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Bank of Credit and Commerce International
Mr. Vaz: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what are the costs of the English BCCI liquidation to date; [9145]
- (2) what are the fees and expenses of Deloitte and Touche in the English liquidation of BCCI to date. [9144]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
Total expenses brought to account in the UK liquidation of BCCI up to 15 January 1997 (the date to which the last Annual Report of the joint liquidators was made up) were US$567 million and the realisations totalled US$2,445 million. Further details of the expenses and receipts can be found in the joint liquidators' report to the Secretary of State pursuant to Regulations 14 of the Insolvency Regulations 1994 for the
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period 16 January 1996 to 15 January 1997, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House and a copy of which I sent to the hon. Member on 30 May 1997.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many and what percentage of civil servants in each of grades 1 to 7 in her Department are of (a) Asian origin and (b) Afro-Caribbean origin. [9565]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
The figures for the DTI, on a headcount basis and excluding Executive Agencies, on 17 July 1997 are as follows:
| Asian origin | Afro-Caribbean origin | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade level | Number of respondents | Percentage | Number of respondents | Percentage |
| Senior Civil Service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grades 6 and 7 | 8 | 1.2 | 1 | 0.15 |
The figures for grade levels include all equivalent grades. About 8 per cent. of staff have chosen not to respond to the Department's ethnic origin survey.
Employment Advertisements
Ms Perham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how often since 1992 her Department has been responsible for employment advertisements which contained age restrictions upon those who could apply. [9506]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: Consistent with a long standing Departmental policy, since 1992 there have been no age restrictions in advertisements for any posts in the DTI.
Secured Loans Market (Unfair Practices)
Mr. Miller: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to prevent unfair lending practices in the secured loans market. [10067]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: I am concerned over some of the allegations I have seen about practices adopted by some lenders and brokers.
I warmly welcome, and support, the guidelines which the Director General of Fair Trading published today to lenders and brokers in this market. I urge all businesses in the sector to follow these guidelines on good business practice which the Director General advocates. Now that the industry has these guidelines I hope this will put an end to concerns about its business practices.
Space Programme
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to maintain the ESA science programme as the basis for United Kingdom space science activities; and what plans she has for bilateral co-operation and missions. [9435]
Mr. Battle:
The ESA science programme is the main plank of UK space science. UK space scientists also participate in bilateral or multilateral missions which supplement collaboration through ESA. These include
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Spectrum-X with the Russian Space Agency and opportunities are being sought to participate in missions led by Japan, NASA, Eire and France.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what preparation she is making for the ESA ministerial meeting in 1998; what plans she has for consultations with the space industry, commerce and academic similar to those which were undertaken before the last ESA ministerial meeting; and when she plans to start those consultations. [9456]
Mr. Battle:
The European Space Agency will establish a working group in the autumn, on which the UK will be represented, to prepare for the planned Ministerial. I intend to keep in touch with this work and arrange timely consultation with the space sector on proposals as they take shape. Depending on progress, this could be in early 1998.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she plans to update the British Space Plan and publish it before the ESA Ministerial meeting next year. [9426]
Mr. Battle:
The British National Space Centre is committed to an open planning process and will be preparing an updated Plan in consultation with the space sector. I would expect this to be completed before the planned ESA Ministerial.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what role the United Kingdom will play in the proposed ESA Mars Express mission; and what assessment she has made of the contribution of United Kingdom scientists to Mars science. [9436]
Mr. Battle:
The precise nature of the Mars Express mission and the roles of ESA members states within it are still under discussion. UK space science generally is world-class, as shown by the success of British scientists in international competition. No specific assessment has been made of their contribution to Mars science but UK scientists have built instruments for the NASA Mars Global Surveyor, due to reach Mars in September, and have collaborated with NASA in the study of Martian materials transported to Earth in meteorites.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representatives the Minister for Science, Energy and Industry received from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South (Mr. Griffiths) on the Royal Greenwich Observatory in Edinburgh. [9431]
Mr. Battle:
I met my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, South, together with representatives from the ROE, to listen to their view on the future of the Royal Observatories on 10 June. I held a similar meeting with my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Mrs. Campbell) on 12 June.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what response her Department has made to the proposals from the European Commission on energy taxation in relation to the United Kingdom aluminium industry. [9438]
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Mr. Battle:
I have received a letter and a position paper from the Aluminium Federation (ALFED) concerning the implications of energy taxation for the UK aluminium industry. I intend to reply to this correspondence shortly. My officials are aware of the aluminium industry's concerns and are keeping in close touch with them on developments at EU level through ALFED.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Attorney-General what is the policy of his Department on the timely payment of debts; and what is his Department's record on the payment of debts in the current financial year. [9528]
The Attorney-General:
All departments are required to pay all their bills within agreed contract terms, or 30 days from receipt of the goods or service or a valid invoice, whichever is later, where no such terms exist. Information on payment performance for the current financial year could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Government will publish a league table of departmental payment performance for 1996-97 in the autumn.
Off-road Cycleways
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of Stae for Wales (1) how many miles of off-road cycleways there are in each county in Wales; [7907]
- (2) what is the projected increase in off-road cycleways over the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years for each county in Wales. [7906]
Mr. Hain: Although information requested is not held centrally, I welcome the expansion in provision of off-road cycleways.
Rat Infestations
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many rat infestations were recorded (a) in total and (b) by local authority for each year since 1990. [8444]
Mr. Win Griffiths: I have received no such notifications since 1990.
Local authorities are responsible for taking steps to secure, as far as practicable, that their districts are kept free of rats.
Subsidised Meals (Children)
Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment his Department has made of means by which subsidised meals for children may be provided outside school terms; and if he will make a statement. [9134]
Mr. Hain:
None. Entitlement to free school meals and milk operates only in the context of the provision of education.
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Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the policy of his Department on the timely payment of debts; and what is his Department's record on the payment of debts in the current financial year. [9522]
Mr. Ron Davies:
All departments are required to pay all their bills within agreed contract terms, or 30 days from receipt of the goods or service or a valid invoice, whichever is later, where no such terms exist. Information on payment performance for the current financial year could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Government will publish a league table of departmental payment performance for 1996-97 in the autumn.
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