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Import and Export Control Act 1990
Ms Quin: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his Department's current policy towards the replacement of the Import and Export Control Act 1990. [41072]
Mr. Nelson: The consultation document, "Strategic Export Controls", Cm 3349, presented to Parliament in July 1996 sought views on whether there should be new primary export control legislation. When responses to that document have been fully considered, I shall inform Parliament of my conclusions.
Internet
Mr. Spellar: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his Department's estimate of the number of households in the UK connected to the Internet. [40938]
Mr. Ian Taylor: Six hundred and seventy-six thousand. This is an 87 per cent. increase on the 1995 figure, 362,000.
British Coal Land
Mr. Tipping: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions he has had with the chairman of British Coal about the transfer of land to English Partnerships; if he will list the sites involved; if he will account for delays in the transfer of this land; and when he estimates the transfer will be concluded. [40764]
Mr. Page: The disposal of British Coal property is a matter for the corporation. My Department maintains regular contact with British Coal as discussions on this matter continue.
British Coal Enterprise
Mr. Tipping: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what sums were received in respect to the (a) loan, (b) training and (c) workshop elements of British Coal Enterprise. [40430]
Mr. Page: The sale of British Coal Enterprise is a matter for British Coal. I understand that the corporation has not yet completed the sale of all of the activities of BCE.
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Atolls (Radioactivity)
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade pursuant to his answer of 2 May, Official Report, column 601, if he will make a statement on the work of the task groups and the working groups established by the International Atomic Energy Authority to assess the radiological situation of the atolls of Iluvovou and Fangataufa. [40379]
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 14 October 1996]: In a report to the recent International Atomic Energy Agency general conference, the secretariat of the agency gave details to member states of the progress made so far in the study of the radiological situation at the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa. I have instructed that a copy of this report be placed in the Libraries of the House.
The report gives details of the participation of United Kingdom experts mentioned in my answer of 3 April to the hon. Member, Official Report, columns 309-10.
The report of the international advisory committee is expected in early 1998.
Mr. Meacher:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from the United States Government in respect of making use of spare production capacity at the mixed oxide plutonium fuel production plant at Sellafield for the recycling of plutonium form dismantled nuclear warheads; and what new authorisations would be required for such recycling. [40445]
Mr. Page
[holding answer 14 October 1996]: None. It is not possible to comment in detail on what authorisations might be necessary were any such contacts to be contemplated. However, British Nuclear Fuels did wish to conclude a contract for the fabrication of MOX fuel from weapons grade plutonium, then an appropriate revision to the Sellafield site safety case would be required, and would need to be agreed with the regulator, the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the implications for the DRAWMOPS--decommissioning and waste management operational programmes--arrangements for nuclear waste management of the proposals for privatisation of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. [40513]
Mr. Page
[holding answer 14 October 1996]: The separation of the science and engineering services business, AEA-Technology, from UKAEA and its subsequent privatisation has no implications for DRAWMOPS nuclear waste management arrangements. DRAWMOPS will remain under the direct control of the UKAEA. There are no plans to privatise the residual UKAEA.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the nature of the arrangement his
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Department has with Cambertown Ltd. concerning the distribution of letters to hon. Members; what is the cost of the contract; and if he will make a statement. [40680]
Mr. John M. Taylor:
My Department makes arrangements from time to time with a number of companies, including Cambertown Ltd. for the storage and distribution of specific Government publications. The detailed costs of these arrangements are commercially confidential.
Hon. Members are sometimes included in the distribution of such publications, but there is no separate arrangement for this.
Mr. Battle:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff in his Department spend 50 per cent. or more of their time on energy-related matters; and how many of them work on press and publicity and public relations. [41288]
Mr. Page:
Within the Department I estimate that there are 412 staff spending 50 per cent. or more of their time on energy-related matters, including those staff employed in the oil and gas projects and supplies office. Six of these staff work on publicity, press and other media relations activity.
Mr. Battle:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what tonnages of stockpiled coal are currently held by power generators in England, Scotland and Wales; and what assessment he has made of the likelihood of their meeting demand over the next six months. [41290]
Mr. Page:
Latest available data are for the end of July 1996 when electricity generators in the United Kingdom held 7.7 million tonnes of coal in stock. Separate figures for England, Scotland, and Wales are not available.
I expect stocks to be adequate to maintain generation at coal-fired stations over the next six months.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what priorities to improve competitiveness have been revealed since March 1995 as a result of the link programmes on (a) genetic and environmental interactions in health, (b) waste minimisation through recycling, reuse and recovery in industry, (c) competitive industrial materials from non-food crops, (d) sustainable livestock production and (e) integrated approaches to healthy aging. [41226]
Mr. Ian Taylor:
These programmes are all addressing priorities identified by technology foresight panels. However, collaborative research projects funded through these programmes are only just beginning. These and subsequent projects will provide for research partnerships between companies and the science and engineering base, lasting several years. Based on experience from earlier Link programmes, they can be expected to take forward the development of new technology in high priority areas.
There are currently 15 Link programmes addressing foresight priorities and there has been extensive dissemination of information about each programme, with
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encouragement given to industry--including to small and medium-sized companies--to develop research partnerships with academic institutions, across a range of sectors.
Companies which become involved in the programmes the hon. Gentleman mentions can be expected to improve their competitiveness by exploiting the outcomes of their collaborative research projects in a range of markets.
Mrs. Bridget Prentice:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total expenditure on new buildings and premises by his Department and its agencies; and if he will indicate the square footage of new office space purchased or newly rented in each of the last five years. [41149]
Mr. John M. Taylor:
Within my Department, management of property is delegated to a series of property centres to maximise synergy with business operation. The DTI headquarters property centre has acquired only one new building over the past five years. To replace premises on which the lease had expired, we acquired in March 1995 about the same amount of new space--20,094 sq.ft.--at a total annual cost of £461,000.
I have asked the chief executives of the DTI's executive agencies to respond direct to the hon. Member.
Mr. Battle:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what capacity of electricity used in his Department's buildings is generated in a combined heat and power plant; and what plans he has to increase that capacity. [41313]
Mr. John M. Taylor:
Nil. My Department keeps under review the opportunities for using combined heat and power, but currently there are no firm plans to install such a system in our buildings.
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