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Government Chemist
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received the 1999 report of the Government Chemist. [108814]
Mr. Alan Johnson:
I have just received the third annual report of the Government Chemist and copies will be placed in the Library of the House.
3 Feb 2000 : Column: 667W
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has appointed advisers to support the implementation of the reforms described in the White Paper on Post Office Reform. [108811]
Mr. Alan Johnson:
I have appointed Deloitte & Touche to provide support for the implementation of the financial provisions set out in the Post Office White Paper (CM 4340) and Herbert Smith to provide legal advice on any commercial issues arising from implementation of the reform package. Both appointments were made after competitive tenders.
Mr. Andy King:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will publish proposals for reform of the Telecommunications Act 1984; and if he will make a statement. [108815]
Mr. Byers:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and I propose to publish a White Paper later this year setting out the Government's proposals for reform of the framework of communications legislation. This will include proposals for changing both the Telecommunications and Broadcasting Acts as a basis for legislation when parliamentary time allows. The White Paper will accordingly be broad in its scope, covering both infrastructure and content issues. It will draw on responses to the options for reform of the broadcasting and telecommunications framework set out in the Government's June 1999 statement, "Regulating Communications: The Way Ahead" and will take full account of emerging conclusions from the current review of the European Union regulatory framework for communications. The work will be taken forward by a joint DTI/DCMS team to ensure a coherent and consistent approach to the regulation of the converging communications industries.
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will announce the 9th Round of Landward oil and gas licensing. [108813]
Mrs. Liddell:
I am inviting applications for Petroleum Exploration and Development licences over unlicensed areas in Great Britain in the 9th Round of Landward Licensing.
The closing date for applications has been set as 5 May. I hope to be able to make an announcement about licence awards as soon as possible after that once all applications have been thoroughly considered and assessed.
While much smaller than its offshore counterpart, there is an active oil and gas industry searching for and exploiting Britain's onshore petroleum resources. The award of licences will enable companies to explore for and exploit the petroleum resources of Great Britain, which include conventional oil and gas, mine vent gas and coal bed methane trapped in coal seams.
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I hope this current invitation to apply for petroleum licences will sustain the momentum created by its predecessors and allow further discoveries to be made.
Mr. Rowe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many licences for the laying of cable routes through the boroughs of Maidstone and Swale he has granted since May 1997; and how many applications for licences are under consideration. [107605]
Ms Hewitt:
Since May 1997, 53 licences have been granted conferring statutory rights to lay cable routes in the public highway anywhere in the United Kingdom. Eight further national licence applications are under consideration.
Mr. Rowe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations he has received from (a) individuals and (b) representative bodies since May 1997 relating to the laying of cable routes through (i) Kent and (ii) Maidstone and Swale Borough Council areas. [107606]
Ms Hewitt:
Since May 1997, the Department has received a total of 13 representations about telecoms cabling in Kent: 11 from individuals and two from representative bodies, one of which referred to cable laying in Swale.
Mr. Shaw:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what changes will be made to the departmental expenditure limit and running costs limit for his Department and the Office of Fair Trading in the current financial year. [108982]
Mr. Byers:
Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the voted element of the Departmental Expenditure Limit for the Department of Trade and Industry will be increased by £61,879,000 from £3,181,682,000 to £3,243,561,000. The net provision of Class IX Vote 1 will be increased by £43,696,000, which results from:
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The opportunity of a Supplementary Estimate is also being taken to switch resources between certain lines of the Vote and to accommodate an increase of £300,000 in the appropriations in aid provision for the Departmental Capital budget as a result of the sale of a property, together with an equivalent increase in the gross expenditure provision for that budget.
The net provision of Class IX Vote 2 will be increased by £18,183,000, of which £16,183,000 represents the take up of End Year Flexibility entitlements as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 27 July 1999, Official Report, column 393W, and £2,000,000 represents a transfer of provision in respect of work commissioned of the British Antarctic Survey, which is part of the Natural Environment Research Council, by the Ministry of Defence. This is offset by an equivalent reduction in the provision for Class VI Vote 1 (Defence: operational and support costs, logistics services, and systems procurement and research). The opportunity of a Supplementary Estimate is also being taken to switch resources between certain lines of the Vote and to accommodate an increase in the amount of recovered VAT, together with an equivalent increase in costs incurred on the Vote.
The overall increase of £61,879,000 for Class IX Votes 1 and 2 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 voted element of the Departmental Expenditure Limit of Class IX Vote 7--the Office of Fair Trading--will be increased by £725,000 from £30,722,000 to £31,447,000 and the gross running costs limit will be reduced by £400,000 from £24,184,000 to £23,784,000. The increase in the Departmental Expenditure Limit results from the take up of End Year Flexibility entitlement of £725,000, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 27 July 1999, Official Report, column 393W. The reduction in the gross running costs limit is offset by an increase of £400,000 in the provision for "Direct Expenditure: Other current". The increase in net provision will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Mr. Woolas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to review the sale of fireworks. [108373]
Dr. Howells:
The Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997 introduced comprehensive controls on the types and sizes of fireworks which can be sold to the public. I have no plans to introduce further controls on fireworks or to review the existing Regulations.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from the Scottish Executive on the impact of the Seattle round
3 Feb 2000 : Column: 670W
of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation on Scotland; and what consultation he has undertaken with bodies in Scotland in relation to the WTO. [107466]
Mr. Caborn
[holding answer 2 February 2000]: There was no agreement in Seattle among WTO member governments on the terms for the launch of a new Round of trade negotiations. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State stated that the Government's position following the Seattle Conferences in the debate in the House on 9 December 1999, Official Report, columns 1022-94. As the Government remain committed to the launch of a new comprehensive Round of trade negotiations, the existing consultation processes it has in place remains valid. This includes a consultation exercise launched last year covering all of the UK. We will continue to hold meetings with people from across the UK including business, NGOs and trade unions at both official and ministerial level. While we have received no formal representations from the Scottish Executive in relation to Seattle, we will be keeping in touch with the First Minister and DTI officials will continue to have contacts with Scottish Executive officials on the range of issues.
Running Costs Limits
(i) an increase of £59,700,000 in the net provision for Coal Health liabilities, which has arisen exclusively from a forecast shortfall in Coal Pension Fund Surpluses which are appropriated in aid;
(ii) a reduction of £5,970,000 in the provision for the Coal Authority grant in aid;
(iii) an increase of £14,000,000 in the gross expenditure provision for the Aerospace budget in order to facilitate the repayment to Rolls Royce plc of certain amounts that have been overpaid by that company, which is offset by an increase of £14,000,000 in the appropriations in aid provision;
(iv) the transfer of £10,000,000 from the Local Competitiveness budget to the Inland Revenue (Class XVI Vote 4) for providing payroll support for new employers;
(v) the transfer of £34,000 from the Coal Health Liabilities budget to the Department of Social Security (Class XII Vote 3) to facilitate access to miners' medical records held by the Benefits Agency.
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