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European Framework Programme for Research and Technological Activities

Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the individual awards given to United Kingdom based companies under the European framework programme for research and technological activities in each of the years from the establishment of the programme. [12324]

Mr. Ian Taylor: Information on the funding provided to individual UK companies under the European Union's framework programme for research and technological development is held only by the European Commission and is not made available to member states.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the expenditure of his Department, his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies on all forms of overseas travel, overseas accommodation and other associated expenses for (a) 1979-80, (b) 1989-90, (c) 1991-92, (d) 1993-94, (e) 1994-95, (f) 1995-96 and (g) 1996-97. [11436]

Mr. John M. Taylor: Disaggregated information on the basis requested is not available for the Department and the non-departmental public bodies and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

I have asked agency chief executives to reply directly to the hon. Member as they have their own budgetary responsibility for travel and subsistence costs.

Letter from Peter Joyce to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:

The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your question about expenditure on overseas travel, accommodation and other associated expenses incurred by The Insolvency Service.


30 Jan 1996 : Column: 662

Letter from Seton Bennett to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:



    The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to your question about expenditure on overseas travel, accommodation and associated costs. I regret that disaggregated information on the basis you requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Letter from Michael Goddard to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:



    The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Competition and Consumer Affairs has asked me to reply to your Question about overseas travel and subsistence costs. The information for the Radiocommunications Agency, which is only available in an aggregated form, for the periods quoted is as follows:
    1991-92: £399,185
    1993-94: £454,503
    1994-95: £538,202
    1995-96: £633,263 (estimated outturn)
    1996-97: £615,864 (estimated)
    The Radiocommunications Agency was set up with effect from 2 April 1990. Expenditure on overseas travel and subsistence before that date was the responsibility of the DTI and is not available.

Letter from P. R. S. Hartnack to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:



    The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply, in relation to the Patent Office, to your Question about overseas travel.
    The total expenditure on overseas travel, including accommodation and associated expenditure is:
    1993/94: £172,921
    1994/95: £184,754
    1995/96: £245,000 (forecast)
    1996/97: £260,000 (forecast)
    Further disaggregation of the above and expenditure for 1979/80, 1980/90 and 1991/92 are not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Letter from R. D. Worswick to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 24 January 1996:



    The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about overseas travel by Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC), an executive agency of DTI.
    The following table sets out the information that is readily available.
    Amount excluding VAT
    1991/92: £77,000
    1992/93: £50,000
    1993/94: £72,000
    1994/95: £99,000
    1995/96: £78,000 (estimated to year end).
    Information on 1979/80 and 1989/90 could only be provided at disproportionate cost. A forecast for 1996/97 is not available.

Letter from David Durham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:

John M Taylor MP has asked me to reply in respect of Companies House Executive Agency to your question to the President of the Board of Trade on expenditure relating to overseas business travel by our staff for certain years since 1979.


30 Jan 1996 : Column: 663

Mr. Bruce: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of his Department's expenditure on newspapers and magazines in (a) 1993-94, (b) 1994-95 and (c) 1995-96, to date; and if he will list the publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available. [11437]

Mr. Taylor: Excluding its agencies, my Department's expenditure on newspapers and mass circulation journals for the years requested was as follows:


This includes expenditure on national daily and Sunday newspapers, regional newspapers, and mass circulation magazines and journals. A full list of titles cannot be supplied except at disproportionate cost. The titles taken change to meet the changing requirements of the Department.

I have asked each of the agency chief executives to write to the hon. Member about their expenditure on newspapers and magazines.

Letter from David Durham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:



30 Jan 1996 : Column: 664

Letter from R. D. Worswick to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 24 January 1996:



    The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about expenditure on newspapers and magazines by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC), an executive agency of DTI.
    We do not keep sufficiently detailed records of the newspapers and magazines purchased to provide a comprehensive reply to your question. The information sought could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
    However, expenditure on the provision of services by the library (including scientific journals, newspapers and magazines; books; and on-line searches) was as follows:
    Excluding VAT
    1993-94: £89,000
    1994-95: £108,000
    1995-96: £36,000

Letter from P. R. S. Hartnack to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:



    The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply, in relation to the Patent Office, to your Question about the purchase of newspapers and magazines.
    The total expenditure is shown below and a list of publications purchased for the present year is attached.
    1993-94: £50,903
    1994-95: £59,442
    1995-96: £42,674 (Year to 31 December 1995)
    The range of publications purchased reflects the need for patent examiners, in particular, to have state of the art knowledge of developments in their work area.


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30 Jan 1996 : Column: 667

Letter from Peter Joyce to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:


30 Jan 1996 : Column: 668

Letter from Michael Goddard to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:



    The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your Question about expenditure on newspapers and magazines.
    The information for the Radiocommunications Agency for the periods quoted is as follows:
    1993-94: £41,852.15
    1994-95: £28,982.76
    1995-96: £26,322.06 (to date).
    These figures include periodicals in non-paper format; ie microfiche, disc and CD-ROM.
    A list of current subscriptions, which runs to 19 pages and contains nearly 300 titles, is available if required.

Letter from Seton Bennett to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996:

The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to your question expenditure on newspapers and magazines. Until recently the cost of magazines was not separately identified with the result that we do not have a figure for the cost of magazines in 1993/94. The Agency's expenditure on newspapers and magazines in 199495 was approximately £1,500 and I expect this year's figure to be similar.


Mr. Bruce: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of expenditure on all forms of hospitality and entertainment by (a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies, for (i) 1979-80, (ii) 1989-90, (iii) 1991-92, (iv) 1993-94, (v) 1994-95, (vi) 1995-96 and (vii) 1996-97. [11433]

Mr. Taylor: Disaggregated information in the form requested in respect of the non-departmental public bodies, and for the financial year 1979-80 in respect of the Department and its agencies, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Figures for 1996-97 are still subject to the outcome of the Department's management information system for Ministers process. The other information requested is as follows:

Area of Department1989-901991-921993-941994-951995-96 Budget
£££££
Centre DTI (excluding net controlled agencies and trading funds)246,601399,720519,037516,357580,000
Net controlled agencies and trading funds
Accounts Service Agency(13)--300300300n/a
Companies House(14)--5,60011,54218,28912,300
Laboratory of the Government Chemist(15)--17,68527,12229,00033,000
National Engineering Laboratory(13)--36,00010,00013,5008,162
National Physical Laboratory(13)--45,88170,22183,79935,307
Patent Office(14)--8,00018,00015,14317,500
Radiocommunications Agency(13)--21,99333,57535,92148,388
Total535,179689,797712,309734,657

(13) Established as net controlled agencies after 1989-90.

(14) Information not readily available for period before attainment of trading fund status in October 1991.

(15) Information not available for this period and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Work previously carried out by the Accounts Services Agency, National Physical Laboratory was contracted-out on 1 April and 1 October respectively. The National Engineering Laboratory was privatised on 31 October 1995.

30 Jan 1996 : Column: 669

30 Jan 1996 : Column: 669

Mr. Bruce: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of departmental expenditure on administration for (a) 1979-80, (b) 1989-90, (c) 1991-92, (d) 1993-94, (e) 1994-95, (f) 1995-96 and (g) 1996-97. [11434]

Mr. Taylor: Total running cost expenditure, net of VAT, for both the gross and net controlled areas of the Department is set out in the following table:

£ million

YearDTI running costs
1979-80 outturn(16)66
1989-90 outturn(17)371
1991-92 outturn(17)433
1993-94 outturn(17)442
1994-95 outturn(18)401
1995-96 outturn(17)402
1996-97 plans(17)350

Source:

(16) Appropriation Accounts 1979-80, Volume 2: Classes IV-IX. This figure reflects the running costs for the then separate Departments of Trade and Industry. It does not reflect any machinery of government changes that took place after 1979-80.

(17) Trade and Industry Annual Report 1995.

(18) Appropriation Accounts 1994-95, Volume 4: Class IV.

The fall in expenditure over the years 1993-94 to 1996-97 reflects in part the contractorisation and privatisation of work previously carried out by the Department's agencies. The figures do not reflect the machinery of government changes announced on 5 July 1995. More up-to-date information will be published in March in the Department's 1996 annual report.

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