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Electro-shock Equipment
Mrs. Clywd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what occasions (a) Security Defence Marketing Services and (b) Compass Safety International have (i) requested and (ii) been granted an export or transhipment licence with regard to electro-shock batons. [23026]
Mr. Oppenheim: It has been the practice of successive Administration not to reveal details of applications for export licences or export licences. However, in view of the current public interest in the matter, I am prepared, by way of exception, to confirm that, from 1991, the point from which records are readily available, there were no such occasions.
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 2 March 1996, Official Report, column 716, what was the country of origin and receipt for the 1993 licence for the transhipment of electronic batons. [23028]
Mr. Oppenheim: I refer the hon. Member to the Minister for Science and Technology's letter to her of
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3 August 1995 in response to her question tabled on 17 July 1995. For the reason given in that letter, I am not prepared to release any further details about this matter.
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade to what extent human rights considerations were taken into account before the granting of transhipment licences for electro-shock equipment in 1993. [23027]
Mr. Oppenheim: The same consideration was given to this application as applies to all others.
Parcel Force
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if Parcelforce has a monopoly on foreign parcels coming into the United Kingdom from overseas; and what responsibility they have for claims for loss or damage. [23403]
Mr. Oppenheim: Parcelforce has a monopoly on foreign parcels that enter the UK under Universal Postal Union arrangements. Claims for loss and damage on items for delivery by Parcelforce in the UK would normally be settled by the overseas post office. Parcelforce would pay claims on any items posted in the UK for delivery abroad.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what obligations are placed on Parcelforce to deal with complaints and claims for loss or damage to parcels posted to the United Kingdom from overseas. [23402]
Mr. Oppenheim: The Universal Postal Union parcels agreement specifies how claims for loss or damage for incoming international parcels posted to the UK should be handled. The Post Office is a party to the agreement and its procedures for claims for such parcels comply with it.
Meat Industry (Job Losses)
Ms Walley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made in respect of (a) Staffordshire and (b) each other county of the number of (i) temporary and (ii) permanent job losses in the meat industry following the recent developments in respect of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. [24101]
Mr. John M. Taylor: At the moment, no estimate has been made by my Department.
Birds Eye Walls
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what steps he will take to ensure that the Monopolies and Mergers Commission delivers to his officials investigating Birds Eye Walls provision of misleading information, all necessary papers, including transcripts of oral evidence, relating to the 1994 investigation into ice cream; [24458]
- (2) if he will now refer Birds Eye Walls to the Director of Public Prosecutions in respect of the ice cream market. [24457]
Mr. John M. Taylor: I am satisfied with the co-operation which I am already receiving from the
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Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Any criminal investigation that might be required will be undertaken by my Department and not by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Guinness plc
Mr. Maxton: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he plans to publish the report drawn up by the inspectors from his Department into the affairs of Guinness plc following their appointment by his predecessor in December 1986. [24356]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The inspectors have not yet completed their inquiries into the membership and affairs of Guinness plc and in consequence are not in a position to submit a final report. When they are, it will be carefully considered for publication.
Unregulated Gasoline
Dr. Michael Clark: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the sale from garage forecourts of lead replacement gasoline not regulated by a specific British standard. [24810]
Mr. Page: At the time of the last Budget, the Government decided to remove most of the excise duty advantage from higher octane unleaded petrols, which include lead replacement gasoline. The drafting of British standards is the responsibility of the British Standards Institution, BSI.
Waste Minimisation
Ms Ruddock: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on progress in establishing an office waste minimisation strategy for his Department, indicating the targets set. [24512]
Mr. Page: The Department plans to commission an independent study to improve existing information about office waste with a view to setting a waste minimisation target by the end of this year for its headquarters offices.
Nuclear Fuel (Reprocessing)
Mr. Purchase: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the (a) direct and (b) incidental costs of processing spent fuel from advanced gas-cooled reactors. [24707]
Mr. Page: The terms for the reprocessing of spent advanced gas-cooled reactor--fuel are a commercial matter for British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.--Nuclear Electric Ltd. and Scottish Nuclear, the companies with which BNFL has contracted to do this work. The accounts for Nuclear Electric plc and Scottish Nuclear for 1994-95, the latest available year, show the amounts provided for this work.
Mr. Purchase: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the full financial liability for processing all spent advanced gas-cooled reactor fuels will fall on the owners of the advanced gas-cooled reactor stations following privatisation. [24706]
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Mr. Eggar: As I have stated on numerous occasions, we have established the basic principle that assets will be followed by the associated liabilities. I can confirm that full financial liability for spent reactor fuel will fall on the owners of the reactors following privatisation.
Helms-Burton Act
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the impact of the Helms-Burton legislation on British businesses. [22614]
Mr. Nelson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Lloyd) on 1 April 1996, Official Report, column 8.
Small Business
Ms Jowell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total number of new businesses with fewer than 100 employees established in each of the last four years, and how many were set up by women. [22793]
Mr. Page: Figures of the number of businesses registered for VAT for 1992 to 1994, the latest year for which date are available, are given in the table:
| Year | VAT registrations (thousand) |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 187 |
| 1993(15) | 191 |
| 1994(15) | 190 |
Note:
(15) Figures for 1993 and 1994 include adjustments to allow for the increase in the VAT threshold in November 1993
Source:
DTI Small Firms Statistics Unit.
About 45 per cent. of all businesses are VAT registered, so the total number of start-ups can be expected to be around double the number of new registrations.
Almost all new businesses will have fewer than 100 employees. Research by Barclays bank plc found that women accounted for 27 per cent. of start-ups in 1995, compared with around 25 per cent. earlier in the 1990s.
Mr Dalyell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what input the United Kingdom has into the International Atomic Energy Authority investigation of Muroroa atoll; and who will be considering, on behalf of the United Kingdom Government, the geological stability of the site.[23153]
Mr. Oppenheim:
The International Atomic Energy Authority has undertaken, at the invitation of the French Government, to assess the radiological situation of the atolls of Muroroa and Fangataufa. The study will, inter alia, assess the geological stability and hydrology of the atolls. Experts from the United Kingdom will take part both in the study and in the high-level international advisory committee of scientists who will provide scientific guidance and direction to the IAEA on all matters related to the conduct of the study.
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