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Concessionary Travel
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance he plans to give to local authorities and passenger transport executives on concessionary travel arrangements for males aged between 60 and 65 years, following the European Court ruling on winter fuel payments. [111122]
Mr. Hill: We have no plans to give any guidance on this topic. Our view is that the European Court of Justice ruling on winter fuel payments does not have any implications for concessionary travel arrangements.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Remploy
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Remploy products his Department has purchased in the last three years. [109928]
Dr. Howells: The Department's latest information on its use of Remploy products covers the three-year period to May 1999. Records show that during that time, the Department purchased one Remploy office furniture product.
The information above does not include contracts let by the Department's Executive Agencies. I have asked the respective Agency Chief Executives to reply separately to this question.
Letter from Claire Clancy to Mr. Martin Caton, dated February 2000:
I am replying to your parliamentary question tabled on 10 February 2000, regarding what Remploy products the Department of Trade and Industry has purchased in the last three years.
2. The Patent Office has not purchased any products from Remploy during the last three years.
I have been asked to reply to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of Companies House Executive Agency.
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A contract was awarded to Remploy in January 1988 following a competitive tender, to supply for a three year period a range of office furniture, namely workstations, pedestals, storage units and chairs.
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to your question about the purchase of Remploy products. This Agency has not purchased any Remploy products during the last three years.
The Secretary of State for Trade & Industry has asked me to reply to your question in relation to The Insolvency Service's purchase of Remploy products. The Service has not placed any order with Remploy in the last three years.
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the Radiocommunications Agency to your Parliamentary Question about Remploy products.
2. I can confirm that no Remploy products have been purchased by the Agency within the last three years.
You tabled a Parliamentary Question on 10 February to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry about what Remploy products his Department has purchased in the last three years. I have been asked to reply in respect of the Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) which is an executive agency of the DTI.
In the last three years, the Employment Tribunals Service made three purchases from Remploy. These items were a set of six shelves, a bookcase and a chair. The total value of these orders was £891.36p.
Green Issues
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source. [110150]
Dr. Howells: In respect of timber products it is the Department's policy to use timber products from a sustainable source. In respect of the Forest Stewardship Council, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on 14 February 2000, Official Report, column 357W. For paper products the policy is to encourage use of recycled paper.
Steel (Ireland)
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the monitoring procedures carried out on compliance with steel production limits imposed on European Union-assisted manufacturing of steel in the Republic of Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [110432]
Mr. Alan Johnson: Copies of all the European Commission's six-monthly reports on the monitoring of aid given to companies under Article 95 of the European Coal and Steel Community Treaty, including Irish Steel, have been deposited in the Library of the House.
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I consider that the Commission continues to monitor these companies effectively to ensure that they comply with the limits on steel production and meet the other conditions imposed upon them.
End of Life Vehicles
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had on the potential impact of the proposed EU End of Life Vehicles Directive with motor industry representatives. [110352]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 17 February 2000]: My officials have met regularly with the motor industry to discuss this Directive since it was first proposed by the European Commission in 1997.
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are currently in place to deal with end of life vehicles. [110348]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 17 February 2000]: The ACORD (Automotive Consortium on Recycling and Disposal) voluntary agreement on the treatment of end of life vehicles has been in place since 1997.
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will make a statement on the UK Government's policy on the proposed EU End of Life Vehicles Directive; [110346]
- (2) what information and advice his Department has given to UK MEPs on the likely economic and environmental impact of the proposed EU End of Life Vehicles Directive; [110350]
(3) what the Government's policy is in respect of EU legislation that imposes a retrospective financial liability on UK industry. [110351]
Ms Hewitt [holding answers 17 February 2000]: The Government wishes to secure the important environmental benefits that will be delivered by this Directive at the lowest costs. We have agreed to the Common Position text which states that vehicle producers must meet "all or a significant part" of the costs of treatment for new vehicles from 2001 onwards and for existing vehicles from 2006 onwards. As with all proposals for European Legislation, the Government maintains regular contact with MEP's and provides information and advice in line with the Government's position.
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the cost to the UK motor industry of implementing the proposed EU End of Life Vehicles Directive. [110347]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 17 February 2000]: My Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) in September 1999 estimated the costs of the Common Position text of the proposed Directive at £312 million per annum in 2005. The Common Position text gives each member state an important degree of flexibility in deciding how best to recover the costs of treating scrapped vehicles, including the size of the vehicle producer's contribution.
Copies of above RIA and earlier RIAs are available in the Library of the House.
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World Trade Organisation
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the outcome of the General Council of the WTO held on 7 and 9 February. [110964]
Mr. Caborn: The World Trade Organisation General Council meeting on 7-8 February took a number of decisions on next steps for the organisation. It was agreed that the mandated negotiations on agriculture and services would take place in the Agriculture Committee and the Services Council, respectively, and that they would get under way during this quarter (services in the week of 21 February, agriculture in the week of 20 March). Efforts are now being made to find Chairpersons for these negotiative groups.
It was also agreed that parallel consultations should be conducted on several issues by the Director General and the incoming Chair of the General Council. These include measures to improve market access for least developed countries, further efforts on capacity-building and technical co-operation for developing countries and, linked to this, action on implementation deadlines where some WTO member governments have problems meeting their commitments under existing WTO agreements. In addition, a consultation process was launched on improvements to WTO consultative and decision-making procedures. It is hoped that the outcome of these consultations will be made known quickly, if possible by the end of March.
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