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Enterprise Culture
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to achieve its key priority for 2000-01 of promoting a culture of enterprise in the European Union. [125912]
Mr. Caborn: The Department's actions include:
- pressing for the early adoption of a European Charter for Small Firms setting out key principles for promoting enterprise and pledging the Commission and Member States to action;
- working closely with the Commission in drawing up a Multiannual Programme for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship for 2001-05 which seeks to develop a programme of actions to make Europe more entrepreneurial and innovative; and
- giving support to the Spirit of Enterprise, a European Union-wide awards scheme whose aim is to promote entrepreneurship among young people.
Mr. Byers: The national campaign for enterprise--called Enterprise Insight--was launched by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 11 May. The campaign, supported by my Department, is informing young people about the challenges and rewards of starting their own business, developing entrepreneurial skills and encouraging the establishment and growth of successful businesses. Existing entrepreneurs and business people have a key part to play in the campaign. Already, 200 have signed up to participate in a range of activities to encourage enterprise in their communities.
Public Service Targets
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the criteria are for evaluating his Department's performance against its public service agreement target for 2002 of making the United Kingdom the best place in the world to trade electronically. [125924]
Mr. Caborn: The PIU report, 'e-commerce@its.best.uk', set out a number of possible criteria for evaluating progress against the target of being the best place in the world to trade
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electronically by 2002. The Office of the e-Envoy is working to establish more rigorously what these criteria should be and the results of this will be published in the autumn. In the meantime, the DTI continues to work towards a number of measurable targets related to trading online, namely that:
- 1.5 million small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) connected;
- 1 million SMEs actually trading online;
- and the use of ICTs by micro and small businesses up with the best in the world.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the criteria are for evaluating his Department's performance against its public service agreement target for 2002 of improving the overall international ranking of the science and engineering base in terms of quality relevance and cost-effectiveness. [125920]
Mr. Byers: The criteria for relevance and cost effectiveness are, respectively;
- the ranking of the UK against G7 and other countries in terms of HEI funding from non-Government sources;
- the ranking of the UK against G7 and other countries in terms of papers published per £1 million investment.
Business Start-ups
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many successful high growth business start-ups there were in each of the last four years. [125922]
Mr. Byers: In 1999, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 12,800 successful higher growth start-up enterprises. In 1998 there were 12,600 enterprises. Estimates for earlier years cannot be made. Higher growth means enterprises achieving annual sales of £1 million or more, or employing 10 or more people, by their fourth year of trading.
Spin-out Companies
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies have been spun out by universities in each of the past four years. [125910]
Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minster for Small Business and E-Commerce to my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) on 23 May 2000, Official Report, column 474W.
Export Licences
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the criteria which are being used to judge the achievement of his Department's key priority for 2000-01 to operate efficient and effective systems for export licensing. [125913]
Dr. Howells: The criteria used to judge achievement of this priority are set out in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, together with details of performance. Copies are available in the Library of the House.
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CABINET OFFICE
Criminals (Confiscation of Assets)
8. Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the Government's policy towards the seizure of criminal assets. [124270]
Mr. Ian McCartney: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced, we have today published the performance and innovation unit report, "Recovering the Proceeds of Crime".
Copies of the report have been placed in the Vote Office and Libraries of the House.
The report sets out a package of rigorous measures to recover from criminals their unlawful gains and to ensure that crime does not pay. We will:
- strongly encourage prosecutors and courts to make confiscation the norm after convictions where there have been proceeds from crime;
- enable courts to keep restrained assets to help meet confiscation orders; and
- simplify and enhance money laundering legislation to make it easier to bring cases and help focus efforts on criminal money flows.
9.
Mr. Ian McCartney: I have been Sponsor Minister for the performance and innovation unit project on recovering the proceeds of crime.
As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced earlier, we have today published the performance and innovation unit report, "Recovering the Proceeds of Crime". Copies of the report have been placed in the Vote Office and Libraries of the House.
The report sets out a package of rigorous measures to recover from criminals their unlawful gains and to ensure that crime does not pay.
19. Mr. Michael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what specific measures she intends to bring forward to ensure that criminals are deprived of the profits they make from drug dealing and other criminal activity. [124284]
Mr. Ian McCartney: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced, we have today published the performance and innovation unit report, "Recovering the Proceeds of Crime".
Copies of the report have been placed in the Vote Office and Libraries of the House.
The report sets out a package of rigorous measures to recover from criminals their unlawful gains and to ensure that crime does not pay.
Genetic Modification
10. Mr. Swayne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussion she has had with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regarding presentation of Government policy on GMOs. [124273]
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Marjorie Mowlam: I have held recent discussions with various colleagues, including my right. hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, given my role as co-ordinator of biotechnology policy across Government.
Special Advisers
11. Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many special advisers there are and how many have authority over civil servants. [124275]
Mr. Stringer: There are 79 special advisers in post of which two in the Prime Minister's office have executive powers.
Knowledge Network Computer System
12. Mr. Maclean: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if certain information held on the Knowledge Network computer system will be restricted to Ministers and special advisers. [124276]
Mr. Stringer: From the beginning of the project, it has been envisaged that as much information as possible which is eventually held on the Knowledge Network will be made publicly available over the Internet.
Access to the full Knowledge Network will be restricted to Ministers and civil servants (including special advisers). There will be no new types of material produced by, or held on, the Knowledge Network which has not previously been circulated within Government through existing paper methods.
Drug Abuse
13. Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she last met the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator to discuss progress in meeting the Government's targets on reducing drug abuse. [124277]
Marjorie Mowlam: I hold regular meetings with the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator to discuss progress in meeting all aspects of the Government's anti-drug strategy.
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