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Electrical Goods (Imports)
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the amount of electrical goods imported in each of the years 1989 to 1994 from (a) Japan, (b) Taiwan, (c) South Korea and (d) Singapore.
Mr. Needham : The information is in the following table.
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Value of Electrical Goods Imported into the United Kingdom (£ millions, current prices)
|January to
|April
|1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Japan |2,983 |2,801 |2,897 |3,058 |3,358 |1,176
Taiwan |498 |429 |460 |565 |751 |289
South Korea |408 |313 |287 |337 |477 |157
Singapore |510 |583 |686 |662 |1,109 |357
Note:
Electrical goods are classified as heading 716 and divisions 75-77 of the Standard
International Trade Classification.
Source: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.
Futons (Safety)
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the risk to health of the continued use of boric acid powder as a fire retardant in futons.
Mr. McLoughlin : A review of the scientific literature has been undertaken by the Department of Health and no evidence has been found that suggests that boric acid used as a fire retardant in a futon presents a risk to the user.
Trade Statistics
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing imports and exports of finished consumer goods, intermediate goods and capital goods each quarter since the second quarter of 1992, distinguishing between EEC and non-EEC countries.
Mr. Needham : The information requested is stored in the Central Statistical Office's central shared database, access to which is available from the Library of the House.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will publish a table showing imports
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and exports of semi-finished and finished manufactures from and to each EEC country for each quarter since the second quarter of 1992.Mr. Needham : Information for 1992 is published in "Business Monitor MM20" whilst information for 1993 is published in "Business Monitor MQ20". Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House.
Imported Retail Goods
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will undertake a survey to find out (a) the proportion of non-food, non- fuel, non-alcoholic goods sold retail which are imported and (b) the effect movements in the exchange rate have had on prices.
Privatisation
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the President of the Board of Trade which organisations, agencies and other bodies relating to his departmental area of responsibility have been privatised since 1990 ; and what plans he has for further privatisation.
Mr. Eggar : Since 1990, the following privatisations have been undertaken by the Department of Trade and Industry and the former Department of Energy :
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1990 Sale of 12 Regional Electricity Companies1991 Sale of National Power and PowerGen
1992 Sale of British Technology Group
Plans for future privatisations are as follows : (
(i) On 17 February this year, I announced the Government's intention to privatise the commercial activities of the Atomic Energy Authority, Official Report, columns 922-924.
(ii) My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced plans for the future of the National Engineering Laboratory, Laboratory of the Government Chemist and National Physical Laboratory on 14 April this year, Official Report, columns 251-253.
(iii) The Government expect to return the coal mining activities of British Coal Corporation to the private sector by the end of the year.
On 30 June, the Department published a Green Paper on "The Future Of Postal Services" (Cm 2614). The Green Paper set out a number of options for the future of the Post Office. The Government's preferred option is to allow Royal Mail and Parcelforce to operate as a private company owned by the public and employees, with the Government retaining 49 per cent. of the shares. This is subject to a consultation period, after which a decision will be made.
My right hon. Friend is reviewing the scope for privatisation or contractorisation of the Patent Office and Companies House as part of the required periodic agency review process, which considers a range of possibilities from abolition to maintenance of the status quo.
Latin America
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what help he gives to British companies in producing catalogues designed to promote British goods in Latin America.
Mr. Needham : A commercial publicity support package is available to companies participating in an overseas trade fair, exhibition or outward mission.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he had had with the Institute of Export about training people in Latin American studies.
Mr. Needham : My Department liaises with the Institute of Export on a number of matters. The institute, through its 21 regional centres and its magazine "Export
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Today", ensures that its members are fully informed of opportunities in Latin America and elsewhere, drawing on the support and advice of the Overseas Trade Services.Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has had from the engineering industry and related consultants on the export of invisibles to Latin America and problems of credit cover.
Mr. Needham : There have been no representations to my Department from the engineering industry or related consultants on the export of invisibles to Latin America and the provision of export credit support for the same sector.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what help he is giving to British water companies to export expertise to Latin America.
Mr. Needham : I have established a water sector group of the Overseas Project Board under the chairmanship of my right hon. Friend the Member for Bridgwater (Mr. King). Its overall aim is to help the United Kingdom water industry to maximise its share of overseas markets for its products and skills. In addition, British water companies are given maximum support in exploiting opportunities in Latin American markets by Whitehall Departments and our embassies overseas.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the credit cover given to Latin American countries by (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the United Kingdom's major industrial competitors.
Mr. Needham : The Government are committed to improving the competitiveness of United Kingdom exporters. We have capped the premium rates in certain markets where these may be out of line with the rates charged by our main competitors. We have restored export credit cover for markets emerging from the debt crisis earlier than would normally have been the case. We have recently revised the project financing and overseas investment insurance scheme to provide more flexible support for exporters. A summary of the official export credit support provided by the Government to United Kingdom companies exporting to Latin America is being sent to the hon. Member and to the House of Commons Library. The cover available from the United Kingdom is broadly comparable with that provided by our major industrial competitors.
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Latin America
Summary of ECGD cover position as at July 1994
Market |Medium |Cover |Consensus |ECGD |Telephone |Comments
|term cover |availability |category |underwriter
|availability |for cash SGs
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argentina |3DX |R |2A |Martin Crane |071-512 7320 |Cover available
Bolivia |0 |R |3 |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |No cover available
Brazil |4DX |Y |2B |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |Cover available for the private sector
| Public sector cover on a case by
| case basis
Chile |4 |Y |2B |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |Cover available
Colombia |4 |Y |2B |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |All facilities available
Costa Rica |0 |R |2B |Nick George |071-512 7557 |No cover available
Cuba |0 |R |2B |Nick George |071-512 7557 |No cover available
Ecuador |0 |R |2B |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |No cover available
El Salvador |2DX |Y |3 |Nick George |071-512 7557 |Cover available
Guatemala |0 |R |2B |Nick George |071-512 7557 |No cover available
Honduras |0 |R |3 |Nick George |071-512 7557 |No cover available
Mexico |3 |Y |2B |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |All facilities available
Nicaragua |0 |R |3 |Nick George |071-512 7557 |No cover available
Panama |0 |R |2A |Nick George |071-512 7557 |No cover available
Paraguay |2 |Y |2B |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |All facilities available
Peru |0 |R |2B |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |No cover available
Uruguay |4 |Y |2B |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |All facilities available
Venezuela |4 |Y |2A |Stan Rosenthal |071-512 7558 |Cover available for the private sector
| and PDVSA. (Public sector cover
| on a case by case basis)
Key:
Medium term cover availability
4=All facilities generally available. Cover may be limited, but at least £50 million is currently available, to be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
3=All facilities generally available. Cover may be limited, but at least £50 million is currently available, to be allocated on a first come, first served basis, but also subject to portfolio controls, i.e. Amber Zone Budget.
2=All facilities generally available. Cover may be limited, currently with less than £50 million available, to be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
1=No cover available but under review.
0=No cover available.
DX=Limited cover available and only for projects which aid recovery.
Cover availability for cash SGs (Specific Guarantees) for projects or one-off services contracts
Y=Yes.
N=No.
R=Refer to Underwriter.
Consensus category
1=Relatively rich countries with officially supported finance at Commercial Interest Reference Rates (CIRRs). Maximum credit period 5 years (exceptionally 8.5 years).
2A=Intermediate countries, with officially supported finance at Commercial Interest Reference Rates (CIRRs). Maximum credit period 8.5 years.
2B=Intermediate countries, with officially supported finance at Commercial Interest Reference Rates (CIRRs). Maximum credit period 10 years.
3=Relatively poor countries, with officially supported financing at SDR-based rate or CIRRs. Maximum credit period 10 years.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what encouragement he gives to British exporters to make contact with trading organisations and decision-making provincial Governments in the provinces of Argentina and with greater Buenos Aires.
Mr. Needham : The British embassy in Buenos Aires encourages individual United Kingdom companies and trade missions to visit the provinces of Argentina where many business opportunities can be found.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussion he has had with the incoming Government of Venezuela about trading with the Venezuelan utilities.
Mr. Needham : Discussions have taken place between officials, including the DTI export promoter, and representatives of the Venezuelan Government about the supply of United Kingdom goods and services to utilities in the gas, electricity and water sectors.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made in the marketing plan process in relation to South America.
Mr. Needham : Market plans have been prepared for each of the United Kingdom's major markets in Latin America and are updated to reflect changes in the markets.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information he has about the number of export promoters he has brought in from the private sector to his Department to promote trade to South America ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : Eight export promoters covering Latin America have been seconded from the private sector.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the results of the study undertaken by his
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Department between October 1992 and March 1993 on exports to Colombia, particularly in relation to railway rehabilitation.Mr. Needham : The report of the United Kingdom-Colombia trade facilitation group was published and a copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library. Railways were identified as a sector offering good opportunities for United Kingdom companies.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade why he has raised the cost of ECGD cover to Argentina ; and what estimate he has made of the effect on United Kingdom trade.
Mr. Needham : ECGD premium rates vary as a result of regular reviews of the risks associated with doing business in different markets.
It is difficult to assess in isolation the effect of ECGD premium rates on trade, but the impact of the recent increase for Argentina is likely to be negligible.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contracts Her Majesty's Government have with chambers of commerce in major Latin American cities.
Mr. Needham : British embassies, visiting export promoters and officials from my Department have frequent contacts with chambers of commerce in the major cities of Latin America. Visiting United Kingdom business men are also encouraged to contact them as these chambers can offer valuable assistance.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade at what level in their companies were the business men who accompanied the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on his visit to Latin America ; and what his policy is towards persuading British companies to send their most senior executives to Latin America.
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Mr. Needham : It is a matter for individual Ministers to decide whether it is appropriate for a business team to accompany them, although this is now increasingly done. United Kingdom companies invited to join the business teams are encouraged to be represented at levels which will maximise the opportunities offered by the visits. This is generally at senior executive or board level which was the case, for example, with the recent visit to Brazil by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Unfair Consumer Contracts Directive
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 22 June, Official Report , column 231 , on what basis he has formed the view that the European directive on unfair consumer contracts does not apply to the sale of real property ; what steps he has taken to ensure that this is the view of the European Commission and the European court ; and what assistance and support is available to any British company required to defend an action in Europe seeking to apply the directive to real property.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 1 July 1994] : The recitals to the directive make it clear that the intention is to prevent the use of unfair terms in contracts for the sale or supply of goods or services. Since real property is neither a good nor a service the presumption must be that the scope of the directive does not extend to transactions in real property, but it would be for the courts, if necessary, to rule on whether a particular contract term fell within the scope of the Directive. Any dispute must be settled by the parties to that dispute.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 22 June, Official Report , column 231 , if he will make a statement setting out precisely his understanding of the term "goods" in connection with the European directive on unfair consumer contracts.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 1 July 1994] : The term goods is not defined in the Unfair Contract Terms Directive. In the United Kingdom goods are generally taken to mean moveable as opposed to fixed property. It would be for the courts, if necessary, to interpret the terms used in the directive.
Electricity Supply
Mr. Ainger : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what were the green ticket payments made to Electricite de France in 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94 for electricity supplied through the interconnector ;
(2) which regional electricity companies act as agents for Electricite de France in the distribution of green ticket payments for electricity supplied through the inter connector.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 11 July 1994] : These are commercial matters for the parties concerned.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much electricity in megawatt hours and percentage terms was supplied to the English and Welsh electricity markets from (a) British fossil-fuelled power stations, (b) hydro-electric stations, (c) other British renewable sources, (d) Electricite de France from nuclear and or hydro-electric sources and (e) Electricite de France from fossil-fuelled power stations.
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Mr. Eggar [holding answer 11 July 1994] : In 1993, the electricity supplied to the public distribution system in the United Kingdom--that is, excluding electricity generated by companies for their own use--was as follows :
|GWh |Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------
Fossil fuelled power stations |215,667 |68.0
Nuclear stations |80,979 |25.0
Hydro-electric stations |3,676 |1.0
Other renewable sources |1,470 |0.5
Net imports from France |16,716 |5.0
The electricity imports from France are from Electricite de France. Those regional electricity companies with output contracts with EdF can show that the electricity that they import from France is supplied from designated nuclear stations.
Fossil Fuel Levy
Mr. Ainger : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much in cash and percentage terms of the fossil fuel levy paid by the electricity consumers was paid in each of the last three financial years to (a) Nuclear Electric, (b) British renewable energy electricity generators and (c) Electricite de France.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 11 July 1994] : Electricite de France does not receive payments from the fossil fuel levy. Payments to Nuclear Electric and British renewable electricity generators, in cash terms and as a percentage of levy receipts in the relevant year, have been as follows :
B
Nuclear Electric Renewables
Year |£ millions|per cent. |£ millions|per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------
1991-92 |1,281 |97 |12 |1
1992-93 |1,291 |96 |29 |2
1993-94 |1,139 |92 |68 |6
Note: The balance of levy receipts is used to finance payments to
British Nuclear Fuels plc in respect of nuclear electricity
generated by its plant, and to cover certain other costs such as
administration costs.
Regional Assistance
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out the total expenditure in 1993-94 on regional finance assistance to industry to the (a) Northern, (b) Yorkshire and Humberside, (c) east midlands, (d) south-west, (e) west midlands and (f) north-west regions.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 7 July 1994] : Information on total expenditure on regional financial assistance in 1993-94 is not yet finalised. It will be published in the next edition of "Regional Trends" produced by Central Statistical Office.
Post Offices (Peckham)
Ms Harman : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the future of all branch and sub-post offices in Peckham in the event of any change in status of the Post Office.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 7 July 1994] : The Government have set out their views on the future of the nationwide network of post offices in their Green Paper "The Future of Postal Services". I know of no reason why post offices in Peckham should be treated differently from those in other parts of the country.
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Fire Safety Regulations
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to alter fire safety regulations on flame-proof material for children's night clothing and for furnishings.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 11 July 1994] : The fire safety regulations that control the fire retardency of children's night clothing are the Nightwear (Safety) Regulations 1985. The regulations concerned with furnishings are the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, as amended. Both those sets of regulations were considered as part of the overall review of legislation under the Deregulation initiative. To establish whether any changes to those regulations were necessary, my Department has taken account of the responses
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received during consultation with individual businesses, trade associations, local authorities, fire prevention, medical and consumer interests. After considering the results of the review, I have no plans to propose amendments to the nightwear regulations or the furniture and furnishings regulations.Running Costs
Mr. Milburn : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide a table showing the running costs of his Department in each region for each year since 1987-88.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 11 July 1994] : Following is the running cost expenditure for each regional, now Government, office :
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£'000
|1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North East |2,726 |3,141 |<1>3,385|4,247 |4,396 |4,696 |5,256
North West |2,755 |3,685 |3,609 |3,610 |4,099 |4,470 |4,835
Yorkshire and Humberside |1,601 |2,098 |2,300 |2,685 |2,872 |3,065 |3,394
East Midlands |1,116 |1,431 |1,594 |1,728 |1,863 |2,142 |2,378
West Midlands |2,042 |2,571 |2,945 |3,134 |3,640 |4,067 |4,691
South West |1,011 |1,390 |1,459 |1,616 |1,706 |1,924 |2,245
South East |1,389 |2,427 |2,664 |2,875 |3,094 |3,418 |4,053
Eastern |- |- |<2>392 |1,123 |1,310 |1,515 |1,777
<1>Responsibility for import licensing transferred to North East Region during 1989-90.
<2>Separate office for Eastern region established in October 1989 (formerly part of South East
Office).
WALES
Snowdonia
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were killed or injured while walking or climbing in the Snowdonia national park in 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : This information is not held centrally.
Development Board for Rural Wales
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many legal actions were initiated by the Development Board for Rural Wales which were (a) discontinued and (b) settled out of court for each year in the period 1983 to 1993 ;
(2) if the legal fees incurred by the Development Board for Rural Wales form part of its management running costs ;
(3) how much the Development Board for Rural Wales spent on legal fees in each year in the period 1983 to 1993.
Mr. Redwood : I have asked the chief executive of the Development Board for Rural Wales to write to the hon. Member and will arrange for a copy of his reply to be placed in the Library of the House.
Welsh Development Agency
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many legal actions were initiated by the Welsh Development Agency which were (a) discontinued and (b) settled out of court for each year in the period 1983 to 1993.
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Mr. Redwood : I will arrange for the chief executive of the agency to write to the hon. Member and for a copy of his letter to be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the legal fees incurred by the Welsh Development Agency form part of its management running costs.
Mr. Redwood : Legal fees are charged to the relevant budget within the agency, including, where appropriate, management running costs.
South Glamorgan Health Authority
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the legal fees incurred by the South Glamorgan health authority form part of its management running costs.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : South Glamorgan health authority's procurer management running costs for 1993-94 included legal fees.
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many legal actions were initiated by the South Glamorgan health authority which were (a) discontinued and (b) settled out of court for each year in the period 1983 to 1993.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much the South Glamorgan health authority spent on legal fees in each year in the period 1983 to 1993.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information requested is as follows :
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South Glamorgan health
authority's expenditure
on legal fees
|£
------------------------
1983-84 |24,698
1984-85 |0
1985-86 |0
1986-87 |0
1987-88 |27,395
1988-89 |26,283
1989-90 |44,755
1990-91 |142,532
1991-92 |178,298
1992-93 |128,202
1993-94 |104,114
Source: South Glamorgan
Health Authority Annual
Accounts.
Dental Services
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for the period January to March the statistics on the active registrations of capitation patients for dental treatment in each family health service authority area in Wales, disaggregating the figures by each category and, for each, giving the actual number of patients and the take- up rate for each age group per 100 local population.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information is given in the following table, showing patients according to the age groups used by the Dental Practice Board.
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Active registrations of capitation patients by family health service authority and age group at end
March 1994<1>
0-2 year olds 3-5 year olds 6-9 year olds 10-14 year olds 15-17 year olds
|Number |Rate<2>|Number |Rate<2>|Number |Rate<2>|Number |Rate<2>|Number |Rate<2>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |2,670 |16.7 |9,644 |60.5 |15,621 |74.7 |18,768 |71.8 |9,732 |63.2
Dyfed |2,134 |17.1 |6,923 |53.7 |11,651 |66.6 |15,088 |68.2 |7,817 |63.5
Gwent |3,347 |17.8 |10,972 |58.1 |17,390 |72.5 |20,292 |71.7 |10,172 |63.4
Gwynedd |1,275 |14.5 |4,578 |50.9 |7,249 |63.8 |9,532 |64.6 |4,868 |57.4
Mid Glamorgan |3,583 |15.9 |12,360 |52.7 |19,806 |65.9 |23,481 |66.6 |11,229 |57.4
Powys |626 |14.7 |2,554 |58.6 |4,002 |69.1 |4,874 |65.2 |2,572 |59.3
South Glamorgan |4,141 |23.5 |11,366 |64.8 |17,190 |78.5 |19,811 |78.7 |9,192 |66.5
West Glamorgan |4,304 |30.8 |9,901 |69.7 |15,367 |80.1 |18,271 |79.0 |8,892 |68.4
<1> Excludes lapsed registrations (registrations lapse in December if no visit has been made in the
previous calendar year).
<2> Per hundred resident population. 1992 mid year estimated population data has been used.
Fishing, River Dee
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from nets fishermen on the River Dee ; and if he will make a statement.
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