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Timeshares
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the implementation of the EU Directive on Timeshares, which was adopted in United Kingdom law in April 1997. [R] [96318]
Dr. Howells: The EU Timeshare Directive was implemented in the United Kingdom by the Timeshare Regulations 1997, which amended the Timeshare Act 1992. The Timeshare Regulations were laid before Parliament on 25 March 1997 and came into force on 29 April 1997.
Indonesia
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what factors underlay the granting of extensions to the period of validity of standard individual export and transhipment licences for transfer to Indonesia, for a period equivalent to the duration of the EU arms embargo; and what is his Department's policy towards the renewal of the embargo after 16 January 2000. [96114]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 28 October 1999]: By a Common Position, adopted on 16 September, EU member states decided to impose an arms embargo to Indonesia for four months. In accordance with this decision, the Government decided that all individual licences covering the export or transhipment to Indonesia of military goods or technology should be suspended for four months and that, because the embargo is time-limited, their period of validity should be extended by four months also. The UK and other EU member states are monitoring closely the situation in Indonesia and East Timor and will take whatever action becomes necessary.
Belize
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which Ministers in his Department visited Belize in each year between 1990 and 1997; and what support his Department gave Belize in each year. [96211]
Mr. Caborn
[holding answer 28 October 1999]: No DTI Ministers visited Belize in the period 1990-97.
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The full range of official trade promotion and support services is available to British companies who are interested in undertaking business in Belize. This included support for three trade missions which visited Belize during the period in question:
Mr. Colman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which countries have (a) signed and (b) ratified the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. [96422]
Dr. Howells:
(a) Forty-four States have signed protocols additional to their existing safeguards agreements: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. In addition, Cuba has concluded an Additional Protocol which it has not yet signed.
(b) The Additional Protocols of seven States have entered into force: Australia, Holy See, Indonesia, Jordan, Monaco, New Zealand and Uzbekistan.
Mr. Colman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the voluntary arrangements by companies and institutions to fulfil the requirements of the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. [96416]
Dr. Howells:
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was this week provided with voluntary declarations of information of the type which the UK will have to provide under Article 2 of the protocol additional to the UK/Euratom/IAEA safeguards agreement once the protocol enters into force. The declarations were provided with the full co-operation of the relevant companies and institutions.
Mr. Colman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for bringing forward ratification of the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. [96420]
Dr. Howells:
In order for the Protocol additional to the 1976 safeguards agreement between the United Kingdom, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Atomic Energy Community to enter into force,
29 Oct 1999 : Column: 1018
primary legislation is required. The Government are considering how legislation for this purpose may best be brought forward at an early date.
Mr. Baldry:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the Government schemes and programmes that will be delivered by the Small Business Service. [96563]
Ms Hewitt:
The Small Business Service will provide access to a comprehensive range of information, advice, counselling and support from government, public, private and voluntary sectors.
Barbara Follett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the national strategy for international trade development and promotion. [96906]
Mr. Caborn:
I am pleased to announce today, on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the publication of the national strategy for international trade development and promotion.
I am arranging for copies of the strategy to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the outcome of the consultation on the paper, "Addressing the SME Equity Gap-Support for Regional Venture Capital Funds". [96907]
Mr. Byers:
I announced to the House on 6 July 1999, Official Report, columns 454-55, that the Government were seeking views on the design and form of the support for the creation of the Regional Venture Capital element of the Enterprise Fund.
During the consultation exercise over 1,000 copies of the consultation document, "Addressing the SME Equity Gap--Support for Regional Venture Capital Funds" were distributed and over 100 replies have been received. The distribution and replies covered a wide range of interested groups and individuals; entrepreneurs, small firms, Regional Development Agencies, the venture capital and finance industries, business support organisations, local authorities, academics and other interested parties.
The proposals for Regional Venture Capital Funds received a significant level of support from respondents. 100 per cent. of SMEs and entrepreneurs supported the outlined proposals as appropriate methods of motivating the creation of viable, regionally based venture capital funds to invest in the equity gap. And over 89 per cent. of all respondents expressed the same view. There was widespread agreement that the lack of small scale equity finance was an inhibitor to growth, especially for SMEs.
A full summary of responses to the consultation document have been placed in the Library of the House.
In November, the Government will issue bidding guidance, informed by the responses to the consultation
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exercise, to Regional Partnerships proposing to stimulate the creation of Regional Venture Capital Funds.
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he (a) has established and (b) published a baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment. [94857]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
My Department has no executive responsibilities. For the staff of my Department, most of whom are on secondment from the National Assembly for Wales, my office has adopted the policies of the Assembly which are identical to those of the former Welsh Office.
Mr. Denzil Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what projects are currently being undertaken under the New Deal Environmental Task Force within the Llanelli constituency. [95791]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
The contract for the Environmental Task Force option in the Llanelli constituency area is held by Carmarthenshire County Council. The Council then sub contract to:
1991: CARITAG (Caribbean Trade Advisory Group) Investment Mission
1996: CARITAG/LATAG (Latin America Trade Advisory Group) Mission
1997: CABCC (Central America British Chamber of Commerce) Mission.
With the exception of the CARITAG investment mission, all the trade missions were non-sector specific and included companies representing a wide cross sector of industries and services.
Carmarthenshire Training--offer fencing/riverbank maintenance/ stream improvement opportunities.
Foothold Crochan--recycle white goods (cookers, fridges, etc.) and furniture at their centre in Trostre.
Princes Trust--offer their 26 week national programme (team building/motivation/employer placement).
National Trust--undertake fencing/planting/chainsaw/footpath maintenance providing an excellent grounding in rural and forestry skills.
Jobforce Wales--is converting the disused Mynydd Mawr railway into a footpath and also operate a woodcraft centre.
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers--are undertaking landscape improvement and nature conservation work at the Mynydd Mawr Woodland/Eco Park at Tumble.
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