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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 22 June 2000
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Chemical Weapons Act 1996
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the operation of the Chemical Weapons Act 1996. [127693]
Dr. Howells: In accordance with the Act, I have today laid a copy of the report on its implementation during 1999 before both Houses.
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Corruption and Bribery (Lesotho)
Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the loans underwritten by Her Majesty's Government to companies implicated in the current criminal trial concerning bribery and corruption in Lesotho. [127078]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 20 June 2000]: Charges have been laid against various consortiums involved in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Kier International, Stirling International, Balfour Beatty, and Kvaerner Boving are UK members of consortiums involved in the project. All deny having been involved in any malpractice.
From records readily available the following loans have been underwritten by Her Majesty's Government through, ECGD, to these companies:
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| Company/market | Date of loan | Loan value (million) | Lender | Borrower | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stirling International Civil Engineering Ltd. | |||||
| Lesotho | 18 November 1991 | £49.3 | Hill Samuel Bank(1) | Lesotho Highlands Development Authority | |
| Lesotho | 14 December 1994 | £9.7 | Hill Samuel Bank(1) | Lesotho Highlands Development Authority | |
| Kier International Ltd. | |||||
| Lesotho | 18 November 1991 | £49.3 | Hill Samuel Bank | Lesotho Highlands Development Authority | |
| Lesotho | 14 December 1994 | £9.7 | Hill Samuel Bank | Lesotho Highlands Development Authority | |
| Romania | 14 March 2000 | euro 88.3 | Deutsche Bank | Ministry of Public Works and Territorial Planning | |
| Egypt | 12 November 1981 | £32.0 | HSBC | Ministry of Development | |
| Kvaerner Boving Ltd.(2) | |||||
| Lesotho | 17 February 1994 | £4.7 | West Merchant Bank | Lesotho Highlands Development Authority | |
| India | 2 November 1989 | £31.8 | West Merchant Bank | National Hydroelectric Power Corporation | |
| India | 11 October 1996 | £20.4 | Barclays Bank | Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation | |
| Hong Kong | 4 August 1990 | £10.4 | J. Henry Schroder & Co. | Castle Peak Power Co. Ltd. | |
| Balfour Beatty Ltd. | |||||
| Lesotho | 18 November 1991 | £49.3 | Hill Samuel Bank | Lesotho Highlands Development Authority | |
| Lesotho | 15 December 1995 | £1.8 | Hill Samuel Bank | Lesotho Highlands Development Authority | |
| Lesotho | 14 December 1994 | £9.7 | Hill Samuel Bank | Lesotho Highlands Development Authority | |
| China | 18 March 1996 | £8.2 | West Merchant Bank Ltd. | Bank of China | |
| Netherlands Antilles | 10 January 1991 | $18.0 | Barclays Bank | Resort of the World NV | |
| Malaysia | 12 July 1991 | £305.0 | J. Henry Schroder & Co. | Tenaga Nasional Berhad | |
| Thailand | 17 August 1994 | £15.0 | Australia and New Zealand Banking Group | Provincial Electricity Authority | |
| Turkey | 30 July 1987 | $18.1 | Deutsche Bank AG | Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction | |
(1) ABN AMRO Bank later took over the loan
(2) Now known as GE Energy (UK) Ltd.
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Inward Investment (Greater London)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to encourage inward investment into the Greater London area. [127139]
Mr. Caborn: The DTI's Invest in Britain Bureau (IBB) provides grant in aid funding to the London First Centre (LFC) to promote London overseas as a location for inward investment. LFC received grant in aid of £1.015 million in 1999-2000, increased to £1,065 million in 2000-01.
LFC efforts are focused world-wide but investment is particularly encouraged, geographically from North America, and sectorally on functions such as European Headquarters, pan-European call centres and high value-added manufacturing. LFC is keen to emphasise
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London's position as the centre of European e-commerce and a leading destination for projects in knowledge driven sectors.
For the 12-month period ending 31 March 2000, LFC completed 115 projects resulting in 5,440 jobs created and 1,035 safeguarded.
From 3 July 2000, responsibility for inward investment in London will pass to the Mayor and the London Development Agency.
Maternity Pay and Parental Leave
Mr. Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the terms of reference are for the review of maternity pay and parental leave. [127694]
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Mr. Byers: The review will consider the steps needed to make sure that parents have choices to help them balance the needs of their work and their children so that they may contribute fully to the competitiveness and productivity of the modern economy.
- To examine how the economy is changing, particularly in relation to working patterns, and what the needs of the modern economy will be.
- To identify how competitiveness and productivity in this context can be enhanced through giving families reasonable choices to help them to balance the needs of their children and work.
- The impact of maternity pay and parental leave on business, particularly SMEs, and families including whether it is possible to simplify the implementation of existing legislation.
- Best practice in business and its impact, including the extent to which employers currently offer additional entitlements or flexible arrangements.
- Factors affecting women's decisions to return to work after childbirth.
- Factors affecting the take up of parental and paternity leave.
- Impact of returning to work part-time, from home or on flexible hours.
- Reducing child poverty, including the particular problems faced by the workless and by parents receiving the Working Families Tax Credit.
| Members | |
|---|---|
| Baroness Jay | Leader of the House of Lords |
| Lord Privy Seal and Minister for Women | |
| Andrew Smith | Chief Secretary to the Treasury |
| Lord Falconer | Minister of State, Cabinet Office |
| Tessa Jowell | Minister of State, DfEE |
| Margaret Hodge | Parliamentary Under-Secretary, DfEE |
| Baroness Hollis | Parliamentary Under-Secretary, DSS |
| Alan Johnson | Parliamentary Under-Secretary, DTI |
| David Irwin | Chief Executive, Small Business Service |
There will be extensive consultation and detailed research to back up the review.
Directors' Salaries
Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to enable shareholders to vote on directors' salaries. [125853]
Dr. Howells: The Department of Trade and Industry published a consultation paper on directors' remuneration last year which put forward a number of proposals for improving disclosure of directors' remuneration and the board's accountability to shareholders. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will make an announcement shortly on the Government's response to the consultation.
Aerospace Industry
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the use made by the United Kingdom aerospace industry
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of outsourcing to non-EU based companies and locations of items previously manufactured in the United Kingdom. [126833]
Mr. Alan Johnson: I have not made any specific assessment of changes in the sourcing of aerospace items. However my Department is working closely with the Society of British Aerospace Companies on competitiveness improvement programmes for the aerospace industry. DTI funding for this work is helping to improve productivity and other aspects of competitiveness of UK suppliers which should ensure that the outsourcing of aerospace items is kept to a minimum.
Export Promotion
Mr. Prior: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the status of the Joint Directorate. [126752]
Mr. Caborn: The Joint Directorate was renamed in 1994 as the Joint Export Promotion Directorate, which was run and staffed jointly by the DTI and the FCO. It was also charged with providing a general policy framework for the export promotion work of those two Departments, which was branded as the Overseas Trade Services.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced on 12 March 1999, Official Report, columns 399-400W, the Government's response to the Cabinet Secretary's Review of Export Promotion, the core of which was that all trade promotion development activities of the DTI and the FCO should be unified in a new joint operation, British Trade International, with a single Chief Executive, Sir David Wright. Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The Joint Export Promotion Directorate and its responsibilities were subsumed in the restructuring of British Trade International.
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