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Alzheimer's Disease

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will list the studies currently funded by the Medical Research Council into Alzheimer's disease and the amounts of money awarded for each study; and if he will make a statement; [16901]

(2) if he will make a statement on his Department's funding for research into Alzheimer's disease. [16900]

Mr. Ian Taylor: The DTI's support for research into Alzheimer's disease is funded through the research councils from the science budget.

Medical Research Council funding of research into Alzheimer's disease was £1.376 million in 1994-95, the last financial year for which complete information is available. The various research projects are listed, together with the corresponding amount of money:

1. Research carried out at MRC establishments:
MRC environmental epidemiology unit: Alzheimer's disease in relation to drinking water--£28,000.
MRC laboratory of molecular biology: the molecular biology of Alzheimer's disease--£536,000.
MRC neurochemical pathology unit:
Aluminium as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease--£320,00.
Human brain peptidases involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease--£120,000.
Transgenic models of cerebral amyloid deposition--£214,000.
A neuropsychological comparison of Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease--£38,000.
2. Grant-funded research:
Ninewells hospital, Dundee--department of clinical pharmacology: the glycobiology of the amyloid precursor protein--£35,000.
St. Mary's hospital, London: transgenesis as a mechanism to develop animal models of human disease--£22,000.

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Institute of Psychiatry, London:
A study of the association between Apo E e4 and Alzheimer's disease in a cohort of older hypertensive subjects--£27,000.
Modelling of Alzheimer's disease in transgenic mice--£49,000.
University of Cambridge--department of experimental psychology: immunotoxic lesions of primate cholinergic projections--£2,000.
University of Sussex: development of neuronal cell lines from normal and Alzheimer's disease patients; £3,000.

In addition, the MRC estimates that in 1994-95, a further £2.54 million was spent on research which was of some relevance to Alzheimer's disease.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council is also funding one research project related to Alzheimer's disease.

Babraham Institute: Candidate neuronal genes in cognition and ageing--£95,250 over three years.

Three other research councils, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council are also funding some research which is, or may prove to be, of relevance to Alzheimer's disease.

Exports

Mr. David Shaw: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total value of exports to (a) the middle east, (b) Iraq and (c) Iran between 1974 and 1979. [16906]

Mr. Nelson: The available information is given in the following table:

UK visible exports to the middle east(1)

Year	Middle east(1)	Iraq	Iran
1974	1,085.5	59.8	278.6
1975	1,767.8	137.1	494.7
1976	2,273.3	151.8	513.1
1977	3,068.7	167.4	658.4
1978	3,476.4	216.7	752.0
1979	3,081.7	201.2	231.8

Note:

(1) The middle east consists of: Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah etc., Oman, North Yemen, South Yemen, Iraq and Iran.

Source:

"Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom."

Machine Tools

Mr. David Shaw: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the levels of sales of machine tools to (a) the middle east, (b) Iraq and (c) Iran between 1974 and 1979. [16987]

Mr. Nelson: Information before 1979 is available only for those countries which accounted for a significant proportion of UK exports of machine tools or those for which machine tools formed a significant proportion of

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total UK visible exports. The available information is given in the table:

UK exports of machine tools(2)£ million, current prices

	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Cyprus	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.26
Syria	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.43
Lebanon	n/a	0.24	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.36
Israel	1.02	1.79	n/a	n/a	n/a	1.88
Jordan	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.22
Saudi Arabia	n/a	0.85	2.52	n/a	n/a	1.31
Kuwait	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.59
Bahrain	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.22
Qatar	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.28
Abu Dhabi	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.48
Dubai	n/a	0.27	n/a	2.47	n/a	2.63
Sharjah etc.	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.01
Oman	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.45
North Yemen	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.11
South Yemen	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.04
Iraq	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2.40
Iran	1.34	2.46	4.02	9.53	n/a	1.68
Middle east	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	13.34

Notes:

(2) Machine tools are defined as heading 715.1 in the Standard International Trade Classification (Revision 1) until 1977 and as heading 736 of SITC (R2) from 1978.

n/a = not available.

Source:

Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.

Osmium-187

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of osmium-187 exist in the United Kingdom; what licensing arrangements cover its import and export; and what is the current market price per kilogramme of osmium-187. [16756]

Mr. Oppenheim: Osmium 187 is a constituent of naturally occurring osmium--1.6 per cent. abundance. It is not subject to either export or import control.

The price per gram is approximately £10.

I am not aware that the 187 isotope is available in the UK in a separated form. Any inquiries to discover the quantities of Osmium 187 could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Export Controls

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to publish a consultation paper with proposals for (a) new legislation in place of the Import, Export and Customs Powers (Defence) Act 1939 and (b) export licensing procedures suitable for peacetime requirements. [17233]

Mr. Oppenheim: The Government are currently considering Sir Richard Scott's recommendations and will be publishing a consultation paper.

Isle of Wight (Expenditure)

Mr. Barry Field: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total expenditure by his Department on the Isle of Wight in 1994-95 broken down by category. [16770]

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Mr. Ian Taylor: The Department has regional information on the following programmes in the Isle of Wight area:

1994-95

	£
Regional Selective Assistance	159,634
Business Enterprise Services Budget	150,000
Business Link Pump Priming Budget	100,000
Regional Enterprise Grants for Innovation Projects	73,500

There was other departmental expenditure on the Isle of Wight which cannot be broken down on an area basis or where the work necessary to do so would result in disproportionate cost.

Departmental Officials (Interests)

Mr. Cohen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the officials in his Department who have declared a current interest; what requirements are placed on officials to declare relevant interests; in what form records of such declarations are kept; and if he will establish a central register of officials' interests. [16881]

Mr. John M. Taylor: Each senior official and special adviser is required to make a declaration of his or her financial interests. This enables the Department to prevent potential conflicts of interest arising. In the case of other officials, conflicts of interest are dealt with by their line management. I have no plans to establish a central register.

Tripod Engineering (Iraq)

Mr. Cousins: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the cover on the contract between Tripod Engineering and the Government of Iraq signed on 8 November 1988 was taken up and forms part of the ECGD outstanding claims with respect to the Government of Iraq. [16316]

Mr. Oppenheim: Yes.

Duke Power

Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of whether Duke Power of North Carolina is a suitable potential buyer for nuclear power stations in the United Kingdom. [17532]

Mr. Eggar: No assessment has been made as the contact was a preliminary and indirect one.

Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on Duke Power's safety record and its experience of operating gas-cooled reactors. [17533]

Mr. Eggar: Duke Power does not own or operate any power stations in the UK. The advanced gas-cooled reactor power stations are unique to the UK. Any operator in the UK needs to satisfy the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate that it has the ability to meet the high standards of safety which the NII demands before it can be licensed to operate a nuclear installation.

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