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Timesaver Programme
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the timesaver programme for assisting small businesses. [69677]
Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service has carried out work on a timesaver service to reduce the time spent by small businesses in dealing with Government and complying with regulations. As a result of this work this project is being taken forward as part of a cross-departmental programme.
Excess Profits
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list those sectors of industry in which excess profits have occurred in the past four years, using the same definition of excess profits as the Competition Commission. [68002]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 8 July 2002]: This information is not available. The Competition Commission's inquiries relate to markets not sectors.
Your Guide Scheme
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on progress with the Your Guide scheme. [66748]
Mr. Timms: The evaluation of the pilot of post offices as Government General Practitioners has been completed to schedule. Work to establish whether a national service could offer value for money to all stakeholders, including Government and post offices, is continuing.
Public Consultation
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the public consultations undertaken by her Department since June 2001, stating in each case the (a) number of respondents and (b) percentage of those specifically consulted who responded. [60142]
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Ms Hewitt [holding answer 10 June 2002]: The consultations undertaken by the Department since June 2001 are as follows:
- Commission proposal for a directive on the working conditions of temporary (agency) workers;
Company Investigations: Powers for the 21 Century;
Concerns about gas prices and possible improvements to market efficiency;
Developing Energy Policy—Key Issues for Consultation for the White Paper;
Directive 2000/53/EC on End of Life Vehicles;
Directors' Home Addresses;
Directors' Remuneration;
Discussion document on Electronic Signatures Directive Implementing Regulations;
Discussion Paper on a Possible Producer Responsibility Model for Used Tyres;
DTI Reviews: Structure and Priorities and Business Support;
EC Green Paper on Corporate Social Responsibility;
EC Green Paper on the review of the ECMR;
Employment status in relation to statutory employment rights;
Final consultation on Fixed Term Work;
Flexible working;
General Product Safety Directive;
Guidance on applications for resolution of disputes over third party access to Oil and Gas Infrastructure;
High Performance Workplaces: The Role of Employee Involvement in a Modern Economy;
ICANN and the Management of the Internet Domain Name system;
IT Security Industry in connection with the Private Security Industry Act;
Joint DTI/DCMS consultation on the Draft Communications Bill;
Maternity and parental leave, and paternity and adoption leave and pay;
Modernising The Consumer Credit Act 1974;
Modernising trading standards;
Proposal on the EU Statute for a European Co-operative Society;
Proposals to Tighten Consumer Protection against Short Measure of Draught Beer and Cider;
Proposed amendments to Part-Time Workers Regulations;
Proposed changes to the legislation that deals with price marking of food and drink served in bars, restaurants and cafes;
Proposed changes to the Price Marking (Food and Drink on Premises) Order 1979;
Reform of EC Competition Regime;
Report of the Task Force on Car Servicing and Repair;
Review into the case for Government support for cleaner coal technology demonstration plant;
Routes to Resolution: Improving dispute resolution in Britain;
Second Consultation on Proposed Modifications to Licence Conditions and Ofgem Guidelines;
Second consultation on the Directive 1999/44/EC on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees;
The DTI Race Equality Scheme;
The E-Commerce Directive (2000/31/EC): draft implementing Regulations and interim guidance for business;
The preliminary decision to add new user groups to the approved users list in the Airwave mm02 Telecommunications Act licence;
The Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999;
The process for identifying the GB system operator (GBSO);
The UNIDROIT/ICAO Draft Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment;
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Towards Equality and Diversity: Implementing the Employment and Race Directives;
Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE) reform;
Treasury Shares;
Under-Investment in University Research Infrastructure;
Young Workers Directive.
Employment Liability (Quarries)
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the willingness of the insurance industry to provide employer liability cover for small quarries. [66762]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
The provision of insurance is a matter for insurance companies in the light of their commercial understanding of the market. There is no statutory requirement on the insurance industry to provide employers' liability compulsory insurance.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Zimbabwe
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action was taken by the Government to ensure that Zimbabwe would follow the Southern African Development Community's programme for free and fair elections. [67133]
Mr. MacShane: The SADC parliamentary forum published norms and standards which set a very high standard for the conduct of free and fair elections. They formed the basis of the norms and standards adopted by the EU.
The EU sent election observers to Zimbabwe. But the Government revoked the visa of the EU team leader, which forced the withdrawal of the observer mission.
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations personnel at the Foreign Office have made in the past year to the European Commission concerning the recruitment and appointment of personnel to positions in the Commission dealing with Zimbabwe, with special reference to representations made on behalf of British citizens to Commission appointment boards. [68876]
Peter Hain: It is not practical to attempt to check every contact between British officials and the Commission over the last year. But we are not aware of any representations being made over that period concerning the recruitment and appointment of personnel to positions in the Commission dealing with Zimbabwe.
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British Goods Promotion
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding he gave to promote (a) high quality and (b) other British goods and services abroad in the last 12 months. [67786]
Mr. MacShane: British Trade International (BTI), has lead responsibility within Government for trade development and investment overseas and inward investment. The BTI is a joint FCO and DTI operation.
The trade promotion and development arm of BTI is Trade Partners UK (TPUK). In financial year 2001–02, TPUK's budget for promoting goods and services overseas was some £69.6 million.
Information distinguishing between funding for the promotion of (a) high quality and (b) other British goods and services is not collected.
Overseas Territories
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK overseas territories (a) have and (b) have not produced timely, complete and reliable statistical abstracts annually since 1997; with which United Kingdom overseas territories his office has raised queries on the timeliness, completeness and reliability of their (i) annual statistical abstracts and (ii) other statistical reports since 1997; and from which United Kingdom overseas territories satisfactory responses are still awaited. [67642]
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will place in the Library the National Income Accounts for each overseas territory received by his Department; and if he will list the date of their last submission; [67852]
- (2) if he will place in the Library copies of the latest official statistics for each of the overseas territories that his Department has received; [67850]
(3) with whom the duty for publishing and submitting to his Department the National Income Accounts on Official Statistics for each overseas territory lies; [67849]
(4) on which occasions he has received official statistics over the past five years from each overseas territory; and if he will indicate, in each case, if they are of the standard that he requires. [67851]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 10 July 2002]: Each overseas territory has a slightly different system for the collection and publication of statistics but we look to them all to produce suitable and regular information.
Of the nine overseas territories where there is significant economic activity, seven have regularly produced and published statistics over a five year period up to and including either 2000 or 2001. Montserrat, due to particular circumstances, has been unable to produce comprehensive statistics for several years, but expects to do so in the near future. Gibraltar has recently published a compendium of statistics after a gap of several years. I will be making arrangements for the most recent statistical returns from each of these overseas territories to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
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HMG are in consultation with certain overseas territories about refining and improving their statistical returns, and where appropriate have offered assistance with this, for example by the secondment of experts.
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