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Ministerial Interests
Mr. Redwood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list those (a) companies and (b) industries which in order to avoid an actual or apparent conflict of interst, are not handled by each Minister in her Department. [17068]
Mrs. Beckett [holding answer 21 November 1997]: Ministers in this Government will continue to make public statements about their involvement in specific cases where it is valuable for the conduct of the case to do so; it is not always possible to predict where conflicts of interest will arise. This approach, which reflects that of the previous administration, seems to the Government to satisfy the public interest.
It has been announced that the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs has stood aside from consideration of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the travel trade and, because of his late father's shareholding, consideration of the MMC's report on P&O/Stena and from papers relating to the European Commission's investigation under the European Community Merger Regulation of the proposed acquisition by Dupont of certain ICI businesses. I did not handle DTI consideration of the recent Rolls-Royce launch aid case to avoid any conflict with my constituency interest.
Coal Industry
Mr. Redwood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate she has made of the number of pits which will close in the British coal industry over the next year. [17069]
Mrs. Beckett [holding answer 21 November 1997]: Any estimates of coal production and coal burn are resultant from the information submitted to the Department by the private mining companies and private energy generators. It is, of course, in the hands of private sector coal operators to take decisions on the future commercial operation of individual coal mines.
Inward Investment
Mr. Redwood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade where the responsibility for the final decision about the level of grants offered to a potential inward investor lies when sites in more than one part of the United Kingdom are being considered. [17063]
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Mrs. Beckett
[holding answer 21 November 1997]: Decisions on the level of Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) grant to be offered to a potential inward investor are taken once a single site in the UK has been chosen. Responsibility for final decisions rests with me, as the President of the Board of Trade, if the site is in England, with the Secretary of State for Scotland if the site is in Scotland, and with the Secretary of State for Wales if the site is in Wales. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible for the final decision on the level of Selective Financial Assistance to be offered to a potential inward investor if the site is in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what factors underlay her decision to invest in Rolls-Royce's new range of Trent engines; what steps had been taken by the company to secure this investment from the private sector; and if she will make a statement. [17375]
Mr. Battle:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the House on 13 November 1997, Official Report, column 626.
The President of the Board of Trade did not handle the case for the DTI in order to avoid any potential conflict with her constituency interest. The case was handled for the DTI by me.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will estimate the number of laser pens with beams greater than one milliwatt currently in circulation in the United Kingdom. [15921]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
We cannot estimate the number of laser pens with beams greater than one milliwatt in circulation. However, following my announcement on 28 October about dangerous laser pens, Trading Standards Departments have been tracing sources of supply of laser pens and have suspended the sale of considerable quantities of these products which were intended for supply to the general public. These inspections are continuing.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what research her Department has evaluated into the potential hazards of laser pens with beams of less than one milliwatt. [15919]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
My Department has considered the recent report by Heriott-Watt University on the optical safety of laser pointers and has had discussions with the National Radiological Protection Board regarding the safety of these devices in the hands of the general consumer. We are not aware of any evidence that laser pens up to one milliwatt are directly harmful to health.
Ms Walley:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of the impact of the EU Patent Directive on developing countries' (a) attempts to
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conserve genetic resources and (b) farmers' rights; and if she will make a statement. [17806]
Mr. Battle:
The Commission's proposal for a Directive on legal protection of biotechnological inventions seeks to harmonise certain aspects of the national patent laws of the Member States. It is an Internal Market measure and seeks to eliminate current uncertainties as to what can attract patent rights in the biotechnological field, which may be acting as a deterrent to investment in the industry in Europe. Since the proposal concerns only the EU Member States' laws, and patent rights are valid only on a national basis, there is no direct read across for countries outside the Community. Other countries, including those of the developing world, remain free to determine their own national patent regimes, and to deal with conservation of genetic resources and the position of farmers as they see fit.
Ms Walley:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of the impact of the EU Patent Directive on competitiveness within the EU Single Market; and if she will make a statement. [17805]
Mr. Battle:
The purpose of the proposed Directive is to establish a clear legal framework for the protection of biotechnological inventions through national patent law. Although the texts of Member States' patent laws are currently closely aligned with that of the European Patent Convention (an international governmental agreement dating from 1978), there have been differences in interpretation between Member states. Although no assessment has been made as to the direct effect this proposed Directive may have on enhancing competitiveness, the clarification arising from it will reduce current uncertainty in this area of law and its possible deterrent to investment in this industry.
Ms Corston:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Committee on Safety of Medicines to approve the recent recommendations of the Malaria Advisory Committee to restrict the use of Mefloquine (Lariam) by travellers. [15451]
Ms Jowell:
The Committee on Safety of Medicines has no jurisdiction over the recommendations of the Malaria Advisory Committee but has reviewed these to determine whether they have any implications for the Marketing Authorisation and product information for Lariam.
In order to ensure that doctors are aware of the published guidelines, the product information advises doctors to refer to them.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, of 10 November 1997, Official Report, column 441, if he will list the e-mail addresses of
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(a) Ministers, (b) senior officials and (c) chief executives of agencies for which he is responsible. [15871]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 13 November 1997]: The Department of Health Internet web site contains e-mail addresses for contact and feedback on various subjects and projects, e.g. Open Government, and the Review of the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work.
Apart from the National Health Service Pensions Agency, the agencies for which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is responsible, NHS Estates, Medical Devices Agency and Medicines Control Agency, all have Internet Web sites containing either contact e-mail addresses or telephone numbers.
Although none of the contact e-mail addresses currently reaches individual Ministers, senior officials or chief executives, the Department is giving active consideration to a central initiative on the handling of external electronic communications, including the electronic equivalent of paper correspondence to Ministers and named officials.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of the adult population suffering from varicose veins; and if he will make a statement.16336]
Mr. Boateng:
Information on the prevalence of varicose veins in the population is not available. The information in the table shows the number of completed episodes in 1994-95, the latest year for which information is available, in which an operation was carried out on varicose vein of the leg. Many people with varicose veins are treated without the need for surgery or any other invasive procedure.
| Age at start of episode | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operation | 18 and over | Not known | Under 18 |
| L85.1 Litigation of long saphenous vein | 36,857 | 6 | 70 |
| L86.1 Injection of sclerosing substance into varicose vein of leg | 2,435 | 1 | 5 |
| L87.1 Stripping of long saphenous vein | 15,211 | 1 | 24 |
| L87.4 Avulsion of varicose vein of leg | 46,233 | 7 | 119 |
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