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9 Dec 2002 : Column 65W—continued

Chemicals Innovation and Growth Team Reports

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Chemicals Innovation and Growth Team will produce its reports. [85490]

Alan Johnson: The Report will be available on 11 December, and I will place copies in the Libraries of the House.

Combined Heat and Power

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with interested parties about the contribution of CHP to Britain's future energy needs. [86188]

Mr. Wilson: I have had several meetings with interested parties from the CHP industry over the last year, where a range of issues affecting CHP were discussed.

Commonwealth Countries (Trade)

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the volume of trade between the UK and each Commonwealth country was in the last year for which figures are available; and what estimate she has made of UK investment in Commonwealth countries. [85716]

Nigel Griffiths: Statistics on UK trade in goods are published by HM Customs and Excise while those on UK investment overseas are compiled by the Office for National Statistics. The latest available information is as follows:

# million

UK exports: GoodsUK imports: GoodsUK outward FDI stock
Country20012001End 2000
Anguilla1.20.1n/a
Antigua Barbuda17.33.4(10)
Australia2,321.91,837.910,004
Australian Oceania0.40.70
Of which:
Christmas Islands0.00.6(11)
Cocos Islands0.30.1(11)
Heard and McDonald0.00.0(11)
Norfolk Island0.00.0(11)
Bahamas15.27.1223
Bangladesh68.0455.2158
Barbados55.740.2112
Belize13.834.9(10)
Bermuda34.045.36,071
Botswana24.21,076.988
British Indian Ocean Territories0.50.0(10)
British Virgin Islands7.36.864
Brunei59.634.1(10)
Canada3,250.33,786.38,430
Cayman Islands9.73.1443
Cook Islands0.10.0n/a
Cyprus291.5250.140
Dominica10.112.00
Falkland Islands 19.86.9(10)
Gambia18.57.7(10)
Ghana144.4134.0102
Gibraltar127.614.3237
Grenada7.00.8(10)
Guyana22.760.634
India1,780.71,884.11,246
Jamaica70.7117.9598
Kenya172.5211.8430
Kiribati0.10.10
Lesotho1.91.9(10)
Malawi8.215.025
Malaysia1,033.32,012.21,741
Maldives5.06.4(10)
Malta217.4148.081
Mauritius52.3337.8234
Montserrat1.10.0n/a
Namibia12.7316.5(10)
Nauru0.80.00
New Zealand311.5560.51.919
Niue and Tokelau10.32.2(10)
Of which:
Niue Island0.30.0(11)
Tokelau Islands10.02.2(11)
Nigeria683.668.2804
Pakistan229.6437.9513
Papua New Guinea4.341.4(10)
Pitcairn0.90.00
Samoa4.80.00
Seychelles13.447.9(10)
Sierra Leone61.93.0(10)
Singapore1,603.52,146.46,300
Solomon Islands0.30.5(10)
South Africa1,547.42,953.33,051
Sri Lanka142.4400.8108
St. Helena9.70.4(10)
St. Kitts and Nevis7.57.1(10)
St. Lucia17.016.5(10)
St. Vincent9.213.7(10)
Swaziland4.333.6(10)
Tanzania66.035.239
Tonga1.30.3(10)
Trinidad and Tobago91.653.9-102
Turks and Caicos0.80.2(10)
Tuvalu0.10.20
Uganda34.88.535
Vanuatu0.50.11—
Zambia23.911.745
Zimbabwe36.291.4130
The Commonwealth14,794.019,805.2n/a

(10) Disclosive

(11) Not separately available

Note:

n/a = Not available

Sources:

HM Customs and Excise

Office for National Statistics


9 Dec 2002 : Column 66W

9 Dec 2002 : Column 67W

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken to encourage trade between Commonwealth countries. [85811]

Ms Hewitt: The Government have acted on specific commitments in the Edinburgh Commonwealth Economic Declaration of 1997 by vigorously supporting: the EU's stance on multilateral liberalisation, notably through the launch of the WTO Round at Doha; the full opening of the EU's market to the least developed countries, 14 of whom are in the Commonwealth; the launch and work programme of the Commonwealth Business Council, whose task is to promote Commonwealth trade and investment. DTI Ministers have also encouraged effective Commonwealth networking on trade through informal discussions with their counterparts and in an ongoing series of seminars with High Commissions in London. Trade Partners UK is responsible for helping UK companies export and invest overseas, including to our Commonwealth partners.

Construction Industry

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she has taken to encourage a healthy and efficient construction and building industry in the last 12 months. [85825]

Mr. Wilson: I attach considerable importance to the health and efficiency of the UK construction industry. Construction represents 8 per cent. of GDP and employs almost two million people. Construction is central to the delivery and maintenance of the national infrastructure and therefore to all our public service, including health care, transportation, housing and education. The Government's Rethinking Construction initiative aims to work with the industry improve its productivity and competitiveness by addressing issues such as the efficiency of processes and the quality of the end product.

Departmental Grants

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the grants funded by her Department for which individual members of the public and organisations may apply; and if she will make a statement as to (a) the total of such funding in the last financial year, (b) the total number of awards and (c) their administrative costs. [82191]

Ms Hewitt: (a) Information on the Department's grant-making schemes together with funding for 2001–02 is available in Annex Bl and in the text of my 2002 Expenditure Plans Report (Cm 5416), a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House.

(b) Information on numbers of awards is not held centrally by the Department and to provide it would entail disproportionate cost.

(c) It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of related administrative costs as a large number of different units within the Department are involved with a wide range of staff making a contribution.

9 Dec 2002 : Column 68W

India First

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial support her Department gives to the organisation India First. [84923]

Nigel Griffiths: None.

Manufacturing Summit

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to hold a manufacturing summit (a) in the UK and (b) elsewhere. [83923]

Alan Johnson [holding answer 28 November 2002]: We have no current plans to hold a manufacturing summit in the UK or elsewhere.

We meet industrial partners frequently to share views on the key manufacturing issues, and to focus on the practical steps of taking forward the Government's Manufacturing Strategy. For example, my colleague the Minister for Small Business met Chairs of the Regional Development Agencies, together with Digby Jones of the CBI, Brendan Barber of the TUC, and Martin Temple of the EEF on 3 December to discuss the publication of the Regional Development Agencies' reports on manufacturing which set out specific achievements to date and key strategic initiatives for the delivery of the Manufacturing Strategy at the regional level.

Post Offices

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices in Lancashire are open for less than full-time hours; and what the corresponding figure was for 1997. [85340]

Mr. Timms: These are matters that fall within the day to day responsibility of Post Office Ltd. and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.


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