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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Civil Servants

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the average percentage increase in salaries of non-industrial civil servants, excluding members of the senior civil service, in his Department for 1999-2000; and to what extent the pay awards were staged. [121680]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 18 May 2000]: The headline pay settlement was 2 per cent. on the paybill and, together with the additional funds from staff turnover, staff in post received in total performance related increases averaging 4 per cent. The increases were not staged.

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Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 3 April 2000, Official Report, column 325W, if he will list the companies and sites in the United Kingdom that manufactured methyl tertiary butyl ether in 1999. [123453]

Mrs. Liddell: One company, TotalFina Great Britain Ltd., manufactured methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in the UK in 1999, at Lindsay Oil Refinery, South Killingholme, Humberside.

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 3 April 2000, Official Report, column 325W, what large-scale manufacturing processes in the United Kingdom other than in the petroleum industry include the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether. [123449]

Mrs. Liddell: Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is used in small amounts by the oil refining industry, with the average concentration of MTBE in UK petrol about 1 per cent., well below that permitted under EU law. The chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries also use MTBE in small amounts.

Northern Region (Relocations)

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and local public spending bodies for which his Department is responsible that (a) have been transferred since 1992 and (b) are planned to be transferred (i) to and (ii) from the Northern Region. [123408]

Dr. Howells: None of the Department's executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies has relocated since 1992 either to or from the area covered by the North East and North West Government Offices. There are no current plans for such relocations.

Coal Industry Pension Schemes

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to reduce the percentage of the surpluses from the Mineworkers Pension Scheme and British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme taken by the Government. [123438]

Mrs. Liddell: Since 1994, the DTI has acted as guarantor to the former British Coal pension schemes. In doing so it underwrites 100 per cent. of any downside risk to guaranteed benefits in the event of scheme deficits. The guarantee means that basic pensions will always rise at least in line with inflation and will never fall in cash terms. In return the Government receive 50 per cent. of any actuarial scheme surpluses--the remaining 50 per cent. being available to the scheme Trustees for distribution among their memberships. The Government have no plans to re-open the guarantee arrangements, but it is discussing with the Trustees whether there are opportunities to build upon them to the mutual benefit of Scheme members and Government.

Ms Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next plans to meet trade unions to discuss the use of the surplus in the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme. [123126]

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Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 24 May 2000]: Decisions on the allocation of the members' share of any surpluses in the coal pension schemes are principally issues for the Trustees of the schemes. I meet representatives of the mining unions regularly and I am always prepared to discuss a broad range of issues including the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme.

Manufacturing Industry

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Government are taking to support manufacturing industry in the north-west; what related discussions he has had in the north-west during the last year; and if he will make a statement. [123527]

Mr. Caborn: Support for manufacturers is listed at Annexe A of the DTI report, "Manufacturing in the Knowledge Driven Economy". This report provides contact details for further information and can be found on the DTI website: www.dti.gov/comp/knowledge.htm.

In addition there are a number of initiatives which will assist in the creation and development of manufacturing companies--Regional Capital Venture Funds; a Phoenix Fund, the UK High Technology Fund and the Innovative High Growth Start Up Initiative which will be open to companies across the whole of the North West. As part of the Government's response to the financing problems of SMEs, we have introduced the new Enterprise Grant scheme. It is proposed that this will cover 64 per cent. of the population in the north-west.

We are also consulting Regional Development Agencies on the potential for the development of Regional Centres for Manufacturing Excellence and Productivity.

Ministers have regular discussions on regional matters. As my hon. Friend is aware, I am due to be in the region on 2 June to meet him and my hon. Friends the Members for Rossendale and Darwen (Janet Anderson) and for Hyndburn (Mr. Pope).

Regulations

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many regulations have been repealed by his Department since May 1997; and what estimate he has made of the resulting cost savings. [123302]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 23 May 2000]: My Department revoked seven regulations between May 1997 and the end of March this year. In most cases the effects were cost neutral. In the period between May 1995 and May 1997 only four regulators were revoked. These were cost neutral.

Regional Selective Assistance

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to submit an application to the European Commission for the approval of £25 million of regional selective assistance for the proposed new Marconi site at Ansty; and if he will make a statement. [123307]

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Mr. Byers [holding answer 23 May 2000]: The Government's offer of Regional Selective Assistance for this high quality project is, like any such offer, subject to the rules governing state aids. Individual notification of the project to the European Commission will not be required.

Opinion Research

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will list opinion research projects undertaken on behalf of his Department in the financial year 1999-2000, broken down into (a) focus group research, (b) quantitative surveys and (c) other market research surveys; and if he will list in each case where and when the results were published; [123308]

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(2) how much his Department spent on opinion research in the financial year 1999-2000. [123309]

Mr. Byers [holding answers 23 May 2000]: (i) The following table lists all surveys carried out by the DTI and it's agencies in the financial year 1999-2000, which involved an element of opinion research, and which are subject to survey control. All of the surveys listed are considered to contain an element of opinion research, but it is not possible to break these down further into Focus Group, Quantitative and other sub-divisions with any accuracy. Details of where and when results have been published can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

(ii) The total cost to the department for all surveys carried out in the financial year 1999-2000 containing an element of opinion research was about £578,000.

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Surveys involving an element of opinion gathering carried out during the 1999-2000 financial year

Title	Purpose
Regular surveys
Census of hospital-treated firework injuries	Advertising campaign evaluation
Survey of gas suppliers	Quantitative research
EMIC user satisfaction questionnaire	Customer satisfaction
Business information security survey	Programme evaluation
Tracking study on business support needs	Customer satisfaction
Benchmarking and awareness tracking (EMRS)	Programme evaluation
Subtotal (6)
Ad-hoc Surveys
Survey of school science teachers	Programme research
Evaluation of the Renewable Energy Programme in the UK	Programme evaluation
Survey of small firms awareness, knowledge and access to information on individual employment Rights	Programme evaluation
Market research into the introduction of automated payroll service	Programme evaluation
Supply and availability of facilities to manufacturing bio	Market research
Measurement, requirements, awareness and practices of SMEs	Programme research
UK business potential for virtual reality	Programme research/state of industry
Central Accounting Unit Customer Survey	Customer satisfaction
Assessment of centres of expertise	Programme research/state of Industry
Evaluation of small firms publications	Programme evaluation
New minimum wage ethnic campaign	Programme evaluation
British trade international branding customer survey	Programme evaluation
EuroPlanner evaluation	Customer satisfaction
Evaluation of the Link Programme on hydrocarbon reservoirs	Programme evaluation
Update of unwanted computer equipment: A guide to re-use	Campaign evaluation
Survey of local authority enforcement of the Working Time Regulations	Programme evaluation
Subtotal (16)

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