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Plantsbrook Group plc
Mr. David Evans: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report into the Service Corporation International plc Great Southern/Plantsbrook acquisition will be published.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Monopolies and Mergers Commission is due to report on the acquisition of Plantsbrook Group plc by Service Corporation International on 24 March. The Department aims to publish MMC merger reports within 20 working days of receipt.
Voluntary Agreements
Mr. David Evans: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what powers he or the Director General of Fair Trading have to review voluntary agreements entered into to avoid references to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Director General of Fair Trading has a continuing responsibility to keep commercial activity under review. That can extend to voluntary agreements or undertakings and the degree of compliance with them. Where he considers it appropriate, the director general can make a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
Gas Consumers Council
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the reduction in the Gas Consumers Council's budget for 1994 95; and what assessment he has made of the impact of these cuts on the staffing of the council.
Mr. Eggar: The Gas Consumers Council grant-in-aid for 1994 95 is £2,711,000, a reduction of £209,000 on the previous year. it is for the council to decide how best to use its resources, including staffing levels, to carry out its duties.
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Gas Bill
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide additional resources to (a) the Office of Fair Trading, (b) the Office of Gas Supply, and (c) the Gas Consumers Council to reflect their increased work load as a consequence of additional responsibilities contained in the Gas Bill.
Mr. Eggar: I do not believe that the Gas Bill will add materially to the responsibilities of the Office of Fair Trading and the Gas Consumers Council. The number of Ofgas staff will rise by about 50 when the Director General of Gas Supply takes over the DTI's functions for gas metering as envisaged under the Gas Bill. In addition, some 10 to 20 posts plus consultancy support may be needed at Ofgas to manage the transition to a competitive market, although this should fall once a fully competitive market is established.
Newspapers
Mr. Hardy: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will consider the increased carriage charges faced by retail newsagents from monopoly supplying wholesalers;
(2) what representations he has received about the examination by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission of the newspaper industry in respect of carriage charges.
Mr. Jonathan Evans [holding answers 9 March 1995]: The National Federation of Retail Newsagents has raised this matter in correspondence, as has Lekkerland UK.
The MMC report on the supply of newspapers in England and Wales gave no adverse public interest finding in respect of carriage charges, and no power arose to act on them.
However, a reference to carriage charges was included in the voluntary code of practice to govern the supply of national newspapers agreed with the industry following publication of the MMC report., This reference ensures that such charges are not used as a means of circumventing the prohibition on refusal to supply, by making supply economically unattractive to new applicants. If new retailers feel that their carriage charges are incorrect, they should take the matter up in the first instance with the wholesaler. If this does not resolve the dispute the retailer should make use of the arbitration procedure set out in the code of practice.
Mr. Bill Michie: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will reconsider the matter of carriage charges in the newspaper trade following the recent increases.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Monopolies and Mergers Commission's 1993 report on the supply of newspapers in England and Wales included no adverse public interest findings in respect of carriage charges, and therefore no power arose to act on them.
However, a reference to carriage charges was included in the voluntary code of practice to govern the supply of national newspapers, agreed with the industry following publication of the MMC report. This ensures that such charges are not used as a means of circumventing the prohibition on refusal to supply by making supply economically unattractive to new applicants. If new retailers feel that their carriage charges are incorrect, they should take the matter up in the first instance with the
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wholesaler. If this does not resolve the dispute, the retailer should make use of the arbitration process set out in the code of practice.Electricity Bills
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the percentage of unpaid electricity bills last year overall and in each of the electricity company areas.
Mr. Page: This is a matter for the companies concerned.
Gas Bills
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the percentage of unpaid gas bills last year overall and in each of the gas company areas.
Mr. Page: This is a matter for the companies concerned.
Rom-Data
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the circumstances that led to Rom-Data in Cornwall receiving a grant; and what steps he is taking to recover the money.
Mr. Page [holding answer 9 March 1995]: My officials lodged an invoice with the liquidator of Rom-Data in January seeking recovery of the grant paid to the company. Otherwise, I have nothing to add at present to the answers given to earlier questions from the hon. Member.
Companies House
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the full cost of the consultancy work carried out by SRU/MMD Ltd. on the privatisation review of Companies House since it was appointed in October 1992 until he made his announcement on the future of Companies House on 20 December 1994, Official Report, column 1046.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The cost of the consultancy work was £283,000 excluding VAT. I have already written to the hon. Member correcting my earlier answer on this subject and a copy of that letter has been placed in the Library of the House.
Northern Electric
Mr. McWilliam: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contact Sir Charles Powell had between 1984 and 1991 with civil servants in connection with the Trafalgar House bid for Northern Electric; with whom he was in contact; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jonathan Evans [holding answer 9 March 1995]: None.
Mr. McWilliam: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contact or communication Ministers or officials in his Department had with Sir Charles Powell as non-executive director of Trafalgar House, in connection with (a) the Trafalgar House bid for Northern Electric and (b) the subsequent decision not to refer the bid to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Jonathan Evans [holding answer 9 March 1995]: At a meeting on 1 December 1994, Sir Charles Powell advised my right hon. Friend for Energy and Industry of the possibility of Trafalgar House making a bid for Northern Electric and asked whether the Government had any plans for early redemption of the special shares in regional electricity companies.
On 15 December, my right hon. Friend confirmed that the Government would retain their special shares in the RECs until 31 March 1995 and that they would not be redeemed early. In his role as Minister with responsibility for the energy industry, my hon. Friend met Mr. David Morris, chairman of Northern Electric, on 19 January 1995 and Sir Charles Powell, on behalf of Trafalgar House, on 23 January. At both meetings, and in accordance with our usual procedures, my right hon. Friend made it clear that he could listen only to the companies' views about the bid and could not discuss the bid itself. In addition to these meetings, a number of letters were received from Sir Charles and others on behalf of Trafalgar House, and from Northern Electric and others on behalf of Northern Electric. Sir Charles also made a number of telephone calls to officials in the office of my right hon. Friend about procedural matters relating to the bid. The content of these calls was not referred to Ministers. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade was not involved in any of these contacts between Sir Charles and the Department.
Mr. McWilliam: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions or communications Mrs. Annabel Keswick, political adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, had with Ministers and civil servants in the Department of Trade and Industry in respect of the Trafalgar House bid for Northern Electric.
Mr. Jonathan Evans [holding answer 9 March 1995]: None.
Mr. McWilliam: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what account was taken of the recommendations of the Foreign Affairs Committee on its third Session report of Session 1993 94, HC 271, on the Pergau dam relating to Trafalgar House in evaluating that company's bid for Northern Electric;
(2) what evaluation he made of the relationship between Trafalgar House and Jadine Matheson when deciding not to refer the Trafalgar House bid for Northern Electric to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jonathan Evans [holding answer 9 March 1995]: In making his decision not to refer the bid to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade took account of all relevant factors. His decision was in accordance with the advice of the Director General of Fair Trading.
Coach Companies
Mr. Meacher: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will refer the activities of (a) Stagecoach and (b) Badgerline to the Office of Fair Trading on the grounds of predatory pricing.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Director General of Fair Trading will consider any complaints of anti-competitive behaviour which the hon. Member puts to him.
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Arms Sales (Burma)
Mr. Miller: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the value of British arms sold to Burma since 1990.
Mr. Ian Taylor: For reasons of commercial confidentiality, it has been the policy of successive United Kingdom Governments not to disclose details of defence trade with individual countries.
Energy Paper 65"
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assumptions he has made in "Energy Paper 65" concerning the amount of coal likely to be burnt in English and Welsh power stations in the year 2000; and what was provided by RJB Mining to prospective investors as likely to be sold to English and Welsh power stations in 2000.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: The amount of coal burnt in power stations is not an assumption, but rather a result of the modelling process described in "Energy Paper 65" paragraph 2.26. Estimates of the coal tonnage burnt in 2000 in English and Welsh coal power stations vary between 23 to 38 million tonnes. I understand RJB Mining plc prospectus contains its estimates.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what levels of gross domestic product growth are assumed in the central forecasts to 2000 in "Energy Paper 65"; and how this figure compares with current Treasury forecasts.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: In the central GDP growth scenarios in "Energy Paper 65", gross domestic product is assumed to grow by an average rate of approximately 3.1 per cent. per annum between 1994 and 2000. This compares with a current Treasury assumption of an average GDP growth rate of about 3.2 per cent. per annum over the same period.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what evaluation his Department has made of the discrepancies between the central forecasts for United Kingdom carbon emissions in 2000 made in "Energy Paper 65" and those published by DRI/McGraw Hill on 13 February.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: The detailed assumptions which underlie DRI's forecast for the UK have not been made public.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what independent peer review process he has undertaken before publishing "Energy Paper 65".
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: In the course of developing the models used for the projections in "Energy Paper 65", discussions took place with various experts in the energy modelling field. In addition the following two papers have been published which discuss the research then in progress:
Hodgson, Derek and Miller, Keith (1995) "Modelling UK energy demand", in Barker, T., Ekins, P. and Johnstone, N. (eds) "Global Warming and Energy Demand", London: Routledge.
Miller, Keith (1993) "The DTI Energy Model", in Hawdon, D. (ed) "Recent Studies of the Demand for Energy in the UK", Guildford: Surrey Energy Economics discussion paper series.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assumptions have been made regarding the contribution of combined cycle gas turbines to the
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generation mix in 2000 in "Energy Paper 65"; and what proportion is assumed to be operating at baseload.Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: It is estimated that between 16 and 18 GW of CCGT capacity will be in place in 2000. In most of the scenarios all the CCGT capacity runs on baseload. The details of electricity supply industry capacity are given in annexe C.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has included within "Energy Paper 65" any carbon emissions from energy extraction processes within the North sea.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: The treatment of offshore emissions in "Energy Paper 65" is consistent with the national atmospheric emissions inventory and takes into account offshore carbon dioxide emissions from gas flaring and from fuel used for production.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made in "Energy Paper 65" of the likely carbon savings which the Energy Saving Trust will achieve in 2000.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: In "Energy Paper 65", 1.6 million tonnes of carbon are assumed to be saved by the Energy Saving Trust in 2000.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made in "Energy Paper 65" of the likely carbon savings which will occur by 2000 within industry; and if he will provide a breakdown of the contribution that will be made by each relevant Government initiative.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: By 2000, it is estimated that savings of between 2 million and 2.5 million tonnes of carbon will be made within the business sector, which comprises industry and commerce. "Energy Paper 65" estimates show that the energy saved is likely to be less carbon-intensive than was assumed in the original climate change programme. The carbon savings comprise emissions saved directly in the business sector through lower consumption of fossil fuels and indirectly in the electricity supply industry through lower electricity demand from businesses. "Energy Paper 65" does not separately distinguish all the individual Government initiatives in the business sector.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what independent research he has commissioned to assist him in the preparation of "Energy Paper 65".
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: The development by the science policy research unit of a boiler and combined heat and power model was part funded with the private sector. This model has been run by DTI as part of the "Energy Paper 65" exercise. In addition, both DTI and DOE have various on-going research programmes with the Building Research Establishment and energy technology support unit.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assumptions he has made in "Energy Paper 65" concerning the likely output of Magnox power stations in 2000.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: The Magnox stations owned by Nuclear Electric and British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. are assumed to be producing around 20 TWh in 2000.
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Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what implications for local environment air quality he envisages as a consequence of the increased diesel car usage in 2000 forecast in "Energy Paper 65".
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: "Energy Paper 65" does not assess local air quality, but a recently published report by the energy technology support unit--"UK Petrol and Diesel Demand: Energy and Emissions Effects of a Switch to Diesel"--commissioned by the Departments of Transport and Trade and Industry, projected significant overall reductions in both national and urban emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen and particulates from vehicle exhausts by the year 2000, compared with 1990. These projections took into account the expected improvements from tighter emission standards already agreed, as well as projections of traffic growth and vehicle mix in line with those of "Energy Paper 65".
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assumptions are made in "Energy Paper 65" regarding the relationship between the growth in domestic product and the growth in energy demand; and how these differ from the assumptions made in "Energy Paper 58".
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: The growth in gross domestic product is one of a number of factors influencing energy demand. Paragraphs 3.4 to 3.16 of "Energy Paper 65" provide details of the GDP growth rate assumptions used in both "Energy Paper 65" and "Energy Paper 58". The primary energy ratio gives an indication of the overall relationship between the GDP an energy demand. Paragraphs 6.8 to 6.9 describe the energy ratio in the new projections. This can be compared with "Energy Paper 58", where the primary energy ratio declined by 0.1 to 1 per cent. per annum between 1990 and 2005.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the methodology employed in the collection of carbon emission figures in "Energy Paper 65" is identical to the methodology employed by the intergovernmental panel on climate change.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: The emissions projections in "Energy Paper 65" are based on the United Kingdom's national atmospheric emissions inventory and are consistent in almost all respects with the methodology recommended by the
intergovernmental panel on climate change. The net effect on the projections of the differences in methodologies is broadly neutral.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made in "Energy Paper 65" of the likely carbon savings which the imposition of 8 per cent. value added tax on domestic fuel will achieve in 2000.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 7 March 1995]: The central estimate from the "Energy Paper 65" projections for the likely carbon saving brought about by the imposition of 8 per cent. VAT on domestic fuel is approximately 0.4 MtC in 2000.
Post Offices
Mr. Spearing: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidelines he has approved between Post Office Counters and the Post Office Users National Council concerning the relocation of Crown post offices; and if he will list cases where such guidelines have not been followed.
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Mr. Page: This is a matter for the Post Office and the Post Office Users National Council.
A. F. Budge Ltd.
Mr. Tipping: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he (a) received the report from the receiver and (b) expects to make a decision in respect of A. F. Budge.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: A report under the provisions of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 was received from the joint administrative receivers of A. F. Budge Ltd. on 28 September 1993. Proceedings for disqualification against three directors of A. F. Budge Ltd.--Anthony Frederick Budge,Mrs Janet Budge and Michael Austin Yates-- were commenced on 8 December 1994.
Regional Assistance
Ms Walley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade whom he consulted in respect of regional assistance given by his Department within the remit of the Industry Act 1972.
Mr. Page: Regional assistance is now given under the Industrial Development Act 1982. My officials consult as necessary to establish whether a project is eligible to be considered for assistance and whether the project meets the criteria of the regional selective assistance scheme.
Construction Tile Industry
Ms Walley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade which consultants and at what cost advised his Department in respect of sector analysis of the construction tile industry in each of the last five years.
Mr. Page: My Department is not the sponsor Department for this sector. However, in maintaining a body of market analysis for a range of departmental work, my Department uses the published material of a number of market research consultancy firms.
Interreg
Mr. Wigley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much money there has been allocated by way of the Interreg II fund from the EU for projects in (a) Wales, (b) England, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) the Republic of Ireland.
Mr. Eggar: The Commission divided Interreg's 2,900 mecu budget between 2,300 mecu for the objective 1 areas and 600 mecu for the rest. Within each of these totals, the poorer eligible areas have larger allocations per head. The figures are:
|Allocation|Population|Per capita
|£ million |thousands |£
----------------------------------------------------------------
Objective 1
All |1811 |22,146 |82
Northern Ireland |52.7 |1,358 |36
Republic of Ireland |105.1 |1,735 |61
Other
All |472.4 |46,859 |10
Wales |10.6 |595 |18
England |22.3 |2,238 |10
Pensions (Derivatives)
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information he has about the value of pensions business currently handled by United Kingdom insurance companies; what information he has concerning the extent to which such insurance companies are trading in derivatives; what steps he is taking in the light of the Baring affair to issue guidance to such
derivative-trading insurance companies; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jonathan Evans [holding answer 9 March 1995]: Premium income received by UK insurance companies during 1993 in respect of personal and occupational pensions business was estimated to be £14.6 billion.
United Kingdom insurance companies may be end users of derivatives but should not be traders. Provided they have adequate controls over their use, insurance companies may prudently use derivatives for the purposes of reducing the investment risks inherent in their portfolio or for efficient portfolio management. My Department issued guidance to all UK insurers in December 1994 setting out the objectives which an adequate system of control over their investments, including derivatives, must be able to satisfy. At the same time, we asked companies for a state of play report on the extent to which their systems complied with the guidance and, where necessary, on what remedial action they had put into effect. We are currently reviewing the responses and will take such follow-up action as is necessary.
HEALTH
Nebulisers
Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if nebulisers are available on prescription in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.
Mr. Sackville: Hand-operated nebulisers are available on general practitioner prescription. It is for health authorities to make decisions about the best use of their resources on the basis of clinical priorities and local needs. Hospital consultants may prescribe equipment such as powered nebulisers as part of national health service treatment. Health authorities may provide equipment prescribed as part of NHS treatment either permanently or on loan and in these circumstances no charge may be made.
Epilepsy
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about research into sudden unexplained death in epilepsy.
Mr. Bowis: The Department is aware of issues and concerns surrounding sudden unexplained death in epilepsy. However, I am not aware of any current research on this subject. The main agency through which the Government support medical and related biological research in the United Kingdom is the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and is always willing to consider scientifically sound proposals. The council has considerable relevant work on neuroscience research and has identified
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neurological disabilities, including epilepsy, as an area in which it wishes to encourage applications.Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths were attributed to epilepsy in the United Kingdom for each year since 1990 in each health authority for which information is available.
Mr. Bowis: Information on the number of deaths, by health authority, will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on co-operation with the Department for Education in ensuring that all schools have an active epilepsy policy.
Mr. Bowis: My officials will be consulting Department for Education officials as part of my Department's initiative on epilepsy, which I announced in the House on 17 January.
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to encourage an increase in the number of brain operations for intractable non-lesional epilepsy.
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