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16 Jun 2004 : Column 957W—continued
Stormont Negotiations
Lady Hermon: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the outcome of the negotiations conducted at Stormont on 8 June between representatives of the Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Fein and Mr. Jonathan Powell. [178900]
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The Prime Minister: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Murphy) had made it clear that informal discussions with all parties would continue during the European election campaign. The review of the operation of the Agreement resumed on 15 June and the outcome we are working towards remains the restoration of the institutions.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Aerospace
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the extent of state support for the aerospace industry in (a) the United States, (b) European Union member states and (c) Brazil in comparison with Government support for UK aerospace. [177142]
Jacqui Smith: The Government are aware of various forms of support provided by a number of other governments to their civil aerospace industries (e.g. basic R&D, product development capital or export sales financing). International comparisons are complicated by the way in which that support is focussed and whether it is repayable.
The Government have provided strong support for the aerospace industry in the UK over many years—including support for R&D projects, repayable launch investment (almost £l billion since 1997) and export sales financing. We are also working with the industry to improve its productivity and competitiveness through the implementation of the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team Report's recommendations.
Afghanistan
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the volume of trade was between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan in each year since 1979. [178032]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The volume of trade between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan since 1979 is contained in the following table.
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Deregulation
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the need for reduced, simpler regulation expressed by her Ministers at the Competitiveness Council of 17 to 18 May refers to (a) deregulation or a cutting back of the Community Acquis and (b) the removal of legal texts that are obsolete without changing their legal status. [178730]
Jacqui Smith: The UK attaches great importance to improving and simplifying EU legislation. Simplification can contribute to reducing the negative economic impact of regulation through consolidation and codification of legislation, and through removing obsolete measures. In addition, it is concerned with identifying areas of legislation where burdens may arise from unnecessary complexity, duplication or cross-impacts, and seeking to eliminate these.
Energy Bill
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with representatives of the European Commission about the possibility of investigations into the implications for state aid of provisions contained in the Energy Bill. [178667]
Mr. Timms:
The main state aid implication in the Energy Bill arises from the creation of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA). DTI officials have had a number of informal meetings with the Commission services on this case.
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As a result of these meetings a formal notification of the UK's intention to support the creation of the NDA was submitted to the European Commission in December 2003. The Commission are still considering this case.
EU Trade
Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total value of surplus or deficit accruing to the European Union from trade with Japan was in each of the three latest years for which figures are available. [178101]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Figures on the European Union's crude trade balance in goods with Japan for the period 2001–03 are given in the table.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | -19,505 |
| 2002 | -16,248 |
| 2003 | -18,483 |
Source:
Eurostat Intra and Extra EU Trade.
Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value of the surplus or deficit accruing to the European Union from trading with (a) India and (b) China was in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [178128]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Figures on the European Union's crude trade balance in goods with India and China for the period 2001–03 are given in the following table:
| India | China | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | -187 | -28,488 |
| 2002 | 588 | -29,945 |
| 2003 | 599 | -38,269 |
Source:
Eurostat Intra and Extra EU Trade.
Israel
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value of UK imports from Israel was in each of the last five years; what proportion of total imports were defence-related; and what proportion of total imports were from the Occupied Territories. [178585]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: According to statistics compiled by HM Customs and Excise, the information is as follows:
| Imports of goods | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK imports from Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories (£ million) | 1,041 | 1,062 | 975 | 911 | 882 |
| Defence-related imports, as a percentage of total imports | 0.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Imports from Occupied Palestinian Territories as a percentage of total imports | 0.004 | 0.000 | 0.012 | 0.026 | 0.050 |
Source:
Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, HM Customs and Excise.
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value of UK exports to Israel was in each of the last five years; what proportion of total exports were defence-related; and what proportion of total exports were destined for the Occupied Territories. [178586]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The information is as follows:
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| Exports of goods | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK exports to Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories (£ million) | 1,298 | 1,519 | 1,366 | 1,440 | 1,377 |
| Defence-related exports, as a percentage of total exports | 0.03 | 0.09 | 0.11 | 0.15 | 0.02 |
| Exports to Occupied Palestinian Territories as a percentage of total exports | 0.023 | 0.009 | 0.018 | 0.008 | 0.050 |
Source:
Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom; HM Customs and Excise.
UK Strategic Export Control Annual Report; FCO, DFID, MOD, DTI.
Medical Research Council
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to implement the concordat agreement for funding for Medical Research Council clinical trials. [178823]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
The concordat is a long standing agreement between the health departments of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Medical Research Council (MRC). It has recently been renewed, now to be called a partnership agreement and a copy will be posted on the websites of the Department and the MRC shortly. Implementation is done through normal operational arrangements.
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