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Employment Tribunals
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to allocate funding for a permanent hearing centre in North Wales for employment tribunal cases; and if he will make a statement. [99985]
29 Nov 1999 : Column: 23W
Mr. Alan Johnson:
The Employment Tribunals Service is presently seeking to identify suitable premises in North Wales. Decisions on funding priorities for 2000-01 and beyond have not yet been taken.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many targets have been agreed between his Department and (i) local authorities and (ii) other bodies apart from his own agencies and non-departmental bodies since May 1997. [99474]
Mr. Byers
[holding answer 24 November 1999]: The Department's Public Service Agreement (PSA) sets out Departmental and Agency targets. The PSA includes two targets which are shared with HM Treasury and two shared with the Foreign Office. These apart, none of the targets have been agreed between the Department and (i) Local Authorities, or (ii) other bodies apart from the Department's own agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the Government's current investment in the Ilisu Dam, Turkey; and if he will make a statement. [100056]
Mr. Caborn:
The Government have provided no support for the Ilisu dam project. We have not yet made a decision on the application for export credit support from Balfour Beatty.
Mr. Alan Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the meetings his Department has held with Balfour Beatty plc about the Ilisu Dam Project since 1 January 1998. [100170]
Mr. Caborn:
Balfour Beatty has attended meetings with ECGD on:
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what quantitative assessment the Government have made of the benefits and costs to the United Kingdom of a comprehensive multilateral trade
29 Nov 1999 : Column: 24W
round involving far-reaching liberalisation of trade in (a) agriculture, (b) manufacturing and (c) services. [99873]
Mr. Caborn:
A number of studies have been published estimating substantial income gains to the world and the European Union from further trade liberalisation. Two recent ones are by the European Commission and the OECD. The Commission study covers agriculture, industrial tariffs and services; the OECD study does not include services. These studies do not provide separate estimates of the impact on the UK. However, on the assumption that the UK gains in line with its share of Community output and external trade, it is possible to provide a broad indication of the likely effects on the UK economy. On this basis, the European Commission and the OECD studies suggest that further trade liberalisation could bring income gains for the UK of between $8 billion and $19 billion (£5 billion and £11 billion) per year in terms of 1998 prices and incomes. This is equivalent to an income increase of between £210 and £480 per year for the average UK household. All such estimates are sensitive to assumptions made, particularly about the form, scope and scale of further liberalisation. I shall also be writing to the hon. Member with further information.
Mr. Norman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what formal representations have been made by (a) Ministers and (b) officials to the European Commission regarding the negotiating objectives for the forthcoming World Trade Organisation talks. [100277]
Mr. Caborn:
UK Ministers have played a key role in shaping the EU's approach to the Seattle meeting where we hope that a new comprehensive round of trade negotiations will be launched. The EU's position was agreed by the Council of Ministers in formal Conclusions on 26 October. Trade Commissioner Lamy and Commission officials have been negotiating on behalf of the EU in Geneva on the basis of these formal Conclusions.
Mr. Alan Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the environmental and ethical considerations that he has announced will apply to the ECGD. [100477]
Mr. Caborn:
There has been no announcement about ethical or environmental considerations that will apply to ECGD. This is being addressed in the current review of ECGD's Mission and Status. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has announced the introduction of a screening process to facilitate the identification of environmentally sensitive cases.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons Mr. Onliwyn Glyndwr Williams, a constituent of the hon. Member for Hereford, has not yet undergone spirometry testing for the purposes of his compensation claim against British Coal; and if he will make a statement. [99855]
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Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 26 November 1999]: Appointments for spirometry testing are being made on a regional basis according to an agreed order of priority which reflects age of claimant, age of claim and other relevant information. I understand that Mr. Williams will be receiving an appointment at his home in the course of next week.
Approximately 95 per cent. of the 43,000 living claimants identified as at May this year should now have been contacted to arrange an appointment, and nearly 30,000 tests have been conducted.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the value of land and property in (i) Scotland, (ii) the United Kingdom, (iii) overseas and (iv) total within the responsibility of the (a) Bio-technology and Biological Sciences Research Council, (b) Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Council, (c) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, (d) Economic and Social Research Council, (e) Medical Research Council, (f) Natural Environment Research Council and (g) Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council. [99816]
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 26 November 1999]: Details of the total assets of the seven science Research Councils are published in their Annual Accounts and the latest DTI Annual Expenditure Plans Report (Cm4211). As expenditure from the Science Budget is deemed to be for the benefit of the UK as a whole, data are not collected in the form requested.
Mr. Norman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the Government's policy on the continuation of the EU import tariff on video recorders; and what representations on this it has received in the last 12 months. [100278]
Mr. Caborn:
The Government's broad policy objective is to maximise the liberalisation of industrial tariffs world-wide including those of the EU. The consumer electronics industry has indicated, in response to a DTI consultative document on future tariff liberalisation published in May and on other occasions, that in exchange for greatly improved access to third-country markets it would welcome tariff reductions world-wide, including by the EU, on video recorders and all other consumer electronics.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the proposed acquisition of the Tweeddale Press Group by Johnston Press has been referred to the Competition Commission. [100080]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 26 November 1999]: I have issued a Press Notice inviting comments on the proposed transfer, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements he proposes
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to make to cover the anticipated time lag between the ending of the existing European structural funding on 31 December and the beginning of the transitional payments under the reformed system; and if he will make a statement. [100343]
Mr. Caborn:
Projects approved within current Structural funds programmes by the end of this year can be co-financed until the end of 2001.
For projects approved within programmes that cover the new period 2000-2006, the Regulations provide for these to be co-financed from 1 January 2000, provided that the draft programmes have been lodged with the Commission by 31 April 2000.
These arrangements will ensure continuity of funding between the programming periods.
23 June 1998
Balfour Beatty and ECGD have been present at meetings of the Export Credit Agencies and contractors on:
9 October 1998
9 April 1999
30 June 1999
9 July 1999
8 September 1999
30 September 1999
24 July 1998
Balfour Beatty was also present at meetings in Turkey on 12-13 May which the Minister for Trade held with Turkish officials, when Ilisu was discussed.
18 December 1998
28 April 1999
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