products
55. Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the current balance of trade in engineering products.
85. Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the current balance of trade in engineering products.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The crude deficit on the balance of trade for engineering products (defined as divisions 71 to 79 of the standard international trade classification) was £8.2 billion in the year to March 1990.
Scotch Whisky
57. Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met representatives of the Scotch whisky industry ; and what subjects were discussed.
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