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Telephone Preference Scheme
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who has the authority to order the disconnection of Category 3 phone numbers under the Telephone Preference Scheme. [15777]
Mr. George Howarth: Central Government have the authority to order the disconnection of Category 3 phone numbers under the Telephone Preference Scheme in response to a situation affecting defence or national security.
Telecommunications operators can also disconnect Category 3 phone numbers to provide assured access to the public network for essential users in the event of a heavy overload or damage to the public network.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the allocation of telephone numbers under Categories 1 to 3 of the Telephone Preference Scheme was last reviewed; and by whom. [15780]
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Mr. George Howarth:
The allocation of telephone numbers in the three categories was reviewed in 1996 by an Inter-departmental Working Party with representatives from the Home Office, Cabinet Office, Department of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Defence and Public Telecommunication Operators.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the companies and organisations in (a) Category 1 and (b) Category 2 under the Telephone Preference Scheme. [15779]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Telephone Preference Scheme Category 1 applies to Central Government emergency services, local authorities, the military and the utilities, all of which have a key role in an emergency. Category 2 applies to all public call boxes and coin operated telephones. It is not possible to provide a full list within the two categories without incurring disproportionate cost.
Mr. Cotter:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many copies of the "EMU--Practical Guidelines for Business" (July 1997) have been circulated to date (a) in total and (b) to firms in the small business sector. [14728]
Mrs. Roche:
About 50,000 copies of the booklet "EMU--Practical Information for Business", published by HM Treasury, have been distributed.
Small businesses have been targeted in the distribution of this booklet.
Mr. Goggins:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will publish the amount of Government expenditure on firework safety campaigns for each year since 1979. [15532]
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Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
The cost of fireworks safety campaigns between 1979 and 1983 cannot be produced without incurring disproportionate cost. The figures from 1984 are as follows:
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 35 |
| 1985 | 40 |
| 1986 | 51 |
| 1987 | 78 |
| 1988 | 57 |
| 1989 | 64 |
| 1990 | 111 |
| 1991 | 74 |
| 1992 | 84 |
| 1993 | 160 |
| 1994 | 191 |
| 1995 | 185 |
| 1996 | 284 |
| 1997 | (7)350 |
(7) Latest estimate.
Loan Guarantee Scheme
Mr. Geraint Davies: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of businesses applying for the DTI Loan Guarantee Scheme have been declared eligible during the last year for which figures are available. [15319]
Mrs. Roche: No figures relating to the proportion of applications declared eligible are available. All applications are made direct to lenders and no national records of approaches to lenders are kept.
Property Sales (Coal Mining Searches)
Ms Walley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what sums were collected by the Coal Authority in respect of coal mining searches on property sales in each of the last three years; and in each year what these were as a percentage of the Authority's total income. [15733]
Mr. Battle:
The following table shows the Coal Authority's turnover and operating surplus from the provision of coal mining reports and records for the past three financial years, and their relationship to the Authority's total turnover and operating surplus or deficit.
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| Turnover | Operating surplus/(deficit) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining reports and records | Coal Authority | Mining reports and records | Coal Authority | |||
| £ million | £ million | Percentage | £ million | £ million | Percentage | |
| 1994-95 | 1.749 | 22.843 | 7.7 | 0.538 | (3.566) | -- |
| 1995-96 | 4.796 | 74.834 | 6.4 | 1.518 | 27.187 | 5.6 |
| 1996-97 | 5.734 | 55.807 | 10.3 | 1.506 | 22.203 | 6.8 |
Note:
The figure for turnover from provision of mining reports and records includes reports provided in respect of house and land purchase, development proposals and infrastructure developments, and for access to geological and other records held by the Coal Authority. The Authority's mining records and reports service is required to cover its costs, and adjustments are made to the cost of the service to reflect this requirement. Following the computerisation of the reports service, fees for each mining report were reduced by 17.5 per cent. on 1 June 1997.
Source:
The Coal Authority Annual Report and Accounts, 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97.
17 Nov 1997 : Column: 47
Coal
Caroline Flint:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action she is taking to expand the markets for United Kingdom coal. [15674]
17 Nov 1997 : Column: 48
Mr. Battle:
The Government believe that there is scope for expanding the European sales of United Kingdom coal which is by far the lowest cost production in Europe. To this end, the Government are vigorously urging the Commission to block the subsidies to German and
17 Nov 1997 : Column: 49
Spanish coal producers that create barriers to 1998 sales of United Kingdom steam coal, anthracite and manufactured smokeless fuels in the European Coal and Steel Community.
Other steps we have taken to encourage the continuation of markets for coal include:
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the United Kingdom maximum limit on the amount of grant that can be offered in an assisted area or development area. [15761]
Mrs. Beckett:
The maximum grant ceiling in the UK is 75 per cent. of the discounted fixed capital costs for qualifying projects in areas designated under Article 92(3)a of the Treaty of the EC. This ceiling is currently applicable to the whole of Northern Ireland. The maximum grant in Development Areas under Article 92(3)c is 30 per cent.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what mechanisms have been created to avoid competitive bidding between United Kingdom regions to attract new investment. [15762]
Mrs. Beckett:
All three operating departments have subscribed to internal rules designed to avoid bidding up. There are also procedures for central handling of major cases where appropriate--for example, if more than one site is being considered.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade in what circumstances her Department (a) sees the papers, (b) influences decisions and (c) has a veto on inward investment packages offered by Wales and Scotland. [15820]
Mrs. Beckett:
The territorial departments consult my Department on a range of matters, for example the market conditions in an industry, when relevant. The territorial departments will also consult my Department when more than one location is being considered because there are arrangements for a co-ordinating approach to dealing with the prospective inward investor. Decisions on inward investment packages offered by Scotland and Wales are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidelines she has issued to bring investment packages offered by Scotland and Wales into line with England. [15860]
Mrs. Beckett
[holding answer 13 November 1997]: Regional Selective Assistance scheme grants operate to common guidelines applied across Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, grants are available under the Selective
17 Nov 1997 : Column: 50
Financial Assistance scheme, which operates on similar principles. I am discussing with my colleagues how best to ensure common UK criteria when dealing with the full packages of support offered to inward investors.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the Secretary of State for Scotland has to submit investment packages to her Department before he is able to confirm them. [15884]
Mrs. Beckett
[holding answer 13 November 1997]: No.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what criteria she will apply to determine the size of grants for regional inward investment. [15882]
Mrs. Beckett
[holding answer 13 November 1997]: Applications for Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) grant are received from both domestic and foreign companies of all sizes, and are assessed against the same strict criteria. Eligible projects must create new or safeguard existing employment in the Assisted Area, be viable and contribute to both the regional and national economy. The project must be additional; that it would not go ahead in the assisted area unless RSA grant is forthcoming. The amount of grant awarded is always judged to be the minimum necessary for the project to go ahead, and is related to the fixed capital costs of a project and on the number of jobs expected to be created or safeguarded.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the Invest in Britain Bureau has the power to vet regional development body grants and investment packages. [15881]
Mrs. Beckett
[holding answer 13 November 1997]: The Invest in Britain Bureau, which is jointly managed by the DTI and the FCO markets the UK abroad as an investment location and co-ordinates a regional delivery infrastructure, providing grant to 10 English Regional Development Organisations for an agreed programme of inward investment promotion activities. It does not have the power to vet Regional Selective Assistance packages since that is not its role but it works closely with Regional Assistance Directorate in the DTI, who are responsible for RSA policy.
Setting up a review of the Electricity Pool.
Encouraging the generators to offer their unwanted coal-powered stations for sale to RJB Mining or other coal producers.
Encouraging the regulator to prevent generators from passing on excessive costs under the early take-or-pay gas contracts to ensure that there is no uneven playing field.
Introducing the Fossil Fuel Levy Bill which will remove the advantage that nuclear and imported electricity from France currently enjoys.
We are also working hard to find ways to support clean coal technology.
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