House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 22 May 2002 (pt 17)

Arms Exports

Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export licences have been granted since 2 May 1997 for the export of the E100 series integrated grenade system manufactured by PW Defence. [57225]

Nigel Griffiths: Such information is not normally released because of commercial confidentiality. However, I have asked the company if they will waive this. I will write to my hon. Friend in the light of its response, and will place a copy of that letter in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export licences have been granted since 2 May 1997 for the export of (a) the fragmentation grenade E105 and (b) the fragmentation grenade E105 incorporated into the trip wire mechanism manufactured by PW Defence. [57226]

Solar Energy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons solar energy schemes are precluded from the Major Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme's allocation of grants to support the take up of solar power; and what plans there are for their future inclusion. [57502]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 20 May 2002]: The £20 million first phase of the Major Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme is designed specifically to support the installation of solar electricity systems. Our rationale for supporting photovoltaics is that it is a technology at a relatively early stage of development, but with significant potential for further cost reduction and for meeting our electricity needs in the future. There are no plans to include support for other forms of solar energy under this programme.

Consideration is being given to whether support for solar water heating systems, in addition to other small- scale renewables, could be included in the £10 million Community and Household Scheme, which is currently being designed.

22 May 2002 : Column 400W

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what initiatives her Department has instigated to encourage the use of solar energy schemes in (a) domestic properties and (b) commercial properties since 1997. [57504]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 20 May 2002]: In addition to the £20 million first phase of the Major Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme mentioned in the hon. Member's question PQ No. 57502, the Department is supporting the installation of solar electricity systems in:

(a) the £5.4 million Domestic Field Trial will support the installation of PV systems in at least 500 homes over the next two years;

(b) the £4 million Large Scale Field Trial for Public Buildings will support the installation of integrated systems in 18 buildings over the next two years.

Export Credit

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what rules are applied by the ECGD to the offer of export credit support where the British contribution to an export is less than 100 per cent.; what thresholds are required of British content where British content is less than 100 per cent.; whether those thresholds vary for different products and projects; who monitors the share of United Kingdom content; and what measures are used. [58107]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 21 May 2002]: ECGD's main purpose is to facilitate the export of UK goods and services but few contracts involve 100 per cent. British content. ECGD determines the appropriate level of support for contracts of mixed national content on a case-by-case basis so it is difficult to generalise.

The factors to be taken into account include the precise breakdown of sourcing, and whether reinsurance arrangements or reciprocal agreements exist with other agencies. ECGD will stipulate the precise amount of foreign content to be supported for a particular transaction in its guarantee documentation. Compliance may be monitored by the bank financing the transaction or by ECGD's own auditors.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is towards export credit and the apportionment of liabilities, projects and equipment produced on a multi-national basis and which other European Union export credit agencies are involved. [57518]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 21 May 2002]: ECGD considers each case on its merits in order to determine the level of support that is appropriate.

ECGD and other European Union export credit agencies can collaborate to support multi-national transactions in a number of ways. Increasingly, use is made of re-insurance between the agencies which often allows a single export credit guarantee or insurance policy to be issued for such a transaction by one agency acting as lead insurer. Liability is then borne by each of the other export credit agencies according to its re-insured share of the transaction.

22 May 2002 : Column 401W

Sometimes each agency provides support for its own national content (possibly together with some non- national content) through the issues of separate guarantees or insurance.

European Union export credit agencies may also provide support for both their own national and each others national content under reciprocal arrangements.

Combinations of the above methods are also possible.

Correspondence

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will respond to correspondence arising from Mr. David Harrison of the Government office for the north-west in connection with Mr. Robin Mathais, Freshfield, Merseyside. [58043]

Alan Johnson: I replied on 8 May.

Construction Workers

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with the construction industry and UCATT about the abuse of C154 cards; what estimate she has made of the proportion of construction workers incorrectly categorised as self-employed; and what estimate she has made of the amount of tax lost by the incorrect categorising of self-employment in the construction industry. [57248]

Mr. Wilson: As Treasury have the lead on tax and NIC issues, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has had no direct discussion with the construction industry or UCATT regarding employment status and the CIS4 cards.

However, DTI Ministers have received written representations regarding self-employment in the construction industry, to which they have responded. DTI also welcomes the emphasis given to employment practices in the wider context of people issues in the Strategic Forum for Construction "Accelerating Change" consultation document.

Plutonium

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent communications her Department has had with NIREX in respect of options for the long-term management of plutonium. [57987]

Mr. Wilson: In connection with issues contained in DEFRA's consultation "Managing Radioactive Waste Safely", the Department has recently communicated with NIREX on research related to the options for the long-term management of UK civil plutonium.

Euratom

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what United Kingdom policy is in respect of proposals contained in the European Commission proposal document Com (2002) 99 for a Council Decision approving a Commission regulation on the application of Euratom safeguards; what cost compliance assessment has been made of the proposals; and what communications have been entered into with the Commission by United Kingdom Ministers in the drawing up of Commission proposals. [57986]

22 May 2002 : Column 402W

Mr. Wilson: An explanatory memorandum (7549–02) was submitted by the Department of Trade and Industry to the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee and the House of Lords European Union Committee on 2 May 2002. Prior to formal issue of COM (2002)99 Final on 22 March 2002 the Commission, in the form of the Euratom Safeguards Office, hosted two informal meetings with member state representatives. Officials from the DTI UK Safeguards Office took part in these meetings.

State Aid

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what reduction there has been in the level of state aid since the European Council's meeting in Lisbon in (a) the European Union and (b) the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement. [57555]

Alan Johnson: Information on changes in the level of state aid in the European Union since the Lisbon Summit (March 2000) is not yet available. The Ninth Survey on State Aid in the European Union (COM 2001/403) was published in July 2001 and the latest EU State Aid Scoreboard (COM 2001/782) was published in December 2001. Both provide information on state aid in the period up to the end of 1999. Copies of these, and previous, reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The next State Aid Scoreboard is expected to be published shortly and to include information up to the end of 2000; a copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Next Section

Index

Home Page