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Correspondence

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 15 July 2002 on behalf of Mr. Roger Turner. [103974]

Ms Hewitt: I apologise for the delay but I am informed that my noble Friend the Minister for Trade, will be replying very shortly.

Departmental Phone Directory

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the most recent internal phone directory for the Department was published; how often it is updated; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [101786]

Ms Hewitt: The internal phone directory for my Department is published electronically in the form of an online database known as people@dti. Keeping their

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contact details up to date is the responsibility of individual members of staff who make changes through the Department's Human Resources system. Such changes update the directory overnight.

My Department is in the process of developing an offline version of the directory for those in government who do not have access to the online version. When this is available, and staff have been informed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998,1 will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Details of our senior staff are, however, available in publications such as the Civil Service Yearbook, Vacher's Parliamentary Companion, Vacher Dod's Civil Service Companion and the PMS Parliamentary Companion.

Hydroelectricity

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to facilitate imports from Norway of renewable electricity generated by hydro-power. [99199]

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Mr. Wilson : I understand that National Grid Transco are considering, with Statnett, the Norwegian grid operator, the construction of an interconnector between the UK and Norway that will enable the import of electricity from Norway—and exports to Norway. While this is a commercial project, and not directly a matter for my Department, I nonetheless welcome it as increased interconnection provides greater flexibility and security.

I am aware that a high proportion of Norwegian electricity is generated by hydro-power, although from time to time, and especially in periods of low rainfall. Norway is a net importer of electricity, which may be from fossil sources.

Iraq

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value was of (a) imports and (b) exports between each EU member state and Iraq in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [102665]

Ms Hewitt: The information is as follows:

EU-15 Trade in goods with Iraq: 1997 to January-June 2002Value US$000

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	January to June 2002
Total EU-15 Exports	220,199	542,165	651,532	1,038,550	1,729,640	849,855
France	24,546	85,300	77,837	129,042	591,869	212,556
Italy	5,027	37,580	72,453	242,276	327,336	148,373
Germany	126,571	244,468	300,460	361,895	301,408	203,872
Spain	5,374	14,055	29,085	57,282	92,983	37,832
Belgium	—	—	37,339	52,279	88,366	46,750
UK	10,492	42,099	56,899	77,174	87,825	27,846
Austria	1,490	9,671	12,341	28,740	76,845	58,677
Sweden	1,517	9,253	4,222	20,309	69,676	43,993
Denmark	7,131	15,195	8,402	20,165	39,298	17,947
Netherlands	12,559	24,977	42,752	32,522	37,693	24,026
Finland	269	1,377	6,884	7,744	8,981	3,359
Greece	188	2,040	870	4,093	5,868	16,314
Portugal	113	61	1,043	50	926	—
Ireland	46	204	949	4,915	303	1,070
Luxembourg	—	—	—	62	261	7,243

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	January to June 2002
Total EU-15 Imports	1,571,605	2,091,528	3,922,926	5,808,776	3,183,755	678,503
France	6,260	78,332	88,430	42,531	888,243	224,752
Netherlands	173,635	—	1,114,705	686,149	796,171	241,363
Italy	202,673	401,046	804,817	1,682,160	605,934	60,636
Spain	439,391	507,381	623,586	1,198,505	438,252	78,702
Greece	18,208	76,153	78,550	308,297	230,156	16,431
Austria	132,451	134,965	210,671	284,021	170,532	51,619
Portugal	71,516	118,698	196,336	161,685	52,788	—
UK	48	35,969	671	94	1,252	55
Germany	527,418	738,830	805,158	1,325,241	377	4,948
Denmark	—	2	—	3	26	—
Sweden	—	—	—	119,931	21	1
Luxembourg	—	—	—	—	1	—
Belgium	—	—	—	159	—	—
Finland	—	—	3	—	—	—
Ireland	7	—	—	1	—	—

Source:

Eurostat Extra and Intra EU Trade

DTI/SU-SA

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Nationalised Businesses

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many nationalised businesses are run by her Department. [103555]

Ms Hewitt: DTI has lead policy responsibility within Government for the following Nationalised Industries:

British Nuclear Fuels PLC


British Coal Corporation


British Shipbuilders

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Church Repairs (VAT)

Miss McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to his oral statement of 3 February, Official Report, column 20, on church repairs and VAT, when he expects the review of the sixth VAT Directive to be completed. [104248]

Mr. Bell: I refer the hon. Member to my written answer of 12 March 2003.

Work is ongoing between Commission officials and Member States to finalise the details of the revision to the Sixth Directive. The aim is to get sufficient agreement in the Council for the 'Recast' Directive to be formally adopted before the next enlargement of the EU, scheduled for May/June 2004.

The recasting of the Sixth Directive is a separate exercise to other elements of the Sixth Directive being revised, such as the reduced rates review, scheduled to take place later this year, or the Labour Intensive Services Experiment.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Service (Travel Expenses)

Mr. Maples: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what grades in the Civil Service are allowed to travel by air (a) first class and (b) business class at public expense when on official duties. [102887]

Mr. Alexander: Government departments and agencies have delegated authority to decide the rules governing travel by air for their own staff in connection with their employment, subject to the conditions set out in Chapter 8 of the Civil Service Management Code. Paragraph 8.2.1 requires departments and agencies to ensure that staff use the most efficient and economic means of travel in the circumstances, taking into account any management benefit or the needs of staff with disabilities.

Advertising and Publicity

Mr. Laws: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his estimate is of total Government spending on advertising and publicity for each of the last five years;

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what value for money assessments of such spending have been carried out; if he will publish these; and if he will make a statement. [103700]

Mr. Alexander: The UK Government have spent the following on advertising in the last five years.

Year	Cash expenditure (£000)	Prices in real terms (£000)*
1997–98	60,000	65,800
1998–99	106, 000	110,600
1999–2000	113,500	114, 100
2000–01	192,400	186,600
2001–02	162,600	162, 600

* In real terms at 2001–02 prices based on advertising media inflation rates.

Source:

COI

Advertising is used by Departments when they judge it is the most cost effective way of delivering the publicity necessary to support a policy or proposal. These figures represent the advertising commissioned on behalf of Departments and Agencies by the Central Office of Information. The figures for the total publicity spend of Government Departments is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The responsibility for ensuring that the guidance. on propriety is observed and that value for money is being achieved rests with Ministers and Heads of Departments. The central guidance on these issues is "Guidance on the work of the Government Information Service" which can be found on the GICS website (www.GICS.gov.uk) and on the Cabinet Office website www.cabinet-office.gov.uk

Precedents Book

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Precedents Book. [103990]

Mr. Alexander: The information requested relates to internal discussion and advice and is therefore exempt from disclosure under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

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