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10 Nov 2003 : Column 18W—continued

South Coast Study

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish his response to the Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study. [137624]

Mr. McNulty: The study is yet to be completed, but it is anticipated that the final report will be finished by the end of this month. The South West Regional Assembly has indicated that they wish to comment on the report, in particular regarding the de-trunking issue which gave rise to the study being commissioned.

Following receipt of the study report and comments from the Regional Assembly, I will be in a position to make a response.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Consumer Debt

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with (a) the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, (b) representatives of high street banks and building societies and (c) the Financial Services Authority on the issue of consumer debt [136756]

Mr. Sutcliffe: My officials and I have had a number of meetings with Citizens Advice, representatives of high street banks and building societies (including trade associations such as the British Banking Association and the Finance and Leasing Association) and the Financial Services Authority to discuss the issue of consumer debt.

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These discussions have covered a number of areas, including how to enshrine responsible landing, joining up Government policy on over-indebtedness, improving access to and the quality of debt advice etc. Government proposals on these issues will be laid out in the White Paper on Consumer Credit.

International Atomic Energy Agency

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it her policy to agree voluntarily to International Atomic Energy Agency inspections as provided for in the Additional Protocol; and if she will make a statement. [136699]

Nigel Griffiths: The protocol additional to the UK/Euratom/IAEA safeguards agreement was approved by the IAEA Board of Governors in June 1998 and was signed by the UK Governor and the European Commission on 22 September 1998. The legislation necessary to implement the protocol in the UK, the Nuclear Safeguards Act 2000, will enter into force when the European Commission has confirmed that it is ready to implement the protocol. Voluntary declarations of the type of information that the UK will be required to provide under Article 2 of the protocol have been provided to the IAEA since 1999. We have also indicated our willingness to allow complementary access visits to locations in the UK, as provided for in our protocol, on a voluntary basis. Prior to entry into force of the Nuclear Safeguards Act, any such access will require the agreement of those responsible for the location concerned.

London Development Agency

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will require the London Development Agency to (a) set an annual target for increasing the total of start-up units in London and (b) publish an annual register showing where such business premises are located. [136617]

Jacqui Smith: The London Development Agency currently has an annual target for creating or attracting new businesses in London, set at 900 for the current year. The LDA Corporate Plan 2003–06 envisages this annual target being increased to 950 in 2005–06. The Agency also monitors the number of VAT registrations in London's most deprived wards.

The Government does not publish figures relating to the number of business start-ups or closures, and there are no plans to do so. VAT registrations and de-registrations are the best official guide to the pattern of business start-up and closure, and are published by the Small Business Service and Office for National Statistics on an annual basis.

Arms Fairs

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to support arms fairs in the future. [136300]

Jacqui Smith: My Department represents the interests of UK-based defence manufacturers in their legitimate manufacturing and export interests. My Department also has no plans to change its long-standing arrangement whereby Ministers and Officials will attend

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exhibitions and fairs where armaments may be displayed and promoted. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), through the Defence Manufacturers Association, supports the presence of UK companies at overseas exhibitions, seminars and in outward missions.

Details of grants provided by UKTI to DMA were given to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith), on 20 October 2003, Official Report, column 439W.

British Energy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library the Government's responses to each of the submissions from interested parties to the European Commission regarding the British Energy restructuring application. [137021]

Mr. Timms: No. Correspondence between the United Kingdom and the European Commission concerning current state aid cases, and that relating to specific undertakings, is confidential in accordance with the terms of Exemption l(c) information received in confidence from international organisations of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Broadband

Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to provide extra funds to allow access to broadband for rural areas of (a) England and (b) Cumbria. [137123]

Mr. Timms: The Government intends spending £1 billion on broadband connectivity for the public sector between 2003–2006. The Broadband Aggregation Project will set up nine Regional Aggregation Bodies (RABs), which will aggregate and procure public sector demand for broadband. Each RAB will work closely with stakeholders in their region to develop an appropriate regional strategy that will offer best value for money and the widest availability to surrounding communities.

The North West Regional Development Agency Corporate Plan has allocated £106 million between 2003–06 to promote a comprehensive broadband infrastructure throughout the region and maximise its usage. A project to procure broadband services for Cumbrian residents and businesses is currently awaiting approval by the Capital Projects Review Group and HM Treasury.

Business Support Schemes

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many business support schemes are in existence; and if she will list the schemes that have been closed down by her Department since November 2002. [135900]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 3 November 2003]: The DTI funds 52 schemes that are currently open to new business. In addition two other schemes, the Broadband Fund and the Regional Innovation Fund have had funding provision re-allocated from DTI to the Regional Development Agencies. The Department is in the process of closing all schemes in order to replace them with 10 business support products by April 2004.

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Since 30 November 2002, 39 schemes have closed to new business. Eight of these schemes have closed down completely and 31 have closed to new business but have a tail of activities to which the department has made legal commitments.

Schemes that have closed down completely


Schemes that have closed to new business but have successor schemes or a tail of activities to which the department has made legal commitments


Coal Production (Scotland)

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) deep mined coal and (b) open cast coal was produced in Scotland in (i) 2000–01, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2002–03. [137128]

Mr. Timms: The information available on the amount of deep mined and opencast coal produced in Scotland, relates to financial years and, in millions of tonnes, is as follows.

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Deep Mine Opencast
2000–010.77.1
2001–020.88.1
2002–0307.1

Source:

Coal Authority data as published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics, 2003 (The Stationery Office), which is accessible through the DTI website. Output is the tonnage declared by operators to the Coal Authority, including estimated tonnages.

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