| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Wellcome Trust
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the letter of 22 September from the
20 Jan 1999 : Column: 510
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, if he will list the contributions of the Wellcome Trust to significant additional investments in areas of science (a) in the biomedical area and (b) outside the biomedical area. [65395]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 19 January 1999]: As previously announced, we are grateful to the Wellcome Trust for providing the following funding for joint activities with the Government in support of major research programmes within the Science and Engineering Base.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| Joint infrastructure fund | 300 |
| University Challenge | up to 18 |
| New synchrotron radiation facility | 110 |
These contributions are additional to the Trust's previously planned expenditure on university research over the life-time of these projects.
None of these projects have yet progressed to a stage where payments to recipients have been made, but all of these contributions will be in support of biomedical research.
Iraqi Exports
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has collated about Iraqi exports of (a) dates, (b) wheat and (c) other products. [65385]
Mr. Wilson: Information on Iraqi exports of dates and wheat is not readily available from official sources. The International Monetary Fund has estimated from partner country records that Iraq's total exports of goods in 1997 amounted to US$2,309 million. Exports of Iraqi oil approved by the United Nations are monitored by the UN.
Medical Exports
Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed by Government departments and agencies to assist in supporting and promoting exports of medical and pharmaceutical equipment; and at what cost. [66037]
Mr. Wilson: Principal responsibility for promoting exports in this sector rests with three civil servants in the Export Promotion Command of my Department in liaison with five officials from the Department of Health and an Export Promoter seconded from industry. The running cost of the civil servants themselves, excluding the programme budget for which they are responsible, is £254k.
The total cost of the Overseas Trade Service's export promotion programme in 1997-98 was estimated to have been approximately £220 million, of which £165 million was the cost of 824.55 posts in the DTI, 92 staff in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and FCO staff in 217 overseas posts with commercial sections. Figures indicating the percentage of these resources devoted to promoting exports of medical and pharmaceutical equipment are not available.
20 Jan 1999 : Column: 511
Mr. Fallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the Treasury Minute of Approval in respect of the purchase of German Parcels by the Post Office. [66021]
Mr. Ian McCartney
[holding answer 18 January 1999]: Treasury approval was given in the form of a letter from the then Chief Secretary to the then Secretary of State. In accordance with the normal conventions, it would not be appropriate to publish this letter.
Mr. Fallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the details of the purchase of German Parcels by the Post Office will be supplied to the Committee of Public Accounts. [66019]
Mr. Ian McCartney
[holding answer 18 January 1999]: The financial consequences of any investments made by the Post Office will be appropriately reflected in the Post Office annual report and accounts. These will be laid before Parliament in the usual way.
Mr. Fallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons details of the purchase of German Parcels by the Post Office have not been published. [66023]
Mr. Ian McCartney
[holding answer 18 January 1999]: A great deal of information is available on the Post Office acquisition of German Parcels. But this is a commercial transaction. The Post Office have advised us that they do not have details of similar acquisitions made by their European post office competitors--details which it would be to their advantage to know. They therefore do not want exact details of their own purchase to be released for reasons of commercial confidentiality. We respect that.
However, the estimated turnover of German Parcels for the current year is around £265 million. A normal core price for such an acquisition might be the annual turnover plus any special assets. The agreed purchase price for German Parcels is in line with this.
Mr. Fallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what arrangements have been made to enable the National Audit Office to examine the purchase by the Post Office of German Parcels; [66020]
Mr. Ian McCartney
[holding answers 18 January 1999]: Under Schedule 4 of the National Audit Act 1983 the Post Office is specifically exempted from the Comptroller and Auditor General's responsibilities for the examination of the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which public bodies carry out their functions. Post Office accounts are prepared in accordance with commercial practice and are audited by external auditors appointed by the Secretary of State rather than by the National Audit Office.
However, the National Audit Office, through the Comptroller and Auditor General, has a right under Section 6(1) of the National Audit Act 1983 (as qualified by Section 6(2) of the Act) to examine the DTI's and Treasury's roles in approving the purchase of German Parcels.
20 Jan 1999 : Column: 512
Mr. Win Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to receive the Coal Authority's fourth report on the administration of the coal mining subsidence damage repair and compensation scheme. [67092]
Mr. Battle:
I have now received this report from the Coal Authority and have arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses today.
Mr. McAllion:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, following the dissolution of the Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry and its voluntary de-registration as a trade union in 1991, a successor body with similar objectives has re-registered as a trade union or registered as an employer's association. [66146]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
No. I am not aware that the Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry has been dissolved. No successor body with similar objectives has applied for listing as a trade union or as an employers' association.
Mr. McAllion:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Joint Advisory Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry was granted permission by ministers to operate an industry scheme of redundancy payments; and if he will make a statement. [66145]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
No. The Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry does, however, operate a Dismissals Procedures Agreement designated by the Secretary of State under S110 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 but that agreement does not cover redundancy payments.
Dan Norris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the percentage of gas consumers in England and Wales who use (a) electronic token, (b) coin and (c) mechanical token prepayment gas meters. [65961]
Mr. Battle:
As of September 1998, out of some 19 million domestic gas consumers, the percentage of customers using prepayment gas meters was approximately as follows: (a) electronic token, 7 per cent., (b) coin, 0.5 per cent., (c) mechanical token, less than 0.1 per cent.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department is investigating alleged improprieties in the actions of London and Bishopsgate Investments in the late 1980s and early 1990s. [66624]
Mr. Byers:
It is not the Department's policy to comment on whether or not it is carrying out an investigation. The right hon. Member refers in his question to
20 Jan 1999 : Column: 513
(2) if the Comptroller and Auditor General has given his agreement to the decision not to publish details of the purchase of German Parcels by the Post Office. [66022]
"alleged improprieties in the actions of London and Bishopsgate Investments in the late 1980s and early 1990s".
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |