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29 Oct 2003 : Column 263W—continued

Insurance Premiums

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her assessment of the impact of insurance premium levels on the (a) construction, (b) manufacturing and (c) farming sectors of the economy. [134866]

Nigel Griffiths: Government have encouraged the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) to work with business bodies and Trade Associations towards improving the availability of affordable cover. Since the publication of the Government interim report in June 2003, the ABI and BIBA have published a statement of good practice, making a commitment to provide at least 21 days' notice of their renewal terms for all policies, starting from 1 November 2003.

Mr. Ashley Jenkins

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to hold an investigation into the activity of Mr. Ashley Jenkins whose company assets were frozen on 2 October; what representations she has received about this case; and if she will make a statement. [134253]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 27 October 2003]: Inquiries under section 447 of the Companies Act 1985 into the affairs of Ashley Jenkins Ltd. and Ashley Jenkins SL, a company registered in Spain, were undertaken by officials of the Department's Companies Investigations Branch. The investigation's findings resulted in the presentation of a public interest winding-up petition, on 2 October, the High Court appointing

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the Official Receiver as Provisional Liquidator of both companies, pending the hearing of the petition on 14 January 2004.

The Official Receiver's duties as Provisional Liquidator include the preservation and protection of both companies' assets and financial records.

In view of the fact that this matter remains before the High Court it would be inappropriate for me to comment further about the affairs of the Ashley Jenkins companies.

Outsourcing

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she is taking to persuade companies to maintain jobs in the UK rather than outsource abroad. [134438]

Ms Hewitt: As companies in the UK are operating in an increasingly competitive, global marketplace, they must have the freedom to choose where to locate in order to maximise their competitive advantage. If we chose to operate a protectionist approach, we would run the risk of forcing companies to locate completely out of the UK. This would not be to our long term economic benefit.

We will continue to create a stable, competitive environment in the UK. Our long term economic interest will be based on our ability to innovate to produce high value- added goods and services which need a highly skilled workforce, high calibre managers, forward looking unions and knowledgeable consumers.

Red Tape

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to reduce the regulatory burden on small and medium-sized firms. [134440]

Nigel Griffiths: Among the measures taken by the Government to cut red tape are:

cutting form-filling for 700,000 small businesses with our new flat rate VAT scheme;


abolishing automatic penalties for late filing of VAT and giving UK businesses the best VAT threshold in Europe;


cutting the number of regulations passed by Parliament in the past year by 793;


cutting the time and bureaucracy it takes to set up a business from 28 separate licences, certificates and registrations in some cases ten years ago to less than a day now, costing under £10, while in the EU on average it takes four weeks to set up a new business and costs over £600.

These measures and others have established the UK in the top three countries for low levels of red tape, favourable tax regime, flexible labour markets, open financing systems and modern infrastructure, according to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit/Apax Partners survey of 60 countries.

British Gas's latest survey of business managers concludes that they are spending considerably less time dealing with red tape and non-core activities. 2.4 million SMEs have been created since 1997, including an estimated 1,690 in the hon. Member's constituency.

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We are seeking further improvements through Regulatory Impact Assessments, 'Think Small First' and Small Business Europe which promotes better regulation.

Small Businesses

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent research she has commissioned on the administrative burden on small businesses. [134949]

Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service, an executive agency of the DTI, commissioned the Small Business Survey 2003 in June 2003, to understand the concerns of small and medium-sized businesses. It has several questions on the administrative burden of small businesses, including how much time small and medium-sized enterprises spend each week on paperwork relating to complying with Government regulations and taxes.

State Aid

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on which occasions since 1997 the Government have made representations to the EC regarding state aid by another member state. [133885]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 23 October 2003]: No register of interventions is held. Representations can be made in response to notices published in the Official Journal in accordance with Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty; or in cases before the European Court of Justice where it appears appropriate and in UK interests; or on behalf of UK businesses who raise concerns.

World Trade Organisation (Cancun)

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals she will make to the World Trade Organisation on improving the logistics and organisation at WTO conferences after Cancun. [135127]

Ms Hewitt: We are currently discussing potential proposals in this area with other EU member states and with the commission. We are also in contact with the consultative group established by the Director General of the WTO, which we expect to produce recommendations in the course of next year.

TRANSPORT

Air Travel (Compensation)

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 21 October 2003, Official Report, column 472W, on air travel (compensation), (1) if his Department will produce a partial regulatory impact assessment; and if he will place a copy in the Library; [135040]

(2) if it is the policy of his Department to comply with the Cabinet Office guidance on regulatory impact assessment; and if it is being complied with in this case. [135041]

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Mr. McNulty: A partial regulatory impact assessment on the proposed Regulation was prepared at an early stage, and has been periodically updated to reflect changes made to the original text as work on the proposal has progressed. The latest version reflects the Council's common position of 11 March 2003. However, following the recent conciliation process between the Council and the European Parliament, a number of amendments to the common position have been agreed and the regulatory impact assessment will need to be modified accordingly. On receipt of the final text of the Regulation we will be in a position to complete our assessment and, in due course, place a copy in the Libraries of the House.

Airport Development

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what communities he has visited near airports which may feature in his White Paper on Airport Development. [134129]

Mr. McNulty: Ministers have met numerous delegations representing communities that may be affected by development options put forward in the consultation documents, "The Future of Air Transport in the United Kingdom". During the consultation, 18 public exhibitions were held across the UK at or near sites identified for potential airport development.

Airports (East and West Midlands)

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses he received during the extended consultation period regarding airports in the East and West Midlands. [134592]

Mr. McNulty: About 45,000 responses relating to airports in the East and West Midlands were received between 30 November 2002 and 30 June 2003.

Aviation Fuel Taxation

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government are taking to press (a) member nations of the EU and (b) other international bodies to come to a common position on the taxation of aviation fuel. [134591]

Mr. McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 28 October 2003 to my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney), Official Report, column 134W.

Blue Badge Scheme

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will include (a) colitis and (b) Crohn's disease in future research on the eligibility criteria for the blue badge scheme. [134339]

Mr. McNulty: Following a recent review of the Blue Badge Scheme, we will be undertaking research into the independent mobility needs of certain groups of people, including people with colitis and Crohn's disease, to determine whether eligibility should be extended. We propose to take forward that research in 2004.

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Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (1) representations he has received from disabled motorcycle owners about problems with attaching disabled badges designed for car windscreens to motorcycles; [134799]

(2) what advice he has issued to disabled motorcycle owners about attaching disabled badges to their vehicles. [134800]

Mr. McNulty: Under the current regulations the blue badge must be displayed on the dashboard or fascia panel of the vehicle, with the front facing forward, so that the relevant details are clearly legible from outside of the vehicle.

For motorcycles we advise that the badge should be exhibited in a conspicuous position on the vehicle so that the relevant details on the front are visible. The precise method of attaching the badge is a matter for the badge holder to determine.

We have received representations from individual disabled motorcyclists and from the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD) about the problems of displaying the badge so that it complies with the requirements of the regulations. Following discussions with NABD we have agreed to support the Association in designing a suitable secure holder for the badge and the associated time clock. We are, therefore, funding a design competition for 2nd year students at Salford University's School of Art & Design. We hope to have the winning design by summer next year.

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