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Vickers OMC

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers the Government have to prevent Vickers Defence Systems' South African subsidiary Vickers OMC from entering into a joint venture with Indian company Tata Engineering to produce Casspir armoured personnel carriers in India. [40285]

Mr. Wilson: The Casspir mine protected vehicle is a product of Vickers OMC of South Africa. Any proposed joint venture to produce the vehicle in India is a matter for the South African and Indian Governments.

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will answer the written parliamentary question from the hon. Member for Banbury of 27 February on Vickers Defence Systems' South African subsidiary. [46646]

Mr. Wilson: I have replied today.

Cluster Munitions

Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what end-use documentation was provided with the export licence application from Hunting Engineering for the export of the BL755 cluster munitions (Batch No. 82529); and if she will make a statement on discussions her Department has had with the manufacturer

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and the Government in the original country of destination regarding the (a) diversion and (b) re-export of the original transfer to Ethiopia. [46149]

Nigel Griffiths: Information on end use documentation provided in support of an export licence application is confidential and exempt from disclosure under Part 2, Sections 1, 13 and 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

The Department of Trade & Industry's Export Control Organisation maintains regular contact with exporters on a range of export control issues. Discussions with individual exporters on such issues are confidential and exempt from disclosure under Part 2, Sections 1, 13 and 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

No discussions with overseas Governments have as yet taken place with regard to their possible re-export of this particular item, since it is not yet clear whether any country might have re-exported these items to Ethiopia.

Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what export licences were granted between 1972 and 1989 for the export of BL755 cluster munitions (Batch No. 62529); and if she will provide the (a) number of cluster munitions exported, (b) category codes, and (c) final end-use destination; [46154]

Nigel Griffiths: Previous administrations have not considered it appropriate to publish information on individual licensing decisions. This information is not held centrally, and a manual search of all the case files would incur disproportionate cost.

Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if an export licence is required for the refurbishment, and subsequent re-export, of cluster munitions. [46253]

Nigel Griffiths: An export licence is required from the Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation to export cluster munitions, controlled under entries ML3 and ML4 in Part III of Schedule 1 of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, as amended, from the UK.

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Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will describe the end-use procedures in place to monitor and prevent the re-export and proliferation of British supplied cluster munitions. [46158]

Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.

There are no end-use controls applied specifically to exports of this equipment. Our overseas posts have standing instructions to report on allegations of misuse of any UK-origin defence equipment to take into account in the licensing process. We focus our efforts on assessment of potential end-use at the export licensing stage. Carrying out effective risk assessment on end-users before making the export licensing decision is the surest way to prevent UK arms falling into the wrong hands. We will not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the equipment for export could be used for internal repression or international aggression, or where there is an unacceptable risk of diversion to an undesirable end-user.

In determining whether any such risk exists, we take into account all reliable information on proposed end-use and end-users of potential concern, including reporting from our overseas posts, other countries and non- governmental organisations. We are pursuing improved information sharing with like-minded countries through the EU and the Wassenaar Arrangement.

The Government remain committed to carrying out end-use monitoring in those circumstances where this will genuinely add value to our efforts to minimise the risk of misuse and diversion and where such monitoring is practicable. The Government have the legal power to revoke export licences in the event of substantive misuse or diversion.

Administration Procedure

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in how many cases the administration procedure was initiated by (a) company directors and (b) creditors in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2001. [44997]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 25 March 2002]: This information is not available. Administration is an insolvency procedure which is initiated by the presentation of a petition to court. The requirements for information regarding the company's financial affairs and prospects in support of such a petition mean that very few are presented other than by the company concerned.

Broadband

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance is being received from the EU in pursuit of expanded broadband access in the UK. [45312]

Mr. Alexander: The Lisbon Summit on Economic Reform in 2000 launched work on the eEurope Action Plan, which reprioritises all EU and national policies, assistance and support, in order to help increase access to the internet. The European Council meeting in Barcelona on 15–16 March concluded that the next phase of the eEurope strategy should give priority to the widespread availability of broadband networks throughout the EU. The ways in which the EU and the member states can

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support and assist this objective in the period to 2005 will be set out in a new eEurope Action Plan, to be presented to the Seville European Council in June.

The following websites of the European Commission set out the activities covered by the eEurope Action Plan, and list sources of EU assistance for information and communications technology:

http://www.europa.eu.int/informationsociety/eeurope/ indexen.htm

http://europa.eu.int/informationsociety/programmes/ indexen.htm

World Bank

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the consequences for British international investors of the decision of the World Bank's Ad Hoc Committee to uphold the arbitration award of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes in favour of WENA Hotels against the Government of Egypt; and if she will make a statement. [39722]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 12 March 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on Tuesday 12 March 2002, Official Report, column 869W.

General Agreement on Trade in Services

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what meetings (a) she and (b) her officials attended, and which meetings are scheduled, for discussion of GATS. [48618]

Ms Hewitt: My ministerial colleagues and I and my officials regularly meet with a wide range of organisations (NGOs, trade unions, business, academics, the European Commission, other EU member states, other WTO Members, intergovernmental organisations and others) at which the current World Trade Organisation negotiations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services are often discussed.

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what services the United Kingdom (a) as part of the European Union and (b) unilaterally will be requesting from other states under the World Trade Organisation's General Agreement on Trade in Services. [47564]

Ms Hewitt: The United Kingdom negotiates in the World Trade Organisation as part of the European Union. Liberalisation requests are still being formulated. The EU's broad objectives are set out in negotiating proposals already tabled in the WTO and available publicly.

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the commitments already made under the World Trade Organisation's General Agreement on Trade in Services. [47418]

Ms Hewitt: Commitments already made by WTO members under the General Agreement on Trade in Services generally reflect, or are less than, the existing levels of market access prevailing at the time of the conclusion of the Uruguay Round. The United Kingdom maintains very few restrictions in its GATS schedule of commitments.

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The full range of GATS commitments can be found on the WTO website at www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/ serv_commitments_e.htm.

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how she estimates the full implementation of the World Trade Organisation's General Agreement on Trade in Services will affect public services in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement. [47417]

Ms Hewitt: The General Agreement on Trade in Services permits World Trade Organisation members to define and maintain their own public services, and does not require them to make liberalising commitments where they choose not to.

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