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Post Offices

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the number of post offices in the north-west region in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000 and (e) 2001. [153156]

Mr. Alan Johnson: I understand from the Post Office that the information is not held in the form requested.

Chemicals Weapons Act

Mrs. Fitzsimons: 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. [154272]

Dr. Howells: In accordance with the Act, I have placed a report on its implementation during 2000 in the Library of each House.

Satellite Communications

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding he expects to be required to maintain the satellite communication monitoring facility at Baldock. [154184]

Ms Hewitt: The Radio Monitoring Station at Baldock in Hertfordshire which is operated by the Radiocommunications Agency has facilities in place in order to be able to monitor a wide range of frequencies over the range from 9 kilohertz through to 40 gigahertz, including those given over to satellite communications.

The Agency's Corporate Plan for the next five years includes the objective of enhancing existing spectrum monitoring activities through the purchase of further unattended and fixed monitoring systems. Provision in excess of £2,000,000 has been made for these capital projects for each of the next four years.

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that the United Kingdom will continue to be able to monitor those radio frequencies given over to satellite communications. [154183]

Ms Hewitt: The Radiocommunications Agency has facilities, based at the Radio Monitoring Station at Baldock in Hertfordshire, which enable it to undertake

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calibrated measurements over the frequency range from 9 kilohertz to 40 gigahertz, including those given over to satellite communications.

In addition, the Agency is working together with its European counterparts in order to provide common access to enhanced fixed facilities managed centrally by the European Radio Office.

Gas Industry

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his estimate is of the cost to industry of introducing half-hourly gas balancing. [152825]

Mr. Hain: The introduction of a new gas balancing system is a matter for Ofgem.

Ofgem are currently consulting on proposals to change to hourly or half hourly balancing. Copies of the consultation document can be found on the Ofgem website at: www.ofgem.gov.uk.

Ofgem

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many vacancies for staff Ofgem has; and if he will list the salary levels that are being offered for these posts. [152956]

Mr. Hain: Ofgem has 22 staff vacancies at the following salary levels:

Salary level	Number of vacancies
£16,000	1
£17,000	3
£19,211	6
£20,000	1
£24,250	5
£35,000	2
£39,000	2
£40,000	1
£90,000-110,000	1

Beckman Case (ECJ)

Sir David Madel: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Beckman case in the European Court of Justice will be heard; and if he will honour the original redundancy entitlements of the Department of Trade and Industry staff concerned. [153592]

Mr. Alan Johnson [holding answer 13 March 2001]: I am expecting the case to be heard by the European Court of Justice later this year. It would be inappropriate for me to comment further while the case is still before the courts.

Sub-post Offices

Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many sub-post offices with Horizon equipment installed have ceased trading; [153179R]

(2) what the average cost is per sub-post office of the installation of Horizon equipment. [153180R]

Mr. Alan Johnson [holding answer 12 March 2001]: I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member on 8 January 2001, Official Report, column 361W.

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Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-post offices closed in (a) January and (b) February; and how many of those that closed in the first three quarters of 2000-01 have reopened. [153252R]

Mr. Alan Johnson [holding answer 12 March 2001]: In the light of the Performance and Innovation Unit report on modernising the post office network, the Post Office has revised its methods of collating and reporting information on the network to supply to the Postal Services Commission. The Post Office has agreed with the Commission a process and format for reporting such information quarterly. Monthly information is not therefore available. Information is not held on the numbers of post offices which closed in the first three quarters of the current financial year have subsequently reopened.

Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with Triumph Motorcycles Ltd. concerning the manufacturing of machines smaller than 750cc; and if he will make a statement. [153780]

Mr. Alan Johnson: Neither Ministerial colleagues nor I have had discussions with Triumph Motorcycles Ltd. on the types or variety of machines they produce, although my officials have contact with the company on a number of issues. Any decision on whether the company adds to its existing range would be a commercial matter for them.

Logos and Branding

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent by his Department on departmental and agency logos and associated branding since 1 May 1997. [152651]

Dr. Howells: The Department has incurred no expenditure on its corporate logo since May 1997. Information on expenditure by directorates within the Department on individual logos is not centrally recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Department's agencies have spent £122,320 on logos and associated branding.

Electricity Trading Arrangements

Mr. Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the New Electricity Trading Arrangements. [154173]

Mr. Hain: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has today agreed to the recommendation of the Chief Executive of the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets that the New Electricity Trading Arrangements (NETA) should go live on 27 March 2001.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

'Everything but Arms' Initiative

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with (a) the European Commissioner for

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Development and (b) her European Union counterparts on (i) recent amendments to the 'Everything but Arms' initiative and (ii) the implications of these proposals for (A) United Kingdom sugar producers and (B) African, Caribbean and Pacific sugar exporters; and if she will make a statement. [153555]

Clare Short: The Government have had ongoing discussions with EU member states and the European Commission on the 'Everything but Arms' initiative (EBA), culminating in the adoption of the Presidency compromise to the proposal on 26 February. Central to these discussions was consideration of the implications of these proposals for both UK sugar producers and ACP sugar exporters.

In these discussions, I made clear my belief that least developed countries are not in the position to export large amounts of sugar in the short term. Details of the final agreement are such that imports of sugar from LDCs will be limited by quotas until 2006. It is now up to the European Commission to bring forward amendments to its sugar reform proposals to achieve coherence with EBA. But since the main impact of the agreement will be deferred until 2006-09, the short-term implications for UK sugar producers are likely to be modest. The proposals will have a more immediate effect on non-LDC ACP countries who will face increasing displacement of some of their exports. The UK will work with the EU, multilateral and other donors to ensure that their adjustment needs are fully taken into account in assistance programmes.

DEFENCE

War Criminals (Bosnia)

Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the mandate is of SFOR troops with respect to the arrest and detention of war criminals in Bosnia. [153542]

Mr. Spellar: Under UN Security Council Resolution 1088 of 1996, the NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) is mandated to detain persons indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) if its forces come into contact with them in the performance of normal activities and the tactical situation permits.

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