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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Kenya
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department has provided to Kenya in promoting family planning; what has been the birth rate for each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [15379]
Dr. Liam Fox: The crude birth rate in 1989 was 47 per thousand population. By 1994 it is estimated that the rate had declined to 42 per thousand population. Details of British development assistance for family planning are given in the table.
| Year | Project | Description | Total cost £ million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-94 | Population III | Clinic development, training programmes, NGO support | 4.6 |
| 1993-94 | Emergency supply of contraceptives | 50 million condoms and 200,000 vaginal foaming tablets | 1.02 |
| 1994 | Family planning services | Injectable contraceptives, disposable gloves, family planning clinical equipment sets, intra-uterine copper device insertion kits | 2.0 |
| 1995-96 | Family planning bridging project | 1 million doses injectable contraception (DepoProvera) and up to 30 million condoms | 1.45 |
| 1996-97 | Contraceptive supply | 1.1 million doses injectable contraception (DepoProvera) and up to 40 million condoms | 1.94 |
| 1996-97 | Family planning interim support project | To supply 2.45 million doses DepoProvera and 5 million condoms plus support to eight NGOs. | 3.5 |
We have recently committed an additional £11 million for strengthening reproductive health services in Kenya, for expenditure over the next five years.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Trade Fairs and Seminar Support
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the outstanding bids for trade fair and overseas seminar support in 1997-98. [15598]
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Mr. Nelson:
I am pleased to announce today that my Department will offer grants for the remaining 40 trade fairs not included in my statement on 17 January. The full programme for 1997-98 will thus comprise support for groups exhibiting at 300 trade fairs and 31 seminars abroad. I am putting a list of the further events into the Library of the House and my Department will be writing individually to all those who made bids to tell them the outcome.
Mr. Barnes:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what use his Department and its agencies make of postcode areas for the collection of data and in formulas for the distribution of grants and awards; and when such usages were last reviewed. [14800]
Mr. Greg Knight:
Postcodes are used to define the area covered by a survey of electricity and gas prices paid by industrial users in four United Kingdom cities in order to meet the requirements of an EU directive 9013771EEC. They are also used to fix the location of businesses within local authority areas and travel-to-work areas which determine eligibility for grants and awards. The Department does not otherwise use postcode areas in the collection of data and in distributing grants and awards.
Mr. Burden:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the working time directive applies to (a) all public sector employees and (b) employees of the privatised utilities. [15171]
Mr. John M. Taylor
[holding answer 10 February 1997]: The directive applies to all sectors of activity, both public and private, with certain exceptions. These exceptions cover: air; rail; road; sea; inland waterway and lake transport; sea fishing; other work at sea; the activities of doctors in training; and cases where characteristics peculiar to certain specific activities of the armed forces, police or civil protection services inevitably conflict with the directive.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the role of the ECGD in respect of the funding of a power station in Palau in 1983. [15207]
Mr. Nelson:
Records show that in 1983 the ECGD guaranteed an export credit loan to assist in the financing of a contract for the supply of a 15MW diesel generator power station to Palau. Following a default in 1985, the ECGD instructed the lending bank to exercise its security rights. This was successfully achieved and, as a result, the ECGD's guarantee terminated and the relevant files were closed.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the outcome of the trade mission led by Lord Fraser to Azerbaijan. [13712]
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Mr. Nelson:
Lord Fraser's mission comprised a group of British companies focused on the inspection, repair and maintenance sector for the oil and gas industry. Its objective was to assess the business opportunities available in the refurbishment of the badly run-down Azeri oil and gas production facilities. A number of significant opportunities were identified and discussed with senior authorities and several of the participating companies are to return over the coming weeks for detailed follow-up. During the course of the visit a substantial contract award was made to one of the companies on the mission.
The mission was regarded as very successful by those participating.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many EU funded networks in nanotechnology are based (a) inside and (b) outside the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [14969]
Mr. Ian Taylor
[holding answer 7 February 1997]: The European Commission's research and development information service database--CORDIS--indicates that there are at least 33 current (1997) nanotechnology projects, established with EU funding under the EC research and development framework programme. Of these 33 project consortia, three are networks. Organisations from the United Kingdom lead four of the projects and participate in 16. The data provided cover the areas of micro-submicro electronics and systems, nano-structures, nano-processing and high precision engineering.
In addition, a UK lead consortium, with partners in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Denmark is currently preparing a proposal for a nano-engineering network in response to already existing--and equivalent--networks in Japan and the US.
Mr. Derek Foster:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many applications have been made by his Department's officials under the business appointment rules in each year since 1989; and how many of these applications have been granted. [9779]
Mr. John M. Taylor
[holding answer 13 January 1997]: My Department, including those parts of the DTI that were transferred to the Department as a result of machinery of government changes, received the following applications:
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Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the proposed EU ban on the use of animals in cosmetic testing. [14779]
Mr. John M. Taylor:
The Commission has announced that it will be bringing forward proposals for a draft Council directive to ban the testing of finished cosmetic products on animals from 1 January 1998, but with certain dispensations for exceptional cases. United Kingdom toxicological advisers see no justification for dispensations and we intend therefore to press, in the negotiations, for a total ban on finished product testing.
Dr. Hampson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade to what extent the prices for electricity and gas have fallen for industrial users since the privatisation of these industries; and how average prices compare with those in other EU countries. [14595]
Mr. Page:
Between privatisation in quarter four 1986 and quarter three 1996, average UK industrial gas prices have fallen by 59 per cent. in real terms, whilst between privatisation in quarter two 1990 and quarter three 1996, average UK industrial electricity prices have fallen by 15 per cent. in real terms.
In 1995, the latest year for which comprehensive data are available, UK industrial gas prices were the lowest in the European Union, an improvement from sixth lowest in 1990. Electricity prices were in the mid range of prices--seventh lowest--an improvement on 10th lowest in 1990.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total funding of the local competitiveness budget and sector challenge fund for the next financial year; and if he will list the allocation of these funds by region. [15002]
Mr. Page:
The total funding for the local competitiveness budget in 1997-98 is £169 million. Allocations have been made to regions for the business link core services, regional supply network and investors in people parts of the budget. The level of expenditure in each region from the local challenge part of this budget will depend upon the quality of individual bids in each region. In addition, some of the budget is used at national level to support local activity, for example on business link publicity and on management best practice.
No applications were refused, although several were approved with various conditions and waiting periods attached.
(3) South West regional supply network includes £12,626 for Devon and Cornwall regional supply office.
(4) Merseyside regional supply network provision is included in the figure for the north west.
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