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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Energy Prices

8. Mr. Jenkin: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the movement in energy prices for (a) industry and (b) the domestic consumer since the privatisation of the electricity industry. [28363]

Mr. Page: Between electricity privatisation in 1990 and the last quarter of 1995 electricity prices, in real terms, fell by 10.5 per cent. for industrial consumers and by 7.5 per cent., excluding VAT, for domestic consumers.

Export Markets

13. Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures the Government plan in order to encourage small businesses to develop export markets. [28368]

Mr. Page: Through the Overseas Trade Services Organisation, my Department now provides its best ever package of information, advice and practical assistance to British companies. Small businesses can take advantage of this support through business links.

Nuclear Industry (Privatisation)

21. Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the cost to his Department to date of the privatisation of the nuclear industry. [28378]

Mr. Lang: The Department of Trade and Industry had provision for expenditure of £25 million in the year 1995-96. Provisional expenditure figures will be published in July in the public expenditure outturn White Paper. Actual expenditure will be reported to Parliament through the appropriation account.

Manufacturing Output

24. Mr. Turner: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the growth in manufacturing output in the last three months. [28383]

Mr. Oppenheim: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Leith (Mr. Chisholm) earlier today.

Mr. Pike: To ask the President of the Board of Trade in which regions of England there has been a decline in manufacturing output since 1979. [28358]

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Mr. Lang: The information requested is not available. Overall, manufacturing output has risen by 12 per cent. since 1979. The latest CBI regional trend survey shows manufacturers are expecting strong output growth in all regions.

Visible Trade Deficit

26. Mr. Hutton: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on trends in the visible trade deficit in the last six months for which figures are available. [28385]

Mr. Nelson: The visible trade deficit averaged £1.14 billion per month in the six months to February and £1.05 billion per month in the previous six months.

Insurance Companies

27. Mr. French: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultation he has had with European Trade Ministers on the prudential supervision of insurance companies. [28386]

Mr. Nelson: There has been no need for discussions at ministerial level in the recent past. However, my officials regularly meet their European counterparts to discuss these issues, both bilaterally and in EU and other international forums.

Common European Currency

28. Mr. Livingstone: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the consequences of Britain joining a common European currency with a level of investment as a proportion of gross domestic product lower than that of the other participating nations. [28387]

Mr. Lang: We will agree to take part in a single currency only if it is in our national interest to do so, given the circumstances at the time. A full assessment of the benefits and disadvantages will be carried out nearer the time, before the decision is made.

Since 1979 business investment in the United Kingdom has risen by over a third and has been a greater share of GDP than in the other major EU countries.

Business Failures

29. Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many business failures there were in the first quarter of 1996. [28389]

Mr. Oppenheim: In the first quarter of 1996 there were, on a seasonally adjusted basis, 1,273 compulsory liquidations, 2,022 creditors' voluntary liquidations and 5,333 bankruptcy orders.

Gas Suppliers

30. Mr. Keith Hill: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure that the directors of private gas companies which fraudulently missell gas contracts to consumers are investigated by his Department. [28391]

31. Mr. Etherington: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will ask the Office of Fair Trading to carry out an investigation into complaints received by

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the Gas Consumer Council about companies which fraudulently attempt to switch customers from British Gas to other suppliers. [28392]

Mr. John M. Taylor: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Mr. Jamieson) earlier today.

Manufacturing Industry

32. Mr. Pearson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish his memorandum to the Treasury on future trends within manufacturing industry. [28393]

Mr. Lang: No.

Mr. Touhig: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish his memorandum to the Treasury on future trends within manufacturing industry. [28381]

Mr. Lang: No.

Child Labour

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had concerning restrictions on the importation of goods produced by child labour; and if he will make a statement. [28382]

Mr. Nelson: The Government deplore any exploitation of children and press all countries which have signed labour conventions to meet their obligations. We believe improvements in labour standards are more likely to result from economic growth through trade than by unilateral trade restrictions.

Mortality Study

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what date the report, "Mortality Study of Workers at a Patent Fuel Plant"--Institute of Occupational Medicine 1987--was received by his Department; what was the date of publication; and what action was taken in light of the report's findings. [27783]

Mr. Page [holding answer 2 May 1996]: I understand that the report, "Mortality Study of Workers at a Patent Fuel Plant," was published in December 1987 by the Institute of Occupational Medicine, an independent research body. Any action taken in light of that report is a matter for British Coal.

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what date the report "Toxicity Review 28, Cancer Epidemiology in Coal Tar Pitch Volatile-associated Industries" published in 1993 by the Health and Safety Executive was published; when it was received by his Department and what action was taken in light of the report's conclusion in respect of the risk of cancers in coke oven workers. [27785]

Mr. Page [holding answer 2 May 1996]: I understand that the report, "Toxicity Review 28", was published by the Health and Safety Executive on 14 April 1993. Any action taken in light of the report is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive and Commission.

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action Her Majesty's Government have taken in respect of the analysis of mortality rates by occupation

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in the Registrar General's occupational health decennial supplement in respect of lung cancer incidence in the occupational group labourers in coke ovens. [27715]

Mr. Page: Action taken in light of the Registrar General's occupational health decennial supplement is principally a matter for employers.

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when trade unions were informed following the publication of the 1987 "Mortality Study of Workers at the Patent Fuel Plant in the Cynon Valley"; what action was taken consequently by (a) management and (b) the unions; and what consultations took place into (i) the management and (ii) the unions involved in the industry following the "Toxicity Review 28, Cancer Epidemiology in Coal Tar Pitch Volatile-associated Industries" in 1992. [27796]

Mr. Page [holding answer 2 May 1996]: Matters relating to the 1987 "Mortality Study of Workers at a Patent Fuel Plant" are for British Coal. Matters relating to the report, "Toxicity Review 28" are for the Health and Safety Executive and the employers concerned.

Deregulation

Dr. Goodson-Wickes: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has to report on the deregulation initiative as it affects his Department. [28369]

Mr. Oppenheim: The deregulation initiative is making good progress in my Department. For example, we have laid six deregulation orders to date, and are pursuing radical improvements to the business environment through the Arbitration Bill, which, as the hon. Member will know, is before the House for consideration.

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