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Identity Cards

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Government policy towards identity cards. [10397]

Mr. George Howarth: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney (Mr.Blizzard) on 3 July, Official Report, column 237.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Assisted International Travel Scheme

Mr. Reed: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received about the reduction in value of the assisted international travel scheme; and if she will make a statement. [6176]

Mr. Battle: I have approved funding of £2.1 million for 1997-98 for the DTI-assisted international travel scheme which is administered for DTI by the British Standards Institution. This is £100,000 less than the scheme's 1996-97 budget and reflects spend under the scheme in that financial year.

The aim of the scheme is to facilitate the attendance of key UK business delegates at overseas standards development meetings through a contribution to the cost of their air fares. It has always been the Government's view that business, as the main beneficiary of standards, should pay the lion's share of costs. The allowances are calculated using the return economy air fares in the "OAG World Airways Supplement" because this is understood to be the only publication that lists such fares on a worldwide basis.

23 Jul 1997 : Column: 658

My officials became aware earlier this year that these fares were higher than return economy air fares generally available in the marketplace; and that, consequently, the level of the allowance was out of line with the scheme's objectives. After careful consideration with BSI, the Department therefore decided, in order to ensure that the allowance reflected the scheme's objectives and also to obtain better value for money for the taxpayer, that it should reduce the contribution to a maximum of 65 per cent. of the quoted return economy air fare from London to the relevant overseas airport, nearest to where the standards development meeting is held. This was given effect from 1 July 1997. About 4,500 claims a year are made under AITS. The President has received four representations, in writing, about this reduction.

I know how much the AITS is appreciated by British business. It helps business to secure European and international standards which are supportive of UK competitiveness. Although the administration of the scheme is kept under regular review by both DTI and BSI, we have for the time being no plans for further changes.

Observatories

Mr. Lansley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the level of grant given by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council to (a) the Royal Greenwich observatory and (b) the royal observatory, Edinburgh, in real terms for each year since 1992. [7492]

Mr. Battle [holding answer 10 July 1997]: The Royal Greenwich observatory and the royal observatory, Edinburgh became establishments of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council on 1 April 1994. At that time, the two observatories and the island sites operated as an integrated organisational entity under the control of a single director. Following the establishment of PPARC, the organisation was split into four independent establishments--RGO, ROE, joint astronomy centre, Hawaii, and Isaac Newton Group, La Palma, Canary Islands--each with a separate budget holder. The basis of funding was also changed in 1995-96 to one in which a more arm's-length customer-supplier relationship exists between the island directors and the Gemini Telescopes UK project manager as procurers of telescope instrumentation, and the UK directors of the UK observatories as suppliers.

Island directors and the Gemini Telescopes UK project manager each now receive separate allocations of funds reflecting their responsibility for procurement of instrumentation and telescope construction. Smaller sums are allocated to UK directors to finance core programmes, infrastructure and running costs. The UK directors are then expected to compete to win the available work from the island sites and any similar work that might become available from other sources. Similarly, the island directors and the Gemini project manager are expected to seek out the most cost-effective suppliers, but with the proviso that, where short-term changes to work load within the UK establishments would give rise to significant restructuring costs, restrictions will apply.

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The allocations to UK establishments for each year are as follows:

Table 1: Formal allocations£000

	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98
ROE	(20)4,377	814	1,211	(21)1,044
RGO	(20)4,537	828	1,188	(21)603

(20) Estimated apportionment of the 1994-95 outturn.

(21) Provisional allocations.

Table 2: Total expenditure£000

	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97
ROE	(22)4,377	(23)3,766	(23)3,778
RGO	(22)4,537	(23)4,284	(23)6,740

(22) Estimated apportionment of the 1994-95 outturn.

(23) Includes formal allocations.

Table 1 clearly demonstrates the substantial fall in baseline funding to UK directors at the time of the introduction of the new structure. Table 2 reflects the additional funding from work won from the customers of each observatory.

Departmental Budgets

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what new plans she has to introduce cuts and savings in her Department as a result of the effect on her Department's budgets for 1997-98 and 1998-99 of the upward revisions to the gross domestic product deflators in the Budget on 2 July; and if she will make a statement.[8297]

Mrs. Beckett [holding answer 14 July 1997]: All Departments are reallocating spending within their departmental ceilings as part of the comprehensive spending review.

Mr. Bruce: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if, following the recent Budget, she will give her estimate of the total real level of her Department's budget, in 1995-96 prices, in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99; if she will estimate what such figures were for (1) 1997-98 and (2) 1998-99 following the November 1996 Budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget; and if she will make a statement. [8296]

Mrs. Beckett [holding answer 14 July 1997]: The figures requested for my Department's spending plans within the control total, and those of other bodies shown within the trade and industry section of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report", are as follows:

£million

	FSBR July 1997: REAL 1995-96 prices		FSBR November 1996: REAL 1995-96 prices
	1997-98	1998-99	1997-98	1998-99
DTI--Programme	2,865	2,768	2,885	2,813
Offer	13	11	13	11
Ofgas	8	6	8	6
Oftel	10	9	10	9
OFT	19	18	19	19
DTI--Nationalised Industries	-18	-163	-19	-165
ECGD	9	1	9	1

The figures for 1997-98 have not been adjusted to take account of the summer supplementary estimates presented to Parliament on 8 July but not yet approved.

23 Jul 1997 : Column: 660

Exchange Rates

Mr. Letwin: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received from exporters about the effects of the current sterling exchange rate. [8688]

Mrs. Beckett: I receive a number of representations on matters relating to exports, including the exchange rate.

Engineering

Mr. Ian Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans there are to follow up the Year of Engineering Success campaign within her Department's activities. [9409]

Mr. Battle: It has always been the intention that one of the major outputs of the Year of Engineering Success should be an on-going commitment by the engineering community to communicate both the importance of engineering to our society and the opportunities the profession offers. This will largely be the responsibility of the engineering professional institutions in partnership with the businesses, whose competitiveness relies on engineers. Additionally, my Department will consider proposals to support specific activities linked to public understanding activities, through the Office of Science and Technology.

Mr. Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what support she has pledged to the Year of Engineering Success campaign. [9408]

Mr. Battle: My Department has offered £435,000 to assist the Year of Engineering Success. Additional support from the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of the Environment take the total level of government support to £570,000.

In addition to this financial input, my Department will continue to provide ministerial and official support to the campaign, through attendance at relevant events and provision of advice and information to the campaign.

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