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Electricity Connections
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the average connection charge levied on domestic consumers by electricity suppliers. [72541]
Mr. Battle: Most of the public electricity suppliers charge in the region of £200 to £400 for a standard domestic connection. In all cases, charges will be made according to the degree of difficulty involved in the connection and this can make the cost considerably more. Some allowance may be made for future revenue received by the company as a result of a connection.
In all cases where customers feel that the costs involved are not reasonable those costs can be referred to the Director General of Electricity Supply for determination.
Travel Companies
Mr. Darvill: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the Office of Fair Trading to implement the recommendations of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission made in December 1997 on the display of travel company ownership links on the fascias of trading premises and sales brochures. [72016]
Dr. Howells:
My hon. Friend the Leader of the House, in her capacity as the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, asked the Director General of Fair Trading to seek undertakings from the major travel groups regarding undertakings on transparency of ownership links. He is still in discussions with them. He will provide me with advice on the matter in due course and I will make an announcement.
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Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the investments made by industry over the last five years in research by publicly and jointly funded laboratories into genetically modified foods and crops. [72038]
Mr. Battle:
To answer the question it will be necessary to compile the information from the laboratories' records for the last five years, which will take some time. When the information is collected I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the answer in the Library of the House.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money his Department has spent supporting the research and development of agricultural biotechnology since 1 May 1997. [72070]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 23 February 1999]: The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, principally funded from the Science Budget for which the Office of Science and Technology is responsible, spent £13.8 million on agricultural biotechnology in the financial year 1997-98 and expects to spend some £14.5 million in the current financial year, 1998-99. The Department itself does not sponsor food or agriculture companies, and none of its funding is directed specifically at agricultural biotechnology.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what action he is taking to prevent regional coding of DVD video disks; [72749]
(3) what discussions he has had with PC manufacturers to ensure that purchasers of DVD video disks can change their regional codes indefinitely; [72745]
(4) what discussions he has had with manufacturers of consumer DVD video players to ensure that their machines will play disks from each of the six regions of the world; [72748]
(5) if he will make a statement on DVD video disk technology and how consumers can be protected from DVD video disk manufacturers and film makers (a) operating a pricing cartel and (b) designing machines and disks which are not compatible outside their region; [72746]
(6) what discussions he has had with Ministers in other countries on combating anti-competitive behaviour with regard to DVD video disks. [72799]
Dr. Howells:
I understand that the region lock protection system to which the right hon. Member refers reflects the different release schedules for feature films in different areas, and that there are no proposals similarly to restrict blank DVDs or audio disks. Consumers can check that any disk they purchase will play on an
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appropriate player by matching up the regional code printed on the disk packaging with that shown on the front of their player.
Under UK competition law, in the first instance it is the responsibility of the Director General of Fair Trading (DGFT) to investigate allegations of anti-competitive behaviour. The market for DVDs is still young and the DGFT will be monitoring its development. To date he has seen no evidence of price cartels or any other anti-competitive behaviour. If the right hon. Member has any such evidence he should pass that direct to the DGFT. Neither I nor the Secretary of State have had discussions with PC manufacturers, or with Ministers in other countries, about the specifications for DVDs.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what scholarships are made available by his Department to students from the Argentine to study at British universities; and if he will make a statement. [72545]
Mr. Fatchett:
The British Chevening Scholarship Scheme (funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DfID) will provide some 20 new awards for Argentine Scholars to study in the UK in 1998-99 at a cost of about £270,000. The scholarships support postgraduate study in a range of fields from public administration to international law and environmental health. Argentine students are also eligible to apply for places on the FCO's central joint funded schemes co-sponsored with Dundee University and Rio Tinto plc, the Wessex Institute of Technology, the College of Petroleum Studies, and Oxford University and Citibank.
During President Menem's visit to the UK in October 1998 a new scholarships scheme co-sponsored by the FCO, the Argentine Foreign Ministry and Warwick University was established.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the name and position of the official to whom the Chilean Embassy spoke on 15 October with regard to Senator Pinochet's travel arrangements. [72278]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The Chilean Embassy spoke to the Head of Latin America and Caribbean Department, Mr. Henry Hogger.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the investigation into the shooting of Orlando Da Costa during the Troika Ambassador trip to East Timor. [72663]
Mr. Fatchett:
We naturally very much regret the death of Orlando Marcelino Da Costa who was shot in Baucau in June 1998. We asked the Indonesian authorities to carry out a full investigation into the incident. We still await the report.
24 Feb 1999 : Column: 319
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance he is giving the South African Government to combat Islamic terrorism. [72698]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office assists a number of countries each year to combat terrorism more effectively. A team of Whitehall officials will visit South Africa next month as a part of this programme for exploratory talks on counter-terrorism issues. This will be the first such contact with the South African Government since President Mandela's election.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of civil rights abuses perpetrated by the Nigerian forces in Sierra Leone. [72711]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We are aware of reports of abuses by ECOMOG forces in Sierra Leone. We are concerned at such reports, and have made our views clear on this to the Government of Sierra Leone and to ECOMOG.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sierra Leone Government about the death sentence passed on Foday Sankoh. [72730]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The Government of Sierra Leone can be in no doubt about our opposition to the death penalty in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. I raised the case of Foday Sankoh when I met Dr. Jonah, the Sierra Leone Minister of Finance, Development and Economic Planning, on 4 November, and again on 18 January. We do not believe that further executions will promote national reconciliation in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussion he has had with President Kabbah of Sierra Leone on the execution of 24 army officers. [72725]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
I spoke personally to President Kabbah on 16 October about the military courts martial, to ask him to show clemency. I also wrote to President Kabbah on the same day to reiterate our concern. The Government of Sierra Leone can be in no doubt about our concern over the imposition of the death penalty.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the trial procedures to which the 24 executed officers were subjected in Sierra Leone. [72726]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
United Nations and other international observers monitoring the trials process in Sierra Leone have indicated that fair trials have been held under difficult circumstances. There are concerns, however, about the lack of a proper appeals process for the military courts martial. We have taken this up with the Government of Sierra Leone; and will continue to remind them of the need to provide fair trials for all those accused.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received on destruction of property in Freetown following the ECOMOG invasion. [72735]
24 Feb 1999 : Column: 320
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
ECOMOG have not invaded Sierra Leone; their forces were invited by the Government of Sierra Leone to assist in the restoration of peace and security. There has been significant damage to property during the current conflict. The most serious damage was caused in January, when rebel forces entered Freetown, and indulged in wanton destruction of property. The eastern areas of the city have suffered particularly: up to eighty per cent. of property has been reported as destroyed or damaged.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the support given by Britain to the (a) Nigerian military and (b) ECOMOG forces in Sierra Leone. [72714]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We have not given any bilateral support to the Nigerian military, as they are subject to the EU Common position on Nigeria which bans military co-operation. ECOMOG in Sierra Leone comprises Nigerian, Ghanaian, Guinean and Malian contingents. We have provided it with practical support to enable it to protect the legitimate Government and people of Sierra Leone from rebel violence. We have provided £3 million worth of practical logistic support; this includes £1 million worth of vehicles and communications equipment, as well as emergency medical supplies for the people of Sierra Leone. On 19 January, the Foreign Secretary announced a further £1 million of logistic support for ECOMOG and humanitarian assistance. We have also funded the recent airlift of the Ghanaian contingent to ECOMOG.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the support given by Her Majesty's Government to President Kabbah since September 1998. [72731]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We continue to provide strong political and practical support to the democratically elected Government of Sierra Leone. Since the restoration of President Kabbah's legitimate Government in March 1998, we have committed over £20 million for rehabilitation and reconstruction following the military junta, of which £11 million has been spent. We have provided further humanitarian assistance to the people of Sierra Leone this year in response to the deterioration in the security situation.
(2) what steps he will take to ensure that consumers are made aware of regional coding of DVD video disks; [72743]
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