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Advisory Committee on Novel Foods
and Processes
Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes is permitted to take into account (a) wider environmental considerations and (b) ethical considerations when considering applications. [41192]
Mr. Morley:
The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) works closely with the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) in assessing the human and environmental safety of
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genetically modified organisms in accordance with the requirements of the EC Novel Foods and Novel Food Ingredients Regulation (258/97).
The ACNFP considers ethical concerns as part of its normal approval process and to assist in this has a member specifically appointed with expertise in this area.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if animals which have been involved in transgenic experiments are deemed substantially equivalent in terms of their permissability for inclusion in the food chain. [41194]
Mr. Morley:
Animals that have been genetically modified in transgenic experiments would be classed as genetically modified organisms within the meaning of Directive 90/220/EEC and would require a full safety assessment under article 1(2)a of the EC Novel Foods and Novel Food Ingredients Regulation (258/97).
Developing Countries
Dr. Tonge: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultation her Department has had with the Department for International Development regarding the offer of advice to companies currently investing or considering investment in developing and transitional countries. [41038]
Mrs. Roche: DTI officials work closely with those of the Department for International Development in taking forward all aspects of the Development White Paper, including providing advice about trade and investment opportunities in developing and transitional countries.
Multinational Investment
Dr. Tonge: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultation her Department has had with the Department for International Development concerning the forthcoming OECD guidelines on multinational investment. [41037]
Mrs. Roche: The Department has already undertaken wide consultation in developing initial positions on the issues relevant to the forthcoming review of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The Department for International Development has taken a full part in the process of interdepartmental consultation and is working on an examination of the scope of existing voluntary codes of conduct. Business, trades unions and non-governmental organisations have also been consulted. It is our clear intention to continue consultation with all interested parties as the review process gets formally under way in June.
Export Credits Guarantee Scheme
Mr. Alan Simpson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what United Kingdom content requirements are included in the eligibility criteria for the export credits guarantee scheme. [40629]
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Mrs. Roche:
ECGD's aim is to help exporters of UK goods and services to win business and as such limits the amount of support that can be given for the foreign content of a UK export contract. However, recognising that exporters sometimes have no choice but to source some elements of their contract from overseas, support is usually available in line with EU regulations or bilateral agreements with other export credit agencies for certain levels of foreign content in contracts.
Mr. Alan Simpson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list in order the 10 United Kingdom exporters who exported most by value, and their combined percentage of total United Kingdom exports, in the last available year. [40627]
Mrs. Roche:
Information on exports by individual firms is not available from official sources. Results for 1996 from the Financial Times FT Exporters are given in the table. The FT figures are not comparable with the official figures for total exports; consequently, the Top 10 companies' share of the UK total is not available.
| £ million | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | British Aerospace | 5,248 |
| 2 | BP | 4,483 |
| 3 | Rover Group | 4,005 |
| 4 | Shell UK | 3,357 |
| 5 | IBM UK | 3,069 |
| 6 | British Steel | 2,722 |
| 7 | Ford Motor Company | 2,611 |
| 8 | Rolls-Royce | 2,512 |
| 9 | Motorola | 2,208 |
| 10 | Zeneca | 2,076 |
| Total of Top 10 | 32,291 |
Source:
The Financial Times FT Exporters
Cable and Wireless
Mr. Ian Stewart: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much (a) EU and (b) other public funds were given to the Cable and Wireless cable modem trial in Greater Manchester; what consultation Cable and Wireless had with the Government about the termination of the trial; and what assessment she has made of the future of the cable modem trial. [40560]
Mrs. Roche: No EU or other public funds were used for the Cable and Wireless modem trial. Cable and Wireless funded the project in the normal course of commercial and technical development and they will evaluate the project's results. Two other, earlier, multi-media projects in the area using Framework IV and EU funds have utilised in part the Cable and Wireless network, but no public funds have been given to the Company themselves in this context.
Clinical Trials
Dr. Gibson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will take regulatory steps to inhibit inflated claims and suppression of results of clinical trials in the biotechnology drug industry. [40638]
Mrs. Liddell:
I have been asked to reply.
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The London Stock Exchange is the Competent Authority for Listing in the UK and in this capacity acts to regulate the disclosure of information to the market by listed companies. Companies which are listed have continuing obligations of disclosure under the listing rules of the Exchange which are made under Part IV of the Financial Services Act 1986. Directors of listed companies must notify the market via the Exchange of changes in the company's expectation of its performance where knowledge of the change is likely to lead to substantial movement in the price of its shares. Such changes might, in the case of biotechnology companies, include the results of clinical trials. Where necessary the Exchange investigates possible breaches of the rules.
Spinal Injury Units
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many spinal injury units there are in Scotland. [40913]
Mr. Galbraith: There is one spinal injury unit in Scotland, located at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow.
DEFENCE
Sewn and Knitted Products
Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of sewn and knitted products for service personnel sourced through UK companies is subsequently sub-contracted (a) elsewhere in the EU and (b) to non-EU organisations. [36819]
Mr. Spellar: The bulk of the procurement of sewn and knitted products for service personnel is carried out through the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Michael Roycroft to Mr. Andrew George, dated 8 May 1998:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the proportion of sewn and knitted products for service personnel sourced through UK companies that is subsequently sub-contracted elsewhere in the EU and the non-EU organisations, as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency.
Unfortunately this information is not available. Although at the outset of a contract we ask contractors to notify us of the value of subcontracts to be placed overseas, we do this in order that we can make sure individual manufacturing sites comply with our quality standards; we do not subsequently police the percentage of work carried out on different sites as it is ultimately the responsibility of the prime contractor to manage his subcontracts and the contract as a whole.
Staff Newsletters
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the current security classifications of the newsletters produced for the staff of (a) Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency, (b) Defence Animal Centre and (c) Defence Bills Agency; how often each newsletter is produced; and when each newsletter was first produced. [40666]
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Mr. Spellar:
This is a matter for the Chief Executives of the Agencies concerned. I have asked them to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Chris Winsland to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 8 May 1998:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about newsletters produced for the staff of the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency (AFPAA) as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as the Agency's Chief Executive.
I should explain that AFPAA formed as a Defence Agency on 1 April 1997; an initial AFPAA Newsletter was produced in October 1996 to outline the way ahead and our plans for launching the Agency. Newsletters were subsequently issued every 2 to 3 months and were generally timed to coincide with major developments in the Agency's procurement of a commercial partner.
The AFPAA's public/private partnership with EDS (Defence) Ltd became effective on 1 January 98. It is intended to issue a combined AFPAA/EDS Newsletter every 3 months.
I can confirm that the security classification of the Agency's Newsletter is unclassified.
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