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Murder Rates
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set out on a comparable basis the number of murders recorded in Northern Ireland in each of the past 30 years. [110564]
Mr. Ingram: The table shows the number of murders recorded in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1998 (the latest full year available), divided since 1988 into murders attributable to the security situation and other murders.
Note:
The 1969-87 figures include both security related murders and crime.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Export Credit Guarantees (Bulgaria)
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his policy is towards extending export credit guarantees to Bulgaria; and if he will make a statement. [113641]
Mr. Caborn: ECGD cover for Bulgaria was withdrawn in 1990 following a default on their external debt obligations. ECGD are currently conducting a review of cover policy in the light of recent improvements in Bulgaria's economic position. ECGD expect to announce the outcome of this review in the next few weeks.
Anglo-Indian Trade
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what efforts he is taking to promote increased trade between Britain and the Indian subcontinent; and if he will make a statement. [113654]
Mr. Caborn: This region is important to the United Kingdom, in both trade and investment terms. British Trade International is conducting an enhanced trade promotion campaign for India, reflecting the market potential and the high priority we attach to increasing trade. During a visit to India in January, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State re-launched the Indo-British Partnership, the vehicle for developing our bilateral trade cooperation. He announced a new scheme--the Global Enterprise Initiative, designed to encourage 200 new business partnerships over the next two years. He also set a target for a 20 per cent. increase in bilateral trade, currently worth over £4 billion.
We also devote resource to facilitate UK trade with the other countries of the region, notably Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
International Price Comparisons
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 8 March 2000, Official Report, column 683W, for what reason the first paragraph of his news release dated 11 February stated that the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry today published the Government's first ever international prices survey. [114261]
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Mr. Byers:
The DTI News Release was issued to the media on 11 February embargoed
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on Government support for United Kingdom involvement in Airbus. [114709]
Mr. Byers:
I am pleased to announce that the Government have just entered into a partnership with BAe Systems to secure UK participation in the Airbus A3XX project, to design and build the wings for the world's largest passenger jet. The Government will invest £530 million in the programme, with BAe Systems investing over £1 billion in design and development alone. The Government investment will be repaid by BAe Systems paying levies on aircraft sales.
The major investment in the UK's leading manufacturing industry will create 22,000 long term new jobs in the UK, 8,000 in BAe Systems and supply companies, and 14,000 new induced employment. It will safeguard a further 62,000 jobs, 20,000 on current Airbus programmes and 42,000 in induced employment. It will confirm the UK as a global centre of excellence in an important area of high technology engineering. It is a practical demonstration of the commitment of the Government, BAe Systems and the UK aerospace industry to Airbus, which has developed over the last 30 years into a highly successful European industrial collaboration. Airbus secured over half the orders for large passenger aircraft in 1999, and the A3XX will enable them to build on this firm base.
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what open individual export licences for export to Pakistan are being processed; and how long each application has taken. [112769]
Dr. Howells:
Licences to export arms and other goods whose export is controlled for strategic reasons are issued by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry acting through DTI's Export Control Organisation. All relevant individual licence applications are circulated by the DTI to other government departments with an interest as determined by those departments in line with their policy responsibilities. These include FCO, MOD and DfID.
As of 3 March, a decision had not yet been taken on 30 applications for an Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) to export to consignees or end-users in Pakistan of goods listed in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 19994 (commonly known as the Military List), or other goods; 28 of these applications were received before 12 October 1999, the date of the coup in Pakistan.
Policy on arms sales to Pakistan was set out in a note from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Joint Inquiry on the Government's Annual Reports for 1997 and 1998 on Strategic Export Controls which was published in the Inquiry's report (HC225, page 74). The
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note stated there has been no change to the Government's policy of considering export licence applications for Pakistan on a case by case basis against the national criteria and those in the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, and in the light of the statement made on 10 July 1998, Official Report, columns 687-88W, by my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) following the Pakistani and Indian Nuclear tests.
Applications for export licences can take some time to process, especially if the situation in the country concerned is fluid. The coup in Pakistan created many uncertainties, and, in the circumstances, it is right for the Government to take the time necessary to assess the new regime's behaviour and intentions before deciding on outstanding export licence applications.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the value of flowers imported into the United Kingdom from EU countries for each year since 1990. [113895]
not for use until Sunday 13 February
the day of publication of the International Price Comparison report.
| Bulbs, tubers etc. | Cut flowers and buds | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 28,206 | 128,404 | 156,610 |
| 1991 | 30,948 | 123,621 | 154,569 |
| 1992 | 33,018 | 126,567 | 159,585 |
| 1993 | 29,424 | 131,061 | 160,485 |
| 1994 | 31,221 | 148,927 | 180,148 |
| 1995 | 35,703 | 165,034 | 200,737 |
| 1996 | 35,490 | 191,513 | 227,003 |
| 1997 | 35,335 | 225,000 | 260,335 |
| 1998 | 38,918 | 257,941 | 296,859 |
| 1999 | 31,215 | 261,754 | 292,969 |
Source:
Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, HM Customs and Excise.
Synchrotron
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will make a decision on the location of the synchrotron. [110002]
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the location of the DIAMOND project. [105262]
Mr. Byers [holding answer 14 February 2000]: The Government have announced today that the synchrotron will be located at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Didcot, Oxford.
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