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Freepost Services

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if she will make a statement about the Consignia freepost service for services for the blind; [63178]

(2) if she will make a statement on the continuation of the Freepost service to the blind. [63674]

Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Friend to the answer given on 28 February 2002, Official Report, column 1560W.

Prize Draws

Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information her Department has collated regarding unsolicited prize draws sent from foreign addresses. [63492]

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Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department have received a large amount of correspondence from the public about unsolicited prize draws, many of which originate from overseas, making it difficult for consumers to identify the source of mailings.

The Office of Fair Trading currently have over thirty cases of mailings from overseas under investigation. In response, the OFT is gathering intelligence on each deceptive mailing in order to trace the originators and to actively pursue those responsible.

Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with relevant authorities in other countries regarding unsolicited prize draws sent by mail to addresses in this country. [63493]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department works closely with enforcement bodies, such as the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), who work with their European and other international counterparts on unsolicited mailings.

The OFT has the status of a "Community qualified entity", which enables it to bring proceedings under the Injunctions directive (98/27/EC), in other European Community member states in order to protect UK consumer interests.

The OFT raised the issue of misleading mailings at the most recent European meeting of the International Marketing Supervision Network (IMSN), with a view to co-ordinating Europe-wide action against such mailings. The OFT has also held discussions on misleading mailings with north American law enforcement agencies, including Industry Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Business Affairs, the Ontario provincial police and the US federal trade commission.

The ASA supervises the British Codes of Advertising and Sales Promotion and works with national and international regulators. Where misleading mailings may have originated outside of the UK, the ASA liaises with regulatory bodies in the EU via the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA).

Post Offices (Fraud)

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices were temporarily closed because of suspected fraud within their premises in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the United Kingdom in each year since 1995. [63488]

Mr. Timms: These are matters which fall within the operational responsibilities of Post Office Limited and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Military Exports

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export licences for military supplies to (a) India and (b) Pakistan have been granted which are still being used by supplying companies. [63347]

Nigel Griffiths: Because the granting of an export licence does not necessarily translate into an actual export, it would entail disproportionate cost to contact all

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exporters with current licences to India and Pakistan to establish which, if any, are still being used by supplying companies.

Small Business Service

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) small and (b) medium size companies have contacted the Small Business Service since 2000; and if she will make a statement on future operational activity of the SBS. [63670]

Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service (SBS) was set up in April 2000. It works through 45 local Business Links to deliver business support services to SMEs. Small businesses are able to access these services via a number of channels—by calling the Business Link National Enquiry Line on 0845 600 9006; by logging on to the www.businesslink.org website; or by directly contacting their local Business Link. These channels became operational in April 2001.

Although we do not hold comprehensive information on the size of the companies that have contacted us, statistics for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, are as follows:

Number of SMEs that were provided with information or advice by their local Business Link—244,685


Number of calls to the Business Link National Enquiry Line—68,053


Number of e-mail inquiries generated via www.businesslink.org—4,989.

Prior to April 2001 comprehensive contact statistics were not recorded.

In addition, from April 2000 until the end of May 2002 the SBS National Enquiry Line (0114 259 7788) has dealt with over 11,860 inquiries.

SBS future operational activity

The SBS Business Plan for 2002–03 will be available on the website www.sbs.gov.uk in July. This sets out the operational priorities.

Engineering

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to make engineering more attractive as a career to students. [63664]

Alan Johnson: The Department supports a number of activities that are intended to encourage the young to appreciate the benefits of careers within the engineering sector. The individual programmes are as follows:

Through SETNET, the Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths Network, DTI supports the 53 SETPoints across the UK with delivery into schools of activities intended to enhance the curricula. Each SETPoint is in the second year of a three-year Business Plan through which they will ensure that every child under 16 has the opportunity at least once in each Key Stage, or the equivalent, to participate in an appropriate activity. This is bolstered by our support for the Science Engineering Ambassadors (SEAs) programme, which encourages people working in STEM based careers to pass on their experiences to those in school.

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The Department is also supporting the Engineering Technology Board one of whose core aims is to reverse the downward trend of people, including students, with appropriate qualifications and skills taking up Engineering and Technology based careers.

In addition, there are a number of smaller programmes, which the Government support. These include:

The WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Programme which aims to encourage more women to enter these fields;


Work being done by Forum for the Future to link engineering sector with sustainable development;


Part of our grant in aid to the Royal Academy of Engineering is used to support a range of educational programmes, collectively known as BEST;


The Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC) funds a large schools programme, which is aimed, in part, to future engineers;


The Copus grant scheme aims to make engineering more attractive as a career to students funded by the Office of Science and Technology and the Royal Society; and


A number of programmes aimed at encouraging engineering in specific sectors.

Total funding is approximately £10,500,000 per annum.

Arms Sales (Israel)

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on export controls on UK companies selling arms to Israel. [63970]

Nigel Griffiths: Companies exporting arms and other items controlled for strategic reasons from the UK to Israel require an export licence from the Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell) on 15 April 2002, Official Report, columns 722–23W.

Office for Civil Nuclear Security

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent appointments have been made from her Office for Civil Nuclear Security to advisory bodies of the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. [63846]

Mr. Wilson: The Deputy Director of the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) has been appointed to the IAEA's Advisory Group on Nuclear Security which held its first meeting in February this year. Advisory group members are appointed by the Director General and are recruited in their own capacity as recognised experts in the field of nuclear security.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on paragraph 4 of the report of the Director of Civil Nuclear Security, covering the period October 2000 to March 2002. [63838]

Mr. Wilson: The Director of Civil Nuclear Security, the security regulator for the UK civil nuclear industry, stated in paragraph 4 of his first annual report on the "State of Security in the Civil Nuclear Industry and the Effectiveness of Security Regulation" that it is essential that stringent security precautions are taken by the civil nuclear industry in view of the consequences that the misappropriation of nuclear material or a successful

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sabotage attack on a nuclear facility might have. It is not our policy to disclose details of security measures taken at civil nuclear sites. I am satisfied by the assurances the director has given me about the security measures in place which are kept under continuing review.

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