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TransTec
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the inquiry he has commissioned into TransTec will cover the decision by Ford UK to execute their penalty clauses. [107875]
Mr. Byers: The conduct of the inspection is a matter for the independent inspectors.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has made to ensure that the current inquiry into TransTec does not prevent its sale as a going concern. [108048]
Mr. Byers [holding answer 1 February 2000]: Any sale of TransTec is a matter for the administrative receivers. The inspection should not affect any commercial arrangements being made by them.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has made to minimise the impact on creditors, suppliers and employees of the current inquiry into TransTec. [108049]
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Mr. Byers
[holding answer 1 February 2000]: There is no reason why the inspection, as such, should have any impact on creditors, suppliers and employees.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Post Office management on the research and development needed for the production of a smart card. [108051]
Mr. Alan Johnson
[holding answer 1 February 2000]: My right hon. Friend and I maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Post Office Board on the development of the Horizon project including the use of smart card technology.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department last had discussions with Post Office management on the subject of automated credit transfer of the benefits business. [108050]
Mr. Alan Johnson
[holding answer 1 February 2000]: My right hon. Friend and I have frequent discussion with Post Office management about a wide range of issues including the Horizon project to automate the post office network and the planned migration of payment of benefits from order books and girocheques to an automated credit transfer system.
Mr. Andrew George:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues about Government plans to meet their obligations in the United Kingdom's European Union Objective 1 regions. [106590]
Mr. Caborn:
My right hon. Friend and I have frequent contacts with ministerial colleagues on various aspects of the European structural funds.
Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 8 December 1999, Official Report, column 572W, on departmental research contracts, if he will (a) state total expenditure on research let by his Department since May 1997 and (b) list the titles of all research contracts let by his Department during 1999 and costing £20,000 or more, stating what is the value of each contract, and in each case whether the contract included (i) departmental veto over publication of the research results, (ii) departmental control over the date of publication of the research and (ii) a requirement that the final research results incorporate departmental amendments; and if he will place a copy of the standard research contract currently in use by his Department in the Library. [107094]
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 1 February 2000]: The 1999 Forward Look of Government-Funded Science, Engineering and Technology shows total extramural
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expenditure on research and development by the Department of Trade and Industry for the last two financial years as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 276.9 |
| 1998-99 | (7)259.2 |
(7) Estimated outturn
In respect of (b), this information would be available only at disproportionate cost.
A copy of the Department's standard terms and conditions of contract for services has been placed in the Library of the House. These terms and conditions are not specific to research contracts and do not deal with the handling of research results. The terms and conditions agreed may vary to some extent depending on the contract in question. However, as a general rule, the Department actively encourages publication of research it has funded.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by what amount, expressed in terms of megawatts, the generators of electricity would have to be reduced in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the equivalent required by the climate change levy. [107919]
Mrs. Liddell:
The climate change levy is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 2MtC a year, before including the effect of negotiated agreements. If a 2MtC saving were to be brought about through reductions in electricity generation, this could be achieved either through a reduction of 21 terawatt hours in gas fired generation or 9 terawatt hours in coal fired generation. This would be broadly equivalent to the loss of all output from 3000MW of gas fired plant otherwise operating at a load factor of 80 per cent., or 2000MW of coal fired plant operating at just over 50 per cent. load factor.
Mr. MacShane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will ensure that authorisation of a parent or guardian is needed before children under the age of 16 years enter into financial agreements with mobile phone companies; [107567]
Ms Hewitt:
The Government do not believe that specific regulation is desirable to prevent those under sixteen years of age from entering into a contract for a mobile phone. It is very unlikely that a consumer credit agreement entered into by person under the age of eighteen, for the purposes of a mobile phone contract, would be enforceable against that person. This is no doubt the reason why operators require a person to be over 18 before they can sign up a mobile contract.
Mr. McDonnell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to promote trade between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. [107589]
2 Feb 2000 : Column: 606W
Mr. Caborn:
The services of British Trade International are available to exporters to the Republic of Ireland as they are to exporters to other Western European countries. Activities include the Export Explorer scheme to encourage first-time exporters to visit the Republic, an export promoter to inform companies of the opportunities in the market and encourage them to trade with the Republic and sectoral activities such as the provision of information stands at trade fairs in Ireland.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to raise public awareness of the role of the Internet Watch Foundation to investigate alleged pornographic materials; and if he will make a statement. [107573]
Ms Hewitt:
The Government are continuing to support the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), and both Alex Allan, the e-envoy, and I attended its recent re-launch.
Following a recommendation in a recent report, "Review of the Internet Watch Foundation", the IWF is currently pressing Internet Service Providers to put links to the IWF on their sites, in order to make it more visible and accessible to their users. The Government are also working at a European level to promote the work that the IWF has done as a model for the rest of the world.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the progress made by the Internet Watch Foundation in implementing the recommendations of the Department of Trade and Industry/Home Office report entitled Review of the Internet Watch Foundation. [107572]
Ms Hewitt:
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has made good progress towards implementing the report's recommendations. Its organisational structure has been revised, as the new chair, Roger Darlington, announced at the IWF re-launch on 25 January. As part of the extended remit announced at the relaunch, the IWF has undertaken a review of the resources required for the hotlines, and extended its work to cover racism on the internet. It is also continuing to participate in developing content filtering and labelling schemes.
Mr. Trickett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the final destination of coal being imparted from Mozambique; who is the purchaser; and what estimate he has made of the effect of the imports on employment among mine workers. [107594]
Mrs. Liddell:
Information is not collected on the final destination of coal imported into the United Kingdom. Figures for 1999 as a whole are not yet available, but in the first three quarters of 1999 it is estimated that 19,000 tonnes of coal were imported into the United Kingdom from Mozambique--around 0.1 per cent. of total coal imported during the same period. No estimates have been made of the effects of the imports of coal from Mozambique on employment among mine workers.
(2) if he will introduce legislation to provide for a parent's or guardian's authorisation before children under the age of 16 years enter into a contract with mobile phone companies. [107652]
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