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WALES

NHS (Wales) Bill

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will publish the draft NHS (Wales) Bill. [12679]

Mr. Touhig: The Queen's Speech at the beginning of this parliamentary Session confirmed that the Government intended to draft legislation to reform the provision of health services in Wales. The Government's intention is still to publish a Welsh Bill in draft during this parliamentary Session. My right hon. Friend and I have had close discussions with the National Assembly for Wales Minister for Health and Social Services and with our colleagues in Government on the contents of the draft NHS (Wales) Bill. My officials and Assembly officials are also making good progress on the detail of the Bill.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Ozone Depleting Substances

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated cost to British businesses is of the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulation 2000/2037. [11857]

Mr. Wilson: EC Regulation 2037/2000 on substances which deplete the ozone layer is a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Environment. A Regulatory Impact Assessment was prepared by his Department in relation to this Regulation, and was placed in both Libraries of the House on 3 December 1998.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects of the ozone depleting substances Regulation 2000/2037 on the design and manufacture of fridges and freezers. [11856]

Mr. Wilson: EC Regulation 2037/2000 on substances which deplete the ozone layer is a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Environment. The manufacture of fridges and freezers will need to comply with the restrictions placed by the Regulation on the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). Use of HCFCs as refrigerants in domestic fridges and freezers has been banned since 1 January 1996. Regulation 2037/2000 additionally bans use of HCFCs for the production of polyurethane foams for appliances from 1 January 2003.

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Small Business Service/Business Link

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking (a) to ensure effective co-operation and (b) to avoid duplication between the work of the Small Business Service and Business Links. [11847]

Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service and the Business Link Operators are part of the same network. They are not two different competing organisations. Business Link is the customer facing brand of the Small Business Service. The Business Link Service encompasses a national contact centre and website and the network of 45 local Business Link Operators.

The Small Business Service manages the network of local Business Link operators through its regional teams. They are responsible for encouraging effective local and regional collaboration and building a learning network.

End-of-life Vehicles Directive

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated cost to British businesses is of the end-of-life vehicles directive. [11861]

Mr. Wilson: The DTI Consultation Paper on options for implementing the Directive, copies of which were placed in the Libraries of both Houses, includes a partial regulatory impact assessment. A fuller assessment of the cost to businesses will be made when the precise method of implementation has been decided, following consideration of responses received in the consultation exercise.

Small Businesses

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of UK registered businesses employ fewer than (a) 100, (b) 50, (c) 20, (d) 10 and (e) five people. [12156]

Nigel Griffiths: The percentage of UK registered businesses by employee size band is as follows:

Less than 100: 99.0

Less than 50: 98.2

Less than 20: 95.8

Less than 10: 90.3

Less than five: 79.7


Source:

Inter-departmental Business Register (IDBR), Start 2001

Economic Development

Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the potential of the environmental industries to generate economic development. [9821]

Mr. Wilson: The most recent available figures relating to the environmental industries indicate that the global environmental market was worth about $335 billion in 2000 rising to $640 billion by 2010. A new study to up date these figures has been commissioned by the Department and is due for completion at the end of November 2001. This will also provide information on the UK's share of the global market.

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The Department is also in the process of establishing an Innovation and Growth Team (IGT) for the UK environmental industry. The primary role of the IGT will be to identify new trends and emerging factors which could impact on competitiveness within the industry, and to identify new market opportunities.

Nuclear Sites (Security)

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to install anti-aircraft batteries at Sellafield and other nuclear plants; and what discussions she has had with her French counterpart following the French Government's decision to place anti-aircraft missiles around French reprocessing facilities. [10674]

Mr. Wilson: The UK's civil nuclear sites apply stringent security measures regulated by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the security regulator. The security regulator works closely with the Health and Safety Executive, the safety regulator, which provides advice on the safety implications of events, including external hazards such as plane crashes, at nuclear installations. Security and safety precautions at nuclear sites are kept under regular review and the Government are reviewing all precautions in the light of the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September. It is not Government policy to disclose details of security measures taken at civil nuclear sites. Officials have discussed security issues with their French counter-parts.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor), 22 October 2001, Official Report, column 7W, on nuclear security, if the Office for Civil Nuclear Security was asked to make a special assessment of the security provisions for the Sellafield MOX Plant and the transport of MOX fuel to overseas customers following the terrorist events of 11 September. [10673]

Mr. Wilson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) on 16 October 2001, Official Report, column 1152W.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the personnel who comprise her Department's Office for Civil Nuclear Security, along with the qualifications they have for their roles. [8763]

Mr. Wilson: The DTI's Office for Civil Nuclear Security comprise 34 staff headed by Michael Buckland-Smith, Director of Civil Nuclear Security. Staff have a range of relevant experience including work in the security and intelligence agencies, the armed services and the police. Training and competences required for OCNS—as for all parts of DTI—are kept under continuing review in the light of changing needs.

European Coal and Steel Treaty

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy on the proposals of the European Commission to allow state aid to the coal industry to continue beyond the expiry of the European Coal and Steel Treaty in 2002. [11564]

Mr. Wilson: The Government currently have no plans to subsidise the UK coal industry beyond the expiry of the European Coal and Steel Community Treaty in July

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2002. However, we are prepared to accept that continued State aid be permitted by the new European regime after this date, provided that it is in the context of appropriate limiting conditions and provided it does nothing to undermine greater liberalisation of energy markets. In particular we would like to see a cap on aid payments, degressivity in aid payments, and rules to prevent subsidies reducing domestic prices of delivered coal below international prices.

Given the geopolitical diversity of coal sources, we are not convinced by the security of supply justification for subsidies as detailed in the current Commission proposals. We would instead like to keep open the possibility of member states paying operating or investment aid to make further progress towards economic viability.

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy towards the renewal of the European Coal and Steel Treaty. [11557]

Mr. Wilson: The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) Treaty comes to an end in July 2002, and there are no plans for it to be renewed. However the European Commission has published a proposal for a new European coal state aids regime. Our policy regarding this proposal is discussed in my answer today to my hon. Friend (PQ No. 11564), at columns 160-61W.

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