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Unsolicited Faxes
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he plans to introduce legislation to prohibit the sending of unsolicited faxes. [75074]
8 Mar 1999 : Column: 25
Mr. Wills:
I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Colchester (Mr. Russell) of 27 January 1999, Official Report, column 284.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 22 February 1999, Official Report, column 97, on plutonium shipments to Japan, when he expects the contracts for MOX shipments by BNFL to be signed; and what role his Department will play in the negotiations. [74972]
Mr. Battle:
The timing and terms of contracts for the shipment of nuclear materials are linked to the operational and commercial requirements of customers and are matters for the companies concerned to agree. These are not matters in which the Government is directly involved.
Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will make a statement on the actions his Department is taking to promote the Ethical Trading Initiative among UK companies; [75236]
Mr. Wilson:
My Department has made it clear that, along with other interested departments, we fully support the aims of the Ethical Trading Initiative--as one of the important initiatives being taken currently by the voluntary sector--to promote a culture of social responsibility among British companies. We have enjoyed regular contacts, at both official and ministerial level, with the ETI and applaud their efforts to develop and promote corporate codes of conduct relating to companies' dealings with their overseas suppliers, and have given them all the support they have called for.
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Office regarding the impact of oil exploration near St Kilda. [73929]
Mr. Battle:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 2 March 1999, Official Report, columns 693-95.
Joan Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations he had with MAFF, the Department of Health and the Department for International Development on the formulation of Government policy on patenting genetic resources for food and agriculture. [74473]
Mr. Battle:
The patenting of genetic resources for food and agriculture, as with all areas of technology, is governed by the Patents Act 1977. In July 1998, an EC Directive on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions was adopted with the aim of clarifying and harmonising the patent legislation of all Member States for such inventions. During the negotiations on this Directive my Department consulted closely with other
8 Mar 1999 : Column: 26
Departments including MAFF, the Department of Health and the Department for International Development. These links have been maintained since the adoption of the Directive.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what official visits he, his ministers or officials have paid to Zimbabwe since May 1997; whom they met; and what was discussed. [73556]
Mr. Straw:
No Ministerial visits have been paid to Zimbabwe over this period.
One official visited Zimbabwe in August 1998 to assess a penal report project which the Department for International Development (DFID) had funded. He met senior Government legal officers and staff from non-governmental organisations.
One official visited Harare in September 1997 and September and November 1998 to undertake carriers' liability training and made liaison visits to British Airways and Air Zimbabwe. Two Immigration Service officials paid similar visits to Air Zimbabwe in February 1999.
One official provided consultancy services to the Zimbabwe police in October 1998 in relation to record keeping.
One official is currently on a DFID-funded secondment to the Zimbabwe Police Department to review and advise on the collection of crime statistics in Zimbabwe.
In addition, two police officers, from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, were attached to the Zimbabwe fraud and anti-corruption unit from 18 April 1997 for 18 days.
Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a summary and analysis of the responses to the 1997 White Paper on asylum and immigration. [73890]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The White Paper published in July 1998 set out the Government's policy proposals and did not seek views on specific issues. In those circumstances, we took the view that the best approach was to publish a list of respondents and their full comments rather than attempt an extensive summary and analysis of the responses. A list of respondents, together with copies of their comments, was placed in the Libraries on 17 December.
Mr. Linton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce measures to allow (a) elections to be held on Sundays and (b) the European election to be held on Sunday 13 June. [74685]
Mr. George Howarth:
We have no plans at present to introduce polling at the weekend for Parliamentary or European Parliamentary elections. We are, however, considering the possibility of pilot studies of this and other alternative electoral procedures at local elections.
8 Mar 1999 : Column: 27
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) injured or (b) killed in each year since 1990 as a result of an accident involving a fire engine answering a 999 call. [74631]
Mr. George Howarth:
This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. St. Aubyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many au pairs were registered with the police under the terms of the au pair scheme in (a) May 1997, (b) July 1998 and (c) the latest month for which figures are available. [74488]
Mr. Mike O'Brien
[holding answer 5 March 1999]: Statistical information about the number of "au pairs" who registered with the police because of the imposition of such a requirement by an immigration officer on entry is not available. However, the table showing the number of "au pairs" given leave to enter the United Kingdom in the specified months gives a strong indication of the number who might have been expected to have a registration requirement imposed.
(2) what action his Department is taking to promote the establishment of internal systems in UK companies for the implementation and external verification of ethical practices. [75235]
| Nationality | May 1997 | July 1998 | November 1998 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyprus | (4)-- | (4)-- | (4)-- |
| Czechoslovak passport holders(1) | 10 | (3)-- | (3)-- |
| Czech Republic(2) | 230 | 610 | 360 |
| Slovakia | 190 | 680 | 190 |
| Hungary | 90 | 190 | 110 |
| Malta | (5)-- | (5)-- | (5)-- |
| Switzerland | 10 | 20 | 10 |
| Turkey | 80 | 100 | 120 |
| Bosnia | (3)-- | (4)-- | (5)-- |
| Croatia | 10 | 20 | 40 |
| Macedonia | 10 | 30 | 20 |
| Slovenia | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Faroe Islands | (5)-- | (4)-- | (5)-- |
| Total | 650 | 1,680 | 870 |
(1) Persons still travelling on a passport issued by the former government
(2) 1998 data include holders of Czechoslovakian passports
(3) Not available
(4) Negligible (i.e. five or fewer)
(5) Nil
(6) 1998 data are provisional
Note:
The figures in this table have been rounded to three significant digits, or to the nearest 10 if fewer than 1000; because of this the sum of the constituent items may not agree with the total as shown.
8 Mar 1999 : Column: 28
Mr. St. Aubyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the costs saved since August 1998, following the relaxation of the rules requiring au pairs to register with the police after being in the United Kingdom for six months. [74489]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 5 March 1999]: The Police Registration Scheme is administered by the police on a cost recovery basis, with the current fee standing at £34. Until the scope of the Police Registration Scheme was amended on 11 May 1998 "au pairs" given leave to enter the United Kingdom for a period of over six months were required, as a condition of that leave, to register with the police within seven days of arrival. Since that date only foreign nationals from the countries or territories listed in Appendix 2 to the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules should normally be required to register. The changes to the scope of the registration scheme in respect of "au pairs" have not resulted in any cost saving to the police or central Home Office.
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