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Monetary Policy Committee

Mr. Swinney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment of Scotland's current economic conditions was taken into account by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee in reaching its recent decision to raise interest rates. [15519]

Mrs. Liddell: In reaching its decision to raise interest rates on 6 November, the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) was able to draw on the information gained from business surveys and from the Bank's network of 12 regional agents which cover the whole of the United Kingdom. The Bank has an agency in Glasgow, which is able to obtain a first-hand account of economic conditions in Scotland. Detailed reasons for the interest rate change will be made clear in the MPC minutes, which will be published on 10 December.

PRIME MINISTER

Engagements

Mr. Opik: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 12 November.[14220]

Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 12 November. [15184]

The Prime Minister: This morning I had meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others. I shall have further meetings later today.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

HMS Cavalier

Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ensure the retention and display in the United Kingdom of HMS Cavalier. [15040]

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to ensure that HMS Cavalier is retained in the United Kingdom. [15518]

Mr. Fisher: The sale of HMS Cavalier has been agreed between South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council and Star Cruises of Malaysia. South Tyneside MBC has maintained the ship for 10 years, but now considers the costs too great to continue. The agreement secured with the purchasers means that the ship will be maintained in a good state of repair.

It is not yet clear whether HMS Cavalier requires an export licence on heritage grounds from my Department since there is as yet no firm valuation for the ship. If it is decided that a licence is required, HMS Cavalier will be subject to the normal considerations as to whether a licence should be granted or the decision deferred.

We owe a great debt to those who served in the Navy and I appreciate that the future of HMS Cavalier is a matter of importance to them.

12 Nov 1997 : Column: 568

Tourism (Hotels)

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, media and Sport how many hotels offered accommodation in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years. [14565]

Mr. Tom Clarke [holding answer 10 November 1997]: The table shows the number of establishments listed as hotels ¹ by the English, Scottish, Wales and Northern Ireland tourist boards for each year from 1987 to 1996 inclusive. Figures are not available in the form requested for 1989 in Scotland and for 1993 in England and Wales.

¹ The term hotels is defined in a generic sense in England, Scotland and Wales, as it has not proved possible to disaggregate hotels from other types of serviced accommodation.

Year	England(19)	Scotland(20)	Wales(20)	Northern Ireland
1987	24,218	2,969	1,462	130
1988	23,692	2,997	1,589	125
1989	22,936	n/a	1,456	120
1990	22,547	3,285	1,620	122
1991	22,293	2,885	1,512	126
1992	22,007	2,885	1,744	126
1993	n/a	2,927	n/a	122
1994	19,073	2,876	1,438	122
1995	18,838	2,841	1,415	126
1996	18,709	2,080	1,397	129

(19) In England, the figures include hotels, motels, inns and guesthouses.

(20) In Scotland and Wales the figures include motels and inns but not guesthouses.

Communications Sector Regulation

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures he is taking to provide a single independent body to regulate the communications sector. [14575]

Mr. Fisher: The Government are considering the policy implications of convergence between broadcasting, telecommunications and computing. As part of this work, we will be considering whether and how we might make the structure of regulation more appropriate to any new market structures which might emerge.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Export Licences

Ann Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the export licences revoked by her Department since 1990; and what is the practice of her Department regarding the payment of compensation to the licensees. [13322]

Mrs. Roche: Over the years, a large number of standard individual export licences have been revoked for a range of reasons; for instance, because of the introduction of UN trade sanctions or arms embargos or in response to wrongdoing. It would entail disproportionate cost to provide details of all these licences.

12 Nov 1997 : Column: 569

The practice of this Department is to pay compensation for revocation of export licences only where the Department incurs a legal liability as a result of the revocation.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the original cost of the Export Licence Information Processing System; and how much it will cost to develop a new database. [15302]

Mrs. Roche [holding answer 10 November 1997]: The cost of developing the Export Control Licensing Information Processing System (ECLIPS), up to point of implementation in March 1995, is put at £4,447,600.

Development of a new database of export licence applications and establishing a system to enable such applications to be submitted in electronic form is expected to cost £424,000.

Computers (Century Date Change)

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions she has had or plans to have with her World Trade Organisation counterparts on the problems facing computer systems through the century date change; and if she will make a statement. [13149]

Mrs. Roche: I have no plans to raise this at the WTO, but I will look to raise the issue in more appropriate international fora.

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions she has had or plans to have with her EU counterparts on the problems facing computer systems through the century date change; and if she will make a statement. [13154]

Mrs. Roche: I plan to raise this at the Telecommunications Council on 1 December and in bilateral meetings with other Member States.

Multilateral Agreement on Investment

Dr. Tonge: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if it is her policy to adopt the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment in its current form; and if she will make a statement. [15168]

Mrs. Roche: The Government support the general aims of the proposed MAI. Many issues remain to be resolved. We are working hard to achieve a successful outcome to the negotiations by April 1998.

Yemen

Mr. Vaz: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will estimate the number of British firms which have offices in Yemen. [14975]

Mrs. Roche: According to the latest information I have there are 20 British firms with offices in Yemen.

Mr. Vaz: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action she is taking to promote trade and investment in Yemen. [14977]

Mrs. Roche: In partnership with the private sector, other Government departments and the British Embassy, the Department of Trade and Industry supports a full programme of activities to promote trade and investment in Yemen.

12 Nov 1997 : Column: 570

Recent activities include: an inward mission of Yemeni business women in May, the Committee for Middle East Trade Round Table meeting between the private sectors of Yemen and Britain in September, an Invest in Yemen seminar in London in September, a DTI supported trade mission to Yemen in September led by HRH the Duke of Gloucester; a DTI seminar addressed by the Yemeni Minister of Health in October, a joint DTI and British Council workshop and forum in October at the House of Commons on Women and Economic Development in Yemen.

Planned future activities include: the President of the Board of Trade and the Minister for Trade the President of Yemen during his visit to Britain in November; the Minister for Trade's visit to Yemen in November; catalogue exhibitions featuring British companies' goods and services Aden, Taiz and Sana'a in November; at least four DTI supported trade missions to Yemen in the first half of 1998, including one on the oil and gas sector and another on tourism, and a further inward mission of Yemeni businesswomen. In conjunction with the British Council the DTI will facilitate the setting-up in Sana'a of a training and advice centre for businesswomen in Yemen.

DTI has also initiated a twinning arrangement between the Chambers of Commerce of Sana'a and London.

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