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Ellington Colliery
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what forms of assistance his Department proposes to make available to deal with the planned closure of Ellington Colliery. [98386]
Mrs. Liddell: The Government have asked John Bridge, Chairman of the North East Regional Development Agency, to take the lead in establishing a small Study Team to look at the wider implications of the closure announcement for South East Northumberland.
Working against the framework of the Regional Economic Strategy, which was recently published by the development agency, this team will undertake a rapid analysis of the situation and develop a comprehensive plan for South East Northumberland.
Together with Local Partners, Government Office North East and Central Government, the team's objective will be to provide me with an urgent report before Christmas on the future strategy for this area.
This Government have implemented a wide ranging programme to regenerate the economies and communities affected by pit closures under the previous administration. That programme already applies to the area around Ellington, which suffered from previous job losses in the coalfields. In the light of the Study Team's report, we will consider what more needs to be done.
Mr. Jim Marshall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the outcome of the Industry Council held in Brussels on 9 November; and if he will make a statement. [98300]
Mrs. Liddell:
I represented the UK at the EU Industry Council held on 9 November.
The Council agreed its report to the Helsinki European Council on the integration of industry and sustainable development policy. There was also a discussion of Kyoto targets, where there was general agreement that more effective co-ordination was needed on how to take account of industry's concerns in the implementation of Kyoto targets.
The Council had a debate on competitiveness, which focused on the need for structural change and adaptability in European industry, the importance of SMEs and the role of information and communication technologies in growth and competitiveness.
The Commission presented its first market monitoring report on the world shipbuilding market which highlighted both the serious situation in the market and further clear evidence of unfair pricing by Korea. The Council with strong support from the UK emphasised its serious concern at the situation and unfair pricing from Korea and in its conclusions made clear its determination to tackle such unfair trade practices and agreed further action to this end. The Council called on the Commission and the Presidency to re-engage Korea in bilateral consultations with a view to halting the unfair competition and in parallel urged Industry, member states and the Commission to seek more detailed evidence in order to take appropriate action under the WTO. The Council also emphasised the need to continue to ensure that the
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conditions of the IMF rescue package were fully respected. The Council ended its conclusions by welcoming the Commission's determination to continue to pursue its obligations under the EU shipbuilding regime and to report on developments as soon as possible.
The new Commission's enterprise policy was set out and focused on promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Europe, stimulating the growth of SMEs, tackling red tape, addressing failures in the provision of risk capital and promoting an inclusive and cohesive Information Society. The Commission stated that it wanted to see a new innovation policy process which would involve assessing the existing situation in Europe, identifying specific priorities and actions and reporting on measures taken by member states.
A number of delegations stressed the importance of investment in intangibles, particularly the knowledge base, training and life-long learning; the increased use of information technology; and the consolidation of Councils. On the latter, there was support from a number of member states for a more focused approach to competitiveness issues and for merger of the Industry Internal Market Councils as a first step. The Presidency was encouraged to settle issues at the Helsinki European Council.
The Commission also presented its: Communication on the competitiveness of the forest based and related industries; Communication on the competitiveness of the steel industry; Report on the monitoring of aid for steel; Action Plan on the competitiveness of the construction industry; and gave a progress report on the public consultation on it's competition policy modernisation proposals. The Danish delegation introduced a paper on state aid policy which highlighted the damage state aid caused to the Single Market.
The Council also adopted conclusions on the competitiveness of the forest-based and related industries.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) on what date the RUC received information that led to a south Belfast woman being told on 15 May that her name had been discovered on a Loyalist hit list; how many other names were on this list; how many of these individuals have been notified; on what dates the individuals were notified; what conclusions have been reached so far as to the perpetrators of this threat; and what is the present stage of the police investigation; [94482]
(3) on what date the RUC received information that led to Mr. Gerard Rice being told on 17 May that his name, address and details about his car had been
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(4) what steps the RUC took following information passed on to a community worker in the Ardoyne area on 6 May that her name had been discovered on a Loyalist death list; how many other names were on this list; how many of these individuals have been notified; what conclusions have been reached so far as to the perpetrators of this threat; and what is the present stage of the police investigation. [94475]
Mr. Ingram:
As a person has been charged with possession of documents useful to terrorists I am unable to give a detailed response. However, I can confirm that the RUC seized material in February including personal details of more than 150 persons.
There was no indication that an attack was imminent or actively being planned; it was assessed that the details were being collated. The list was then fully researched for accuracy and currency. If at any stage there had been any reason to fear imminent attacks, immediate steps would have been taken. The research having been completed, all persons were notified between May and August.
I understand the RUC informed a community worker in the Ardoyne area of Belfast on 14 May, not 6 May.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many (i) service and (ii) police personnel were on duty and patrolling the Falls road, Belfast in the vicinity of Caffrey's bar (a) from 10 am to 11 pm on 20 May, (b) on 20 April and (c) on 20 March; and what was the time of the last patrol before midnight on 20 May; [94629]
(3) how many surveillance cameras cover (a) the Falls road, Belfast in the vicinity of Caffrey's bar and (b) the Broadway road and M1 roundabout; if the cameras were functional from 10 pm on 20 May to 2 am on 21 May; if the cameras were monitored through those hours; what action was taken following the grenade-bomb attack on Caffrey's bar; at what time was radio contact made with the RUC concerning the incident; and when a request was received from the RUC to remove and examine the surveillance recording; [94628]
(4) (a) at what time police were notified of a grenade-bomb attack on Caffrey's bar on the Falls road, Belfast in the early hours of 21 May, (b) at what time the police arrived on the scene and (c) what efforts were made to pursue, find and trace the owner of the get-away car. [94630]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 19 October 1999]: The Army were not on patrol during the periods given. It is not possible to be specific as to when a particular patrol
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may have been in the vicinity of a particular building. As an arterial route, the Falls road is used by many police vehicles during the course of a normal day.
The scene was preserved by police between 0105 and 0418 hours. A full investigation was initiated. Two persons received minor shrapnel wounds to legs and arms and further injuries of shock and hearing difficulties were reported later. Damage was caused to three windows of Caffrey's bar and one to the Red Devil bar on the opposite side of the road. It is believed that the attack was carried out by a Loyalist group although no claim of responsibility has been made. The investigation is continuing.
(2) on what date the RUC received information that names and personal details of a number of Catholics in the Belfast area had been discovered on a Loyalist hit list; how many other names were on this list; how many of these individuals have been notified; on what dates the individuals were notified; what conclusions have been reached so far as to the perpetrators of this threat; and what is the present stage of the police investigation; [94480]
discovered on a loyalist death list; how many other names were on this list; how many of those individuals have been notified; on what dates the individuals were notified; what conclusions have been reached so far as on perpetrators of the threat; and what is the present stage of the police investigation; [94484]
(2) what steps the RUC took following a grenade attack outside of Caffrey's pub in the early morning of 21 May; what damage and injuries were caused in the course of this attack; what conclusions have been reached so far as to the perpetrator of the attack and what is the present stage of the police investigation; [94488]
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