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Telecommunications
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport over responsibility for telecommunications; and if she will make a statement.[6877]
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Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on her trade visit to Japan; and how many contracts for British companies resulted. [7682]
Mrs. Beckett
[holding answer 10 July 1997]: I visited Japan from 26-28 May. This was my first overseas visit as President of the Board of Trade and the first by a member of this Government to Japan. My purpose was to underline the importance we attach to close bilateral relationship we have with Japan. I met a wide variety of Japanese industrialists and spoke at a number of high-level events designed to promote further Japanese investment and trade.
My early visit was warmly welcomed by the Japanese government and business community.
Mr. Goodlad:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her Department's policy on a target date for global free trade. [6368]
Mrs. Beckett:
The Government is committed to working with our trading partners within the EU and beyond on the progressive reduction of barriers to trade around the world and on the further development of multilateral trade liberalisation through the World Trade Organisation. The success of this process will determine the pace at which we can move towards global free trade.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will publish her Department's submissions relating to freedom of information legislation. [6034]
Mrs. Beckett
[holding answer 2 July 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 4 July, Official Report columns 293-94.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will take steps to ensure that the IAEA is supplied with detailed information from Euratom concerning the export and import of nuclear materials through the European Union. [6397]
Mr. Battle:
Euratom notify the IAEA of information on the export and import of nuclear material from and to the European Union. This is a requirement of the three relevant safeguards Agreements: INFCIRC/193 (Euratom/IAEA/EU non-nuclear weapon States), INFCIRC/263 (Euratom/IAEA/UK) and INFCIRC/290 (Euratom/IAEA/France).
Mr. Taylor:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will take action to ensure that the IAEA is allowed access to German power plants in order to undertake verification inspections. [6414]
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Mr. Battle:
This is a matter for the parties to the relevant safeguards Agreement between Euratom, the IAEA and the European Union non-nuclear weapon states (known as INFCIRC/193). The IAEA's rights with respect to inspections are specified in Articles 70-82 of that Agreement.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will seek legal advice as to the consequences of revoking the export licences for Hawk jets, Alvis armoured vehicles and GKN water cannons not yet delivered to Indonesia and make such legal advice available to the House. [6322]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 3 July 1997]: Advice has been sought on the lawfulness of the possible revocation of licences for the export of Alvis armoured vehicles and police vehicles from Procurement Services International (including water cannon), not yet delivered to Indonesia.
It has not been the usual practice of successive Governments to make available to the House legal advice received in any area.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if she will make a statement on her policy on the use of the NFFO for incineration plants for waste to energy;[7613]
(3) what moneys have been allocated to VEDCO under the NFFO scheme to develop a waste to energy plant in East Sussex. [7738]
Mr. Battle:
I have already announced that I will initiate shortly a consultation exercise with the relevant trade bodies of the renewable energy industry, OFFER and the regional electricity companies on a fifth non-fossil fuel obligation (NFFO-5) order for renewable energy in England and Wales, leading to an announcement later in the year. VEDCO Energy Ltd were contracted by the regional electricity companies to generate 18.311 MW of electricity in an energy from waste plant at Newhaven, East Sussex in order to secure the capacity required by the last NFFO order, NFFO-4. Under the contract VEDCO Energy Ltd would be paid within the range of 2.66 to 2.80 p/kWh for the electricity generated. They will need to obtain planning permission for their project unless they have already done so. No discussions with VEDCO Energy Ltd in respect of this project.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the recent speeches made by the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs, (a) Antwerp and (b) in Athens represent Government policy. [7408]
Mrs. Beckett
[holding 9 July 1997]: The Speech made by my hon. Friend to the Institute of Trading Standards
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Administration Conference in Antwerp set out both the actions already set in hand and future intentions concerning measures to improve consumer protection and as such was fully in line with Government policy in this area. My hon. Friend did not make a speech in Athens--he participated in a panel session at a conference organised by the Institute of Travel and Tourism. Among the issues raised in that discussion was vertical integration in the travel industry, which my hon. Friend correctly pointed out was still under investigation by the MMC.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will attend the Towards 2000 Trade Exhibition in October 1997 in New Delhi. [6862]
Mrs. Beckett
[holding answer 8 July 1997]: The Towards 2000 Exhibition is being held at the time of the State Visit of HM the Queen and the HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. I will be visiting India myself later in the year, as one of my first overseas visits as President of the Board of Trade.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she expects to announce a decision in respect of the Monopolies and Mergers inquiry into the proposed merger of Stena and P and O. [5191]
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she expects to publish the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report into the merger between P and O and Stena Line before the end of July. [5994]
Mr. Wyatt:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations she has had with the European competition authorities concerning the P and O and Stena merger; what action she is taking; and if she will make a statement. [5201]
Mrs. Beckett
[holding answer 24 June]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) on 2 July, Official Report, column 181. Consultation is taking place with the European Commission.
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Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to ensure that the Post Office can operate with greater commercial freedom.[4280]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
The options for granting greater commercial freedom to the Post Office are being examined in the context of the review which I announced on 16 May.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency admissions to hospital there were by health service region in each month since January 1995; and if he will make a statement. [6751]
Mr. Milburn:
Information in the form requested is available only between January and March 1995. However quarterly figures for non-elective finished consultant episodes are available from April 1995 to March 1997.
(2) what discussions have taken place with VEDCO in respect of the possible incineration plant in East Sussex;[7754]
| Region | January 1995 | February 1995 | March 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern | 21,698 | 20,244 | 22,324 | |
| Yorkshire | 26,088 | 23,556 | 25,107 | |
| Trent | 23,908 | 20,796 | 22,143 | |
| East Anglian | 15,490 | 13,582 | 14,918 | |
| North-west Thames15,881 | 14,582 | 16,111 | ||
| North-east Thames26,040 | 23,297 | 25,541 | ||
| South-east Thames21,938 | 19,823 | 21,870 | ||
| South-west Thames16,035 | 14,726 | 16,680 | ||
| Wessex | 17,340 | 16,404 | 17,930 | |
| Oxford | 14,248 | 12,939 | 14,540 | |
| South Western | 20,166 | 18,105 | 20,512 | |
| West Midlands | 33,945 | 30,484 | 32,910 | |
| Mersey | 18,958 | 16,503 | 18,120 | |
| North Western | 30,181 | 27,323 | 29,200 | |
| England | 301,917 | 272,364 | 297,906 | |
Note:
The data are grossed for coverage. Figures are rounded and may not total.
Source:
Department of Health, Hospital Episode Statistics HES.
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| Thousands | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 |
| Northern and Yorkshire | 139 | 136 | 143 | 144 |
| Trent | 121 | 125 | 131 | 138 |
| Anglia and Oxford | 93 | 98 | 100 | 98 |
| North Thames | 128 | 127 | 136 | 132 |
| South Thames | 122 | 124 | 127 | 134 |
| South and West | 130 | 128 | 139 | 134 |
| West Midlands | 108 | 108 | 111 | 97 |
| North West | 157 | 169 | 166 | 169 |
| England | 998 | 1,015 | 1,053 | 1,047 |
1. All figures are derived from the NHS Executive's Quarterly Monitoring system. Figures for 1995-96 have been adjusted to estimate the effects of definitional and boundary changes to allow direct comparison with 1996-97 information.
2. The figures relate to activity commissioned using NHS funds by health commissions in 1995-96 and health authorities in 1996-97. This includes activity in private hospitals and NHS hospitals outside England, but excludes private patients and patients from outside England treated in English hospitals.
3. The figures are on a different basis to the long standing series published annually in "Ordinary and day case admissions for England". This annual series is based on activity reported by NHS hospital and community Trusts and includes private patients and patients from outside England.
4. Quarter 1 covers the three-month period of April, May and June. The subsequent quarters cover each three-month period thereafter.
5. Non-elective finished consultant episodes comprise largely of all episodes during a patient spell in hospital which began either with an emergency admission or with a transfer from another hospital.
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