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13 Nov 2003 : Column 401W—continued
Exports Licences (Morocco)
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the arms export licences applied for, and her decision on each, for export of arms to Morocco in each of the past five years; and what her policy is towards such applications. [136512]
Nigel Griffiths: Details of all relevant export licences issued and refused are published by destination in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, copies of which are available from the Libraries of the House. For the period between 1 January 2003 and 31 October 2003 details are set out in the tables, as the 2003 Annual Report is not due for publication until next year:
Three Standard Individual Export licences (SIELS) were issued to end users in Morocco in that period. The export licences covered a range of items with various ratings, are set out as follows.
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| Rating | Item |
|---|---|
| ML1 | 3 |
| ML2 | 18 |
| ML3 | 1 |
| ML5 | 1 |
| ML22 | 8 |
| PL5017 | 2 |
| S1P1 | 2 |
Four Open Individual Export Licences (OIELS) were issued to end users in Morocco in that period. The export licences covered a range of items with various ratings, are set out as follows:
| Rating | Item |
|---|---|
| ML1 | 2 |
| ML2 | 4 |
| ML5 | 1 |
| ML9 | 1 |
| ML13 | 2 |
| ML22 | 1 |
| PL5001 | 1 |
As with all export licence applications, all applications received for the export of arms to Morocco, are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria in the light of circumstances prevailing at the time, taking account of other previously announced Government policies.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what checks are in place to ensure that licensed strategic exports of arms to Morocco do not get used in the Western Sahara. [136726]
Mr. MacShane: When assessing strategic export licence applications to Morocco, the Government carefully consider the risk that the goods may be used in the Western Sahara.
The criteria that we use to assess all strategic export licence applications specifically set out our commitment to take account of the risk of the goods being used aggressively against another country or being used to assert by force a territorial claim. We do not issue any export licences where a clear risk of such use exists. We use information, from a variety of sources, to monitor the use of UK-origin defence equipment overseas. We take very seriously any reports of misuse.
Industrial Action
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the implications for safety of industrial action at BNFL's Sellafield nuclear site. [137612]
Mr. Timms: The Department is in regular contact with HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), the regulator of safety at licensed nuclear sites, regarding safety issues during the proposed industrial action at Sellafield. The site operator and the trade unions have given clear commitments to ensure safety is not prejudiced by any industrial action.
NII have reviewed BNFL's contingency arrangements and are satisfied that they provide an adequate framework for safety cover. An enhanced team of NII
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Inspectors will be on site during normal working hours and will be carrying out safety related inspections during the strike in key areas to ensure minimum manning is in place and that contingency plans are followed. BNFL's risk assessments are also being examined to ensure adequate provisions are in place.
Standby emergency response arrangements will remain unaffected.
Internet
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many small businesses she estimates do not have broadband access; and if she will make a statement; [137301]
- (2) if she will make a statement on her Department's plans to increase broadband access in the small business sector. [137304]
Mr. Timms: Information on the number of small businesses that do not have broadband access is not held by my Department. Research for the DTI shows that 80 per cent. of homes and businesses in the UK are located in areas, that have access to a mass-market broadband solution.
Encouraging the provision of broadband access to the whole of the UK is one of the Government's top priorities. For example, DTIs plans include:
- the UK Online for Business Programme, which promotes the benefits of broadband and ICTs more generally to SMEs;
the DTIs Broadband Aggregation Project, announced in July 2003, which aims to secure value for money for the public sector and ensure this has maximum impact on broadband availability, including for SMEs;
a joint DTI and Defra Rural Broadband Team, which was set up in May 2003 to address the issue of the availability of broadband in rural areas, including among SMEs;
a £30 million Broadband Fund administered by the Regional Development Agencies and the Devolved Administrations to develop broadband networks and run pilot projects to benefit SMEs, among others.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the involvement of British Nuclear Fuels, through their Westinghouse subsidiary in the USA, in the development of new low yield nuclear weapons. [137641]
Mr. Timms: The Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) is a subsidiary of Westinghouse Government Services Company (WGS), in which BNFL has a 40 per cent. passive economic interest. WSRC and WRS are pursuing potential business opportunities in US defence programmes. BNFL's business interests on US DOE sites through its subsidiaries relate to the environmental clean up market such as managing the solid waste program at the Savannah River Site, and not the weapons production business. BNFL is precluded by US Department of Energy (DOE) Security Agreements from involvement in the US defence programme.
Ofgem
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons the change to the Gas Act
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Order made by a letter by Ofgem on 1 April 1999 was not entered onto the public register until 8 January 2003. [138597]
Mr. Timms: This is a matter for Ofgem.
Patents
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the 20 universities (a) which have taken out the most patents in the UK and (b) with the highest incomes raised through the development of patented products, broken down by amount raised in the past 20 years; and if she will list the 10 most commercially successful patents from British universities, giving the name of the product and the amount of income generated. [133825]
Ms Hewitt: Patent Office databases are not structured to provide information on categories of applicants for patents. Generating the data would involve disproportionate cost. Some limited information on numbers of patents filed and income generated by UK universities is available from the Higher Education Business Interaction (HE-BI) survey but only for the last three years. This information was gathered on the basis that it would remain confidential due to its commercially sensitive nature, and as such may not be divulged.
The Government have asked Richard Lambert to examine how the long-term links between business and British universities can be strengthened to the benefit of the UK's economy. The full set of responses from institutions (who have given the review team permission to publish) is available on the Review's website (www.lambertrevlcw.Q-rR.uk) and the final report, will be submitted to Government shortly.
Pebble Bed Modular Reactor
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with BNFL in respect of the company's involvement with the Pebble Bed modular reactor (PBMR) in South Africa; what information BNFL supplied to her Department on its research collaboration on the PBMR; and if she will make a statement. [138067]
Mr. Timms: I can confirm that BNFL has participated in the PBMR project since 2000, is discussing with its contractual partners how the project will move forward and is keeping my Department in touch.
Power Cuts
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2003, Official Report, column 252W, on power cuts, when she expects to publish the reports detailed in her Answer. [138025]
Mr. Timms: Ofgem and DTI are undertaking separate, but co-ordinated, investigations into the recent power cuts in London and Birmingham. PB Power was commissioned to investigate a number of technical issues which will help inform these
13 Nov 2003 : Column 405W
investigations. PB Power's findings will form part of Ofgem's final investigation report, due to be released by the end of this year.
The conclusions and recommendations of the Engineering Inspectorate's investigation will not be published without the consent of the companies involved, where such consent is required by section 105 of the Utilities Act 2000.
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