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Coalfield Areas
23. Mr. Skinner: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions she has had with coalfield representatives and local authorities regarding industrial development in the coalfield areas. [10048]
Mr. Battle: My colleagues and I have frequent discussions with those representing coalfield interests on a wide range of issues, including regeneration.
Deregulation
24. Mr. Steen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to make use of the deregulation procedures established by the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. [10049]
Mr. Ian McCartney: I intend to use the deregulation order-making power to reduce or simplify the burdens imposed in two cases. These are:
- the repeal of the check-off system of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and
- an amendment to the Patents Act 1977 to allow the filing fees for patent applications to be paid later than the filing date
Further proposals for use of the power are under consideration.
Child Labour
26. Mr. Corbyn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals she has to control imports of goods produced by child labour. [10051]
Mrs. Roche: We are firmly committed to eliminating abusive labour practices, particularly child labour, around the world. We fully support initiatives to improve the welfare of children, including a new International Labour Organisation convention on child labour, and are increasing our financial support for international programmes working towards this end. We have also begun to discuss with business, unions and other organisations what further initiatives the Government might take, but we must ensure that these would not harm the very people we are trying to help.
Utility Regulation
27. Mr. Shepherd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she expects to announce the conclusions of her review of utility regulation. [10052]
Mrs. Beckett: The review team will advise Ministers before the end of the year. If the Government conclude that changes should be contemplated, a consultation document will be published. Final conclusions will be announced as soon as practicable.
Small Businesses (Information Technology)
28. Mr. Miller: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her Department's policy towards improving access to information technology for small and medium businesses. [10053]
Mrs. Roche:
I refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave today to my hon. Friends the Members for Norwich, North (Dr. Gibson) and for Stourbridge, (Ms Shipley).
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 627
Ms Shipley:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her Department's policy towards improving access to information technology for small and medium businesses. [10039]
Mrs. Roche:
Many recent studies have emphasised the crucial importance of new technologies to the competitiveness of smaller firms. Many people--in government, in business support organisations and in the private sector--have a role in getting this message across. Within government, we are pressing ahead with our support for the information society initiative programme for business, which places particular emphasis on offering access and awareness opportunities for SMEs at locations throughout the UK.
29. Mr. Greenway:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures her Department is taking to support defence-related exports. [10054]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
The Ministry of Defence's export services organisation leads the Government effort on supporting defence-related exports. My Department maintains a close dialogue with the industry on the whole range of issues affecting competitiveness. The full range of Export Credits Guarantee Department's facilities are available for defence as well as for civil-related exports.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what arms and defence-related materials have been licensed for export by the United Kingdom to (a) Burundi, (b) Djibouti, (c) Eritrea, (d) Ethiopia, (e) Kenya, (f) Rwanda (g) Somalia, (h) Sudan, (i) Uganda and (j) Zaire in the period since 1990. [8998]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 23 July 1997]: I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of that letter in the Library.
Mr. Howard:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contracts permitted by the previous Government she intends to prohibit in accordance with the criteria set out in the answer of the Foreign Secretary to the hon. Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms) of 28 July, Official Report, columns 26-29. [11887]
Mrs. Roche:
I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs today.
Mr. Faber:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list, by year, those arms exports for which her Department has refused an export licence since 1987.[11058]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 28 July 1997]: I will write to the hon. Member shortly and place a copy in the Library of House.
30. Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to develop Britain's trading relationship with India. [10055]
Mrs. Beckett:
I have already made clear my strong commitment to strengthening the Indo-British partnership. A major trade exhibition--Towards 2000--is being held
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 628
in October this year at the time of the state visit of HM the Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. I will be visiting India myself later in the year. A promotional campaign is also planned in the UK to raise awareness of the opportunities in India among small to medium companies. I am confident that this activity will contribute significantly to meeting the target of £5 billion that has been set for two-way trade by 2000.
31. Mr. Cann:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she expects the Low Pay Commission to start its work. [10056]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
Appointments to the Low Pay Commission were made by the Prime Minister and announced by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 25 July columns 808-09, in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hull, West and Hessle (Mr. Johnson). The commission held its first meeting on Monday 28 July.
32. Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions she has had with the cable industry on its investment programme and possible changes in the restrictions on BT. [10057]
Mrs. Roche:
I met representatives of the cable industry on 23 June this year, and was briefed on a range of issues including the cable industry's investment plans. My officials also maintain regular and productive contact.
33. Mr. Timms:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to stimulate the development of Internet access services in the UK. [10058]
Mrs. Roche:
The Department of Trade and Industry is fully committed to the development of the information society in the UK and is enthusiastically pushing forward the "Information Society Initiative--Programme for Business" which encourages the informed uptake of networked services by British business. The DTI will also be developing an enterprise zone. This will be an Internet-based service for small and medium companies, providing a "one stop access point" to key information and to sources of further support for SMEs. The Government are also working internationally to secure the right conditions for fostering the optimal use of the Internet through work on security, intellectual property rights and self-regulation, the latter based on existing law and the existing penalties. The market in the Uk is itself expanding very fast, with many active Internet service providers allowing users access to a wide variety of contents and applications.
35. Mr. Rammell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the proposal for a human rights clause in the treaty relating to the World Trade Organisation. [10061]
Mrs. Beckett:
The Government are firmly committed to ending abusive labour practices around the world. We are already pursuing this objective in the ILO and through
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 629
other international forums. We are also exploring how work can be taken forward in the WTO. We see no conflict between our commitment to promote free trade and fight protectionism on the other hand and our determination to see abusive labour practices eliminated on the other.
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