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White Goods

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what plans he has to ensure competition and choice for consumers purchasing electrical appliances; [66572]

(2) if he will make a statement on the findings of his Department's survey on the prices of washing machines in retail outlets; [66571]

(3) what further steps he is taking to introduce competition in the market for white goods. [66570]

Dr. Howells: Under UK competition legislation, the Director General of Fair Trading is responsible for keeping the operation of markets under review and considering allegations of anti-competitive behaviour, abuse of monopoly power or restrictive trade practices.

As part of his responsibilities, the Director General is keeping under review compliance with the Order made by my right hon. Friend the former President of the Board of Trade on 19 May 1998, following the 1997 Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of eight categories of domestic electrical goods (including washing machines). The Order prohibits suppliers of those goods from recommending retail prices to retailers, and from influencing the prices at which retailers sell their goods, and came into force on 1 September 1998.

The Government are keen to ensure that UK consumers are not disadvantaged by anti-competitive practices. The new Competition Act 1998 therefore gives the Director General tougher powers to investigate anti-competitive practices. For the first time, it gives him powers to seize company records, take quick action to halt commercial practices which are anti-competitive and fine companies whose behaviour is found to be anti-competitive.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with consumer groups about price competition in the white goods sector. [66576]

Dr. Howells: I meet with consumer groups regularly to discuss a wide range of issues, and will continue to do so.

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Embedded Generators

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what was the total installed capacity of embedded generators for each of the last five years for which data are available; [66915]

(2) how many units of electricity were supplied to the distribution system by embedded generators in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [66899]

Mr. Battle: No central records are kept of the precise amount of generating capacity embedded within the distribution networks of electricity companies in the United Kingdom, nor of the output from such capacity.

However, the capacity of generating plant other than that owned by major power producers over the latest five years for which data are available was as follows:

	GW
end December 1993	3.6
end December 1994	3.8
end December 1995	3.9
end December 1996	4.2
end December 1997	4.2

Source:

Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 1998; Table 6.5.

The figures may over-estimate the amount of embedded capacity since some generating plants may not be capable of exporting electricity to the local network or local conditions may be such that there are limits on the capacity that can be exported. However, the figures may also understate the amount of embedded capacity to the extent that some of the plant belonging to major power producers is embedded.

In each of the last five years, the following quantities of electricity were supplied to the public distribution system in the United Kingdom by generators other than major power producers:

	TWh
1993	3.2
1994	3.9
1995	3.2
1996	3.2
1997	3.4

Source:

Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 1998; Table 6.3.

These figures do not include electricity generated by embedded stations but consumed on the site where generated. Neither do they include generation from any embedded station owned by major power producers.

Note:

Major power producers are those companies whose prime purpose is the generation of electricity. The public distribution system comprises the transmission and distribution grids in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Anglo-Yemeni Trade Relations

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on Anglo-Yemeni trade relations. [66691]

25 Jan 1999 : Column: 28

Mr. Wilson: UK-Yemeni trade relations remain stable. The official figures for 1997 are as shown, together with the latest available figures for January to November 1998:

UK trade in goods with Yemen

		£ million
	1997	January to November 1998
UK Exports	72.1	70.0
UK Imports	5.1	3.2
UK Balance	67.0	66.8

Source:

HM Customs & Excise Business Monitor MM20 DTI/ES Statistics

Bananas

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the changing trading relationships between the United States of America and (a) the European Union as a single entity and (b) individual EU member states with reference to the continuing sanctions relating to the trade dispute over bananas. [67116]

Mr. Wilson: The European Union acts as a single entity in external trade policy matters, under Article 113 of the EC Treaty. There are currently no sanctions in place against EU exports to the US, and intensive efforts to avoid such action is continuing.

Nuclear Waste

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made by BNFL in developing the tank waste remediation system for vitrification of long-lived radioactive wastes at Hanford; and what plans it has to apply this technique to the immobilisation of high level radioactive wastes at BNFL's Sellafield site. [67105]

Mr. Battle: While this is a commercial matter for BNFL, the company announced in July 1998 that they had been awarded the contract for the first phase in developing the tank waste remediation system at Hanford. Much of the technology and approach for this contract has been developed at BNFL's Sellafield site.

This phase involves BNFL in carrying out a 2 year study on the feasibility of designing and constructing a processing facility to immobilise USDOE-owned radioactive waste in glass form using vitrification technology.

Wealth Warnings (Radio)

Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce the results of the consultation completed in May 1998 on the abolition of wealth warnings on commercial radio; and if he will make a statement. [66818]

Dr. Howells: I will make an announcement shortly.

Defence and Security Equipment Exports

Mr. Lock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list in respect of foreign (a) companies and (b) Governments which have been given guarantees in relation to defence and security equipment in the past three

25 Jan 1999 : Column: 29

years (i) the name of the country to which defence and security equipment has been sold, (ii) the level of debt guaranteed for sales to each country in each of the last three years and (iii) the amount of that debt which was paid out by the ECGD in each of the last three years. [66981]

Mr. Wilson: The following tables detail by country the amount of business which ECGD has guaranteed for sales to defence buyers in each of the last three years and the incidence of claims under these same guarantees.

£ million

Country	Amount guaranteed	Amount paid as claims under these Guarantees 1996-97 to 1998-99
1996-97
Bahrain	1.4	0
Indonesia	143.6	(4)1.7
Republic of Korea	13.6	0
Lithuania	1.5	0
Qatar	5.5	0
Saudi Arabia	225	0
Singapore	18.6	0
Turkey	2.0	0
1997-98
Egypt	8.8	0
Greece	18.7	0
Indonesia	16.5	0
Italy	2.7	0
Republic of Korea	62.4	0
Kuwait	55.7	0
Lithuania	4.8	0
Oman	908	0
Qatar	222.9	0
Saudi Arabia	225	0
Thailand	27.3	0
Turkey	35.6	0
United Arab Emirates	9.8	0
USA	58.3	0
1998-99 (to 20 January)
Brazil	29.3	0
Brunei	580	0
India	14.3	0
Indonesia	5.8	0
Italy	1.5	0
Oman	21.1	0
Sweden	4.1	0
USA	6.9	0

(4) Paid 1998-99

Shoe Industry

Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment he has made of the state of the UK shoe manufacturing industry; [67014]

(2) what proposals he has for a national strategy for the UK shoe manufacturing industry. [67016]

Mr. Battle: The DTI prepared a Competitive Analysis of the Footwear Industry which was issued in December 1996. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.

I launched an Action Plan to improve the competitiveness of the UK footwear industry at the National Footwear Conference in Rossendale in February 1998. The Plan is being taken forward by the Footwear Liaison Action Group (FLAG). This is an

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industry led Group which has representatives from companies, trade associations, unions, training organisations, Business Links, DTI and DFEE.

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