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24 Oct 2002 : Column 422W—continued

Mineworkers' Pensions

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many women pensioners the National Coal Board are waiting for their equal pay status to be reflected in their pensions; and what percentage of women pensioners this represents. [74902]

Mr. Wilson: None. Neither the DTI nor the two British Coal pension schemes, the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme, are aware of any current cases where women pensioners are waiting for equal pay status to be reflected in their pensions.

24 Oct 2002 : Column 423W

BT

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what statutory minimums of service BT is obliged to abide by in standard telephone line provision. [76159]

Mr. Timms: The Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) requires BT to provide telephony services including the ability to make and receive national and international calls and calls employing facsimile or voice band data at a minimum of 2400bit/s at any place in the licensed area. The EC Directive on Universal Service and Users' Rights, due to be implemented in mid 2003, requires the connection to permit functional Internet access. Oftel will consult on the implementation of its provisions.

European Court of Justice

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received on the impact of the judgment of the European Court of Justice in Aventis Pharma Deutschland GmbH v. Kohpharma GmbH. [76306]

Ms Hewitt: I have received no representations regarding the impact of the judgment of the European Court of Justice in Aventis Pharma Deutschland GmbH v. Kohpharma GmbH (Case C-433/00). The judgment was delivered on 19 September 2002, and deals with questions regarding the interpretation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2309/93.

Energy Review

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to publish her Department's analysis of the responses to the energy review consultation document. [76397]

Mr. Wilson: The Government has recently completed its consultation on energy policy. It proposes to take the responses to the consultation into account in its work leading to a White Paper in the New Year.

Reports on a series of seminars and conferences associated with the consultation are being published on the DTI's web site.

The results of consulting the general public through focus groups, deliberative workshops and the questionnaire made available at the Tomorrow's World Live road show were published on 10 October. The questionnaire was also made available on the DTI's web site. The results of these responses will be published shortly.

We have received over 2000 written responses to the consultation document. We expect to publish a summary of these responses shortly on the DTI's web site along with the individual responses that are already being published there.

British Energy

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what meetings she has held with British Energy since September. [76132]

24 Oct 2002 : Column 424W

Ms Hewitt: My Department holds regular meetings with British Energy.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what decisions have been taken regarding future financial support for British Energy and other energy companies; and what return taxpayers will receive on moneys given to British Energy. [75023]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 21 October 2002]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 15 October, Official Report, column 666W on the recent support for British Energy. No decisions have been taken and no commitments given on British Energy's long term future at this time.

The circumstances in relation to other energy companies do not raise the same issues. The Government's overriding priority for nuclear safety in relation to BE does not apply.

The Government has taken security over British Energy's assets for the credit facility agreement in the interests of the taxepayer. Full details of the agreement are commercially confidential unless and until it is made public by British Energy.

Export Promotion

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many country specific enterprise initiative schemes there are; and if she will list them and their budgets. [75860]

Ms Hewitt: British Trade International has a number of country specific Trade Development schemes designed to help British businesses export for the first time or access certain new markets. The schemes are listed below together with the total budget allocation in Financial Year 2002–2003.

1.	Export Explorer: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden.	#500,000
2.	Export USA	#145,000
3.	Export Canada	#15,000
4.	First Timers Programme: Brazil	#70,000
5.	Enterprise Initiative: India	#20,000
6.	Cuba Trade Development Programme	#30,000
7.	Thailand British Business Mentoring Scheme	#1,500
8.	UK–South Africa SME Partnership Programme	#93,000

In addition, British Trade International also conducts campaigns to raise British exporters' awareness of opportunities in particular markets. There is a budget of #669,000 available in Financial Year 2002–2003 to support campaigns in the following markets.

1. Australia

2. Brazil

3. Egypt

4. Israel

5. Malaysia

6. Mexico

7. Morocco

8. Saudi Arabia

9. Singapore

10. South Africa

11. South Korea

12. Taiwan

13. Thailand

14. United Arab Emirates

Since the Cabinet Secretary's Review of Export Promotion in 1999 and the subsequent establishment of British Trade International, the focus of Government support for trade has shifted from promoting overseas markets to British business to developmental work in order to improve the ability of companies to export and trade overseas successfully. There is also a greater emphasis on identifying and exploiting specific sectoral opportunities within overseas markets where they correspond to sectoral strengths in the British economy.

24 Oct 2002 : Column 425W

Trade Partners UK

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how frequently Trade Partners UK updates its website. [75865]

Ms Hewitt: The Trade Partners UK website has approximately 16,000 pages of information and advice. The website is updated on a daily basis.

Regional Venture Capital Funds

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the regional venture capital funds have been established. [76825]

Nigel Griffiths: Currently seven of the nine Regional Venture Capital Funds are now operational and available to make investments into SME's with growth potential in the English regions.

THE REGIONAL VENTURE CAPITAL FUND PROGRAMME

The seven Regional Venture Capital Funds that are operational and available to make investments into SME's with growth potential are in the regions below.

#30 million for the North West (Fund reached #35 million at first closing in April 2002. With subsequent closings the Fund now stands at #35.5 million)

#15 million for the North East (Fund reached #15 million at first closing in January 2002)

#25 million for Yorkshire and Humberside (Fund reached #25 million at final closing in July 2002)

#20 million for the East Midlands (Fund reached #30 million at final closing in January 2002)

#25 million for the South West (Fund reached #25 million at first closing October 2002)

#30 million for the South East (Fund reached 22.56 million at first closing October 2002)

#50 million for London (Fund reached #50 million at first closing in July 2002)

Oil Emergency Stock

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the national oil emergency stock is above the level required by international obligations; and if she will make a statement. [75177]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 21 October 2002]: At 31 August 2002 the UK provisionally had stocks equivalent to 76 days consumption of petroleum products, which is above the stock level of 67½ days

24 Oct 2002 : Column 426W

worth of consumption of oil products that the UK is obliged to hold at any one time in accordance with EU legislation.

Broadband

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans her Department has to compile figures for broadband connections broken down by individual constituencies. [76910]

Stephen Timms: The Department has no plans for compiling figures for broadband connections broken down into individual constituencies.

Information on broadband availability is depicted on a map of the UK and is available in the UK Online Annual Report (http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/oee/oee.nsf/sections/reports-anrep20011-images/$file/fig01.pdf).

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