---

16 Sept 2004 : Column 1721W—continued

Cross-channel Ferries

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent investigations have been carried out into the competitive nature of cross-channel ferries; and if she will make a statement. [188910]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The European Commission is conducting an investigation into cross-channel transport services, to ascertain whether there is:
 
16 Sept 2004 : Column 1722W
 
evidence of suspected cartel agreements and related illegal practices concerning fixing of prices and trade conditions for cross-channel transport services; and evidence of suspected market sharing agreements in relation to the provision of ferry services to and from the UK.

It is for the independent competition authorities in the UK, and for the European Commission if there is an effect on inter-state trade, to investigate competition in markets and the effects of mergers on competition in markets.

Export Support

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the lowering of the target rate in the public service agreement indicator for UK Trade and Investment to show positive assistance to new-to-export firms indicates a decreasing level of support to such businesses; and if she will make a statement. [189294]

Mr. Alexander: The target has been raised not lowered. A new PSA indicator, agreed in the recent Spending Review, requires at least 40 per cent. of new to export firms funded by UK Trade and Investment to improve their business performance within two years. The previous target was 30 per cent. Although the overall level of resources being allocated to trade development will be reduced following the spending review, UK Trade and Investment is committed to increasing by 30 percentage points the proportion to trade development resources focused on new to export firms.

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why her Department has lowered the minimum target rate to be achieved in 2004–06 from that most recently achieved by UK Trade and Investment in assisting new-to-export firms to improve their business performance. [189315]

Mr. Alexander: The target rate has been raised not lowered for the 2005–06 to 2007–08 period.

Foreign Direct Investment

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which (a) five countries and (b) industries accounted for the greatest amount of foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom in each of the past five years. [188921]

Mr. Alexander [holding answer 14 September 2004]: According to figures recorded by UKTI the five countries that accounted for the greatest amount of foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom in the last five years is:
 
16 Sept 2004 : Column 1723W
 

	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
1.	US	US	US	US	US
2.	Germany	Germany	Japan	Canada	France
3.	Japan	Canada	Canada	Germany	Japan
4.	Canada	Japan	France	Japan	Canada
5.	France	France	Germany	France	Germany

According to figures recorded by UKTI the five industries that accounted for the greatest amount of foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom in the last five years is:

	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
1.	IT, internet and e-commerce	IT, internet and e-commerce	Software	Software	Software
2.	Automotive	Software	IT, internet and e-commerce	IT, internet and e-commerce	IT, internet and e-commerce
3.	Electronics	Electronics	Automotive	Automotive	Electronics
4.	Engineering	Automotive	Electronics	Electronics	Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
5.	Telecoms	Telecoms	Telecoms	Finance	Management

These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.

There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which 10 foreign companies invested the greatest amount directly in the United Kingdom in each of the past five years. [188993]

Mr. Alexander [holding answer 14 September 2004]: Individual statistical returns companies make to the Office for National Statistics and other Government organisations for all surveys, including Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), are confidential, and therefore the information cannot be published.

Insolvency

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the appointment of the insolvency adjudicator. [189153]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Dame Barbara Mills DBE QC was appointed to act as the Independent Complaints Adjudicator for The Insolvency Service from 1 April 2003.

Dame Barbara will consider complaints about the way in which The Insolvency Service has dealt with its users including bankrupts, directors of failed companies and creditors. She will consider whether the complaint is justified and recommend what, if anything, The Insolvency Service should do to put things right.

The Adjudicator's recommendations are independent and her services are free to complainants.

Dame Barbara also investigates complaints about the Inland Revenue, HM Customs and Excise, and the Public Guardianship Office.

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost has been of the review of insolvency practitioners regulations. [189154]

 
16 Sept 2004 : Column 1724W
 

Mr. Sutcliffe: The current review of insolvency practitioners regulations commenced in November 2003 and is on-going.

The cost to date is estimated to be in the region of £7,367.

International Atomic Energy Agency

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals the United Kingdom ambassador to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plans to make to the next annual general conference of the IAEA; whether the United Kingdom will be participating in the scientific forum being held as part of the IAEA general conference, on 21 to 22 September; and who the members of the UK delegation to the conference will be. [189109]

Nigel Griffiths: The UK will, as usual, be represented at the Agency's General Conference by a team of officials from different Government Departments, led by the UK's Governor to the IAEA. Throughout the week the UK will be negotiating and working with other member states on a wide range of issues relevant to the Agency's activities: these include nuclear safety and security, nuclear verification safeguards, and promotion of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and technology. Copies of the UK's statement to the Plenary and resolutions, which have been agreed at the conference, will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

At present, the UK has no plans to participate in the scientific forum being held on 21–22 September, as part of the IAEA General Conference.

Marine Aggregates

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the amount of marine aggregates in cubic metres dredged off the British coast in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [188480]

Keith Hill: I have been asked to reply

The Crown Estate has provided the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister with the following figures for the
 
16 Sept 2004 : Column 1725W
 
extraction of aggregates from British waters over the past 10 years:

	Tonnage extracted	Cubic metres extracted1
1994	22,064,768	13,374,690
1995	26,122,576	16,068,640
1996	26,613,578	16,496,250
1997	24,876,508	15,301,780
1998	22,866,580	13,928,970
1999	23,678,572	14,442,100
2000	23,656,885	14,042,140
2001	22,689,280	13,771,780
2002	21,875,086	13,273,720
2003	22,226,070	13,525,340

⁽¹¹⁾ Approximate conversion.

---