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4 Nov 2003 : Column 558W—continued
European Software Patent Directive
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the European Software Patent Directive. [135283]
Ms Hewitt: The Government's policy remains the same as that announced in 2001 after a public consultation on the patentability of software. The Government's conclusion from that consultation was to reaffirm the principle that patents are for technological innovations. Software should not be patentable where there is no technological innovation, and technological innovations should not cease to be patentable merely because the innovation lies in software. However, the consultation also concluded that business methods should remain unpatentable.
Subsequently, we have supported the introduction by the European Commission of a draft Directive on the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions, in order to clarify the legal position across the European Union. Discussions on this Directive are on-going and I await the outcome of further discussions between the EU institutions on its progress.
Interpol
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1069W, on Interpol, for what reason her Department does not use Interpol's international weapons and explosives tracking system. [135113]
Nigel Griffiths: The DTI does not have responsibility for tracking weapons or explosives.
Manufacturing
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to encourage an increase in the capital per worker ratio in UK manufacturing. [134869]
Jacqui Smith: By maintaining a stable macroeconomic environment, together with measures such as reforming capital gains tax, making permanent enhanced capital allowances for small and medium-sized firms, and introducing the Research and Development Tax Credit, we are providing a climate conducive to investment for the long-term in UK manufacturing.
The global slowdown in 2001 and added uncertainty in 2002 have led firms to postpone investment decisions, but the UK's strong economic fundamentals mean that manufacturers are well placed to benefit when the global recovery shifts up a gear.
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Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on manufacturing industry. [135581]
Jacqui Smith: While we should remain cautious, we may now be at the start of a recovery path, with positive data from the last four Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) surveys and manufacturing output from the Office for National Statistics up by 0.5 per cent. in the three months to August. However, the sector clearly remains under considerable pressure and we are doing all we can to help.
For example, the Manufacturing Advisory Service has been a real success as a major source of advice and support for small- and medium-sized manufacturers. Since it launched in April 2002, the Manufacturing Advisory Service has handled over 17,000 enquiries from manufacturing companies and has carried out over 3,000 diagnostic and advisory visits. Over 1,000 firms have benefited from in-depth consultancies to help them improve their productivity. The total value added benefit to firms helped by the Manufacturing Advisory Service is over £18 million.
Martu Aborigines
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the (a) impact on and (b) cost to UK companies of the reclamation of land in 2002 by the Martu Aborigines of Western Australia; and if she will make a statement. [133640]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: None. Since no representations have been made to the Department on this issue.
Oil and Gas Industry
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Government have received from (a) the Oil and Gas Industry Liaison Team and (b) other parties concerning the proposed Energy Chapter in the draft European Constitution; and if she will make a statement. [135884]
Mr. Timms: The Oil and Gas Industry Liaison Team, in an open letter to the my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 October 2003, set out their view of the implications for the UK oil and gas industry posed by the Energy Chapter of the draft European Constitution. A number of organisations with UK oil and gas interests have also made representations to Ministers. Under the Treaty establishing the European Community, there is already Union activity in energy matters and we believe there is a strong case for making the legal base for policy in this area more transparent. However, the UK Government will only agree to an extension of competence in energy policy if it is consistent with British national interests.
Overseas Visits
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what overseas visits (a) she and (b) her ministerial colleagues plan to make in the next year to promote trade with the United Kingdom. [135475]
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Ms Hewitt: Next year's overseas visits programme for Ministers, in support of trade development and policy, has yet to be finalised. All plans will take into account other travel proposals across Government.
Post Office Closures
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-post offices have closed in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency and (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire in (i) each of the last 12 months and (ii) the previous five years. [135923]
Mr. Timms: I am advised by Post Office Ltd. that data on post office numbers is not available in the form requested.
However, I understand that since March 2000 the company has recorded details of post office closures on the basis of Government Region and in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region as a whole, the numbers of net closures were as follows:
- 2000–01: 50
2001–02: 21
2002–03: 26 (including seven closures under the urban reinvention programme)
Pottery Products
Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent meetings she has had with her counterpart in the United States of America to discuss import tariffs on United Kingdom pottery products; and if she will make a statement. [135478]
Ms Hewitt: US tariffs on pottery products are being addressed as part of the ongoing WTO Doha Development Agenda multilateral negotiations on market access for non-agricultural products. In these talks the EU negotiates as one and maintains regular contact with other WTO members including the United States of America.
Printer Cartridges
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what steps her Department is taking to encourage the manufacture of reusable printer cartridges; [135887]
- (2) what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) the National Assembly for Wales on the consequences of classifying printer cartridges as consumer products for (i) environmental targets and (ii) sustainable development commitments; [135889]
(3) what assessment she has made of the effects the exclusion of printer cartridges under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive will have on (a) the UK and (b) the Welsh re-manufacturing industry. [135890]
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Mr. Timms: The transposition of the WEEE Directive into UK legislation is being overseen by an inter-departmental team, including officials from all of the Departments concerned and the devolved Administrations.
The Department has had extensive dialogue with cartridge manufacturers and the UK Cartridge Remanufacturers Association on the scope of the WEEE Directive in relation to printer cartridges, but there is no formal assessment by Government on the effects of inclusion or exclusion on either manufacturers or re-manufacturers.
My Department continues to welcome the reuse and re-manufacture of printer cartridges, as a useful contribution to sustainable consumption and production, but does not operate a promotional programme specifically aimed at encouraging printer cartridge re-manufacture.
Redundancies
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many redundancies were notified, broken down by nation and region, in each year since
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1997; what these figures represent as a percentage of the total work force, broken down by nation and region; and if she will make a statement. [133497]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The following tables show the available information. The notification requirements apply only where an employer proposes to make redundant 20 or more employees at one establishment. Such notifications should be made 30 days in advance. If an employer proposes to make 100 or more employees redundant at one establishment, the notifications should be 90 days in advance. In addition, there is no information about how many of the proposed redundancies actually take place. The purpose of the advance notifications is to alert trade unions and employment and other support services to likely future job losses. They do not purport to represent a measure of the numbers of redundancies occurring in the economy.
Table 1 shows the total numbers of proposed redundancies notified. Table 2 shows these numbers as a percentage of the total number of employee jobs in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively. There are no percentages for individual regions of England as the figures for notified proposed redundancies are not compiled on the same regional basis as those for employee jobs.
| Region | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 20.1 | 27.4 | 38.4 | 43.1 | 52.3 | 24.7 |
| East Midlands | 28.4 | 31.5 | 35.1 | 40.0 | 54.9 | 31.0 |
| South West | 13.9 | 22.0 | 17.5 | 20.2 | 41.6 | 19.2 |
| London and South East | 64.2 | 82.0 | 101.5 | 115.7 | 229.9 | 94.4 |
| Northern | 23.1 | 21.2 | 20.0 | 16.4 | 24.4 | 8.5 |
| North West | 33.3 | 36.8 | 46.3 | 41.7 | 71.5 | 23.8 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 25.6 | 27.6 | 29.0 | 30.3 | 50.4 | 18.8 |
| Total for England | 208.6 | 248.5 | 287.8 | 307.4 | 524.9 | 220.4 |
| Scotland | 25.7 | 29 | 35.4 | 25.5 | 54.1 | 27.6 |
| Wales | 9.4 | 13.6 | 14.5 | 15.0 | 18.0 | 11.6 |
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 20,658.9 | 21,022.9 | 21,488.9 | 21,808.2 | 21,883.5 | 21,828.7 |
| Scotland | 2,121.6 | 2,161.1 | 2,171.6 | 2,232.5 | 2,281.1 | 2,257.2 |
| Wales | 1,019.3 | 1,035.2 | 1,070.6 | 1,085.4 | 1,074.8 | 1,072.6 |
| Region | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 1.0 |
| Scotland | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 1.2 |
| Wales | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.1 |
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