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Departmental Property Leases
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department will publish statistical information indicating the percentage reduction negotiated by his departmental officials for commercial property as against the original rent demanded by landlords. [98309]
Mr. Byers: While my Department has had success in achieving reductions to landlords' original demands, publishing such detail would prejudice the future negotiating position both of my Department and other public bodies.
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements exist to ensure that representatives of his Department, when negotiating leases on commercial property for use by his Department secure the best possible terms. [98306]
Mr. Byers: Since April 1996 when my Department assumed direct responsibility for the management of its estate, we have always used professional property and legal advisers to ensure we secure best value leases that meet the Department's operating needs.
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will investigate occasions when his Department has failed to negotiate lower rents for commercial property where lower rents are available for similar property used by quangos and private sector operators. [98310]
Mr. Byers:
Yes, if such occasions are drawn to my attention.
11 Nov 1999 : Column: 719
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will investigate the effect of increases in commercial rents paid by his Department on similar properties the tenants of which are quangos or private sector organisations. [98308]
Mr. Byers:
When conducting rent reviews on our properties, my Department consults the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) with the aim of ensuring that our negotiations will not have an adverse effect on other Government Departments and public bodies.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what monitoring arrangements exist to ensure that rents paid by his Department for office accommodation in the regions are comparable to those paid by the private sector and quangos. [98307]
Mr. Byers:
Since April 1996 when my Department assumed direct responsibility for the management of its estate throughout the United Kingdom, my Department has always taken advice from the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) and its own commercial property advisers on rent reviews and new lets to ensure that our costs reflect local market conditions.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to set targets for the recycling of waste (a) paper, (b) cardboard, (c) glass, (d) metal, (e) plastic and (f) other products created by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement. [98230]
Mr. Byers:
My Department and its agencies already have targets in the majority of offices for recycling paper, cardboard and toner cartridges.
We continue to explore other potential areas for recycling.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many members of his Department are deployed in the United Kingdom's mission to the WTO in Geneva; and what are (i) the personnel costs and (ii) the office costs of maintaining them. [98235]
Mr. Byers:
The information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with developing countries about the forthcoming WTO Seattle Round. [98236]
Mr. Byers:
DTI Ministers and officials frequently meet representatives of developing countries and set out the UK's support for the launch at Seattle of a comprehensive new Round of trade negotiations, including a clear development agenda responding to the needs of developing countries, particularly the least developed. This week the Minister for Trade is speaking about the new Round to a business and government audience at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Johannesburg.
11 Nov 1999 : Column: 720
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people will be in the UK's official delegation to the forthcoming Seattle Ministerial Meeting of the WTO; how many of those will be (a) Government officials, (b) Ministers and (c) others; and what the estimated cost is of the UK's participation in the meeting. [98238]
Mr. Byers:
The exact composition of the UK Delegation has yet to be determined. I will write to my hon. Friend with the answer shortly.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total number of vehicles used by his Department and its agencies fuelled by (a) petrol, (b) diesel and (c) liquid petroleum gas; and what plans he has to increase the rate of conversion of those vehicles to liquid petroleum gas. [98202]
Mr. Byers:
The total number of vehicles used my Department and its Agencies fuelled by petrol, diesel and liquid petroleum gas are 86, 134 and 0 (zero) respectively. As liquid petroleum gas becomes more generally available, my Department and its Agencies will consider their positions on the utilisation of liquid petroleum gas as a fuel.
Mr. Dobbin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment has taken place in the (a) Middleton and (b) Heywood areas since 1 May 1997. [98254]
Mr. Byers:
According to the records of the North West Development Agency there have been 5 overseas companies that have invested in the areas since 1 May 1997 as follows:
Caroline Flint:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the volume of inward investment in the Doncaster area for each of the last five years; and how many companies have made such investments. [98028]
Mr. Byers
[holding answer 10 November 1999]: The figures in the table are taken from information given by companies to the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber or the Regional Development Agency at the time of the announcement of a decision to invest in the UK. They are based on the best estimate of jobs created/safeguarded by an investment in its initial three years. There is no requirement on companies to notify their decision to invest and therefore these figures are not comprehensive nor do they take account of subsequent developments.
11 Nov 1999 : Column: 721
Rika International of Japan--located in Chadderton
Voith Sulzer Paper Technology of Germany--located in Middleton
P & M Vacuum Services Ltd of the USA--located in Heywood
Digital Projection International of Canada--located in Rochdale.
There is one further USA company located in Middleton which has requested anonymity.
| Year | Number of project | Number of new jobs | Number of safeguarded jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 6 | 86 | 158 |
| 1995-96 | 5 | 102 | 730 |
| 1996-97 | 1 | 120 | - |
| 1997-98 | 4 | 50 | 260 |
| 1998-99 | 3 | 8 | 922 |
Departmental Expenditure Limits
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 5 November 1999, Official Report, columns 336-37, for what reasons £8 million is being transferred from the Reserve to the Post Office for Horizon re-negotiation costs; and what the reason is for the re-negotiation. [98136]
Mr. Alan Johnson: The payment of £8 million reimbursed the Post Office for additional costs incurred in the negotiations with ICL earlier this year. This was to cover the ongoing costs of the contractor while further work on the merits of the various options was carried out.
EU Structural Funds
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the amounts of money received under European Union programmes (a) within the Doncaster Borough and (b) within Dearne Valley for each year since 1979 to the most recent available date. [98025]
Mr. Byers: It is not possible to provide information on European Regional Development Fund projects approved before 1990 as this information is not available at District level.
| Year | Doncaster | Dearne Valley | Sub Regional |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | 10,397,521 | 1,062,191 | 0 |
| 1992 | 2,344,488 | 2,957,824 | 1,270,389 |
| 1993 | 10,433,021 | 8,539,721 | 493,457 |
| 1995 | 5,615,664 | 3,868,484 | 710,821 |
| 1996 | 5,895,210 | 10,442,316 | 3,628,936 |
| 1997 | 17,500 | 815,614 | 723,999 |
| 1998 | 1,118,982 | 4,105,532 | 11,987,140 |
| 1999 | 3,544,027 | 5,159,080 | 5,477,372 |
| Total | 39,366,413 | 36,950,762 | 24,292,114 |
The Objective 2 Programme for ERDF funding was not signed until February 1994 and consequently there was no spend in that year.
It is not possible to provide information on European Social Fund projects from 1990-97 as this information is not available at district level. Records prior to 1989 are held at the EC in Brussels.
European Social Fund (ESF) figures are as follows for 1998-99:
11 Nov 1999 : Column: 722
The Doncaster area received £11.42 million in ESF grants.
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