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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 18 July 2002
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
EU Committees (Scottish Representation)
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the EU Standing Committee for Implementation of the Directive on Marketing of Biocidal Products is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [68558]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
No date has yet been fixed for the next meeting of the Standing Committee on Biocidal Products but we expect it to be held in Spring 2003. The UK representation at such meetings would depend on the subject(s) under consideration, and would normally consist of officials from the Health and Safety Executive. However, the legislation implementing the Biocidal Products Directive in Great Britain specifies the competent authorities in or as regards Scotland as the Secretary of State and the Scottish Ministers, acting jointly, and so my officials consult the Scottish Executive on agenda items in which it might have an interest.
Military Exports
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export licence renewals have been held up for (a) India and (b) Pakistan in the last two months. [63346]
Nigel Griffiths: Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) generally allow shipments of specified items, to a specified consignee, up to the quantity specified in the licence, within a specified period. The Export Control Organisation does not renew SIELs.
Applications for renewal of Open Individual Export Licences are being processed as quickly as possible consistent with the Government's determination to manage the transfer of all goods and technology controlled for strategic reasons in a responsible manner.
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what licences have been granted for equipment on the military and dual-use lists to (a) Georgia, (b) Uzbekistan, (c) Kyrgyzstan, (d) Tajikistan, (e) Turkey, (f) the Philippines, (g) Kenya, (h) Ethiopia, (i) Djibouti, (j) Bahrain, (k) Oman, (l) Jordan, (m) Yemen, (n) India, (o) Pakistan and (p) Israel in each month from January 2001 to September 2001, including military list and dual-use ratings; and if she will make a statement. [65096]
Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 8 July 2002]: The number of Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) and Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) covering items on the military and dual use lists, issued where the end users are in Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, the Philippines, Kenya, Ethiopia,
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Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Yemen, India, Pakistan and Israel in each month from January 2001 to September 2001, is set out in the tables which are placed in the Libraries of the House. During that same period no SIELs or OIELs were issued where the end user was in Djibouti.
Individual licences might cover a range of items with various ratings. Where this is so, the licence is included in the tables in the total for all relevant ratings.
Pursuant to my answer to the right hon. and learned Member of 11 June 2002, Official Report, column 1156W, I regret that one OIEL covering the ratings 5A002 & 5B002 issued in September 2001, where the end user was Uzbekistan, was inadvertently excluded from the table in that answer.
The summary descriptions of the items covered by these ratings are published in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls. The 2001 Annual Report will be published soon.
In addition some of the countries are permitted destinations on certain Open General Export Licences, copies of which are also placed in the Libraries of the House.
All relevant export licence applications are considered very carefully on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has received concerning the acquisition by India of Hawk aircrew training simulators. [65445]
Nigel Griffiths: The Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation has received various representations regarding the export of arms and other items controlled for strategic reasons to India from a number of different sources, including Members of Parliament, exporters and the general public.
It is not possible to establish the extent of representations received concerning the acquisition by India of Hawk aircrew training simulators as the information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list those countries which have during the last 12 months imported defence equipment from another country which incorporates equipment exported from the UK to that other country following the granting of an export licence by her Department. [69111]
Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 11 July 2002]: End use monitoring is undertaken by the FCO, not the DTI.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what system is in place to ensure that priority is given to applications for export licences in respect of goods which are urgently required by customers and where delay in making a decision will result in the cancellation of the order. [68050]
Nigel Griffiths: The Government process all export licence applications as quickly as possible consistent with our determination to manage the transfer of all goods and technology controlled for strategic reasons in a responsible
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manner. All relevant export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time and taking into account of other relevant factors. At the same time, every effort is made to be helpful and responsive to exporters who inform the DTI that they are under time pressure.
Regulatory Impact Unit
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many members of her Department have been employed in its regulatory impact unit in the past five years; and if she will make a statement. [65979]
Nigel Griffiths: From July 1997 to April 1999 the unit comprised two members of staff. This was increased to three members of staff in May 1999. There are currently six members of staff in the better regulation team which now incorporates the regulatory impact unit.
It is the job of departmental regulatory impact units to establish and promote the principles of good regulation in their departments. The staff in each unit work closely with the officials responsible for developing policies within their department and the regulatory impact unit within the Cabinet Office. They focus on those regulations that impact on business, charities and the voluntary sector.
Following the recent review of the DTI, the regulatory challenge function within the Department has been strengthened. The former regulatory impact unit has been enhanced to support a more robust challenge function and offer broader advice to policy makers, including on considering alternatives to regulation.
Small Businesses
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken, in the last 12 months, to reduce the regulatory burdens on small businesses; and if she will make a statement. [66824]
Nigel Griffiths: The Government has put in place a number of measures to reduce the burden of regulations on small businesses, including:
- Introducing in October 2001 that employers with four or fewer employees will be exempt from the requirements to provide access to stakeholder pensions and deduct pension contributions.
An estimated 900,000 SMEs benefiting from measures announced in Budget 2002, including 485,000 businesses whose corporation tax bill has been cut or abolished, and 700,000 small businesses who will be able to benefit from our flat rate VAT scheme.
The Small Business Service has produced clear guidance on a number of complex regulations.
The Business Link website is now attracting 80,000 users per month—and businesses can register to receive alerts about regulations automatically.
Ensuring that the view of small business influenced Patrick Carter's review of payroll administration, a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House.
In February we published the regulatory Reform Action Plan—setting out over 250 proposals for better regulation and reform.
- Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) have to be produced for all regulations setting out clearly the costs and benefits with full recognition of small business concerns. The Department's policy is to 'think small first': the Small Business Service has to be consulted on all RIAs to ensure that the impact on small firms is
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- not disproportionate. Guidance on producing RIAs is currently being updated to include the effect on competition and the SBS Small Business Litmus Test.
Following the recent review of the DTI, the regulatory challenge function within the Department has been strengthened. The former regulatory impact unit has been enhanced to support a more robust challenge function and offer broader advice to policy makers, including on considering alternatives to regulation.
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