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The Prime Minister : We have no plans to introduce generalised anti- discrimination legislation because we foresee problems in both approach and implementation. However, as I have made clear in the past, we are continuing to work to eliminate unjustified discrimination against people on the ground of their disability. We believe that this is best achieved by education and persuasion backed up by targeted legislation to address specific problems.
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Prime Minister what progress has been made by Departments in implementing the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 ; what plans he has to implement the outstanding sections ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : Most of the major provisions of the Act have now been implemented, bringing substantial benefits to disabled people and their carers. The requirements of the non-implemented sections of the Act are now, to a very large extent, reflected in the Department of Health's new and wide-ranging reforms of community care, which demonstrate our commitment to high quality care responsive to the needs and wishes of service users and carers. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health will review the need to implement these sections in the light of several years' experience of the community care arrangements.
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Scottish Constitution
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 January, Official Report, column 790, if he will list those individuals and organisations that he has consulted when taking stock of the governance of Scotland since April 1992.
The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for East Lothian (Mr. Home Robertson) on 11 January 1993 at column 552.
Iraq
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister what discussions Her Majesty's Government held with the Governments of (a) Egypt and (b) Syria on the efficacy of military intervention in Iraq ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : Since the invasion of Kuwait we have had frequent discussions with the Egyptians and Syrians on the situation in Iraq. We have discussed the allies' latest military action in Iraq with Egyptian and Syrian officials.
Ministerial Residences
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Prime Minister what was the cost in 1990- 91, 1991-92 and 1992-93 of each of the official country residences owned by the Government broken down into (a) housekeeping, (b) catering/hospitality, (c) maintenance and (d) other costs ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 20 January 1993] : Chequers, Dorneywood and Chevening are not owned by the Government. Chequers is administered as an independent trust, which receives an annual grant from public funds towards the maintenance of Chequers. In the three years concerned the grant has been :
|£
------------------------
1990-91 |238,000
1991-92 |244,000
1992-93 |260,000
The Government also contribute to the costs of household staff at Chequers, but this information is not separately identifiable. The maintenance and staff expenses of Chevening house are met by the Chevening trust. The total cost to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for housekeeping, catering/hospitality and other costs in the three years concerned has been :
|£
--------------------
1990-91 |4,374
1991-92 |7,984
1992-93 |9,451
In addition, other Government Departments use Chevening from time to time for meetings or seminars, for which they pay separately. Dorneywood is administered by a trust fund. Its upkeep does not involve any cost to the Treasury.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Tobacco Industry
Mr. A. Cecil Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the number of people directly employed in the tobacco industry in Northern Ireland at the latest date ; and what proportion of manufacturing jobs this represents in the province.
Mr. Atkins : I shall write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Holiday Accommodation
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will meet the Association of British Travel Agents to discuss dangerous holiday accommodation abroad.
Mr. Leigh : I see no need for such a meeting. The Association of British Travel Agents already offers comprehensive advice to its members regarding the maintenance of high standards of safety in holiday accommodation.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with United Kingdom tour operators about the safety of foreign accommodation offered to package holidaymakers.
Mr. Leigh : I have had no such discussions. There is already comprehensive guidance for tour operators in this area.
Chambers of Commerce
Mr. Morgan : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he has had with the Association of British Chambers of Commerce regarding the proposed setting up of core chambers of commerce ; what time scale he is proposing ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has consulted extensively with representatives of the Association of British Chambers of Commerce (ABCC) regarding its proposals to set up core chambers of commerce.
The Government support the objectives of the ABCC as set out in its development strategy. Chambers provide a valuable focus for information and support for business. However, coverage is currently patchy and there is considerable untapped potential for chambers to achieve economies of scale. I believe that the establishment of core chambers, and their closer co- operation with other business support organisations to develop one-stop shop business advice centres in each area, will lead to a major improvement in the quality of the support provided to companies.
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Mr. Morgan : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what criteria he has agreed with the Association of British Chambers of Commerce for financial contributions from his departmental funds towards the cost of development executives ; and for what length of time such contributions will be available.
Mr. Leigh : The Government support the objectives of the Association of British Chambers of Commerce (ABCC) to set up a coherent network of chambers, as set out in their development strategy. In each case for which funding is required, the President of the Board of Trade will expect to be satisfied that the proposal is consistent with realising this strategy.
Subject to this condition, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has agreed with the ABCC that he is prepared to fund half the cost of a development officer in each of the core chambers for up two years. The chambers have to fund the remaining 50 per cent. of the cost, and the whole of any continuing cost after the initial two-year appointment.
Trading Standards Service
Mr. Stern : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what proposals he has to alter the basis of funding the trading standards service ;
(2) if he will institute an inquiry into the extent to which the trading standards service is fulfilling the functions for which it was set up ;
(3) if he will make a statement on increasing central co-ordination of the trading standards service ;
Mr. Leigh : I keep the funding and performance of the trading standards service under review and, together with the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for the Environment, have given, and will continue to give, careful consideration to the service in the context of the review of local government. There are at present no proposals for action on the lines suggested by the hon. Member. However, if he has any concerns about the service, the noble Baroness Denton of Wakefield, the Minister for Consumer Affairs, will be pleased to consider them.
Mr. Stern : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to publish a charter for the trading standards service.
Mr. Leigh : I have been asked to reply.
I keep the funding and performance of the trading standards service under review and, together with the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for the Environment, have given, and will continue to give, careful consideration to the service in the context of the review of local government. There are at present no proposals for action on the lines suggested by the hon. Member. However, if he has any concerns about the service, the Noble Baroness Denton of Wakefield, the Minister for Consumer Affairs, will be pleased to consider them.
Supergun Launcher Systems
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment his Department has made of the peaceful uses of supergun launcher systems in delivering satellites into earth orbit.
Mr. Leigh : My Department is aware of work being performed in the United States of America, which is aimed
Column 489
at demonstrating that small payloads can be put into Earth orbit using a supergun launcher and of European patent applications of a similar nature. However, my Department has not made a detailed study of the viability of these proposals. Any assessment in this field would be carried out in conjunction with our partners within the European Space Agency.Patent Law
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what efforts he is making to bring about greater harmonisation of international patent law.
Mr. Leigh : There is already considerable harmonisation of substantive patent law in Europe. In a wider arena, my officials have been very active in the negotiations for an international treaty on patent law harmonisation which have taken place under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organisation and will take a committed part in the diplomatic conference to be held in July this year in order to reach agreement on the treaty. They have also taken an active part in discussions at Community level on a directive to harmonise the legal protection of biotechnological inventions.
Post Office
Mr. Colvin : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when his review of the future organisation and structure of the Post Office will be complete ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : The review will be completed in due course. We will then be in a position to make a statement to the House.
Price Marking Order 1991
Mr. Hanson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to amend the 1991 Price Marking Order, implemented under European Community directive 88/314/EEC.
Mr. Leigh : My Department is currently discussing the way forward with interested parties.
Girobank
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he was consulted about Girobank's recent withdrawal of a small firms export credit support scheme : whether this, or similar matters, was set out as a service obligation in the sale of Girobank ; and what those service obligations now are.
Mr. Leigh : My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade was not consulted about Girobank's provision of export credit schemes, nor would he expect to be. The sale agreement between the Post Office and the Alliance and Leicester Building Society in respect of Girobank did not specify the future of particular Girobank services. Subject only to regulation under the Banking Act 1987, the provision of services by Girobank, as any other bank, is a matter for its commercial judgment.
Manufacturing Industry
Mr. Hendry : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what financial assistance his Department gives to manufacturing industry.
Column 490
Mr. Leigh : My Department runs or supports a wide range of schemes and services providing assistance to manufacturing businesses. The majority of these involve direct financial assistance.
Together the full range of services provide a comprehensive package for business, including help with the provision of expert advice in key management areas such as quality or manufacturing systems ; help towards the cost of consultancy to assist businesses plan their use of advanced manufacturing technology ; grant support to develop innovative ideas ; help with exporting ; and special financial assistance for businesses in assisted areas and urban programme areas.
Small Firms
Mr. Hendry : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assistance is available from his Department to help companies with fewer than 100 employees.
Mr. Leigh : My Department operates the following measures of support for small and medium-sized firms :
the Enterprise Initiative Consultancy Scheme ;
the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme ;
the Small Firms Merit Award for Research and Technology ; Support for Products Under Research ;
Regional Enterprise Grants (Investment) ;
Regional Enterprise Grants (Innovation) ;
Export Marketing Research Scheme ;
Your Business Success ;
Graduate Enterprise ;
The criteria for determining the eligibility of a company to take advantage of each of these forms of assistance varies from scheme to scheme.
My Department also provides funding for development work which aims to benefit small firms and produces a wide range of publications aimed at small businesses.
During 1993 my Department will start support for up to 15 pilot schemes which will provide businesses with a single point of access to information and advice.
From April 1993 my Department will take over responsibility from the Employment Department for funding training and enterprise councils (TECs) to provide a wide range of business support services to help small businesses.
In addition, small businesses can, of course, take advantage of other business support programmes provided for firms of all sizes.
Leg Irons
Mr. McMaster : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his current policy on the manufacture of leg irons in the United Kingdom and the export of such products ; if any prosecutions are pending for such practices ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : I have no plans relating to the manufacture of leg irons : they are not used by the police and prison services in the United Kingdom, and my Department, which tightened export controls in this area last year, will not issue a licence for their export under the Export of Goods (Control) Order. I am not aware of any breach of the order in respect of leg irons nor of any prosecution involving their export.
Column 491
Sovereign Debt
Mr. Meacher : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if doubtful sovereign debt held by the Export Credits Guarantee Department is provisioned in accordance with guidelines established by the Bank of England.
Mr. Needham : I can confirm that the provisions for unrecovered claims in respect of political risk in ECGD's trading accounts are assessed using the Bank of England provisioning matrix. ECGD's 1991-92 trading accounts are due to be laid before the House on 28 January.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide details regarding levels of sovereign debt held by the Export Credits Guarantee Department.
Mr. Needham : The Export Credits Guarantee Department's 1991-92 annual report, which is due to be laid before the House on 28 January, provides a detailed breakdown of its sovereign debt.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide details regarding sovereign debt held by the Export Credits Guarantee Department offered for sale in the secondary debt market.
Mr. Needham : The agreement amongst Paris club group of creditors currently allows the Export Credits Guarantee Department to consider sales of sovereign debt in the following markets :
Benin
Bolivia
Cameroon
Congo
Cote D'Ivoire
Ecuador
Egypt
Ethiopia
Guinea Republic
Jamaica
Jordan
Mali
Morocco
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Peru
Phillipines
Poland
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Rescheduled Debt
Mr. Meacher : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide details on the proportion of rescheduled official bilateral debt that may be sold on the secondary debt market by the Export Credits Guarantee Department under the auspices of the Trinidad terms.
Mr. Needham : The agreement amongst Paris club group of creditors allows for either US $10 million or10 per cent. of a creditors exposure, whichever is the greater, to be sold or swapped for local investment.
Column 492
EC Regulations
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what will be the terms of reference for the scrutiny into the way in which EC regulations impact upon business.
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