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Overseas Trade Board
Mr. Bayley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 26 March, Official Report, column 475, what reasons were given for the resignation of each of the two members of the Overseas Trade Board who resigned in March 1995, the four members who resigned in May 1995 and the member who resigned in September 1995. [25255]
Mr. Nelson: Sir Alan Cockshaw, Professor Fleming, Mr. Gillibrand, Mr. Dewe Matthews and Mr. Reeves had each served more than the usual three-year term. Sir Michael Bett and Sir Desmond Pitcher resigned because of extensive commitments elsewhere.
Insolvency Service
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the cost of the project to examine whether to contract out the work of the Insolvency Service. [25540]
Mr. Oppenheim: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hillsborough (Mrs. Jackson) on 5 March 1996, Official Report, column 132.
Wolfendale Report
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant ot his letter of 4 March what action he
18 Apr 1996 : Column: 570
has taken to implement the Wolfendale report; and if he will make a statement on the authorship of the best practice guide. [25495]
Mr. Ian Taylor: The two recommendations of the Wolfendale report addressed to the Office of Science and Technology are being implemented. The contract for the "Best Practice Guide" has been awarded to Mr. Michael Kenward, and the survey into existing levels of public understanding of science and technology is being undertaken by Professor John Durant of Imperial college, London. The latter project is being co-sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation.
My Department has drawn the report's other recommendation to the attention of the relevant organisations.
Hubble Space Telescope
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's letter of 2 April to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, if he will make a statement on the European Space Agency--NASA--agreement negotiations in relation to the Hubble space telescope. [25496]
Mr. Ian Taylor: The European Space Agency, ESA, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have yet to begin formal discussions on Europe's contribution to the refurbishment of the Hubble space telescope, planned for 1999. These are, however, due to take place in the next few months.
Patent Office
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many contractors are employed in the Patent Office information technology services department; at what cost; and if he will make a statement. [24267]
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 2 April 1996]: There are 36 specialist contract staff in information technology services employed to supplement existing permanent civil servants and to make good deficiencies in the Patent Office's IT skills base. Their individual costs reflect the market rate for particular specialisms but, in 1995-96, the average cost was £61,000. They are supplied on short-term renewable contracts by a range of organisations selected through competitive tender.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the manufacturing balance of trade for each Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country for each year since 1979. [24779]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 16 April 1996]: The answer is in the table.
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| 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | -9.1 | -10.5 | -13.7 | -14.5 | -11.1 | -14.0 | -15.1 | -16.5 |
| Austria | -1.6 | -2.5 | -0.7 | -0.1 | -0.7 | -0.3 | 0.0 | -1.1 |
| Belgium-Luxembourg | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.7 |
| Canada | -10.4 | -8.1 | -10.5 | -3.1 | -5.7 | -7.2 | -8.7 | -10.3 |
| Denmark | -3.7 | -2.2 | -1.1 | -1.6 | -1.1 | -1.7 | -2.4 | -4.5 |
| Finland | 1.6 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| France | 11.5 | 7.3 | 8.8 | 3.4 | 6.3 | 8.9 | 7.3 | 1.3 |
| Germany | 59.1 | 63.2 | 61.7 | 67.5 | 58.7 | 59.5 | 67.5 | 89.4 |
| Greece | -4.2 | -3.8 | -2.9 | -3.0 | -2.8 | -2.7 | -2.9 | -3.6 |
| Iceland | -0.4 | -0.5 | -0.5 | -0.5 | -0.3 | -0.3 | -0.4 | -0.6 |
| Ireland | -3.2 | -2.9 | -2.5 | -1.6 | -0.9 | -0.7 | -0.3 | -0.2 |
| Italy | 24.2 | 18.2 | 23.8 | 24.2 | 27.3 | 23.9 | 24.7 | 28.7 |
| Japan | 72.6 | 95.1 | 116.4 | 104.6 | 110.9 | 128.5 | 134.7 | 160.2 |
| Mexico(3) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Netherlands | -4.7 | -3.9 | -0.5 | -0.1 | -0.1 | -0.5 | -2.1 | -4.7 |
| New Zealand | -2.2 | -2.4 | -2.7 | -2.9 | -2.4 | -3.1 | -3.0 | -3.3 |
| Norway | -2.8 | -3.8 | -4.1 | -4.8 | -3.6 | -3.7 | -4.7 | -8.4 |
| Portugal | -1.0 | -1.7 | -2.3 | -2.0 | -0.9 | 0.3 | 0.5 | -0.3 |
| Spain | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 5.0 | 4.5 | -1.1 |
| Sweden | 3.9 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 6.5 |
| Switzerland | 2.6 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
| Turkey | -2.3 | -2.5 | -2.5 | --1.8 | -2.0 | -1.8 | -1.3 | -3.0 |
| UK | 3.6 | 8.9 | 3.6 | 0.3 | -7.7 | -8.4 | -7.2 | -12.1 |
| USA | -2.1 | 12.2 | 5.2 | -10.7 | -38.2 | -88.6 | -112.8 | -144.9 |
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18 Apr 1996 : Column: 571
| 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | -16.6 | -20.5 | -26.0 | -23.6 | -22.5 | -23.5 | -24.5 | -24.3 |
| Austria | -2.3 | -2.5 | -3.3 | -4.1 | -5.4 | -5.7 | -5.1 | -6.7 |
| Belgium-Luxembourg | 4.5 | 9.7 | 10.5 | 10.1 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 16.0 | 18.4 |
| Canada | -12.5 | -21.7 | -22.2 | -18.4 | -20.7 | -20.0 | -19.0 | -10.5 |
| Denmark | -3.8 | -2.8 | --2.8 | -2.3 | -2.4 | -0.4 | 0.0 | -0.4 |
| Finland | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 6.8 | 7.6 |
| France | -4.5 | -9.0 | -10.6 | -13.0 | -6.4 | 0.2 | 9.7 | n/a |
| Germany | 104.9 | 112.6 | 112.6 | 107.5 | 66.4 | 77.1 | 83.7 | 94.5 |
| Greece | -4.3 | -5.3 | -7.5 | -9.8 | -11.0 | -11.6 | -11.7 | -10.6 |
| Iceland | -1.0 | -0.9 | -0.7 | -1.0 | -1.1 | -1.1 | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| Ireland | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Italy | 27.8 | 24.8 | 26.9 | 31.8 | 30.3 | 29.9 | 57.1 | n/a |
| Japan | 163.4 | 173.0 | 168.3 | 167.6 | 191.4 | 218.6 | 230.2 | 237.0 |
| Mexico(3) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | -16.7 | -13.4 |
| Netherlands | -6.1 | -3.9 | -5.3 | -6.8 | -7.4 | -9.2 | 0.5 | -0.5 |
| New Zealand | -4.1 | -3.7 | -4.8 | -5.2 | -4.2 | -4.9 | -4.8 | -5.5 |
| Norway | -8.5 | -7.9 | -6.9 | -8.1 | -7.3 | -7.8 | -7.9 | -9.2 |
| Portugal | -2.3 | -4.5 | -3.7 | -5.4 | -6.2 | -7.9 | -5.0 | -5.0 |
| Spain | -7.1 | -12.4 | -17.4 | -20.2 | -21.8 | -22.5 | -9.1 | -8.2 |
| Sweden | 5.2 | 5.5 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 10.0 | 11.8 |
| Switzerland | 0.2 | -0.2 | -1.0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 6.3 | 8.1 | 0.0 |
| Turkey | 6.8 | -1.6 | -1.8 | -5.2 | -5.3 | -5.3 | -10.2 | -2.8 |
| UK | -16.3 | -30.4 | -30.4 | -23.4 | -10.7 | -18.0 | -27.4 | -14.0 |
| USA | -152.0 | -147.0 | -132.9 | -102.9 | -79.9 | -99.7 | -133.8 | n/a |
Note:
(2) Manufactured goods are defined as sections 5 to 8 of the standard international trade classification.
(3) Comparable data for Mexico for 1979 to 1992 are not available.
Source:
OECD Series C.
OECD Impex 1995.
International Trade--World Trade Organisation.
18 Apr 1996 : Column: 571
18 Apr 1996 : Column: 571
Mr. Cunningham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the United Kingdom manufactured balance of trade for each year since 1979; and what was, in each year, the percentage change from the previous year. [24778]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 16 April 1996]: The balance of trade for manufactured goods is published by the Central Statistical Office in the monthly review of external trade statistics, which is available in the Library of the House. It is also available on the central shared database, which can be accessed from the Library of the House.
18 Apr 1996 : Column: 572
Mr. Cunningham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the level of manufacturing capital investment in (a) the west midlands and (b) the United Kingdom for each year since 1979; and if he will express the figures in (i) real terms and (ii) percentage change on the previous year. [24780]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 16 April 1996]: Figures for capital investment in manufacturing industry in the west midlands are not available in real terms. Figures for the United Kingdom are shown in the table.
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| £ million (constant 1990 prices) | Growth from the previous year (per cent.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 13,558 | 5.6 |
| 1980 | 12,307 | -9.2 |
| 1981 | 9,985 | -18.9 |
| 1982 | 9,518 | -4.7 |
| 1983 | 9,413 | -1.1 |
| 1984 | 10,975 | 16.6 |
| 1985 | 12,710 | 15.8 |
| 1986 | 12,097 | -4.8 |
| 1987 | 12,641 | 4.5 |
| 1988 | 13,846 | 9.5 |
| 1989 | 14,984 | 8.2 |
| 1990 | 14,227 | -5.1 |
| 1991 | 12,803 | -10.0 |
| 1992 | 11,828 | -7.6 |
| 1993 | 11,104 | -6.1 |
| 1994 | 11,831 | 6.5 |
| 1995 | 12,736 | 7.6 |
Mr. Cunningham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the manufacturing output in (a) the west midlands and (b) the United Kingdom for each year since 1979 in real terms; and what was the percentage change in each year against the previous year. [24782]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 16 April 1996]: Figures for manufacturing output in the west midlands are not available in real terms. Figures for the Untied Kingdom are shown in the table.
| 1990 =100 | Growth from the previous year (per cent.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 90.6 | -0.2 |
| 1980 | 82.8 | -8.6 |
| 1981 | 77.7 | -6.2 |
| 1982 | 77.6 | -0.1 |
| 1983 | 79.2 | 2.1 |
| 1984 | 82.2 | 3.8 |
| 1985 | 84.5 | 2.8 |
| 1986 | 85.6 | 1.3 |
| 1987 | 89.6 | 4.7 |
| 1988 | 95.9 | 7.0 |
| 1989 | 100.2 | 4.5 |
| 1990 | 100 | -0.2 |
| 1991 | 94.6 | -5.4 |
| 1992 | 94.0 | -0.6 |
| 1993 | 95.1 | 1.2 |
| 1994 | 99.2 | 4.3 |
| 1995 | 101.1 | 1.9 |
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