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Gas Industry
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last met the Director General of Gas Supply to discuss the future of that industry; and if he will make a statement. [28559]
Mr. Eggar: My right hon. Friend has not met the Director General of Gas Supply since becoming President of the Board of Trade. However, I last met her on 17 January. I am very pleased with the way competition is developing as are those consumers in the south-west now buying cheaper gas.
Aerospace Industry
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the collaborative arrangement on the development of an engine for the new generation of super-jumbo aircraft between General Electric and Pratt and Whitney on the United Kingdom aero-engine manufacturing sector; and if he will make a statement. [29408]
Mr. Eggar: My officials have had preliminary discussions with Rolls-Royce. I shall continue to monitor the situation.
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from the Society of British Aerospace Companies on the United Kingdom aerospace industry; and if he will make a statement. [29407]
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Mr. Eggar: My Department and the Society of British Aerospace Companies issued a joint statement on 29 November 1995 outlining specific ways in which the Government can assist the aerospace industry and maintain an active dialogue on the key issues for the continuing success of this important industry.
Research Councils
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Linlithgow of 7 May, Official Report, column 45, from which existing budget the additional sums allocated to the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council came. [29489]
Mr. Lang: The additional sums allocated to the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council for international subscriptions came from the science budget. Details are provided in the booklet, "Allocation of the Science Budget 1996-97", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Financial Assistance
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 363, if he will state, with reference to the register of personal financial interests of members of his Department's regional industrial development boards and external advisers, (a) its location, (b) the information that is required to be declared, (c) if it is a single document and (d) if the declarations of financial interest are mandatory. [28299]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 7 May 1996]: Details of regional industrial development board members financial interests are held on registered files in the appropriate Government offices. The declaration of interests is a mandatory requirement for appointment. The files are not available for public scrutiny to maintain legitimate personal and commercial confidentiality.
Details of financial interests of external advisers, which are being collected in response to the recommendations of the internal report on ROM Data, are maintained on the same basis as for members of regional boards.
Bomb Bags
Ms Jowell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received concerning the banning of bomb bags; and if he will make a statement. [29406]
Mr. John M. Taylor: My Department has received four written and three oral representations about the safety of bomb bags and the nuisance which they can cause. The safety of toys such as bomb bags is controlled by the Toys (Safety) Regulations 1995, which specify safety requirements which all toys must meet. Day-to-day enforcement of the regulations is the responsibility of local authority trading standards officers who have the necessary powers to remove products from the market if they consider them to be unsafe. My Department has ensured that trading standards departments are aware of the issues raised by these products.
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Arms Exports
Mr. Mullin: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to review the export credit arrangements for arms sales; and if he will make a statement. [28390]
ECGD's role is to encourage United Kingdom capital goods and project exports by providing insurance against the risks of not being paid by overseas customers. Whether or not individual arms consignments are allowed to go overseas is a matter for the DTI's export licensing unit. Any exports which need an export licence, but do not have one, are not eligible for ECGD cover. ECGD support for defence and civil business is available on the same basis.
Business Links
Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 7 May, Official Report, column 43, which business links operate as divisions of training and enterprise councils. [29471]
Mr. Page: The following business links operate as divisions of TECs, as at 14 May 1996:
Lincolnshire
Milton Keynes
Oldham
St. Helens
Sunderland
Sussex
Thames Valley
Wolverhampton.
Catering Industry
Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many catering firms will be excluded from applying to the loan guarantee scheme from 1 September in each region of Great Britain. [29017]
Mr. Page: Given that eligibility for the loan guarantee scheme depends on factors other than business sector it is not possible to determine how many catering firms will be excluded.
Late Payment
Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 1 May, Official Report, column 546, on what day his Department will be publishing the table of results of all departments and their agencies for 1995-96. [29329]
Mr. Page: The table of results for 1995-96 departmental payment performance is currently being collated and will be published at the earliest possible opportunity before the summer recess of the House.
Oil and Gas Installations (North Sea)
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many of the offshore oil and gas industry installations in the United Kingdom sector of the North
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sea could be disposed of at sea under the present legal provisions; and what is the total weight of these installations in metric tonnes. [29336]
Mr. Page: The Government have made it clear that the decommissioning of offshore installations will be consistent with our international obligations, including the International Maritime Organisation's guidelines and standards for the removal of offshore installations. Application of the IMO guidelines and standards to the UK continental shelf--UKCS--means that shallow water installations in less than 75 m of water will be entirely removed. That represents almost three quarters of all UKCS fixed installations. It is likely that they will be returned to shore. In deeper waters, installations may be partially removed provided that there is at least 55 m of clear water above any remains. Around 60 fixed installations fall in to this category representing a total weight of some 3.3 million tonnes. Decisions on their decommissioning and disposal will be taken on the basis of an assessment of the best practicable environmental option in order to arrive at the appropriate solution in each case.
Sellafield (Safety)
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place in the Library the correspondence on safety at Sellafield between the Minister of State and the executive director of Greenpeace UK. [29328]
Mr. Page: Lord Fraser made clear, in his answer in the other place on 15 April, that it is not for him to place copies of correspondence instigated by a Member of that House in the Library of the House. I have nothing to add to his reply.
Electro-magnetic Comparability Directive
Mr. Timms: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the impact on United Kingdom industry of the European Union's electro-magnetic comparability directive; and what advice he has issued since it became enforceable. [28988]
Mr. Lang: The Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Regulations, (Statutory Instrument 1992 No. 2372) implementing directive 89/336/EEC came into force on 1 January 1996. It is too early to assess their impact on industry in the United Kingdom, although an initial compliance cost assessment--CCA--estimated that between 2 and 5 per cent. could be added to design costs, this cost being lower as the proportion of designs which took account of EMC requirements from the outset increased. Manufacturers thus had a period of six years in which to design the necessary protection and immunity requirements into their products. By meeting the harmonised requirements and CE marking their products, manufacturers gain access to markets throughout the European economic area.
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