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Science
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action has been taken since May 1997
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by each of the research councils to improve participation, retention and progression in science of (a) women and (b) members of the ethnic minorities. [106052]
Ms Hewitt:
The Research Councils are equal opportunities employers and actively monitor both gender and ethnicity in recruitment, salaries and staff performance. They have implemented specific activities to support this policy including: training staff of recruitment panels; support for the Daphne Jackson Fellowship scheme for women returnees; and participation in the Research Council-Wellcome study to investigate why fewer women than men apply for research funds. The Councils are also considering setting up an Equal Opportunities management group to share good practice and expertise.
In 1997 the Research Careers Concordat signatories set up the Research Councils' initiative to implement improved terms and conditions of award for grant holders, students and fellows taking maternity leave.
All Councils make efforts to ensure that women are nominated for committees and public bodies and collectively sponsor the publication of the AWISE (Association for Women in Science and Engineering) magazine.
Further detail is available on the specific activities of each Council in its Annual Report.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the items in the National Asset Register sold by his Department, its agencies and associated public bodies since 22 February
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1999, stating in each case the amount of money realised; if he will estimate the total amount raised from such sales to date; and if he will make a statement. [104491]
Dr. Howells:
The information requested by the hon. Member is not available in the form requested.
The Department estimates that assets totalling approximately £6 million will be sold in the year beginning 1 April 1999 as set out in Table 3 of the Departmental Investment Strategy available in the Library of the House.
Although not comprehensive in terms of all receipts, those from the sale of major assets, eg property, investments are separately identified in the Department's Appropriation Accounts which are published annually. Details of other asset sales are unavailable and could be extracted from records only at disproportionate cost. The Department's Resource accounts for 1999-2000 which will contain information about asset holdings and disposals will be published for the first time in autumn 2000. The Department's Executive Agencies already produce Annual Reports and Accounts, which contain similar information relating to assets. These Accounts are laid before Parliament and are available in the Library of the House. Accounts for our other associated public bodies are also available in the Library of the House.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what was discussed at the DTI-sponsored meeting on 7 October 1999, on the draft EU Directive on Copyright in the Information Society; [106054]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 24 January 2000]: We are not convinced that the mandatory exception for certain temporary copies as proposed in Article 5.1 of the draft Directive is the right approach, and we feel that the European Parliament's proposal to limit this exception to cases where use of protected material has been authorised by right owners would achieve a fairer balance between the different interests involved. We do not consider that this amendment would prevent or inhibit caching or other acts by intermediaries, which would clearly be inappropriate. However, the Commission and several other Member States are opposed to the European Parliament amendment, and its seems unlikely that it will receive sufficient support to be adopted. We have therefore encouraged dialogue between intermediaries and right owners, who are concerned that Article 5.1 will impair their ability to control illegal uses of their material, in order to establish whether other approaches can be found which are mutually acceptable.
We have no record of any meeting on the draft Directive arranged by the Department on 7 October 1999. However, we have facilitated several meetings between intermediaries and right owners on Article 5.1, and these discussions are continuing. We have also had numerous other meetings with a wide range of interested parties on various aspects of the Directive. We will, of course, continue with these consultation processes until negotiations on the Directive are completed.
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Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for (a) standard and (b) open individual export licences for (i) military list and (ii) dual-use goods for proposed exports to Pakistan are currently awaiting a decision; and how many of these applications were made before 12 October 1999. [106645]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 24 January 2000]: The entry in the relevant legislation under which the export of goods is controlled is known as their rating. The Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated. As of 14 January 2000, decisions had not yet been taken on 76 applications for a Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) and 29 applications for an Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) to export to consignees or end-users in Pakistan goods listed in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, commonly known as the Military List, entered in the Council Regulation (EC) 3381/94 setting up a Community regime for the control of exports of dual-use goods, or in Schedule 2 to the Dual-Use and Related Goods (Export Control) Regulations 1996. Applications for individual licences may cover a range of goods with various ratings (and applications for OIELs may also cover a range of countries). Where this is so, the application is included in the table in the total for all of the relevant ratings.
(2) if it is the Government's policy to support the European Parliament's authorised wording of the draft EU Directive on Copyright in the Information Society. [106055]
| Rating | Number of applications for a SIEL pending covering goods with this rating | Number of applications for an OIEL pending covering goods with this rating |
|---|---|---|
| ML1 | 5 | 0 |
| ML2 | 2 | 0 |
| ML3 | 3 | 0 |
| ML4 | 2 | 0 |
| ML5 | 1 | 0 |
| ML6 | 4 | 2 |
| ML9 | 10 | 5 |
| ML10 | 17 | 6 |
| ML11 | 2 | 2 |
| ML13 | 0 | 4 |
| ML15 | 0 | 1 |
| ML16 | 4 | 1 |
| ML17 | 2 | 1 |
| ML18 | 8 | 0 |
| ML22 | 0 | 2 |
| PL5001 | 0 | 1 |
| PL5017 | 2 | 1 |
| End use | 15 | 0 |
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Of these pending applications, 41 of those for SIELs and all of those for OIELs were received before 12 October 1999.
This information should be considered in light of the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood (Mr. Berry) on 27 July 1999, Official Report, columns 307-08W.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what categories of (a) standard and (b) open individual export licences have been (i) granted and (ii) refused for proposed exports of controlled goods to Pakistan since 12 October 1999. [106644]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 24 January 2000]: The entry in the relevant legislation under which the export of goods is controlled is known as their rating. The Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated. Between 12 October 1999 and 14 January 2000, no Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) and no Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) were issued covering the export to consignees or end-users in Pakistan of goods subject to export control by being listed in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, commonly known as the Military List, and goods entered in the Council regulation (EC) 3381/94 setting up a Community regime for the control of exports of dual-use goods, or in Schedule 2 to the Dual-Use and Related Goods (Export Control) Regulations 1996.
In the same period two SIELs were refused covering goods with the rating end use, and no OIELs were refused.
This information should be considered in light of the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood (Mr. Berry) on 27 July 1999, Official Report, columns 307-08W.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many different United Kingdom companies or organisations have applied for export licences in respect of RDX in its raw form in the last two years. [106441]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 24 January 2000]: The entry in the legislation under which the export of goods is controlled is known as their rating and most ratings cover a range of goods. RDX in its raw form is controlled under entry ML8 in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, commonly known as the Military List.
The Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated. Between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 1999, the Export Control Organisation
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received 112 applications for a Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) and five applications for an Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) covering the export of goods with the rating ML8.
These applications were made by 23 different United Kingdom companies or organisations. It would entail disproportionate cost to undertake an examination of the paper records of each of the 117 individual applications to establish which covered the export of RDX in its raw form.
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