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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Export Licensing
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason export licence application 6078 was not placed before the interdepartmental licensing committee on 12 October and 18 October; and if he will ensure that the application is processed as a matter of extreme urgency. [96481]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 28 October 1999]: Export Licence Application 6078 was placed before the relevant interdepartmental committee on 18 October 1999. This application is being considered on its merits under the normal process to allow proper consideration.
Nuclear Fuel
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what quantities of spent fuel from Canada have been contracted for reprocessing at Sellafield; when the contracts were agreed; what arrangements exist for the repatriation of the reprocessed plutonium and radioactive waste; when the spent fuel arrived from Canada; and if it has been reprocessed yet. [96467]
Mrs. Liddell: The details and quantities of individual contracts, the timing of fuel deliveries and of reprocessing for specific customers as well as the detailed arrangements for returning plutonium and wastes to the country of origin are commercial and operational matters for BNFL and its customers. In understand from BNFL, however, that BNFL concluded a contract to reprocess a quantity of Canadian spent fuel in 1970 and that fuel covered by this contract has been delivered to Sellafield. Since 1976 all BNFL's contracts for reprocessing overseas spent fuel have contained options for the return of wastes to the country of origin. The Government's policy is that these options should be exercised. BNFL's overseas reprocessing contracts concluded prior to 1976 do not contain return of waste options.
Indonesia
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what level of ECGD cover has been provided in relation to arms sales to Indonesia for each of the three most recent years for which there are records. [96586]
Mr. Caborn: From the latest statistics available the value of defence related export credits to Indonesia for each of the past three years is as follows:
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 144 |
| 1997-98 | 17 |
| 1998-99 | 9 |
These figures include all ECGD covered business with defence buyers, including sales of non-lethal equipment.
Arms Sales
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what checks are made and controls imposed by
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his Department on arms manufacturers and arms brokers before they are granted permission to advertise on his Department's website. [97389]
Mr. Caborn:
British Trade International brings together the joint work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of Trade and Industry in support of UK trade and investment overseas and its TradeUK Internet website(www.tradeuk.com) has been created to help put UK suppliers in touch with overseas buyers. Over 57,000 firms are currently listed. The majority of UK firms' contact data is used under licence from a commercial database source but firms can also submit their own entries. Our current policy is to allow any firm in any sector involved in exporting for the UK to be listed, free of charge, on the TradeUK National Exporters Database. These firms are responsible for the information they supply and for its accuracy. It is clearly not in their interest to promote goods for which an export licence would not be granted. We are reviewing the guidance we provide to UK firms both in the TradeUK application form and on the website to make clear the need to comply with current export control legislation. We are also reviewing operational procedures with the TradeUK contractor.
Mr. White:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about his plans for processing applications for regional selective assistance within the existing assisted areas map which is due to be replaced on 1 January 2000 in accordance with the EU Guidelines on Regional State Aid. [97784]
Mr. Caborn:
Under the European Commission's new regional aid guidelines all offers of Regional Selective Assistance under the existing Assisted Area map must be made by 31 December 1999. In order, therefore, to allow sufficient time for the processing of cases, no new applications for Regional Selective Assistance under the existing map will be accepted after 17.00 hours on 30 November 1999. This cut-off date will apply to applications across the whole of the GB map.
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what changes will be made to the departmental expenditure limits and running cost limits for his Department, the Office for Telecommunications, the Office of Gas Supply and the Office of Electricity Regulation. [97781]
Mr. Byers:
Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estate, the voted element of the Departmental Expenditure Limit for the Department of Trade and Industry will be increased by £53,901,000 from £3,127,781,000 to £3,181,682,000. This increase, which will be made to the net provision of Class IX Vote 1, results from:
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Within this total the gross running costs limit will be increased by £14,994,000 from £373,606,000 to £388,600,000, which will include £5,563,000 transferred from the capital computer budget in respect of the Elgar Private Finance Initiative project.
The take up of the End Year Flexibility entitlements of £42,192,000 and the £8,000,000 for the payment to the Post Office will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Also, subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department Expenditure Limit of Class IX Vote 8--the Office of Telecommunications--will be increased by £2,140,000 from £1,000 to £2,141,000 and the gross running costs limit will be increased by £635,000 from £11,661,000 to £12,296,000. These increases result from the take up of End Year Flexibility entitlements of £1,426,000, comprising £791,000 for capital, £635,000 for running costs, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 27 July 1999, Official Report, column 393, and a reduction of £714,000 in appropriations in aid as a result of the adoption of the Telecommunications Licensing Directive, under which certain statutory responsibilities can no longer be met from licence fees. The increase in net provision will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Additionally, subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Departmental Expenditure Limit for Class IX Vote 9--the Office of Gas Supply--will be increased by £1,000 from £1,000 to £2,000 and the gross running costs limit will be increased by £1,830,000 from £12,000,000 to £13,830,000. An increase in running costs provision of £2,370,000 is necessary to cover the Office of Gas Supply's administrative costs preparatory to the merger with the Office of Electricity Regulation. An increase in VAT refunds arising from the increase in the gross expenditure provision reduces the increase in the gross running costs limit to £1,830,000, of which £30,000 represents the take up of End Year Flexibility. The total increase in expenditure of £3,300,000 is offset by additional receipts of £3,299,000, of which £1,200,000 represents VAT refunds and a £1,800,000 payment from DTI. The increase in net provision will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
In addition, subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Departmental Expenditure Limit for Class IX Vote 10--the Office of
5 Nov 1999 : Column: 338
Electricity Regulation--will be increased by £86,000 from £1,000 to £87,000 and the gross running costs limit will be increased by £1,800,000 from £28,200,000 to £30,000,000. An increase in running costs provision of £3,375,000 and in capital expenditure provision of £886,000 is necessary to cover the Office of Electricity Regulation's administrative costs preparatory to the merger with the Office of Gas Supply. An increase in VAT refunds arising from the increase in the gross expenditure provision reduces the increase in the gross running costs limit to £1,800,000 and the Office of Electricity Regulation will also take up End Year Flexibility entitlements of £86,000. Additional receipts of £4,175,000, of which £1,400,000 will come from VAT refunds and the balance from electricity licence fees, will not fully meet the increase in gross provision. The shortfall is due to the requirement to reduce electricity licence fees in 1999-2000 by the amount overrecovered in 1998-99 and the take up of End Year Flexibility. The increase in net provision will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
(i) the take up of End Year Flexibility entitlements of £42,192,000, comprising £2,966,000 for capital, £9,226,000 for running costs and £30,000,000 for current expenditure, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 27 July 1999, Official Report, column 393;
(ii) the take up of the Department Unallocated Provision of £5,000,000;
(iii) the provision of £8,000,000 from the Reserve for a payment to the Post Office for Horizon re-negotiation costs;
(iv) the transfer of £250,000 in programme costs and £205,000 in running costs from the Home Office (Class IV Vote 1) as part of the Crime Reduction Programme;
offset by:
(v) the transfer of £1,096,000 to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Class III Vote 1) to cover the administrative costs of the Regional Development Agencies;
(vi) the transfer of £500,000 to Northern Ireland in respect of the SMART scheme;
(vii) the transfer of £150,000 to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Class X Vote 2) for the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage in the agricultural sector.
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