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PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 7 November. [1093]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I have been asked to reply.
This morning, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. My right hon. Friend has now departed for Bordeaux to attend the Anglo-French summit.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
World Trade Organisation
Mr. Simpson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) when papers relating to the World Trade Organisation review in Singapore in December will be placed in the Library; [2319]
- (2) when Her Majesty's Government propose to produce a paper for the World Trade Organisation review. [2317]
Mr. Lang: My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary and I will shortly lay before Parliament a White Paper setting out the Government's approach to trade policy and its interaction with UK foreign policy.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade who will be representing Her Majesty's Government at the World Trade Organisation review to be held in Singapore in December. [2238]
Mr. Lang: I will lead the UK delegation to the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in December in Singapore.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what preparations have been made by Her Majesty's Government for the World Trade Organisation review to be held in Singapore in December. [2280]
Mr. Lang: The Government have made extensive preparations for the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in Singapore on 9 to 13 December, in conjunction with the European Commission and other EU member states and in consultation with UK business, consumer and other interested organisations.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if her Majesty's Government are a signatory to the European policy paper for the World Trade Organisation review in December; and if he will make a statement. [2277]
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Mr. Lang: The Government have discussed European policy towards the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in December in Singapore, in the Council of Ministers. The most recent discussion took place on 29 October when the Council agreed conclusions to serve as guidelines for the EU in preparation for the meeting.
My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary and I will shortly lay before Parliament a White Paper setting out the Government's approach to trade policy and its interaction with UK foreign policy.
Fireworks
Mr. Snape: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from the Fire Brigades Union about the control and sale of fireworks; and if he will publish his reply. [2274]
Mr. John M. Taylor: I received a considered and detailed response from the Fire Brigades Union covering all the issues set out in my Department's discussion document. I have not responded to each organisation on the comments they submitted, but all the views and suggestions received will be given careful consideration.
Milkmen
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made in the inquiry by the Office of Fair Trading into the preference by dairy companies for their own milk roundsman as opposed to an independent milkman. [2597]
Mr. John M. Taylor: This is a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading. I understand the hon. Member wrote to the DGFT on 8 August and that the deputy DGFT sent the hon. Member a holding reply on 28 August. In his letter, he informed the hon. Member that officials at the OFT were currently investigating this matter and that he would write to the hon. Member again when the investigating was complete. I understand that this remains the case.
Petrol Prices
Mr. Battle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the requirement on petrol retailers to advertise the price of petrol in litre units rather than gallons was introduced. [2664]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Petrol retailers have been required to display prices by reference to the litre since 1 October 1995, with the option of indicating the gallon-equivalent price alongside the price per litre.
Fossil Fuel Levy
Mr. Battle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the income to be generated from the fossil fuel levy in each year from 1996 to 2005; and what estimates he has made of the proportion that will be spent in each of those years on (a) renewables, (b) Magnox, (c) British Nuclear Fuels plc, (d) administration and (e) other. [2666]
Mr. Page: The Director General of Electricity Supply normally calculates the expected income from the fossil fuel levy annually, with the intention that income in each
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year matches expenditure. In respect of renewables, premium payments to generators under the first and second non-fossil fuel orders currently amount to almost £100 million. These will cease when their contracts finish in 1998. Payments to generators under the third NFFO order will rise as their projects come on stream, as would payments to generators under the fourth NFFO order which we intend to lay in 1997 and the fifth NFFO order in 1998. The future cost is estimated for the UK as a whole as a maximum of £150 million a year, but the actual cost could be substantially less than this if renewables continue to make good progress in converging towards the market price for electricity. The nuclear NFFO contracts will end in March 1998. In respect of Magnox, I estimate that payments in 1996-97 will amount to £680 million--of which £310 million relates to the period before the privatisation of British Energy--and to £123 million in 1997-98. Annual payments to BNFL are likely to amount to £25 million in both 1996-97 and 1997-98. The annual cost of administration of the levy scheme remains fairly constant at £400,000. There is no other expenditure from the levy.
Mr. Battle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to make further reductions in the fossil fuel levy. [2667]
Mr. Page: Responsibility for the calculation of the fossil fuel levy rests with the Director General of Electricity Supply. In July this year, the DGES announced that the levy rate would fall from 10 per cent. to 3.7 per cent. from 1 November 1996, and that he anticipated that it should be possible to maintain or reduce the rate from 1 April 1997.
Coal Mining
Mr. Battle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many people were employed in full-time equivalent terms in the coal mining industry in (a) 1992 and (b) 1996. [2665]
Mr. Page: Available information is as follows:
| Full-time | Part-time | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991(4) | 76,700 | 700 | 77,400 |
| 1993(4) | 32,400 | 400 | 32,700 |
| 1995(5) | 10,400 | 200 | 10,600 |
(3) Standard Industrial Classification 1992.
(4) Sources: Census of Employment September 1991 and September 1993, Office for National Statistics. The census of employment was conducted every two years, so data are not available for even numbered years.
(5) Source: Annual Employment Survey September 1995 (which replaced the biennial census of Employment) Office for National Statistics.
Financial Services Act 1986
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many criminal investigations have been undertaken since 1 January 1995 into alleged breaches of section 47 of the Financial Services Act 1986; and what (a) advice, (b) information and (c) assistance has been given by his officials to these investigations. [2632]
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Mr. John M. Taylor: Since 1 January 1995, one criminal investigation into alleged breaches of section 47 of the Financial Services Act 1986 has been undertaken. That investigation is being carried out by investigation officers, who are my officials, under the supervision of lawyers of my Department.
Pennine Commercial Holdings
Mr. Bernard Jenkin: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the inspectors appointed to investigate the affairs of Pennine Commercial Holdings plc have completed their report; and when it will be published. [3407]
Mr. Lang: The inspectors, Elizabeth Appleby QC and Peter Foss FCA, signed their report on 26 July 1996, thus completing the final stage of a series of inquiries, which commenced in 1983, into a group of six connected companies all of which were subsequently put into liquidation.
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