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Overseas Visits

Mr. Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a list of all overseas visits make by all Ministers of his Department since 1990, including (a) details of the places visited and brief reasons for the visits, (b) details of the size, composition and cost to public funds of the delegation and (c) the names of non-ministerial members of each delegation and the capacity in which each was present.[17485]

Mr. Gummer [holding answer 1 March 1996]: I have arranged for the available information about overseas visits to be placed in the Library. Providing the other information about other overseas visits that the hon. Member requests would involve disproportionate costs. I have assumed that the hon. Member does not include visits within the European Union in this category.

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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Telecommunications (Key Escrow)

Mr. Michael Brown: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 6 March, Official Report, column 229, in respect of key escrow services, who constitutes the network of trusted third parties. [20466]

Mr. Ian Taylor: As stated in my previous answer, discussions are still taking place. Nevertheless, we would expect to see an international market demand for TTP services, and as such would envisage commercial organisations meeting them.

Employment Rights Legislation

Mr. Burden: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those sections of the (a) Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, (b) Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and (c) Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act 1993, the implementation of which are the responsibility of (i) the Department of Trade and Industry, (ii) the Department for Education and Employment and (iii) other Government Departments, specifying which. [20339]

Mr. John M. Taylor: I shall write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Energy from Waste Plants

Mr. Battle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the cost of the study commissioned by his Department from the Water Research Council into the characteristics of ash from energy from waste plants; what advice he has received on the nature of this ash, and its place in the national waste classification system; if it is his Department's policy to support energy from waste plants; and if he will make a statement. [20462]

Mr. Page: The Department of Trade and Industry commissioned the Water Research Council to report on the properties and utilisation of municipal solid waste incineration residues, at a cost of £103,000. The report recommended that greatest effort should be given to the utilisation of bottom ash as secondary aggregate; an approach successfully employed in Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Ashes from the combustion of wood, coal and wastes are expected to be included in a new category in the third stage consultation on the waste classification scheme which the Department of the Environment will publish in April. Revenue from the beneficial use of bottom ash will help to improve the competitiveness of energy from waste projects which are supported by the non-fossil fuel obligation. Energy from waste projects also have the prospect of being developed outside the NFFO arrangements.

Post Offices

Mr. Connarty: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many conversions of Crown to agency status post offices (a) have been completed and (b) are proposed

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in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and each of the English regions; and if he will list the affected office in each case. [20394]

Mr. Oppenheim: I understand from the Post Office that the numbers of Crown post offices converted to agency status from March 1989 to the end of February 1996 by Post office Counters Ltd. regions are as follows:

Number
Scotland137
Northern Ireland11
North East82
North Wales and North West105
Midlands79
South Wales and South West114
North Thames and East Anglia159
South East135

A list of these 822 offices could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

I understand from the Post Office that the conversion to agency status of the following Crown post offices is currently proposed:


Trade Missions (Burma)

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much money has been allocated to funding trading missions to Burma; and if he will make a statement. [20393]

Mr. Oppenheim: The DTI has allocated £23,000 in the form of £1,000 grants to eligible UK companies which participated in the Asia Pacific advisory group trade mission to Burma between 26 February and 1 March 1996.

Exports (Burma)

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his policy on the sale of goods to Burma. [20330]

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Mr. Oppenheim: Except for the European Union defence embargo, there are no restraints on the export of goods to Burma.

Free Postage

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those persons and categories of persons who are entitled to free postage. [20522]

Mr. Oppenheim: Royal Mail provides free postage to registered blind people, visually impaired people and individuals or organisations posting certain items to blind or visually impaired people. This service allows packets containing articles which have been specially produced or adapted for blind or visually impaired people to be sent by first class post, free of charge. Some members of the royal family receive free postage to assist them in carrying out their public duties. Petitions and addresses to Her Majesty's the Queen and either House of Parliament can also be forwarded free of postage.

Mr. Hain: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of Thursday 25 January, Official Report, columns 317-18, what recent changes have been made to the list of members of the royal family and their households who receive free postage for their official mail. [20397]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 12 March 1996]: Since 1 March 1996 the Duchess of York and her staff have ceased to receive free postage.

Barnsley and Doncaster Training

and Enterprise Council

Mr. Redmond: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what funds his Department has provided to the Barnsley and Doncaster TEC in (a) 1994-95 and (b) 1995-96; and what amount is planned for 1996-97. [20723]

Mr. Page: Barnsley and Doncaster TEC has received funding for the support of small and medium-sized businesses from numerous Government and European sources. The main DTI support is the enterprise budget which was £362,500 in 1994-95 and £294,000 in 1995-96 and is forecast to be £368,000 in 1996-97.

Company Sizes

Mr. Meacher: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many employees currently work in firms with (a) one to 10 employees, (b) 11 to 20 employees, (c) 21 to 50 employees, (d) 51 to 100 employees, (e) 101 to 200 employees, (f) 201 to 500 employees, (g) 501 to 1,000 employees, (h) 1,001 to 2,000 employees and (i) over 2,000 employees; how many firms fall into each of these categories; and what percentage of the total number of firms is covered by each of these categories. [20854]

Mr. Page: Figures are not available by these size classes. The most recent estimates of the number of firms by employee size class are shown in the table.

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Table 1: Number of employees and businesses by size of business, end-1993

SizeEmployeesEnterprises
(Employees)NumberNumberPer cent.
002,589,41672.3
1-92,348,846790,50922.1
10-191,438,367107,0123.0
20-491,766,52058,8171.6
50-991,294,07018,8820.5
100-1991,197,5868,7260.2
200-4991,495,8284,9020.1
500+7,530,1153,2050.1
All17,071,3323,581,469100

Source:

DTI Small Firms Statistics Unit.


Technology Foresight Programme

Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place in the Library the progress report on the technology foresight programme. [20588]

Mr. Ian Taylor: Yes. Today I have placed copies of the report in the Libraries of both Houses.


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