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Cooker and Gas Fire Manufacturers
Mr. Turner : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the sector of industry which makes cookers and gas fires ; how many such companies are known to his Department in the west midlands ; and how many people are employed in the sector.
Mr. Sainsbury : United Kingdom production of cookers and gas fires in 1991 was £355 million. Of this, about 9 per cent. was exported. Firms in these sub-sectors have been adversely affected by the downturn in the housing market and in consumer demand.
Twelve firms in the west midlands are known to make cookers or gas fires. These employ 3,700 people.
Ship Building
Mr. Hutton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the gross tonnage of new merchant ships built in (a) United Kingdom shipyards and (b) EC countries in (a) 1974, (b) 1979 and (c) 1992.
Mr. Sainsbury : The total gross tonnage of merchant ships of 100 gross tonnes and over constructed in the United Kingdom and EC countries in 1974, 1979 and 1991 is as follows :
Gross tonnage of merchant ships completed
|1974 |1979 |1991
-------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom |1,198,255|691,404 |185,470
EC total |7,614,263|2,777,757|2,229,256
Source: Lloyd's Register of Shipping.
Notes:
1. Only the EC members of 1974 have been included in
the EC total, in order to provide a comparable series.
2. From 1990 gross tonnage statistics for the Federal
Republic of Germany have included the former German
Democratic Republic. Hence the former German
Democratic Republic is also included in the 1991 EC
total.
3. Figures for the gross tonnage of merchant ships in
1992 are not yet available. 1991 figures have been
provided.
BS 5750
Mr. Rhodri Morgan : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, if he will carry out an independent evaluation of the costs and benefits of BS 5750 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : The Government have no plans to carry out an independent evaluation of BS 5750. BS 5750 is a voluntary quality management standard drawn up by industry to meet its own requirements and published by the British Standards Institution. The BSI established last week a new policy committee for small businesses to address needs of small businesses in all areas of BSI's activities. In the light of recent press coverage of the costs to small firms of complying with BS 5750, this new committee will look, as an early priority, into the application and promotion of that particular standard.
Liaison with Industry
Mr. Bell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what liaison he has created within his Department and other concerned bodies charged with supervision of areas of concern to industry.
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Mr. Heseltine : I have established a number of new divisions in my Department with the task of developing a dialogue with individual sectors of industry. In addition, as I announced on 2 February, we intend to set up seven business task forces to review all regulations which affect business.
Small Businesses
Mr. Bell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to modify the audit requirements of small companies.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : The Government are nearing the end of their review of audit and accounting requirements for very small companies and I hope to announce the outcome soon.
Regulators
Mr. French : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what plans he has to review the powers and accountability of (a) Ofgas, (b) Oftel and (c) Offer ;
(2) what representations he has received concerning the powers and accountability of Offer ; and if he will make a statement ; (3) what representations he has received concerning the powers and accountability of Oftel ; and if he will make a statement ; (4) what representations he has received concerning the powers and accountability of Ofgas ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : My Department receives representations from time to time concerning Offer, Ofgas and Oftel.
The coal review has received a number of items of evidence which have a bearing on the working of Offer and Ofgas, and will take into account all the recommendations made regarding these bodies in the Trade and Industry Select Committee report.
With regard to Oftel, some argue that its powers should be reduced, and some that they are inadequate. I believe that Oftel's powers are broadly right and there are no current plans to amend them. The regulators are accountable for the discharge of their statutory duties. Each presents an annual report to Parliament. Select Committees may--and do--call the regulators to give evidence. If a regulator's proposal for a licence modification is not agreed by the licensee, the issue may be referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission for its view on the public interest. Ultimately, regulators' decisions may be subject to judicial review.
Mr. French : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to increase the transparency of (a) Ofgas, (b) Oftel and (c) Offer.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : With Government encouragement, the regulators already take great care to consult widely before reaching decisions on any issue, and to publicise their decisions and the reasoning behind them.
Mr. French : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulators of the privatised utilities.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : The Competition and Service (Utilities) Act 1992 provided additional powers where
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necessary to enable regulators to set and monitor standards of service. The regulators have used their powers effectively to promote competition, to secure fair prices, and to promote better service standards for customers.Bicycles
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assistance his Department is giving the British bicycle manufacturing industry ; and what efforts have been made to promote the British bicycle abroad.
Mr. Sainsbury : British bicycle companies are entitled to make full use of the many services including export advice from overseas trade services offered to United Kingdom industry by my Department, and the DTI vehicles division is specifically responsible for sponsoring the industry.
The Bicycle Association of Great Britain is actively involved in British Overseas Trade Board activities and regularly sponsors a group of bicycle companies at a major overseas trade fair in Cologne.
Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety)
Mr. Ainger : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been (a) the range of estimated annual costs and (b) his Department's estimate of the cost to a typical self-catering accommodation business made by the consultees to his draft Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 1992 consultation document ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 2 February 1993] : Consultees variously estimated the overall cost of purchasing new furniture to be in the range of £1,000 to £3,000, but gave no information on the basis of their estimates. The Department's estimate of the cost of purchasing new furniture to replace non-complying furniture is £850 for a self-catering unit accommodating four persons and is fully set out in the compliance cost assessment which was made available to all consultees.
Leyland DAF
Mr. Dover : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will take the necessary action to ensure that all designs and patents for the Leyland DAF product lines currently operating within the United Kingdom form part of the assets being handled by the receiver appointed for these operations.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 9 February 1993] : All drawings and designs which are at the premises of the United Kingdom companies in receivership are under the day-to-day control of the receivers and are being examined with a view to ensuring that a complete set is available in respect of current products. The receivers' solicitors have been instructed to advise them upon the ownership of intellectual property used in the companies and are currently assessing the position.
Glass Curtain Walling
Mr. John Evans : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of whether the criteria used to test the quality and strength of British glass curtain walling in France and Germany are discriminatory and a barrier to trade ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Baldry : I have been asked to reply.
I have no information that the criteria being used to test the quality and strength of British glass curtain walling in France or Germany are discriminatory against products from other member states and a barrier to trade. If I receive evidence of any discrimination or barriers to trade, in consultation with DTI colleagues, I shall take appropriate action to safeguard United Kingdom interests.
Construction Projects
Mr. Bell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what decisions he has made during the course of 1992 for or against major construction projects within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Baldry : I have been asked to reply.
I will write to the hon. Member once the information is available.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Aid Loans
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement outlining the form taken by relief from repayment of old aid loans by the United Kingdom Government.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Since 1979 we have consistently pursued a policy of commuting to grants through retrospective terms adjustment the outstanding aid loans of the poorest countries and rescheduling other aid loans for other debt-distressed countries. We consider eligible countries on a case-by-case basis.
The main criteria for RTA are poverty--the current threshold is countries with a per capita income of $545 or less--and firm evidence of commitment to IMF/IBRD- approved economic reform programmes. In the case of India, we provide equivalent measures, in the form of local cost aid to offset India's repayment of past aid loans.
Forestry Aid
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much forestry aid is currently paid in fees to (a) British consultants and (b) educational establishments within the United Kingdom ; and if he will list each educational establishment in receipt of such funding, indicating the amount granted in each instance.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We do not keep central records of fees paid to British consultants and educational institutions. Fees are negotiated contract by contract according to the tasks to be performed. The British institutions used in our forestry programmes include the University college of Wales (Bangor), the universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Oxford and Reading and many other educational establishments and consultancy firms.
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Commercial Bank Debt
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much United Kingdom commercial bank debt has been cancelled under the Brady plan ; and what is the cancelled debt as a percentage of outstanding third-world debt.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Direct figures of United Kingdom commercial bank debt cancelled under the Brady plan are not available. However, in 1990 and 1991, United Kingdom banks' holdings of debt reduction instruments ("Brady bonds") rose by £2,930 million and £850 million respectively, or £3,780 million over the two years. It is estimated that these holdings replaced nearly £6 billion of loans outstanding, and therefore accounted for around £2 billion of write-offs. These £2 billion of write-offs may be considered as estimates for the amount of debt reduction, or cancellation, involved, and represent around 11 per cent. of all United Kingdom bank debt outstanding to developing countries as at end 1991. Total write-offs for 1989-91 are estimated to have been £4,160 million.
Debt (Developing Countries)
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the level of debt repayments from developing countries received by the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years ; and what was the level of new loans, investment, export credits and aid from Government and charities in each of those years.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : On the level of official debt repayments, I refer the hon. Member to the letter my noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development wrote to him on 26 January, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. Provision of information on debt repayment poses the same problem as does information on interest alone. The United Kingdom net official and private flows to developing countries 1989-91 as published in the "British Aid Statistics" are as follows :
|Official development|Official export |Project loans<1> |Voluntary agencies
|assistance |credits
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989 |1,584 |209 |71 |150
1990 |1,503 |259 |88 |170
1991 |1,814 |192 |101 |215
<1> Project loans is the definition for loan money actually spent in any given year rather than loan money committed in that
year.
Figures for the seven years prior to 1989 are not immediately available. My noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development will write to the hon. Member with this information in due course.
Debt Relief
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of British aid in 1991 was included as debt relief according to the new directives announced by the OECD.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The amount of United Kingdom debt forgiveness counting as bilateral official development assistance, in accordance with directives agreed by the OECD, was £31 million in 1991. This includes debt covered by the Paris club's Toronto terms, plus ODA
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retrospective terms adjustment--the converting of old aid debts into grants--and normal debt rescheduling. No debt relief was granted by the Government under Trinidad terms in 1991 as it was only in December 1991 that the first two countries received these terms. Thus the debt relief granted in this form amounted to 1.71 per cent. of Britain's total official development assistance, or £1,814 million.EC Aid
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what will be the impact on the United Kingdom aid programme of the increase in EC aid agreed at the Edinburgh summit.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Our contributions to European Community aid programmes, both through the European development fund and through the EC budget, are part of our overall aid effort and are met from within the agreed PES provision for ODA's external assistance programmes.
The agreement reached at Edinburgh on future financing provides for considerable growth in the aid programme funded from the EC budget up to 1999. For the period up to 1995-96 covered in the autumn statement of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer it is expected that the proportion of the ODA's budget going through the EC will increase based on existing plans. Since we cannot anticipate decisions on the overall size of ODA's budget beyond 1995-96, we cannot anticipate the share which will go through the EC.
Tropical Forests
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures have been established to monitor the effectiveness of the tropical forest action plan.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We monitor the tropical forestry action programme through attendance at international meetings such as the tropical forestry advisers' group and through the national forestry planning processes in countries where we have significant aid programmes in the forestry sector.
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the relationship between the commitment in the forest principles to unrestricted trade and the policy of limiting trade to sustainably produced timber.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : There is no conflict between the forest principles agreed at UNCED and the International Tropical Timber Organisation's target of the year 2000 for all internationally traded tropical timber to come from sustainably managed sources. Both the UNCED principles and ITTO aim to promote the sustainable management of tropical forests and preclude unilateral and discriminatory restrictions contrary to internationally agreed rules.
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the United Kingdom's tropical timber imports are derived from sustainable sources.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : There is no reliable way of determining whether or not timber entering the United Kingdom has come from a sustainable source.
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Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the International Timber Trade Organisation concerning the report on threatened timber species produced in May 1991.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are in frequent contact with the International Tropical Timber Organisation about how best to develop and build upon the work to which the hon. Member refers. We have offered to help meet the costs of expanding this work and of hosting an ITTO workshop, due to be held in March, to consider and, if necessary, refine, the scientific methodologies used to assess the extent to which individual timber species may be put at risk by the international timber trade.
World Bank
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account has been taken of the report on (a) the Pelosi amendment and (b) the portfolio management task force on World bank projects in deciding future United Kingdom funding arrangements for the World bank.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The so-called Pelosi amendment, which affected the United States position on environmental issues in multilateral development banks, is a matter for the United States Government. In the recently completed negotiations on the 10th replenishment of the International Development Association donors recommended to the bank's executive directors that once a borrower has made information on environmental assessments publicly available in the borrowing country, the same information should also be made publicly available at bank headquarters and in field offices in member countries. IDA donors, including the United Kingdom, welcomed the report by the bank's task force on portfolio management aimed at improving the quality of project design and implementation and called on the bank to bring forward detailed proposals to make them effective. The bank's board of directors has subsequently discussed the report and asked the bank's management to prepare an action plan in the near future.
Deforestation
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what studies have been made of the link between deforestation and population growth in the third world.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 4 December at column 427.
Adjustment Lending
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what processes are employed by the Overseas Development Administration in seeking to assess and minimise the environmental impacts of adjustment lending.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We welcome the recognition that the multilateral institutions which are responsible for structural adjustment lending are giving to assessing the
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likely environmental consequences of such programmes and the assistance to developing countries to apply policies conducive to the protection of the environment. We support the World bank's position that more work needs to be done to identify the environmental impacts of adjustment lending. Where we are directly involved in adjustment programmes the processes set out in ODA's "Manual of Environmental Appraisal" apply, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.WALES
Welsh Language
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will make it his policy to establish a permanent commission on the Welsh language ;
(2) if he will make it his policy to develop a national Welsh language planning unit in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The Welsh Language Bill would establish a new, statutory Welsh language board. The board will have a very wide remit extending to all matters relating to the Welsh language.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to bring forward a comprehensive strategy for the maintenance and promotion of the Welsh language in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The Government have a comprehensive strategy for the maintenance and promotion of the Welsh language of which the Welsh Language Bill is but the latest part. S4C has been a great success and remains one of the most visible and important manifestations of the Government's commitment to the language. The central place of the language in our education policies is demonstrated by the status of Welsh as a foundation subject under the national curriculum and, most recently, by our proposal to establish Awdurdod Cwricwlwm ac Asesu Cymru. Many other Welsh organisations, both statutory and voluntary, also serve to promote the language through its use in their various activities.
This strategy can only be enhanced by our proposal to establish a statutory Welsh language board.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to issue guidelines to local authorities in Wales encouraging the establishment of Welsh language learning centres in each local authority area in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the needs of Welsh language learners in their areas. The Department has helped to fund the centres at Nant Gwrtheyrn and Canolfan Iaith Clwyd and also local authority Welsh for adults courses.
Variable Message Signs
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many variable message signs there are on each motorway and key trunk roads in Wales ; and how many signs on each road have been placed within the last two years.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Excluding lane control and matrix signs there are 11 electrically operated variable message signs on the motorway, 27 on the A55 and 14 on the A5 and Menai bridge ; of these one, seven and zero respectively have been put in place in the last two years.
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Opencast Mining
Mr. Hanson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration he has given to the recommendations relating to opencast mining made by the Trade and Industry Committee in its first report on British energy policy and the market for coal, HC (1992-93) 237, in relation to opencast mining in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : The Government have stated that they will take account of the Trade and Industry Committee's report before coming forward with their coal review White Paper which will be published shortly.
Regional Selective Assistance
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he approved offers of regional selective assistance to (a) Hoya Lens UK Ltd., (b) Ringshore Ltd., (c) W. A. Turner Ltd. and (d) Chartered Trust Ltd ; what public statements he has made on each of those approvals ; and whether each of the grants has now been paid in full as offered.
Mr. David Hunt : Information about RSA offers to the companies concerned together with the current position on grant payments is as follows :
Company |RSA assistance |Public statement
|offered
|£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hoya Lens UK Ltd. |0.950 |7 October 1988
Ringshare Ltd. |3.4 |<1>July 1992
W. A. Turner Ltd. |2.0 |28 February 1991
Chartered Trust Plc |0.990 |14 February 1990
|0.250 |13 June 1990
<1> Employment Gazette
Note:
None of the grants have yet been paid in full. Other details about
projects are matters of commercial confidentiality.
Consultants
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the firms of consultants used by his Department as part of the market testing programme since November 1991 together with the total cost ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : Three different consultancies have been engaged to help the Department both in drawing up and undertaking its current market testing programme. They are Coopers and Lybrand, Touche Ross and Price Waterhouse. The total cost to date is £25,000.
Potatoes
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many potato producers there are in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : Potatoes were grown on 1,519 main agricultural holdings in Wales in 1992 according to the June agricultural census.
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Nicotine Patches
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he is making for nicotine patches to be prescribable in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Generally a doctor may prescribe under the national health service any medicines which are needed for the treatment of his or her patients. The exceptions are those drugs and other substances which have been listed in schedule 10 of the National Health Service (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992 on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Drugs or the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS). These items may not be prescribed by GPs for supply under NHS pharmaceutical services, but may be prescribed privately and in some cases may be purchased without a prescription. One patch has been included in schedule 10 on the advice of the ACBS, but the product is available on private prescription or over-the- counter from pharmacies. It is open to the committee to review the availability on GP prescription of any similar products.
Tourism
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of "Tourism in the UK : Realising the Potential" as it applies to his Department's responsi- bilities ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Issues relating to tourism in Wales highlighted in the document "Tourism in the UK--Realising the Potential" are subject to continuing review. In particular :
a. The Wales tourist board was granted powers on 16 March 1992 under the Overseas Promotion (Wales) Act 1992 to market the Principality independently abroad. I approved the WTB's overseas marketing plan on 5 February 1993 following consultation with the British Tourist Authority.
b. The board has committed itself to the principles of the citizens charter which are fully represented in its current 1992-93 corporate plan.
More generally, the WTB is at present developing a new tourism strategy which will address other issues raised within the document.
Radioactive Contamination
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the sites within North Wales where his Department undertakes official radiation monitoring of coast contamination levels.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : On behalf of the Welsh Office, the directorate of fisheries research of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food undertakes regular monitoring of radioactivity in the surface and coastal waters of Wales. Details of this monitoring, including the sampling locations, are given in the annual aquatic environment monitoring reports, copies of which are held in the Library of the House.
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