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Coal Stocks
Mr. Hardy: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the current level of coal stocks held by the coal and electricity generating industries; and what was the equivalent figure at the same period in (a) 1988, (b) 1990, (c) 1992 and (d) 1994. [2339]
Mr. Page: According to information provided to my Department by the coal and electricity generating industries, the level of stocks at the end of August 1996 and at the same period in 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1994 are as follows:
| Coal industry stocks | Electricity industry stocks | |
|---|---|---|
| August 1996 | 5,125 | 7,903 |
| August 1994 | 13,003 | 19,940 |
| August 1992 | 13,649 | 33,202 |
| August 1990 | 7,983 | 28,871 |
| August 1988 | 6,005 | 26,938 |
Source:
"Energy Trends."
Fireworks
Mr. Hawksley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he took to address issues related to fireworks in October. [2625]
Mr. John M. Taylor: I have undertaken a safety awareness campaign, consisting of 5 million safety advice leaflets distributed to the point of sale, as well as thousands of leaflets advising display organisers and retailers about handling fireworks. National television adverts and posters have also been used to reinforce the safety messages, and a safety video has been made available on request to primary schools.
In addition, my Department is undertaking a review of the controls on fireworks.
Computers (Century Date Change)
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the cost effects of the millennium date change on the computer systems operated by his Department. [2611]
6 Nov 1996 : Column: 590
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 5 November 1996]: My Department commissioned a study earlier this year to assess the effects of the millennium date change on the administrative computer system that it operates. The resulting report estimated that the necessary work would cost approximately £2.7 million. This cost excludes the replacement of non-compliant hardware and software which will be life-expired for other reasons. It also excludes the cost of work undertaken on computer systems operated by next steps agencies, which have their own programmes of work in respect of the millennium date change.
Paper and Pulp
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the President of the Board of trade what quantity of (a) paper and (b) pulp has been imported into the United Kingdom for each year since 1990; and what percentage these imports constitute of the total amount of paper and pulp used each year in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [2357]
Mr. Page: UK imports of paper and paperboard and pulp, in metric tonnes, are given in the table.
| Year | Paper and paperboard | Pulp |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5,698 | 2,058 |
| 1991 | 5,619 | 2,160 |
| 1992 | 5,976 | 2,159 |
| 1993 | 6,078 | 1,909 |
| 1994 | 6,864 | 2,054 |
| 1995 | 6,392 | 2,219 |
Source:
Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, HM Customs and Excise.
Information on the quantity of UK manufacturers' sale of paper, paperboard and pulp are commercially confidential. It is therefore not possible to calculate the imports share of UK consumption.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the countries from which the United Kingdom imports (a) paper and (b) pulp, stating for each the (i) tonnage and (ii) relative percentage of overall paper and pulp imports that it constitutes; and if he will make a statement. [2358]
Mr. Page:
The information for 1995 is given in the following table. UK imports fell by 3.5 per cent. from their peak in 1994.
| Country | Paper and board (MT)(24) | Pulp (MT) | Per cent. of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 1,440,481 | 214,645 | 19.2 |
| Finland | 1,408,548 | 134,699 | 17.9 |
| Canada | 390,004 | 380,692 | 9.0 |
| Germany | 744,255 | 16,623 | 8.8 |
| USA | 285,782 | 459,624 | 8.7 |
| France | 512,179 | 82,210 | 6.9 |
| Norway | 467,976 | 113,610 | 6.8 |
| Netherlands | 331,519 | 55,072 | 4.5 |
| Brazil | 80,081 | 175,281 | 3.0 |
| Spain | 77,712 | 111,839 | 2.2 |
| Portugal | 48,690 | 119,276 | 2.0 |
| Italy | 128,798 | 2,863 | 1.5 |
| Belgium-Luxembourg | 100,422 | 16,342 | 1.4 |
| Austria | 108,421 | 7,262 | 1.3 |
| Chile | 1,273 | 110,463 | 1.3 |
| Russia | 49,694 | 53,269 | 1.2 |
| South Africa | 9,465 | 84,149 | 1.1 |
| Irish Republic | 48,647 | 37,735 | 1.0 |
| Denmark | 38,176 | 113 | 0.4 |
| Poland | 31,727 | 0 | 0.4 |
| Rest of the World | 87,755 | 43,664 | 1.5 |
| World total | 6,391,606 | 2,219,432 | 100.0 |
Notes:
(24) Metric tonnes.
Pulp defined as division 25 of the Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3 (SITC3).
Paper and paperboard defined as heading 641 of SITC3.
Source:
Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, HM Custom and Excise.
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Royal Observatories
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement of the future of the royal observatories. [651]
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 5 November 1996]: The Government accepted the recommendations in the report of the prior options review of the royal observatories which had been endorsed by the council of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council. These were that the management of the overseas
6 Nov 1996 : Column: 592
telescopes and the provision of the instrumentation programme provided by the royal Greenwich observatory and the royal observatory Edinburgh should be subject to competitive tendering by all competent suppliers. PPARC is currently implementing the recommendations of the review with the intention of an invitation to tender being issued this month.
Import and Export Control Act
Ms Quin: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many times the Import and Export Control Act 1990 has been used by the Government in each of the past four years; and for what purposes. [1550]
Mr. Lang [holding answer 5 November 1996]: The sole purpose of this Act was to repeal section 9(3) of the Import, Export and Customs Powers (Defence) Act 1939.
Pure Science
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on United Kingdom policy on pure science. [535]
Mr. Ian Taylor: A prime aim of our policy is to develop the science and engineering base to enhance the skills levels, industrial competitiveness, wealth creation and the quality of life.