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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Manufacturing Industry
10. Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to improve productivity growth rates in manufacturing industry. [110642]
Ms Hewitt: The Government's Manufacturing Strategy, published in May last year, identified seven key areas of activity for Government and industry that are crucial for manufacturing success. We are taking action in all of those areas—for example, with the setting up of the Manufacturing Advisory Service—to help UK manufacturers improve productivity in very difficult global conditions.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to increase productivity in UK manufacturing business. [110625]
Ms Hewitt: The Government's Manufacturing Strategy, published in May last year, identified seven key areas of activity for Government and industry that are crucial for manufacturing success. We are taking
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action in all of those areas—for example, with the setting up of the Manufacturing Advisory Service—to help UK manufacturers improve productivity in very difficult global conditions.
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans her Department has to increase the UK's productivity levels in manufacturing industry; and if she will make a statement. [110629]
Ms Hewitt: We are taking action to help manufacturers facing difficult conditions through the Government's Manufacturing Strategy, developed in partnership with industry. The supporting measures we have established, such as the Manufacturing Advisory Service, will help UK manufacturers to improve their productivity.
Broadband
11. Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the take-up of broadband internet access in the UK. [110643]
Mr. Timms: According to Oftel's Internet and Broadband Brief for March 2003, take-up of broadband continues to increase substantially. Total broadband subscribers are over 1.77 million.
Export Control
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her Department invited submissions from the Metropolitan Police to the DTI's consultation on the secondary legislation for the Export Control Act 2002. [109657]
Nigel Griffiths: The fully public consultation on the DTIs Export Control Act 2002 invites views from all organisations with an interest in strategic export controls. The draft secondary legislation to be made under the Export Control Act was drawn up in consultation with all relevant Government Departments, including the Home Office. We will be working with all relevant enforcement authorities to ensure them new controls operate efficiently and effectively.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what mechanisms are in place for independent assessment of the Government's exemptions to its export control policy. [110396]
Nigel Griffiths: The Defence, Foreign Affairs, International Development, and Trade & Industry Committees, appointed by the House of Commons under Standing Order No. 152, can independtley examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Ministry of Defence, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, and the Department of Trade & Industry, and any associated public bodies.
Exports (Syria)
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the export licences granted in respect of exports to Syria since 1997; and if she will make a statement on exports to Syria with a possible military application. [110224]
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Nigel Griffiths: The details of all export licences granted in respect of exports to Syria since 2 May 1997 are published in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls. Copies of the Annual Reports are available in the Libraries of the House. Between 1 January 2003 and 7 April 2003, no Standard Individual Export Licences or Open Individual Export Licences were issued, where the end users were in Syria.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value has been of UK chemical exports to Syria in each year since 1997. [110225]
Nigel Griffiths: According to information published by HM Customs and Excise, the value of UK exports of chemicals to Syria, in each of the years since 1997, was as follows:
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 16.5 |
| 1998 | 21.0 |
| 1999 | 20.7 |
| 2000 | 18.9 |
| 2001 | 15.3 |
| 2002 | 19.0 |
Chemicals are defined by Section 5 of the Standard International Trade Classification, revision 3 and include a list which comes to 40 pages.
Inward Investment (North-West)
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to promote inward investment in the North-West. [110631]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Securing new foreign investment is a key element of the North West Development Agency's Regional Economic Strategy (RES). This aims to strengthen key sectors and encourage the commercial exploitation of the region's science and technology base. In so doing the North West Development Agency will support and complement the work of Invest UK.
Paternity Leave
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect of recent changes to paternity leave on small businesses. [110630]
Nigel Griffiths: None. A new right to two weeks' paid paternity leave was only introduced on 6 April.
Retail Sector
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the prospects for the retail sector. [110640]
Mr. Timms: Although the Department has not specifically estimated the future prospects for the retail sector, we fully recognise the importance of the industry and are working closely with it, through the formation of a Retail Strategy Group, to identify and address the key issues affecting its productivity and competitiveness.
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Trading Standards Professionals
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Trading Standards Professionals were employed by local authorities in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002 and how many are budgeted to be employed by local authorities in (i) 2003 and (ii) 2004. [110359]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The total number of Trading Standards Professionals employed by local authorities in England and Wales for 2000–01 and 2001–02 was 3732.1 and 3586.9 respectively.
The total number of staff in Trading Standards Authorities in Scotland for 2000–01 and 2001–02 was 534.5 and 511.6 respectively.
The data for the budgeted total numbers of Trading Standards professionals to be employed by local authorities in 2003–04 are not yet available. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance is currently collecting this data in an annual return.
Universal Service Obligation
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what recent representations she has received on the Royal Mail's universal service obligation; [109197]
- (2) what recent discussions she has had with Royal Mail on the universal service obligation to rural and remote areas of Scotland. [109196]
Mr. Timms: DTI Ministers and officials regularly hold discussions with Royal Mail on strategic postal issues. The Government considers the maintenance of a universal postal service to be of the highest importance. Under the terms of the Postal Services Act 2000, universal service is a matter for the postal regulator (Postcomm), which has the primary statutory duty to ensure the provision of a universal postal service at an affordable uniform tariff, and for Royal Mail as the licence holder with the universal service obligation. Following a wide-ranging consultation, Postcomm has established its policy on when exceptions might be permitted, and identified where exceptions exist. This document is available on their website at http://www.psc.uov.uk/docuinents/liccnsiiiR. Under this policy, exceptions to the universal service daily delivery can only be allowed in very specific and restricted circumstances.
On 10 April, Postcomm launched a further three-month consultation to find out what users expect from the universal postal service currently provided by Royal Mail. All postal users are invited to comment on the universal service, to say what matters to them, and how they expect the service to develop. Again the information on this consultation can be obtained from Postcomm's website.
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