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Indonesia
Mr. Bercow: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to visit Indonesia. [6077]
Mrs. Beckett [holding answer 1 July 1997]: I have no plans to visit Indonesia at present.
Accountancy Firms
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will take steps to ensure that accountancy firms criticised in her Department's inspectors' reports are required to (a) state that they have understood the criticisms and (b) demonstrate that they have taken the required steps to deal with the shortcomings. [4825]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 25 June 1997]: Any consequential and continuing regulation of accountancy firms criticised in Inspector's reports is a matter for the firms recognised supervisory bodies.
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if she will list those accountants disqualified from public practice as a result of the criticisms of their conduct in her Department's inspectors' reports; [4818]
- (2) if she will list those accountancy firms whose affairs have been investigated following criticisms of their conduct in her Department's inspectors' reports. [4820]
Mr. Griffiths [holding answers 25 June 1997]: The investigation and disqualification from public practice of accountants and accountancy firms is a matter for their recognised supervisory bodies.
EU Structural Funds
Mr. Andrew George: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will recommend to the European Commission that Cornwall should be designated as a separate NUTS 2 region. [5428]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 1 July 1997]: The Government Statistical Service is this week sending its proposals for the UK's NUTS structure to Eurostat (the European Commission's statistical office). A copy of the full set of proposals will be placed in the Library of the House. The Government Statistical Service's proposals include, amongst others, the suggestion that Cornwall should be a separate NUTS level 2 area.
2 Jul 1997 : Column: 183
Mr. George:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many NUTS 2 level regions she will recommend to the European Commission in the present round of negotiations for EU structural funds; [5429]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answers 1 July 1997]: Eligible areas for the European Structural Funds will not change before the end of 1999. For the period from 2000 onwards, the areas eligible under Objective 1 and the other Objectives depend on Commission proposals for future financing of the EU and for reform of the Structural Funds. These may lead to substantial changes to the current structure, including the system of Objectives. Once the Commission has put forward proposals for reform of the Structural Funds and these have been negotiated and agreed, the Government will then consider proposing particular areas within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what studies she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the patenting of animals; and if she will make a statement. [3226]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 17 June 1997]: I am replying because my Department has responsibility for intellectual property matters.
My Department has not yet commissioned studies into the patenting of animals nor I understand has the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
(2) what efforts she will make to secure Objective 1 status for Cornwall. [5430]
Tourism
Mr. Butterfill: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 25 June, Official Report, column 527, on VAT and VAT thresholds, what representations he had made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of the tourism industry's concerns. [6148]
Mr. Tom Clarke: I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 25 June 1997, col 527. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is aware of the tourism industry's concerns on VAT-related issues.
Mr. Butterfill: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 25 June, Official Report, column 526, if he will introduce a scheme of statutory registration for all businesses supplying bed spaces for tourists; and if he will make a statement. [6149]
Mr. Tom Clarke:
Once we have had the opportunity to consider the results of the ETB's Agenda 2000 consultation exercise on this issue, and the industry has commented on the detail of the proposed rating schemes for serviced accommodation, we shall be in a position to draw up proposals for any further steps needed to achieve our objective of raising the quality of accommodation in England.
2 Jul 1997 : Column: 184
Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to curb the development of unlicensed and unregistered private households offering bed and breakfast facilities to visitors outside the six bed rule. [5951]
Mr. Clarke:
I am aware of the concerns which many hoteliers have about the impact of the six person test for non-domestic rates and the six bed-space exemption for fire certification. Although neither of these is the direct responsibility of my Department, the interests of the tourism industry would of course be taken into account in any review of either.
Mr. Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to ensure that individual hotelier and guest house associations are included in any body charged with overseeing the proposed rationalisation of accommodation grading schemes throughout the United Kingdom. [5952]
Mr. Clarke:
The ETB, AA and RAC will be consulting widely on the schemes announced in February this year for the rating of serviced accommodation. I hope that individual hotelier and guest-house associations will take the opportunity to feed in their views when the consultation document is published and to participate in the new schemes when they are launched.
Mr. Woolas:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if the new building at St. Pancras has now been handed over to the British Library Board. [6735]
Mr. Chris Smith:
The new building at St. Pancras and 3.4 hectares of land were transferred to the British Library Board on 1 July.
Water Services
Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which water companies (a) have and (b) have not accepted responsibility for a free leak repair service for domestic supply pipes following the recent water summit. [4990]
Angela Eagle: Water companies have generally responded positively and constructively to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's call to offer a free leak repair service for household customers' supply pipes. We are pursuing this issue with a few companies who have yet to give a fully satisfactory response and we shall be making a further statement in the next few days.
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish the replies he has received from the water companies in response to the issues he raised with them at the recent water summit. [4991]
Angela Eagle:
We shall publish an analysis of all the responses after obtaining clarification on certain matters from some of the companies. Copies of the responses will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
2 Jul 1997 : Column: 185
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library a copy of all United Kingdom documents submitted to, and ministerial speeches made at Earth summit 2. [5337]
Angela Eagle:
The Prime Minister addressed the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Monday 23 June. A copy of his speech has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Coaker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to implement European Regulation 3254/91 on leghold traps. [5558]
Angela Eagle:
The Environment Council meeting on 19-20 June took no decision on the Commission's proposals for a "Framework Agreement on humane trapping standards", which are not supported by the UK or a number of other Member States. The Commission and the Council will now have to decide whether to pursue the proposals for an agreement which we regard as unsatisfactory, or consider other options, including the implementation of the original EU import ban under Regulation 3254/91 on the import of furs taken in leghold traps.
Ms Atherton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what plans he has to ensure that water purity is maintained in Carrick Roads, Falmouth following South West Water's proposals for a sewage outfall there; [5482]
(3) how many representations he has received regarding South West Water's plans for a sewage outfall in Carrick Roads, Falmouth. [5483]
Angela Eagle:
It is for the Environment Agency, in the first instance, to protect controlled waters from pollution through the operation of the discharge consents system set out in the Water Resources Act 1991 and other water pollution legislation. In relation to the proposed sewage outfall at Carrick Roads, Falmouth, the Agency has negotiated the scheme with South West Water as an interim measure to secure water quality improvements to meet the requirements of the Bathing Water Directive, pending completion of the full scheme planned for compliance with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive at the end of the year 2000. The Agency will have had in mind the need to ensure that the discharge meets the water quality requirements of all relevant legislation. This includes the need to meet the requirements of the Shellfish Waters Directive for those designated waters in the Fal estuary at Turnaware Bar and the Percuil River. In addition, the Agency operates a policy whereby, in relation to discharges where the commercial use of an area for harvesting shellfish has been established, no deterioration in water quality should
2 Jul 1997 : Column: 186
normally be allowed which would be expected to cause a deterioration in the classification of waters at the time of consent determination.
(2) what assessment he has made of the likely impact on the Truro oyster fishery of South West Water's plans to site a sewage outfall in Carrick Roads, Falmouth;[5477]
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