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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Working Time Directive
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place in the Library the evidence in the working time directive case which the European Court examined. [4719]
Mr. Lang: It would be contrary to established practice to publish the pleadings in the case. Two pieces of scientific evidence were submitted by the UK. One was a table of fatal accident rates by industry, reproduced from OECD "Employment Outlook 1989", chapter 4, Occupational accidents in OECD countries, table 4.1 on page 143. The second was the report on health and safety aspects of working hours by Professor Harrington, which has already been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the total cost incurred by the Government in contesting the working time directive in (a) legal fees, (b) civil service time and (c) payments made to outside organisations or agencies. [4720]
Mr. Lang: Disbursements incurred in bringing legal proceedings relating to the working time directive in the European Court of Justice were in the region of £50,000. No records were kept of the time spent on the case by civil servants. Payments to outside organisations totalled around £11,000.
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Aerospace Exports
Mr. Caborn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list for each of the last three years the value of civil aerospace exports to the United Kingdom balance of payments. [5603]
Mr. Greg Knight: The value of UK exports of civil aerospace, and their contribution to the total current account credits, are given in the following table.
| 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK civil aerospace exports (£ billion) | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.2 |
| Civil aerospace exports as a proportion of total current account credits (per cent.) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.7 |
Source:
Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, HM Customs and Excise.
Business Links
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures his Department has put in place to ensure that business links advisers can provide support for the freelance inventors; and if he will make a statement. [5696]
Mr. Page [holding answer 25 November 1996]: All business links are expected to provide practical advice to their local business community on issues relating to invention and innovation. Most business links would expect to do so through the services either of their innovation and technology counsellor or their design counsellor.
The nature of the advice will vary from business link to business link, and according to the specific needs of the inventor. A number of business links hold regular surgeries or clinics which the freelance inventor could attend. In some cases, the local business link partners may have decided to delegate the responsibility for assisting freelance inventors to one of the partners, for example the Local Enterprise Agency. In other cases, the business link will have access to other local agencies--such as a business innovation centre--or to national organisations such at the Patent Office or the Institute of Patentees and Inventors.
Further practical help is available in that innovation and technology counsellors and design counsellors can issue innovation credits to provide a modest subsidy to assist their clients in seeking help on technology related issues. Over 260 innovation credits have been used for patent searches and intellectual property rights services.
Mr. MacShane:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the cost in the last 12 months of sending Ministers and officials to meetings in Brussels and elsewhere in Europe in connection with his Department's handling of EU business. [4940]
Mr. Lang:
The cost to the Department of Trade and Industry of visits to Europe related to EU business by Ministers, accompanied by a private secretary, in the last 12 months has been some £24,000.
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The Department is heavily involved in EU business in relation to a wide range of policy areas. Officials are continually involved in negotiation on EU legislation and policies affecting the UK. The cost of sending officials to meetings in Brussels and elsewhere in Europe on EU business could be identified only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. MacShane:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of his Department's time and resources are spent dealing with administrative and policy matters connected with British membership of the European Union. [4960]
Mr. Lang:
Many areas within the Department of Trade and Industry deal with matters connected with British membership of the European Union as part of wider responsibilities. The data requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 19 November, Official Report, column 515, (1) when he expects the completion of the criteria for potential lenders to the loan guarantee scheme; [6039]
Mr. Page:
We are aiming to complete the criteria for adding new specialist lenders to the scheme by the end of January 1997. At the same time we are working to identify possible candidates. Following this, we are aiming, as quickly as possible, to select the new lenders and add them to the scheme subject to the satisfactory conclusion of the necessary negotiations and legal work.
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 19 November, Official Report, column 515, how many loans were made (a) up to £30,000, (b) between £30,000 and £100,000, and (c) above £100,000. [6045]
Mr. Page
[holding answer 25 November 1996]: Of the 35,574 loans guaranteed between 1 April 1988 and 31 October 1996, the figures are:
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his discussions with the US Government on Libyan sanctions, and cases of British nationals who have allegedly transgressed UN sanctions. [5834]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor:
I have been asked to reply.
We regularly discuss UN sanctions against Libya with the US Government. Both Governments remain committed to the rigorous implementation of the sanctions until Libya has complied fully with UN Security Council resolutions 731 and 748.
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Any contravention of the legislation implementing these sanctions in the UK is a matter for the competent prosecuting authorities.
Mr. Alfred Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what recent representations she has received from the British Youth Opera; what reply she is sending; what action she is taking; and if she will make a statement. [3796]
Mr. Sproat
[holding answer 13 November 1996]: My right hon. Friend has received one recent representation from the British Youth Opera expressing concern about the level of public funding it receives, to which she has sent a reply.
Ministers set the overall framework for funding of the arts, but decisions on the distribution of funding, whether they concern the balance of funding between art forms or the allocation of grants to individual arts organisations, are taken by the Arts Council and 10 regional arts boards without the involvement of Ministers.
My right hon. Friend has drawn the correspondence to the attention of the chairman of the Arts Council of England.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many (a) regional and (b) London orchestras she has visited and listened to since her appointment. [5271]
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
Since becoming Secretary of State for National Heritage, I have enjoyed performances by a wide range of orchestras. Some have a main base in London. Many tour throughout the country or abroad, or have residencies outside London.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list those administrative decisions of her Department affecting (a) United Kingdom citizens and (b) non-citizens where there is no right of appeal. [6031]
Mr. Sproat
[holding answer 25 November 1996]: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions (a) her Department and (b) English Heritage have held concerning the leasing of land near Stonehenge for the construction of a dual carriageway on the A303 trunk road. [5543]
Mr. Sproat:
Neither the Department nor English Heritage have held any such discussions.
26 Nov 1996 : Column: 152
(2) pursuant to his answer of 19 November, Official Report, column 515, when he expects new specialist lenders in the technology sector to be added to the loan guarantee scheme list of approved lenders. [6043]
Loans up to £30,000: 24,932;
Loans between £30,000 and £100,000: 9,402;
Loans above £100,000: 1,240.
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