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Child Care
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has for improved child care for school-aged children during half-term and school holiday breaks. [38492]
Mr. Alan Howarth: Our national child care strategy will help parents, especially women, to balance work and family life. The aim is to have a range of good quality, affordable child care provision in every neighbourhood, meeting the year-round needs of children and parents. More than £300 million from public funds and from the New Opportunities Fund will be invested in developing child care over the next five years.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Offshore Wind Generation
Mr. Boswell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to introduce a unified consent system for offshore wind generation installations. [39587]
Mr. Battle:
Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 provides the legislative basis for an existing system for the construction, extension and operation of electricity generating stations exceeding 50 Megawatts of installed capacity. Offshore wind energy stations exceeding 50 Megawatts of installed capacity are embraced by these arrangements and separate arrangements exist under the Coastal Protection, Food and Environmental Protection, and Transport and Works Acts for offshore wind energy generating stations which do not exceed 50 Megawatts. I am currently considering representations I have received from the British Wind Energy Association on these arrangements.
27 Apr 1998 : Column: 26
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has in respect of increasing the provision of parental leave. [38511]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
The Government are committed to implementing the EC Parental Leave Directive by December 1999. The Directive will provide employees, both mothers and fathers, with a basic entitlement to three months unpaid leave on grounds of the birth or adoption of a child. It will also provide employees with the right to time off for urgent family reasons. We intend to consult fully on how we implement the Directive, in particular on the matters on which it provides options and flexibilities.
Dr. Ladyman:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how the Government intend to encourage electronic commerce; and if she will make a statement. [40083]
Mrs. Roche:
The Information Age strategy launched by the Prime Minister on 16 April 1998 demonstrates the Government's commitment to electronic commerce. Electronic commerce is crucial to the future prosperity of our economy and to the competitive position of our industries, and the UK is well placed to play a leading role. Building on the success of the Programme for Business, the Government are now putting in place the policy and legal framework in which electronic commerce can flourish. From schools to high finance in the City the Government are committed to ensuring everyone benefits from advanced electronic communications.
It is also important to make electronic commerce more secure. Users cannot afford to let the information they transmit across the Internet (or any other network) be compromised. They must have confidence that both the integrity and confidentiality of their information will be protected. At the same time, users must be able to trust both the technologies which allow such security and the commercial organisations providing it. To that end, I am announcing today proposals for legislation to introduce voluntary licensing arrangements for bodies offering cryptographic services to the public to ensure that minimum standards of quality and service are met. They will apply to both Certification Authorities (providing electronic signature services) and other bodies providing encryption services. The arrangements will set minimum technical and competence standards for bodies that wish to seek licences. The legislation will also enable users to place greater reliance on digital signatures, through a presumption of legal recognition for those signatures generated by licensed Certification Authorities. Fuller details of this policy are set out in a Statement which is being lodged in the Libraries of both Houses.
It is not, however, in the interests of business or the public for criminals and terrorists to be able to exploit these new technologies to disguise or conceal their activities. To meet these concerns, the Government will also introduce legislation making provision for law enforcement agencies to gain legal access, under a properly authorised warrant and on a case by case basis, to encryption keys or other information protecting the secrecy of stored or transmitted information. The purpose
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of these new powers will be to maintain the effectiveness of the existing legislation designed to protect the public from crime and terrorism.
Ms Drown:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what amount of export credits for each of the years between 1994 and 1997 was granted for defence-related business with (a) India, (b) Indonesia, (c) Jordan, (d) Kenya, (e) Malaysia, (f) Nigeria, (g) Pakistan, (h) Saudi Arabia, (i) Thailand and (j) Turkey. [39665]
Mrs. Beckett:
From information readily available, the figures requested are as follows:
| £ million | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | |
| India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indonesia | 114 | 412 | 143 | 9 |
| Jordan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenya | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malaysia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pakistan | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Saudi Arabia | 225 | 225 | 225 | 225 |
| Thailand | 22 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Turkey | 90 | 265 | 2 | 36 |
These figures include all ECGD-covered business with defence buyers, including the sale of non-lethal equipment.
Regional Development Funding
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the allocation of Objective 1 Funding per head in Merseyside for the current funding period; and what is the average figure for all European Objective 1 areas. [38989]
Mrs. Beckett: Structural Funds allocations per head to Merseyside for the period 1994-99 amount to some 615 ecu (in 1998 prices), £410 using current exchange rates. The equivalent figure for all European Objective 1 areas is 1,170 ecu (£780).
European Business Round Table
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent representations she has received from the European Business Round Table. [39327]
Mrs. Beckett: None. But the Chairman of the ERT has been invited to a dinner I am hosting in Brussels on 6 May for EU Industry Ministers and representatives of EU Industry to discuss competitiveness. In addition, my noble Friend Lord Simon, the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe, will be speaking at their colloquium on Innovation and Competitiveness.
Grey Cloth Imports
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received about the duty imposed by the European Commission on grey cloth imports; what steps she will take to enforce this duty; and what consultations she has had with the Commission on this matter. [39320]
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Mrs. Beckett:
I have received a number of representations from the UK textile industry and others about the provisional anti-dumping duty that the Commission, against the wishes of a clear majority of member States, has decided to impose on imports of grey cloth. When consulted by the Commission, we made clear our firm opposition to such a step, which we believe to be against the interests of both the Community textile industry and EU consumers and will cost jobs. Collection of the duty is a matter for HM Customs and Excise.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contribution her Department made to the budget of the Overseas Trade Board in the last financial year. [38880]
Mrs. Beckett:
My Department's expenditure on the British Overseas Trade Board during financial year 1997/98 was £229,000. This includes the salary of Sir Martin Laing CBE, Chairman of the BOTB, and the cost of visits both in the UK and overseas by Sir Martin and by the Vice-Chairman, HRH The Duke of Kent.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the present value of her Department's contracts with the National Engineering Laboratory. [38876]
Mr. Battle:
The Department currently has contracts with the National Engineering Laboratory which, over financial years 1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/01, have a total outstanding value of £10.6 million.
Mr. Wills:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many ex gratia payments have been made by her Department to individuals or organisations in each of the last three years. [39425]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
The number of ex gratia payments made by the Department of Trade and Industry is as follows:
| Financial year | Individuals | Organisations |
|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 71 | 8 |
| 1995-96 | 51 | 10 |
| 1996-97 | 41 | 12 |
Details of payments made in financial year 1997-98 will be made available on publication of the Department's Appropriation Accounts in the autumn.
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