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19 Jul 2004 : Column 53W—continued
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Fireworks Act
Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made introducing the provisions contained in the Fireworks Act 2003; and what the time scale is for introduction of the outstanding provisions. [184793]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Following the close of the consultation on 2 July 2004, Regulations were laid before Parliament on 16 July 2004 and introduce, with some minor amendments, the Regulations that were originally proposed in the consultation document.
The Regulations will come into force on 7 August 2004—with the exception of regulation 9 (licensing of suppliers) and regulation 11 (importation of fireworks). These latter two measures will come into force on 1 January 2005 to allow time for enforcement bodies to set up an effective system of administration and enforcement.
Nuclear Power
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the reasons for the difficulties encountered by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security in security clearing United States nationals brought over by British Nuclear Fuels; and what steps have been taken to ameliorate the problem. [184404]
Mr. Timms: There is no central agency in the United States to which the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) can turn to establish if an individual has security clearance. British Nuclear Fuels are aware that the devolved administrative arrangements in the US can make the verification process difficult and time-consuming.
Public Relations
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the salary costs to the Department were for employees working in public relations and publicity in each year since 1997. [183848]
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Ms Hewitt: The information required is not held in the format requested and could be answered only at disproportionate cost.
Retread Tyre Industry
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on recent discussions her Department has had with the retread tyre industry. [184857]
Mr. Timms: Officials regularly meet representatives of the retread tyre industry at which a broad range of issues are discussed, both specific to that industry and in respect of used tyre disposal and recovery more generally.
Earlier this year, a study commissioned and funded by DTI, and taken forward in partnership with the Retread Manufacturers Association, was completed. This examined market barriers for key stakeholders in retread tyre markets, and is intended to provide a tool that retreaders can draw on to help promote their product. I will arrange for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member and for a copy to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Small Business
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent steps her Department has taken to help people start their own business. [184518]
Nigel Griffiths: The Government Action Plan for Small Business published in January 2004 sets out a series of actions government is taking to help people start their own businesses. This builds upon the provision from the Business Link network of high quality information advice and support. The Business Link Network assisted 170,000 people last year (in England) to start businesses. New actions being taken include:
A programme of Enterprise Show activities: The objective is to encourage higher levels of entrepreneurship particularly among under-represented groups and people from disadvantaged areas. These activities taking place across England are being co-ordinated by the Regional Development Agencies.
The establishment of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship: This has been established to raise the profile of entrepreneurship and starting a business as a viable career option for graduates. The objective is to increase the number of graduates who consider starting their own businesses.
Travel Costs
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the travel costs were of civil servants in (a) her Department and (b) its related agencies in each year since 1997. [183898]
Ms Hewitt: The costs of travel and travel related expenditure for civil servants in the Department of Trade and Industry and its Agencies were as follows:
| Financial Year | Core Department (£000s) | Agencies (£000s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 10,498 | 3,588 |
| 1999–00 | 10,201 | 3,926 |
| 2000–01 | 11,466 | 3,762 |
| 2001–02 | 10,526 | 4,305 |
| 2002–03 | 11,815 | 4,806 |
| 2003–04 (provisional) | 12,135 | 4,884 |
All travel complied with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code. Data for 1997–98 are archived and so are only available at disproportionate cost.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Afghanistan
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Afghan Government on stopping violence against women registering to vote in their country's elections; and what military assistance the UK is providing to help prevent violence. [184053]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is important to the UK and the rest of the international community to support the Afghan Government's efforts to provide security so both men and women can freely exercise their vote. To date over six million people have registered to vote, out of some nine million who are eligible. Around 38 per cent. of those registered are women. The provision of adequate security to enable women to exercise their political, social and economic rights is an important component of the FCO-DFID Gender Strategy for Afghanistan, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is assisting the voter registration process and will provide enhanced support to the Afghan authorities in providing security during the election period. The UK provides around 320 personnel to ISAF in Kabul. The two UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams and associated Forward Support Base in northern Afghanistan transferred to ISAF authority on 1 July 2004. This will bring a further 260 UK troops into ISAF. UK troops serving with ISAF are also involved in training the new Afghan National Army, units of which will be used to provide election security.
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Brazil
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Government have to host events with the aim of promoting bilateral relations with Brazil. [184180]
Mr. Rammell: In the course of our frequent exchanges with Brazil, we become involved in a range of events, both in the UK and in Brazil, which promote the bilateral relationship. A recent such event was the joint visit to London on 17 and 18 March of the Brazilian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Finance. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer met their Brazilian counterparts on this occasion for talks, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry represented the Government at a dinner for the visitors offered by the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. We fully expect beneficial events such as these to continue regularly and in many different forms.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for senior members of (a) the Government and (b) the Royal family to visit Brazil in the near future. [184181]
Mr. Rammell: Foreign engagements for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not our practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel and occasionally not until they are under way.
There are currently no plans for a senior member of the Royal family to visit Brazil.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government have had with the Brazilian Government about ways to preserve the remaining parts of the Amazon rainforest. [184182]
Mr. Rammell: We follow closely the issue of environmental protection in Brazil, and discuss it regularly with the Brazilian Government. I met the Brazilian Environment Minister in December 2002 during my first visit to Brazil. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also supports a number of practical projects in Brazil totalling over £350,000 aimed specifically at preserving the Amazon rainforest and which enjoy the full support of the Brazilian Government.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what precautions the Government take to reduce illegal imports from Brazil into the UK. [184184]
Mr. Rammell:
We work closely with the Brazilian Government to combat all forms of illegal trafficking. As part of this effort, we have two Drug Liaison Officers based permanently in Brazil and have also provided equipment and training for Brazilian law enforcement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Drugs and Crime Fund.
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Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what level of military co-operation there is between the UK and Brazil. [184186]
Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
We engage in a series of armed forces visits, exchanges, joint training and defence staff talks within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on Co-operation on Defence Matters, signed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in September 2000, and the Joint Action Plan, signed in 1997 by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the President of Brazil.
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