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Competitiveness
27. Mr. Touhig: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps her Department is taking to improve the competitiveness of British companies. [5231]
Mrs. Heal: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps her Department is taking to improve the competitiveness of British companies. [5241]
Mrs. Beckett: I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave in response to my hon. Friends the Members for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) and for Lincoln (Gillian Merton) earlier today.
29. Mr. Fabricant: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to promote the competitiveness of small British companies in export markets; and if she will make a statement. [5235]
Mrs. Beckett: My noble Friend the Minister for Trade announced on 22 May that the Government would be setting up an Export Forum, with representation from business as well as from Whitehall. The Forum's remit will be to review the effectiveness of current official export promotion programmes and report to Ministers by the autumn with recommendations for a new export initiative.
Child Labour
28. Mr. Corbyn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals she has to prevent the import of goods produced by child labour; and if she will make a statement. [5234]
Mrs. Roche: The Government are firmly committed to using our best endeavours to eliminate the exploitation of child labour around the world. We intend to increase our financial support for the International Labour Organisation's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour and we welcome the proposal for a new ILO Convention on this issue. We will also explore how the processes of the World Trade Organisation can contribute to achieving our objective.
Clean Coal Technology
30. Mr. Tipping: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what new steps she intends to take to promote clean coal technology. [5236]
Mr. Battle: Over the next few months we will be conducting a detailed review of the UK's future clean coal technology requirements. As a key part of this review we have recently agreed to contribute some £50,000 to an industry led study as part of the Foresight exercise. The current plans will be included in the Comprehensive Spending Review announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 1 June 1997.
We are working closely with industry to promote UK expertise in clean coal technology for the substantial world export market that exists for these technologies.
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Already the Department has led one clean coal technology trade mission to India and an inward mission from China will take place in the autumn. Further outward and inward missions are planned for 1998. We are also working closely with the International Energy Agency to promote the development of clean coal technologies in developing countries which are expected to be the main market for these technologies over the next decade and beyond.
31. Mrs. Osborne:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her policy on social dialogue and partnership in industry; and if she will make a statement.[5237]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
The Government support social dialogue and partnership in Europe, at the national level and in individual undertakings. Social partnership is the best means of identifying and pursuing common objectives. It can make a real contribution to improving economic performance and social equity. The Government are looking for ways to develop social partnership at all levels.
32. Mr. Rendel:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to encourage manufacturing investment in the United Kingdom. [5238]
Mrs. Beckett:
Increased investment will come only with economic stability, an appropriate tax regime and the pursuit of competitiveness through partnership. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has laid the foundations for economic stability and introduced tax changes to encourage business investment in the Budget. I have established an agenda for pursuing competitiveness through partnership starting with a Competitiveness summit on 23 July.
33. Mr. McAllion:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she next intends to meet Greenpeace to discuss oil exploration licences. [5239]
Mr. Battle:
I have no immediate plans to meet Greenpeace.
34. Mr. Page:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what research she has evaluated into comparisons carried out between the countries that make up the European Union over the effect of a statutory right of interest on late payment. [5240]
Mrs. Roche:
My Department has closely analysed the findings of research into late payment problems across Europe and the effect of a statutory right to interest, including recent surveys carried out by NOP and Grant Thornton.
Research undertaken by Grant Thornton identified that those Member States where businesses use legislation for statutory interest most frequently had much quicker payment periods. Additionally the research undertaken by NOP showed that 80 per cent. of British businesses wanted a statutory right to interest.
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We are determined to end the culture of late payment in the UK and will introduce the Fair Payment of Commercial Debts Bill to give businesses a statutory right to claim interest on the late payment of commercial debts. We will consult on the most appropriate way of introducing legislation and will issue a Green Paper soon.
36. Mr. Jack:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her Department's assessment of the key factors which will affect the prospects for the aerospace industry in the next decade. [5242]
Mr. Battle:
The key factors that will influence the aerospace industry over the next decade are likely to be competitiveness on a global scale and a commitment to excellence. The Department will be actively supporting the UK aerospace sector in these areas.
37. Mr. Watts:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she has taken to encourage greater competition in the gas and electricity industries. [5344]
Mr. Battle:
I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow).
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on her plans for encouraging research and development in sustainable energy technology. [5207]
Mr. Battle:
The Government are undertaking a new and strong drive to develop renewable energy options as a means of ensuring diverse secure and sustainable energy sources.
I shall also examine the role of research and development to maximise the benefit to the economy of the emerging new environmentally friendly energy industries.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the future of the Post Office. [5218]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
Our policy on the future of the Post Office, in accordance with our election manifesto commitment, is to grant it greater commercial freedom, to take advantage of new challenges and opportunities. A consideration of options for implementing this commitment is now under way.
Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to match inward investment to the United Kingdom to (a) the available skills and (b) regional needs. [5219]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
It is the needs of individual inward investors and projects including skill requirements that will influence which regions are most attractive from case to case. The Government's role is to ensure that
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across all regions we have a skills base and other features which help maintain the UK's competitive position as an inward investment location.
Ms Beverley Hughes:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to improve support for small businesses. [5225]
Mr. Cotter:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to make business support and advice more accessible to small businesses. [5227]
Mrs. Roche:
Business Links are central to our strategy for delivering business services to small businesses. Improving the Business Link service to small and medium sized businesses is one of my key priorities. I am committed to ensuring that all Business Links deliver a service which is of the highest quality. Many are already doing so, and I am discussing with the national Business Link partners and others how we can ensure that all Business Links are brought up to the standard of the best.
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