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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 3 November 2005
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Employment Rights
10. Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions have taken place between the Government and the trade unions on employment rights. [24343]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department holds regular meetings with trade unions and employer organisations on employment rights.
Oil/Gas Reserves
11. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the current reserves of oil and gas are; and if he will make a statement. [24344]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department's latest estimates show that at the end of 2004 reserves of UK oil and gas amounted to between seven and 17 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with a central estimate of around 11 billion barrels. In addition it is estimated that between six and 26 billion barrels could be produced as a result of further exploration and appraisal. Full details are on DTI's oil and gas website.
West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy
12. Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been received by his Department and Advantage West Midlands from organisations in north Staffordshire regarding the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy. [24345]
Ian Pearson: I am advised that neither the Department of Trade and Industry nor the Government Office for the West Midlands nor Advantage West Midlands has received any representations from organisations in North Staffordshire specifically regarding the Strategy.
Company Law Reform Bill
13. Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he expects to make in the Company Law Reform Bill on tackling employment abuses by UK companies operating abroad; and if he will make a statement. [24346]
Alun Michael:
The Company Law Reform Bill offers a fair, modern, and effective framework of company law, and will promote high standards of company behaviour and corporate governance. A company law bill is not the place to directly address employment abuses by UK companies operating abroad. We will continue to address such issues in other ways.
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15. Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Whether he expects the provisions of the Company Law Reform Bill to help to prevent labour rights abuses by UK companies operating overseas. [24348]
Alun Michael: The Company Law Reform Bill offers a fair, modern, and effective framework of company law, and will promote high standards of company behaviour and corporate governance. A company law bill is not the place to directly address employment abuses by UK companies operating abroad. We will continue to address such issues in other ways.
Uganda
14. Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of British business investment in Uganda has been in each of the last three years. [24347]
Ian Pearson: The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, show the UK's level of foreign direct investment in Uganda amounted to £54 million at the end of 2001, £25 million at the end of 2002, and £31 million at the end of 2003.
Nuclear Power Generation
16. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the future of nuclear power generation in the UK. [24349]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government will publish proposals on energy policy, including civil nuclear power, next year. Climate change and the reliance on imported energy supplies require an assessment of all options for future UK energy policy. These assessments will be made prior to the publishing of our proposals.
UK Manufacturing
17. Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government are taking to limit the flow of manufacturing jobs out of the UK. [24350]
Alun Michael: The Government believe that we need a successful manufacturing sector with high skilled jobs and is committed to providing the right macro-economic conditions and support through the Manufacturing Strategy to help companies to compete and thrive in the global market.
Monopolies/Monopsonies
18. Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will review the terms of reference of the Office of Fair Trading in relation to local monopolies and monopsonies. [24351]
Mr. Sutcliffe: No, I have no such plans. It is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading to consider the factors relevant to its analysis of markets in such circumstances.
Chinese Exports
19. Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on EU trade restrictions on exports from China. [24353]
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Ian Pearson: The textiles agreement between the European Commission and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce concluded in June and subsequently revised in September limits imports into the EU from China of 10 textiles and clothing products until the end of 2007. This agreement provided a level of stability for trade in these products and avoided the uncertainty of the alternative of a succession of product-by-product safeguard investigations
Debt Recovery
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs on increasing enforcement powers for financial institutions seeking to recover unsecured debts; and if he will make a statement. [24302]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
DTI was consulted on DCA proposals to increase enforcement powers for financial institutions seeking to recover unsecured debts, in particular proposals to widen access to charging orders, during development of the Effective Enforcement" White
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Paper of March 2003. DTI and DCA continue to liaise closely on the planned reforms of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and related issues.
It is the Government's position that responsible creditors who are owed money and having gained valid judgments through the courts should have the right to enforce that judgment by the most appropriate means available.
Such action is balanced by proposals to enhance consumer protections, including proposed tightening of the licensing procedure through the Consumer Credit Bill to tackle unscrupulous lenders at source, appropriate limits to the application of charging orders, and action to ensure greater use of time order" provisions.
Departmental Consultation
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list formal consultations being sponsored by his Department and its agencies; and what the (a) commencement date and (b) deadline for responses is in each case. [22576]
Alan Johnson: The information as follows:
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