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Dubelle Foundation
23. Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are being taken to investigate the activities of the Dubelle Foundation. [71621]
Dr. Howells: The Department of Trade and Industry does not comment on the affairs of an individual company in relation to possible investigations.
National Minimum Wage
24. Mr. Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of the minimum wage on the competitiveness of British industry; and if he will make a statement. [71622]
Mr. Ian McCartney: The introduction of the national minimum wage will enable companies to compete on the basis of the quality of the goods and services they provide not just on price based on low pay. The minimum wage will help to improve productivity. It will create a better rewarded and more committed workforce, which will encourage investment in training, reduce staff turnover and help raise productivity.
33. Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for monitoring compliance with the national minimum wage. [71631]
Mr. Ian McCartney: Inland Revenue officers will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the national minimum wage and that work will be monitored by means of a service level agreement with my Department. More generally, we have asked the Low Pay Commission to monitor and evaluate the introduction and impact of the national minimum wage.
Trade Liberalisation
25. Dr. Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what approach he intends to take in pursuing international trade liberalisation. [71623]
Mr. Wilson:
The Government seek actively to work with the EU and with the UK's major trading partners, through such mechanisms as the Transatlantic Economic Partnership and the Asia-Europe meeting, to encourage the reduction of barriers to trade in overseas markets. In particular, the Government share the European Union's support for a comprehensive new Round of trade
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liberalisation negotiations to be launched at the World Trade Organisation's next Ministerial meeting, to be held in Seattle, USA in November-December this year. A comprehensive Round offers the best chance of ensuring real gains for all participants, including developing countries.
26. Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the outcome of his meeting with representatives of the British Libyan Interest Group to discuss the effects on trade between Britain and Libya of economic sanctions. [71624]
Mr. Wilson:
I have not met representatives of the British Libyan Business Group. However, DTI Officials recently met the BLBG Secretariat to listen to their views and will continue with that dialogue. Officials keep me fully informed.
27. Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out his responsibilities in respect of issues relating to patenting of genetic material. [71625]
Mr. Battle:
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has responsibility for the Patents Act 1977 and associated Rules, and for making any amendments to this legislation which, for example, may be required to implement the European Directive (98/44/EC) on patents for biotechnological inventions. This legislation is administered by the Comptroller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks who has responsibility for granting patents under the criteria specified in this legislation. Rights granted can be challenged before the courts.
28. Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for the implementation of the measures proposed in the Competitiveness White Paper in the areas of new technology. [71626]
Mr. Battle:
The Government have appointed an Implementation Manager, as promised in paragraph 5.10 of the Competitiveness White Paper. We will publish the Implementation Plan for the commitments including developing new technologies we gave in the Competitiveness White Paper shortly.
29. Mr. Purchase:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to improve competitiveness in manufacturing in the west midlands. [71627]
Mr. Battle:
The Government's support to help improve the competitiveness of West Midlands manufacturing companies is extensive, focused mainly through the 10 regional Business Link partnerships. The West Midlands Regional Supply Office also provides specialist help in linking purchasers with suppliers and supply chain development with a particular focus on a number of industrial sectors.
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Specific initiatives to improve manufacturing performance in the West Midlands include:
30. Mr. Burgon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department has taken to make it easier for United Kingdom consumers to buy cars from elsewhere in the EU. [71628]
Dr. Howells:
The Department seeks to ensure that all infringements of EC competition law which restrict imports of cars into the UK are vigorously pursued by the European Commission. We welcome the establishment of manufacturers' hotlines which will make it easier for consumers to purchase cars elsewhere in the EU. We have placed a list of the numbers for use of UK consumers in the House of Commons Library.
31. Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about reform of EU structural funds. [71629]
Mr. Wills:
The discussions between Member States and the Commission on the reform of the Structural and Cohesion Funds will continue until the March 1999 deadline set by the Cardiff Council last June.
The UK is negotiating for an outcome that is fair and affordable to all future and existing Member States, particularly the UK.
32. Ms Moran:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he intends to take to tackle the costs to business of unsolicited e-mail known as spam. [71630]
Mr. Wills:
The Government are aware that unsolicited email is a potentially difficult area for business. There are several industry initiatives aimed at tackling this problem. Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have installed systems aimed at combating unsolicited email, and the London Internet Exchange (LINX) is producing a set of best practice guidelines for ISPs on this subject. In addition the Direct Marketing Association is working on an email preference scheme, to operate in a similar way to the conventional mail preference service but with global rather than national coverage. Such initiatives will be aided by the draft Electronic Commerce Directive which would require all unsolicited commercial communications by email to be indicated as such. The
25 Feb 1999 : Column: 376
Government will monitor the effectiveness of these approaches and consider whether any further action is required in the light of their impact on the problem.
Ms Stuart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the contribution of the partnership between unions and management at Rover Longbridge to the continuation of motor car production at the plant. [71616]
Mr. Byers:
I have been most impressed by the positive response of the Unions and the management at Rover to the challenges now facing the company. There is no doubt that the agreement reached last year to introduce flexible working patterns and to reduce costs has played a significant role in helping to secure the Mini investment.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if British Energy has retained the shareholding inherited from the Central Electricity Generating Board in the holding company NERSA in respect of ownership of the Superphenix fast reactor in France. [69603]
Mr. Battle:
The shareholding was retained in Magnox Electric plc at the time of British Energy's privatisation, and is now held by BNFL.
The World Class Supplier--Accelerate Project. This programme is designed to improve the competitiveness of automotive component manufacturers and is supported by many of the region's major manufacturing companies. The project aims to assist over 3,000 SMEs through establishing 40 networks with the aim of safeguarding 26,000 jobs and levering £10.3 million investment.
The West Midlands Manufacturing Challenge is helping companies improve by offering a free analysis of their position undertaken by a manufacturing specialist who identifies areas for improvement. To date it has assisted over 750 companies and aims to support 2,000 by the end of this year. One firm which used the programme reduced delivery times by 3 weeks and another increased productivity by 50 per cent.
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