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Inward Investment
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received regarding her Department's work to encourage inward investment to the UK. [30163]
Nigel Griffiths: Government Ministers take every opportunity to promote the UK as the place to do business.
Invest UK, as part of its overall promotional effort to attract inward investment to the UK, is in continuous dialogue, with the involvement of Ministers, with both prospective and existing investors to help them in all aspects of locating and doing business here. My noble Friend the Minister for Trade and Investment holds regular breakfast meetings with existing inward investors to discuss specific concerns that they may have.
Ministers are also regularly involved in inward investment events overseas. During a recent visit to Japan, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry hosted a dinner for investors and also met members of the automotive manufacturers and components suppliers in support of their efforts in retaining and making further investment in the UK. In January this year on a two-day visit to Toronto, my noble Friend the Minister for Trade and Investment called on existing major investors and multipliers and held media interviews to promote inward investment. On a visit this month, I shall be hosting an inward investment dinner during my attendance at the largest ICT (information and communications technologies) conference taking place in India this year.
These actions have contributed to the UK retaining its position as the top destination for inward investment in Europe as confirmed by the recently published UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) figures on foreign investment flows.
Employment Tribunals
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people from the Warrington, North constituency were members of employment tribunals or the Employment Appeals Tribunal (a) in 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [32255]
Alan Johnson: The number of people from the Warrington, North constituency who are currently members of the Employment Tribunals is as follows:
- Chairmen (appointed by the Lord Chancellor)—None
Lay members (appointed by the Secretary of State—None.
The number of people from the Warrington, North constituency who are currently members of the Employment Appeal Tribunal is as follows:
- Judges (nominated by the Lord Chancellor)—None
Lay members (appointed by Her Majesty on joint recommendation of the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State)—One.
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- Judges (nominated by the Lord Chancellor)—None
Lay members (appointed by Her Majesty on joint recommendation of the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State)—One.
Humber Pilots Ltd.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason two officials from her Department visited the offices of Humber Pilots Ltd. on 18 January. [31525]
Nigel Griffiths: Two officials from my Department's Radiocommunications Agency visited the office of Humber Pilots Ltd. on 18 January 2002 in connection with radio usage under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949.
Clothing/Textile Industries
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if it is her Department's policy (a) to adhere to the timetable agreed at the Uruguay Round for the phasing out of MFA restrictions and (b) not to accelerate the liberalisation process. [33274]
Ms Hewitt: The Government are fully committed to the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) to phase out Multi Fibre Arrangement (MFA) import restrictions. We also fully support Commissioner Lamy's bilateral market access initiative offering liberalisation of textile and clothing trade with the EU over and above that required in the ATC in return for improved access to the textile and clothing markets of supplier countries.
Employee Pension Entitlements
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims were made by those seeking part-time employee pension entitlements following a ruling in May 2000 by the European Court of Justice; how many have been settled; and when she expects all outstanding cases to be dealt with. [32292]
Alan Johnson: The Employment Tribunals Service database (RITAS) does not identify these particular claims from any other claims brought under equal pay or sex discrimination legislation. It is therefore not possible to give exact figures for claims brought following the ECJ ruling in May 2000 or which claims brought since then have settled.
However, manual records indicate that since May 2000 approximately 19,000 claims have been made to an employment tribunal following the ECJ ruling. In the same period approximately 11,000 claims were disposed of prior to a hearing including those settled leaving over 51,000 outstanding claims.
The majority of claims are against public sector employers and are stayed awaiting the result of test cases which are scheduled to be heard between 24 June and 19 July 2002. The findings of these test cases will be applicable to those stayed cases.
ECGD
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the net cash outflow was from the Export Credits Guarantee Department attributable to
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defence exports in the financial years (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02 broken down by (i) cost of interest rate support, (ii) claims paid, (iii) interest paid and (iv) operating expenses proportionate to defence related business. [27214]
Ms Hewitt: The following table details claims paid and premium earned for the financial years 2000–01 and 2001–02 to date in respect of defence related business. The cost of interest rate support has been estimated on the proportion of ECGD credit business constituted by defence related business. As for the further information my hon. Friend requests on operating expenses, I am afraid ECGD does not hold its records on a basis which would enable it to provide the level of details he has requested. It would involve disproportionate costs to produce it.
| 2000–01 | 2001–02(3) | |
|---|---|---|
| Premium earned | 38 | 3 |
| Claims paid | 181 | 86 |
| Estimate of interest rate support | 4 | 7 |
(3) Provisional figures, which may change considerably throughout the rest of the year.
The claims figures relate mostly to business with Indonesia that has been rescheduled and which ECGD expects to recover in the fullness of time. These claims are in respect of business supported before the years indicated.
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of Export Credits Guarantee Department coverage for arms sales was in the financial years, (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01 and (e) 2001–02. [27215]
Ms Hewitt: According to ECGD's published annual reports the level of ECGD support for defence business in each of the years was as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 763 |
| 1998–99 | 1,700 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,583 |
| 2000–01 | 2,735 |
The level of ECGD support for defence business in 2001–02 amounts to £31 million up to 31 December 2001.
Oil Fabrication Industry
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the prospects for the downstream fabrication industry over the next five years. [32249]
Mr. Wilson: As my hon. Friend is aware, overall demand for fabrication for the UKCS is unlikely to return to the levels seen in previous years.
Sophisticated field development techniques using floating and subsea technologies have largely replaced heavy fixed platforms. UK Industry has acknowledged this and is presently reconfiguring itself to tackle the new market conditions.
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The Department is actively engaged in assisting companies, large and small, to increase their competitiveness by adopting best practice from around the world and particularly from the Gulf of Mexico.
I am confident that the industry will respond well to these challenges.
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last met (a) UKOOA and (b) LASCOF to discuss the future for oil fabrication. [32250]
Mr. Wilson: The information is as follows:
(a) The future of the oil fabrication industry is a regular agenda item at the quarterly meetings of the cross industry forum PILOT which I chair. UKOOA member companies are fully engaged with this process.
(b) On 14 December I had a very constructive meeting with LASCOF in Glasgow.
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