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Job Creation

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of new jobs created since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [80846]

Mr. Hain: Seasonally adjusted figures show that between March 1997 and December 1998 the number of employee jobs in Wales increased by 24,000 to 1,005,000.

Free Bus Travel

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales under what provision the National Assembly is given the power to introduce free bus travel for pensioners. [80511]

Mr. Michael: Following the transfer of powers, the National Assembly will be responsible for overseeing the administration of concessionary fares schemes operated by local authorities under the provisions of Part V of the Transport Act 1985. The nature of the schemes is at present a matter for local authority discretion, although the Government are committed to the introduction of legislation to set a minimum standard for pensioners travelling on buses. In the meantime, the Welsh Office has worked closely with local authorities and I have ensured that all authorities in Wales are in a position to operate schemes for pensioners which at least meet a minimum standard of a £5 bus pass entitling the holder to travel at half-fare. We are now working with local authorities and bus operators to prepare the way for the Welsh Assembly to support the introduction of free bus travel for pensioners over the next two to three years.

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the funding for the scheme to provide free bus travel for pensioners will come from local authority funds. [80512]

Mr. Hain: At present it is for local authorities to make financial provision for their concessionary fares schemes from the resources available to them. I am currently consulting local authorities and bus operators on how best to implement free bus travel for pensioners, which I expect to see over the next two to three years. The method of funding the additional costs will be a matter for the National Assembly to determine.

20 Apr 1999 : Column: 503

Following the transfer of functions, the National Assembly will be responsible for overseeing the administration of concessionary fares schemes by local authorities.

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what role the National Assembly will have in the operation of a scheme to provide free bus travel for pensioners. [80513]

Mr. Michael: Following the transfer of functions, the National Assembly will be responsible for overseeing the administration of concessionary fares schemes by local authorities in Wales.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Ministerial Meetings (US)

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times ministers in his Department met their counterparts in the US Administration between 1 January 1998 and 1 June 1998, indicating the dates and locations of each meeting, the ministers involved and the name of the US counterpart. [81081]

Mr. Wilson: I refer the hon. Member to the first sentence of the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to his question, on 26 February 1999, Official Report, column 467. In the period 1 January 1998 to 1 June 1998, these included the meeting between the then-President of the Board of Trade and Charlene Barshefsky, US Trade Representative, at the EU/US Summit in Birmingham on 18 May.

Libya

Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to promote exports to and trade with Libya. [80806]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 16 April 1999]: Following the end of UNSC sanctions, I am considering a range of support for UK companies wishing to trade with Libya. Our response to the end of sanctions will be a positive one.

There remain issues to be resolved, including those arising from the WPC Fletcher case. We hope that these can be resolved successfully, so that we can move further towards restoring full diplomatic relations.

Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the benefits to British manufacturers of the ending of sanctions against Libya; and if he will make a statement. [80805]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 16 April 1999]: I believe there will be considerable commercial benefits to both Libya and the UK arising from the ending of UNSC sanctions. Libya has long been a traditional trading and investment partner of the UK in the Middle East. It is my hope that our long commercial history will give a sound foundation from which to re-build that relationship and restore Libya as one of our principle trading partners in the Middle East.

I also welcome the fact that many Libyans continue to look to the UK for education and training opportunities.

20 Apr 1999 : Column: 504

There is no doubt that Libya's economy is a large, diverse and sophisticated one which will offer many opportunities for the UK across a range of sectors.

Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will establish a one-stop-shop to provide information, advice and support to British companies wishing to trade with Libya. [80804]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 16 April 1999]: The Department's trade desk for Libya will provide advice and support for British companies. Its contact details are:

Libya Trade Desk

Bay 413

Kingsgate House

66-74 Victoria Street

London

SW1E 6SW

Telephone: [phone]

Facsimile: 0171 215 4904.

Inquiries about the sectors covered by the recently suspended UNSC sanctions and EC Regulations should be directed to:

DTI Sanctions Licensing Unit

Telephone: [phone]

Facsimile: 0171 215 8386.

Inquiries about the impact of the suspension of sanctions in the financial sector should be addressed to:

Bank of England Sanctions Emergency Unit

Telephone: [phone]

Facsimile: 0171 601 4309.

Correspondence

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the hon. Member for West Derbyshire can expect a reply to his letter of 30 January and reminder of 9 March concerning the East Midlands Electricity Consumers' Council. [81444]

Mr. Battle: The correspondence to which the hon. Member refers was, of course, given full consideration as part of the Department's consultation on consumer councils for the utilities, along with many other submissions on this subject. As a matter of courtesy, following the recent publication of our response to the consultation, 14 April 1999, Official Report, columns 263-67, I am writing to the hon. Member in full explaining the situation.

US Trade Sanctions

Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the total cost to United Kingdom businesses of lost exports as a result of the imposition of trade sanctions on British products by the Government of the United States of America. [79186]

Mr. Wilson: US Customs are currently withholding liquidation on some $500m-worth of EU export goods. The United States is likely to be given World Trade Organisation authority on 19 April to retaliate against $191.4m-worth of EU goods. The sectors that are expected to be included in this authorised retaliation, and the annual value of UK exports is as follows.

20 Apr 1999 : Column: 505

		£ million
US tariff code	Description	US imports from UK 1997
	Total	26.8
85072080	Batteries	13.78
33073050	Bath Oils	7.29
49119120	Lithographs	2.20
63022190	Bed linen	1.48
48192000	Cartons	1.42
85167100	Coffee makers	0.37
42023210	Wallets	0.13
42022215	Handbags	0.09
48055000	Felt Paper	0.02

Source:

European Commission

It is difficult to say what the actual impact on the targeted sectors will be, as much will depend on how long any retaliatory measures remain in place, what steps were taken to bring forward orders from the US, and the ability of affected companies to find alternative customers for their goods. Some limited damage will have been caused to sectors which were on but have now been removed from the retaliatory list, due to the uncertainty caused in recent months. However, we believe that the Government's prompt response in offering a bond and duty guarantee scheme for the cashmere knitwear industry pre-empted the serious risk of severe and lasting damage being done to that industry.

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he plans to announce measures to assist (a) the fine print industry and (b) other industries in respect of action taken by the US Government as a result of the banana dispute. [80023]

Mr. Wilson: The removal of some sectors from the US retaliation list on 9 April was welcome, but other sectors remain targeted, including lithographs. The Government brought forward a bond guarantee scheme in respect of cashmere knitwear in response to the particular circumstances of that industry, especially its highly seasonal nature. The need for the scheme has now been removed, and we have no plans to put in place something similar for other industries on the US list.

We now need urgent consultations with all the parties involved in the dispute on the options for reforming the banana regime, and on a solution that would avoid US retaliation taking effect.

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