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Acquired Rights Directive
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what infraction proceedings have been instigated by the European Commission against the United Kingdom with regard to the acquired rights directive--collective redundancy consultation--and if she will make a statement. [9204]
Mr. Ian McCartney [holding answer 18 July 1997]: We have had contact with the Commission on this subject and it is under review.
Space Programme
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to develop a strategy for ensuring that the purely scientific aspects of Earth observation from space are fully integrated into the research council system. [9423]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: Mechanisms are already in place, through the British National Space Centre partnership and the responsibilities of the Natural Environment Research Council, for ensuring that the scientific aspects of Earth observation are fully integrated into the research council system. NERC, as well as the Office of Science and Technology, is a partner in BNSC and NERC staff are fully involved in the definition and implementation of BNSC's EO activities. NERC's responsibilities include the promotion
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and support of high-quality basic, strategic and applied research in EO and NERC expenditure on such EO research is currently about £6 million a year.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to ensure that the United Kingdom investment in the European Space Agency Envisat Earth observation satellite yields the fullest returns to the United Kingdom in terms of its commercial, strategic and scientific potential. [9437]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: The United Kingdom has been more successful than any other ESA country in winning announcements of opportunity for scientific and strategic exploitation of data from ESA's European remote sensing satellites. We are also one of the leading countries in the development of commercial applications of Earth observations. The British National Space Centre is aiming to continue this success by working with ESA, the EU, Government Departments, industry and academia to ensure an effective infrastructure for processing, archiving, and distribution Envisat data combined with continuing promotional and applications development support.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what additional funding the United Kingdom space science mission will receive to compensate for PPARC's inability to fund the appropriate United Kingdom involvement in some of ESA's science missions. [9434]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council received an allocation from the science budget of £200.65 million--including provision for its international subscriptions--for 1997-98. Within that allocation, it is for PPARC to determine its priorities, including deciding whether and at what level it should participate in ESA missions.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the board of Trade what monitoring PPARC undertakes of the comparative industrial spin-off of its space science expenditure including the ESA subscription against that of its expenditure on ground-based astronomy and particle physics. [9433]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: As the only research council which exclusively supports basic research, the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council's mission requires it to "take account" of the potential for contributing to the UK's industrial competitiveness, as opposed to the requirement on the other research councils to place "special emphasis" on this issue. Nevertheless, PPARC seeks to ensure that UK industry benefits from contracts for the construction of major facilities, and that technologies developed for research are exploited in industry.
PPARC is developing performance indicators to help to monitor the number of contracts won by UK companies, and the extent to which the academic community collaborates with companies. As contracts placed by ESA are linked to the level of the UK's subscription, and the high-technology contracts placed by the Gemini telescope project are linked to the level of the UK's participation in the project, there are already good opportunities for UK companies to win contracts. While UK companies already benefit substantially from contracts from ESA, they have not done so well at winning supply contracts
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from CERN--although they have been more successful at winning service contracts. To address this, PPARC, jointly with the DTI has appointed an industrial co-ordinator to promote to UK industry the opportunities that the new large Hadron collider at CERN will provide.
The PPARC industrial programme support scheme --PIPSS
--was launched in 1994 to promote technology transfer from technology research groups to industry. Thirty-four projects totalling £1.6 million have been awarded over three years.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to achieve tariff-free trade across the globe by 2020; and if she will make a statement. [9424]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad) on 14 July 1997, Official Report, column 71.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will ban inclusion of (a) phosphorus, (b) arsenic and (c) antimony compounds in the composition of cot mattresses; and if she will make a statement. [5843]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths
[holding answer 1 July 1997]: The use of phosphorus, arsenic and antimony in cot mattresses is currently being considered by the Expert Committee on Cot Death Theories set up by the chief medical officer in November 1994. This committee is due to report to the chief medical officer at the Department of Health.
Mr. Ronnie Campbell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the Coal Authority's report and accounts for 1996-97 will be laid before Parliament. [10086]
Mr. Battle:
I have today laid a copy before each House of Parliament.
Mr. Forth:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list for the review of animal welfare controls on live exports (a) the expected completion date and (b) the cost of conducting the review. [8236]
Mr. Morley:
The conclusions of this review will be announced as soon as practicable. Work such as this on the validation of procedures is part of the Department's planned activities and does not result in an addition to running costs.
Mr. Etherington:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many (a) live sheep and (b) consignments of live sheep were exported from Dover on 5 July; what was (i) the place of departure and (ii) the final destination given on the route plan in respect of each consignment; what was (1) the time of departure and (2) the time of arrival at final destination
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of each consignment; where each consignment received the 24-hour break stipulated by the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997 and if a full 24 hours was spent there; how many livestock vehicles were turned away from Dover by his officials on 5 July and for what reasons; and if he will make a statement. [8537]
Mr. Morley:
Four vehicles containing 2,280 sheep were exported from Dover on 5 July. Two locations in Italy were declared as the destinations and the place of departure was in Essex. The ship departed from Dover at 01.00 and the animals were due to arrive at their destinations during the early morning of 7 July having received two 24-hour rest periods, one at the start of the journey and the other at premises in Belgium during the journey. In the port of Dover, two vehicles were served with an enforcement notice requiring the animals to be accommodated in premises close to Dover because the vehicles did not meet the additional criteria necessary for a journey of over more than eight hours, as required by schedule 7 to the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he takes to establish the journey times taken for each movement of non-human primates from entry into the crate in the country of export to arrival at point of destination in this country; if he sets a maximum journey time for such journeys; and if he will make a statement. [8216]
Mr. Morley
[holding answer 14 July 1997]: There are no statutory limits on journey times for such animals. The Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997, implementing directive 91/628 as amended, sets transport conditions and specifies that animals which are subject to the convention on international trade in endangered species--CITES--shall be transported in compliance with CITES guidelines or the standards set by the International Air Transport Association. Enforcement of the order is a matter for local authorities.
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