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Overseas Projects Board
Mr. Rowlands:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the key functions of the Overseas Projects Board; when the board was established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairman and the Secretary. [9630]
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Mrs. Roche:
The Overseas Projects Board was established in 1977 as a separate group within the framework of the British Overseas Trade Board to give Ministers and their officials independent advice on issues affecting UK industry's ability to compete effectively for major project business overseas.
The present chairman is Andrew Buxton, chairman of Barclays bank and the secretary is Geoffrey Nuttall, an official in the Department of Trade and Industry.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the representatives of the outbound travel industry whom the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs met in the United Kingdom between 1 May and 1 July. [9427]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: Between 1 May and 1 July I have had official meetings in the UK with the following:
Steven Freudman and Ian Reynolds from ABTA; Alan Fluke and Martin Brackenbury from FTO; Chris Kirker and Julia Hendry from AITO.
Internet
Mrs. May: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what data her Department collects on activity on the Internet. [9444]
Mrs. Roche [holding answer 18 July 1997]: The Department of Trade and Industry subscribes to a number of proprietary studies and surveys of Internet activity. In addition, under the Government's IT for All initiative, run by the Department, two surveys of attitudes towards and usage of the Internet have been conducted. The first of these was published in December 1996 and the second will be published later this year. Also as part of a recent international benchmarking study, commissioned by the Department from Spectrum Strategy Consultants, the NOP research group collected information on, among other things, Internet activity in five countries--UK, USA, Japan, Germany and France. This study will be published by the end of this month. I will ensure that copies of the second IT for All survey and the international benchmarking study are placed in the Library of the House.
EU Internal Market
Mrs. May: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the United Kingdom's record on implementing measures to complete the European internal market; and what assessment she has made of the record of other member states of the European Union in this respect. [9452]
Mrs. Roche [holding answer 18 July 1997]: I am placing a Commission table showing the state of transposition of the single market directives into national law in the UK and other member states in the Libraries of the House.
Mrs. May:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps her Department is taking to ensure completion of the European internal market; and within what timetable. [9440]
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Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: Enhancement of the single market is a Government priority. We have helped to secure a warm welcome at the Amsterdam European Council for the Commission's action plan for the single market. The plan detailed an ambitious set of objectives for the next three presidencies of the Council of Ministers--Luxembourg, UK and Austria--to achieve practical improvements in the single market. The action plan closely reflects key UK priorities for the single market, including:
In addition, the Department has a unit called "action single market" which helps UK business overcome illegal state aids and trade barriers in other single market countries. It has scored successes in overcoming barriers across a wide range of sectors and problems types.
Mrs. May:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she will publish the planned Green Paper on late payment of debt; and what will be the consultation programme on it. [9439]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: The Green Paper will be published before the summer recess. The closing date for responses will be 3 October. During the consultation period we will welcome views in writing or in person from all those who have an interest.
Mrs. May:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what her Department's policy is on the timely payment of debt; and what its record has been on debt payment in the current financial year. [9324]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: 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 the later, where no such terms exist. The Government will publish a league table of departmental payment performance for 1996-97 in the autumn.
Mrs. May:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the hon. Members with whom she or her Ministers had meetings to discuss consumer issues following the questionnaire on that topic. [9442]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: No. I have met a number of hon. Members from all parts of the House to discuss matters relating to the consumer questionnaire and received letters of thanks from several of her hon. Friends.
Mrs. May:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the hon. Members who responded to the questionnaire on consumer issues. [9441]
Mr. Griffiths
[holding answer 18 July 1997]: No.
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Mr. Baker:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of the results of her Department's research into nuclear fusion; and if she will list the projects funded by her Department's expenditure on nuclear fusion since 1986. [8920]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 16 July 1997]: My Department's expenditure on nuclear fusion is managed by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, which uses it to pay its subscription to the Joint European Torus project and to carry out fusion research that is part of the European Union's fusion programme. The EU programme--including JET--is evaluated regularly, and the report of the most recent evaluation under the chairmanship of Professor Barabaschi was published in December 1996. I shall arrange for copies of the report to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
The UKAEA's research is regularly monitored by the European Commission and by officials of my Department.
The projects funded by this expenditure since 1986 include:
Mr. Baker:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make it her policy to ban imports of timber other than from sustainable managed forests. [9535]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 21 July 1997]: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear the Government's commitment to sustainable forestry in his answer of the 3 July, Official Report, column 234.
The UK intends to adopt a new forest standard which will provide a benchmark for the regeneration of forests.
We believe that the best way to protect the world's forests is by extending this approach multilaterally rather than by imposing a unilateral ban on timber imports. We will continue to work with timber-producing countries to help improve forest management standards world wide and ensure long-term conservation.
Mr. Chidgey:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much her Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time her Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by her Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to
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1 March; and if she will review her Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8813]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths
[holding answer 17 July 1997]: The DTI does not bike press releases. Such information is distributed by the Central Office of Information's news distribution service, NDS.
NDS's delivery mechanisms include a newswire service which supplies press release to the Parliamentary Online Information Service, POLIS, which can be accessed by all MPs and Lords, hand deliveries, fax and postal deliveries, online database and a widely accessed web site on the Internet.
Improvements in the enforcement of single market rules;
Measures to simplify existing legislation and reduce burdens on business;
A tightening up of rules on state aids;
Measures to liberalise public utilities.
Three conventional tokamak devices: Closed Line Experiment (CLEO--to 1987), Divertor and Injection Tokamak Experiment (DEATH--to 1989), Compact Assembly
(COMPASS--from 1989)
Two spherical tokamak devices: Small Tight Aspect Ratio Tokamak (START--from 1990), Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak (MATS
T under construction)
Reverse field pinch device: High Beta Toroidal Experiment (HBTX--to 1991)
Negative Ion Neutral Bema Development Project (to 1992)
Microwave heating systems--Electron Cyclotron Resonant Heating (ECRH--from 1990)
Materials Development Projects (to 1990)
Reactor design studies
Safety and Environmental Assessments (from 1992).
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