House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 16 Dec 1998 (pt 2)

NORTHERN IRELAND

Millennium Celebrations

Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to amend liquor licensing arrangements in respect of New Year's Eve celebrations for the Millennium, covering opening hours for 31 December 1999 and 1 January 2000; and if she will make a statement. [63277]

Mr. McFall: It is my intention to issue a consultation paper on 17 December seeking comments on a proposed relaxation of permitted hours for licensed premises and registered clubs in Northern Ireland at the Millennium Holiday and each subsequent New Year's Eve.

Countryside

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking to increase access to the open countryside in Northern Ireland. [63785]

Mr. Paul Murphy: It is proposed to issue a consultation paper on providing access to the countryside early in 1999.

World Heritage Sites

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the organisations in Northern Ireland involved in reviewing world heritage site nominations as a result of the Government's recent consultation. [64398]

Mr. Paul Murphy: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Environment and Heritage Service under its chief executive, Mr. Robert C. Martin. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

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Letter from Robert C. Martin to Mr. Cynog Dafis, dated 16 December 1998:

As Chief Executive of the Environment and Heritage Service, I am responsible for operational aspects of protection of the built heritage on behalf of the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland. I am responding to the Parliamentary Question which you put down on 17 December 1998 about the organisations involved in the review heritage site nominations.

In Northern Ireland, Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), in liaison with the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), reviews world heritage site nominations on behalf of Government. Specifically, EHS has attended a specialist working group convened by English Heritage on behalf of DCMS to advise on the compiling of a new UK tentative list. The Service consults the Department's statutory advisory councils, the Historic Monuments Council, the Historic Buildings Council and the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside about proposed nominations.

I trust you will find this helpful.

Export Surveys

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what categories of data are used in gathering information concerning export surveys from Northern Ireland; how the data are collected; and what part the NIERC plays in the gathering of such information. [63962]

Mr. Ingram: Export data for the UK as a whole are gathered by HM Customs and Excise. However, due to the limitations of this data at regional level, the Department of Economic Development and the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland jointly commission the Northern Ireland Economic Research Centre (NIERC) to undertake a bespoke annual survey of Northern Ireland sales and exports. NIERC designs the survey questionnaire, collects and analyses the data and assists with the preparation of the survey report for publication.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons the analysis of export behaviour by size of firm was discontinued after the first export survey of 1990; and if she will carry out a retrospective analysis of export data for the period 1990-97. [63964]

Mr. Ingram: A detailed academic report was produced on the first export survey published in 1992 (in respect of 1990 data). Subsequent export survey reports have been produced within a tighter timetable with the objective of giving a snapshot of key export information. Additional information is available on request including the retrospective analysis referred to in the question.

Inward Investment

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to what extent the outflow of the profits of externally owned manufacturing companies is taken into account when evaluating the size of grants and subsidies to be given to companies to encourage them to locate in Northern Ireland. [63975]

Mr. Ingram: The potential outflow of profits from externally owned companies seeking to establish manufacturing operations in Northern Ireland is fully evaluated in assessing the amount of grant that can be made available.

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Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the studies carried out by DED of Northern Ireland's competitive advantages in attracting inward investment; and if she will place copies in the Library. [63963]

Mr. Ingram: The Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland (IDB) the arm of DED responsible for inward investment, examines among other issues Northern Ireland's performance in the inward investment market relative to competitors. IDB has not directly purchased or commissioned any study into Northern Ireland's competitive advantage in attracting inward investment. However, a report prepared by Price Waterhouse Coopers in 1996 into Northern Ireland's investment performance compared with the UK and Republic of Ireland makes comment on Northern Ireland's competitive advantages. For copyright and commercial confidentiality reasons this report cannot be placed in the public domain by IDB.

Census of Production

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how long the period is between completion of the collection of Northern Ireland Annual Census of Production data and their publication by the National Statistics Office in its annual Business Monitor. [63966]

Mr. Ingram: The Office for National Statistics publishes regional estimates of industrial production in the Annual Business Monitor approximately twelve months after the completion of data collection.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if data collected in Northern Ireland for the Annual Census of Production are available on a sub-regional basis. [63968]

Mr. Ingram: The Department of Economic Development does not have any results from the Annual Census of Production (now referred to as the Annual Business Inquiry) below NI level. However, the Office for National Statistics is refining the methodology for providing ABI sub-regional estimates with the intention of publishing these from the 1999 inquiry onwards.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the parties which have access to Annual Census of Production data on a confidential basis before the data are published by the National Statistics Office; and on what criteria such organisations are chosen. [63967]

Mr. Ingram: The Northern Ireland Economic Research Centre, commissioned by the Department of Economic Development to undertake the annual Survey of Sales and Exports, has confidential access to Census of Production data prior to publication. The Centre is the only organisation with access to such information which is given under legal direction (as authorised by Article 7 of the Statistics of Trade and Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 1988).

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will introduce local publication of the Annual Census of Production in

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Northern Ireland, following the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly; and what were the reasons for the discontinuation of local publication. [63965]

Mr. Ingram: I have no plans to reintroduce this publication which was suspended, due to lack of demand, following release of the 1985 results. Current data is available from the Office for National Statistics Business Monitor series. Future arrangements will be for consideration by the NI Assembly.

Economic Policies (Inquiries)

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will publish for each year since 1990 the number of contracts entered into by her Department and Northern Ireland Government departments and agencies with outside agencies and consultancy firms for the investigation of economic policy matters, indicating the subject matter of each inquiry and the date the report was (a) completed and (b) published, the name of the consultancy firm or outside agency involved and the cost of each contract; and how many contracts in each year went out to tender. [63978]

Mr. Ingram: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Regional Accounts

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what estimate she has made of the effect on data for Northern Ireland GDP of manufacturing company profit outflows; and what estimate she has made of the size of such outflows; [63973]

(3) if she will list the parties which have access to the data for Northern Ireland Regional Accounts on a confidential basis, before the data are published in Regional Trends; and on what criteria such parties are chosen; [63970]

(4) what plans she has to reformulate the Northern Ireland regional account in line with EUROSTAT standards; [63971]

(5) which Northern Ireland departments are responsible for the preparation of the Northern Ireland Regional Accounts; and what is the length of the period between the collection and completion of such accounts and their eventual publication by the National Statistics Office in Regional Trends. [63969]

Mr. Paul Murphy: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency under its chief executive, Mr. E. F. Jardine. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from E. F. Jardine to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 15 December 1998:

I am replying to your questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland about regional accounts as this matter falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

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Answers to the five questions you tabled are given in the Annex to this letter.

Several of your questions mention the Regional Trends publication. Normally, the Office for National Statistics first publish the regional accounts in their monthly Economic Trends journal and in a news release. The information is then included in Regional Trends which is an annual publication.

If I can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Question:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the effect on data for Northern Ireland GDP of manufacturing company profit outflows; and what estimate she has made of the size of such outflows.

Reply:

Gross Domestic Product is concerned with the physical location of economic activity and therefore its calculation is unaffected by profit outflows. No estimation has been made of the size of such outflows.

Question:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans she has to provide provisional estimates of the main macro-sectoral aggregates in the intervals between the publication of regional accounts in order to facilitate planning by the public and private sector.