| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
28 Feb 2005 : Column 946W—continued
Malawi
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the extra funds from the new six-year programme of support to the Malawi health service will be released. [217545]
Hilary Benn:
DFID financing will begin in April 2005. By that time, we expect the Government of Malawi to have implemented the conditions for the release of our aid for the grant. These are to present a plan to reform the Central Medical Stores and to increase the Government health budget by the amount of additional funding to be provided through its budget by DFID, Norway and the World Bank.
28 Feb 2005 : Column 947W
Uganda
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what development assistance has been provided by the UK Government to Uganda in each year since 1997; and what it has been spent on. [217470]
Hilary Benn: The development assistance provided by the UK Government as bilateral aid to Uganda in each year since 1997–98 is shown in the following table. This is mainly in the form of Poverty Reduction Budget Support, project or sector aid in health and education, technical co-operation and grants to Civil Society Organisations. Further details are available in Table 7.1 of our annual publication Statistics on International Development", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
| Fiscal year | Total UK Government expenditure |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 59,325 |
| 1998–99 | 64,261 |
| 1999–2000 | 90,286 |
| 2000–01 | 97,572 |
| 2001–02 | 68,724 |
| 2002–03 | 54,868 |
| 2003–04 | 59,614 |
Source:
Statistics on International Development
In addition the UK supports Uganda through its multilateral contributions.
Figures are given as follows for the imputed UK share of EC aid for calendar years over the same period.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 4.7 |
| 1998 | 5.0 |
| 1999 | 4.9 |
| 2000 | 5.4 |
| 2001 | 7.5 |
| 2002(14) | 2.7 |
(14)Most recent year available.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Electricity Payments
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to reduce the differentials between pre-payment meters for electricity and other payment methods. [218822]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Tariffs are a commercial matter for individual supply companies, some of whom have reduced differentials between pre-payment meters for electricity and other payment types.
EU Committees
Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee on implementation of the multiannual
28 Feb 2005 : Column 948W
programme for enterprise and entrepreneurship, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [217254]
Nigel Griffiths: The Enterprise Programme Management Committee met twice during the Italian presidency, on 4 July and 12 November 2003; once during the Irish presidency, on 18 March 2004; and twice during the Netherlands presidency on 8 July and 8 December 2004. Each meeting took place at the European Commission in Brussels. One member of the Small Business Service attended two of these meetings and two members attended the other three meetings. The Committee fulfils an important task in managing the Multi-Annual Programme, which helps to improve enterprise and entrepreneurship policy at Governmental and Commission levels and provides support to businesses. The UK nominates experts for the Programme's project groups that advise on aspects of enterprise and entrepreneurship. The Programme is due to be replaced by the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme in 2007. My hon. Friends the Economic Secretary, the Minister with responsibility for food, farming and sustainable energy and I have jointly sent UK recommendations to the European Commission on the content of the new Programme.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Committee for the harmonisation of credit insurance provisions for transactions with medium- and long-term cover met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [217838]
Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.
The Committee concerned meets only to consider a limited number of issues. It did not meet during the Italian, Irish or Dutch Presidencies.
The European Council Working Group on Export Credits met five times in Brussels during each of the three Presidencies in question. Officials from ECGD were present at each of these meetings.
Gas Prices
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the causes of wholesale gas price rises in the past 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [218819]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Spot wholesale gas prices have risen due to a number of factors: tighter gas markets as production from the North Sea declines and the UK becomes a net importer of gas, and high-fossil fuel prices driving higher gas prices on the Continent, which feed into UK prices via the gas interconnector. On the forward market, there is also a fair amount of 'market sentiment' about tightness of supply over the next two winters as we move towards more import dependency. The Ofgem Price Probe, published on 5 October 2004, also attributed these reasons for the price movements over the previous year, and the concurrent Financial Services Authority investigation into gas prices in autumn 2003 found no evidence of market abuse.
28 Feb 2005 : Column 949W
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met representatives of the energy intensive sectors of industry before Christmas and has asked officials to work with them to develop ideas for improving the operation of the forward gas market. My Department has also commissioned an independent consultant to analyse the current operation of the UK gas forward market and to identify the underlying causes of high forward prices for the next two winters.
The Government are working to ensure that the right framework is in place to allow the market to deliver sufficient quantities of gas at competitive prices. This is already happening, as major new import projects come forward, due to come on-stream over the next 3 years. The Government are also encouraging the European Commission to ensure prompt and full implementation of the second EU liberalisation package, which will contribute to the development of more competitive markets across Europe.
Nuclear Security
Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many incidents characterised as failures
28 Feb 2005 : Column 950W
of security leading to unacceptable or undesirable consequences (a) have occurred at and (b) have been associated with personnel employed at licensed nuclear installations since 1 January 2004. [217494]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I am advised that since 1 January 2004, there have been four incidents, which could be characterised as failures of security leading to unacceptable or undesirable consequences, that have occurred at licensed civil nuclear installations and one of these may have involved an employee.
Oil and Gas Production
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the ratio of offshore and onshore (a) flared and (b) vented associated gas to oil produced gas was in each year for which figures are available. [217103]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The tables show annual offshore and onshore oil production, associated gas production, flaring and venting from oil producing fields, and the ratios of flaring and venting to the oil produced, since combined records for landward and seaward flaring and venting have been kept.
28 Feb 2005 : Column 951W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |