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12 Mar 2003 : Column 267W—continued
Arms Trade
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will establish a registration system for all UK passport holders and UK residents involved in the brokering of deals for the sale of military and security equipment. [101339]
Alan Johnson: The Government propose to register information on all those applying for licences, both for exports and for arms trafficking and brokering activities. This database will be used for licensing and enforcement purposes on an international basis.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people the UK arms trade employs (a) nationally and (b) in the south-west. [102341]
Alan Johnson: The Ministry of Defence's Defence Analytical Services Agency is responsible for the production of UK defence statistics. The latest employment data (for 2001) are published in Table 1.11 of United Kingdom Defence Statistics 2002, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House. Data at a regional level are not available however.
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Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the arms trade was worth to United Kingdom public companies in terms of exports in 2002. [102344]
Alan Johnson: The Ministry of Defence's Defence Analytical Services Agency is responsible for the production of UK defence statistics. The latest full exports data (for 2001) are published in Table 1.12 of United Kingdom Defence Statistics 2002, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the South West GDP the arms trade accounted for in 2002. [102346]
Alan Johnson: The Ministry of Defence's Defence Analytical Services Agency is responsible for the production of UK defence statistics. The latest full data (for 2001) are published in United Kingdom Defence Statistics 2002, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House. Data on GDP are not, however, available at a regional level
Broadband
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the quality of a broadband connection established using a satellite deteriorates during adverse weather conditions; and if she will make a statement. [101988]
Ms Hewitt: Satellite services, like all other radio services, suffer degradation under adverse weather conditions, and this impairment is more pronounced at the higher frequencies often used by satellite services to provide services direct to and from businesses and homes.
When planning their satellite system, service providers take steps to overcome the effect that normally expected variations in weather conditions may have through careful system design and the use of appropriately sized satellite dishes. Taken together these measures provide a "protection margin" against the effect of weather variations.
Extreme or unusual weather conditions will still affect even the best designed radio systems, terrestrial or satellite, and impairment or even temporary failure is unavoidable. Fortunately these events tend to happen rarely and are usually very short lived.
Civil Servants
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many civil servants have been employed by (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [92397]
Ms Hewitt: Full-time equivalent numbers of staff in all civil service Departments and agencies is released twice-yearly by press notice. The latest data, for April 2002, were published on 31 October 2002. Data for April of each year from 1995 to 2001 appear in the latest edition of the annual publication "Civil Service Statistics". Data for pervious years are contained in previous editions of the publication. Copies of the press notices and annual publication are available from the Libraries of the House.
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Comparisons over time are made difficult because of changes in the make up of the Departments and agencies comprising the civil service. Not only do new organisations appear and old ones disappear, but staff changes may reflect the transfer of work between Departments and agencies.
With the exception of those staff employed by the Health and Safety Commission and Executive, and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, the staff employed by Executive, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are not civil servants. Advisory NDPBs are generally supported by civil servants from their sponsor Departments, and do not employ their own staff.
My Department publishes annually information on public bodies, including NDPBs. This includes details on the number of staff employed by the public body. Copies of "Public Bodies 2001", and equivalent publication for previous years, are available in the Libraries of the House. "Public Bodies 2002" will be published shortly.
Credit Cards
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to ensure that FSA rules prevent credit card companies from (a) setting minimum payments below the interest charge, (b) failing to show the APR clearly on statements and (c) implying that an interest-bearing period is interest-free. [101614]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 7 March 2003]: The provision of information on credit card statements is regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974, and in particular by the Consumer (Running-Account Credit Information) Regulations 1983 (SI No. 1570/83). These require statements provided for running-account credit agreements, such as credit cards, to contain the following information:
- any opening balance on the account;
the date of any movement on the account;
the amount of any payment on the account;
the amount of any drawing on the account; and
the amount of any interest or other charges on the account.
The form and content of consumer credit advertising is governed by the Consumer Credit (Advertisements) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/1125). These are enforced by the Office of Fair Trading, and I understand that the OFT has investigated a number of credit providers who have advertised interest-bearing agreements as being interest-free.
The practice of some credit card providers of reducing the minimum required monthly repayment is one that I highlighted in my response in January this year to the Second Report of the Governments' Task Force on Tackling Overindebtedness. I stated then that I was worried about the effects that this practice can have on
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consumers, and in particular that it can only lead to an escalation of the total amount owed and the time required to repay it. I stated that the Government would therefore be considering how consumers might be given better information about the effects of a low minimum payment.
To that end, and as part of the review of the Consumer Credit Act that I launched in July 2001, I shall be publishing a consultation document on the simplification of the credit advertising regulations in the summer. As well as inviting comments on minimum payments, this will also look at how consumers can get better information in general about credit cards that will enable them to compare offers from different providers. In advance of this consultation, the DTI is in regular discussion with the credit industry and consumer bodies on the scope for a common format for the provision of key information, including details of interest-free periods and the calculation and advertising of APRs.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the distribution of her Department's whole-time equivalent staff was, including the staff in agencies and other bodies reporting to her, in each Government office region and nation of the UK (a) in 1996 and (b) at the most recent available period. [90468]
Ms Hewitt: The numbers of staff in each Department (including its agencies) are shown in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The figures show the data at 1 April each year, and are based on the full-time equivalent figures for the number of permanent staff in each Department, rounded to the nearest 10. Data are shown by Government Office Region, with columns giving the total number of staff in England and the UK.
Fireworks
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she plans to bring in regulations to control the supply and use of fireworks in accordance with the powers laid down within the Fireworks Bill; and what plans she has to ensure that local environmental health officers have the necessary powers, funding and guidance to enforce regulations introduced in accordance with the Fireworks Bill. [101011]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Regulations to control the supply and use of fireworks depend upon the Fireworks Bill passing into law. Also any such regulation would be subject to consultation. The needs of local authorities, including environmental health officers, in enforcing regulations would have to be taken into account.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance will be given to environmental health officers in order for them to assess whether distress, as set out in clause 2 of the Fireworks Bill, has occurred. [101012]
Miss Melanie Johnson: This matter will be considered in the drafting of regulations should the Fireworks Bill be passed into law.
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Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what age limit she plans to set to prohibit the sale of fireworks to young persons; and what plans she has to limit the supply, purchase, possession and use of fireworks to certain (a) times of the year and (b) times of the day. [101013]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Any changes in age restriction and other limitations on fireworks would be subject to Regulation made under the Fireworks Bill should it pass into law. There would need to be consultation on any such proposals.
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