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25 May 2004 : Column 1556W—continued
Security Cameras
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much public funding has been spent on CCTV security cameras in Manchester, Central since 1997. [174280]
Ms Blears: Since 1997, the Home Office has provided £3,515,685 to Manchester City Council for Close Circuit Television schemes.
Allocation of that funding locally is a matter for Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police. The information is not held centrally.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Illegal Websites
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many websites regulatory bodies have closed down because of the presence of illegal images and content in each of the last two years. [174833]
Mr. Timms: In the UK the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is charged with the responsibility of managing consumer complaints about potentially illegal content online.
The IWF's Internet Hotline deals with reports of potentially illegal Internet content, such as websites, newsgroups and online groups that contain: images of child abuse anywhere in the world; adult material that potentially breaches the Obscene Publications Act in the UK; and criminally racist material in the UK. Statistics taken from the IWF's annual reports show that in 2002, 88 UK websites and in 2003, 34 UK websites were removed due to potentially illegal content. For images of child abuse hosted overseas the information is passed to IWF's counterparts and law enforcement agencies in those countries and there are no statistics on how many of these sites have been closed down.
Advantage West Midlands
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff were employed in a press office or public relations capacity (a) by Advantage West Midlands and (b) by each regional development agency in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2001, (iv) 2002 and (v) 2003. [172371]
Jacqui Smith
[holding answer 13 May 2004]: The information requested is set out in the following table.
25 May 2004 : Column 1557W
Answers calculated as equivalent full-time posts:
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| RDA | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advantage West Midlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| East of England Development Agency | 2.5 | 3 | 3.25 | 3.25 | 3.5 |
| East Midlands Development Agency | 0 | 0 | (27)0 | 2 | 2 |
| London Development Agency | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| North West Development Agency | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
| ONE North East | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| South East England Development Agency | 1.4 | 2.25 | 2.1 | 3.7 | 5.6 |
| South West of England Regional Development Agency | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Yorkshire Forward | 2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
(27) Between these years, emda outsourced to an agency.
Beagle Project
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to publish the inquiry into the Beagle project. [174853]
Ms Hewitt: The recommendations from the Report of the Inquiry into the Beagle project will be published on 24 May 2004. The Inquiry covered a wide range of important issues of concern to the United Kingdom, the European Space Agency (ESA) and other member states in ESA. Some of these matters are necessarily confidential, or commercially sensitive to firms in the United Kingdom, so the full report cannot be published under Exemption 1—Defence Security and International Relations and Exemption 13 Third Party Commercial Confidence's of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Copies of the recommendations will be placed in the Libraries of House.
Belize
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of (a) imports and (b) exports to Belize in each of the past 25 years in real terms. [175242]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information on the UK's trade with Belize in real terms is not available. Data on trade at current prices are given in the following table.
| UK Exports | UK Imports | |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 10.4 | 12.1 |
| 1980 | 9.4 | 13.2 |
| 1981 | 10.0 | 15.1 |
| 1982 | 10.4 | 13.3 |
| 1983 | 8.7 | 11.6 |
| 1984 | 11.5 | 15.9 |
| 1985 | 8.3 | 15.0 |
| 1986 | 8.2 | 18.0 |
| 1987 | 7.5 | 22.8 |
| 1988 | 12.1 | 22.5 |
| 1989 | 11.8 | 24.3 |
| 1990 | 12.4 | 22.7 |
| 1991 | 14.6 | 20.8 |
| 1992 | 11.1 | 32.2 |
| 1993 | 16.6 | 37.4 |
| 1994 | 12.8 | 42.5 |
| 1995 | 14.3 | 47.0 |
| 1996 | 10.2 | 47.9 |
| 1997 | 13.6 | 36.3 |
| 1998 | 11.6 | 33.6 |
| 1999 | 11.7 | 43.2 |
| 2000 | 11.5 | 39.6 |
| 2001 | 13.8 | 34.9 |
| 2002 | 13.7 | 31.6 |
| 2003 | 17.4 | 42.0 |
Source:
Compiled by SU Statistics from HM Customs & Excise data.
Competitiveness Council
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome was of the Competitiveness Council of 17 to 18 May; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement. [174810]
Jacqui Smith: I represented the UK at the Competitiveness Council on 17–18 May 2004.
The Council held a debate on better regulation and on competitiveness and innovation, based on a number of documents covering: industry policy; the strategy for life sciences and biotechnology; proactive competition policy; and the latest state aid scoreboard. Ministers emphasised the need for reduced, simpler regulation the importance of SMEs, innovation, the need for new policies to stimulate private investment in scientific research, and the development of close links between industry and universities. The UK drew attention to the need for economic reform and structural change, and called for the Council to match its broad aspirations with decisions on key dossiers.
Two sets of Council Conclusions on Better Regulation, and on Competitiveness and Innovation were formally agreed.
Ministers exchanged views on the proposed Chemicals Regulation (REACH). The discussion focused on three key areas: registration, manufacturers' duty of care, and the role of the EU Chemicals Agency. Ministers stressed the importance of striking the right balance between ensuring that the EU chemicals industry remains competitive and delivering benefits for human health and the environment.
The UK advocated a system of "One substance-One registration". Most member states expressed support for the principle, but said that the proposal needed further development. The presidency invited the UK to bring forward its proposal as soon as possible, and asked the working group to do further work on the other aspects of registration and the role of the Chemicals Agency.
25 May 2004 : Column 1559W
Commissioner Busquin gave a brief update on the negotiations on the International Thermonuclear Experimental reactor (ITER), with the aim of securing the ITER site in the EU.
The Council discussed the Commission's proposals on the admission of third country nationals to carry out scientific research in the EU. The Council recognised that it was vital for the EU to have more researchers and largely welcomed the proposal.
However, the Council noted that further work was needed to refine the proposal, in particular in relation to the role and responsibilities of the host organisation, whether to differentiate between public and private organisations, and the procedures for family reunification. These messages are to be passed to the President of the Justice and Home Affairs Council.
In the absence of an expected Commission Communication, Commissioner Busquin gave a brief presentation on the Future of European research.
The Council reached agreement on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. The UK supported the Directive's aim of harmonising national consumer protection laws against unfair commercial marketing and advertising.
The Presidency confirmed that a first reading agreement had been reached with the European Parliament on the Regulation on Consumer Protection Co-Operation. The aim of the Regulation is to promote co-operation between national authorities on the enforcement of consumer protection legislation.
The Council was unable to reach agreement on a Regulation on Sales Promotion. The proposal aims to create a harmonised regime for sales promotions involving offers of discounts, free gifts, premiums, and promotional games and contests.
Member states were unable to reach agreement on the "Country of Origin" principle, as well as a number of other issues, notably: promotional games, information requirements, and the application of the Regulation to pharmaceuticals.
Discussion on the final outstanding points on the Regulation to establish a Community Patent continued at the Council. Member states could not agree on the legal effect of translations of a patent claim and the length of time for filing such translations. Germany, France, Spain and Portugal all indicated they could not support the Presidency compromise text. The Presidency stated it would bring the matter to the attention of the President of the European Council.
The Council reached political agreement on a common position on a Directive on the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions. The Directive contains provisions in accordance with the practice of the European Patent Organisation on the patentability of such inventions.
The Council also reached political agreement on a common position on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive. The Directive aims to create a clearer system for the recognition of
25 May 2004 : Column 1560W
qualifications in the field of regulated professions by consolidating 15 Directives covering all professions into a single legislative text.
Political agreement on a common position was reached on a Regulation to amend the Community Customs Code, which aims to improve security at EU external frontiers.
The UK voted in favour of all of the legislative measures agreed at the Council.
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