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19 Feb 2007 : Column 528W—continued
There is an additional £10,684,000 of cost that is attributable across all regions but it would involve disproportionate cost to calculate the distribution to each office.
Remaining expenditure was in Scotland and Wales.
The Patent Office has offices in Newport (South Wales) and London. Expenditure in 2005-06 attributable to the London office was £l,071,000.
Companies House has offices in Cardiff, Edinburgh and London. Expenditure in 2005-06 attributable to the London office was £423,000.
Expenditure by each of the remaining two Executive Agencies (i.e. Small Business Service and National Weights and Measurement Laboratory) by Government Office regions could only be made available at disproportionate cost.
Exports: Libya
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level was of (a) service sector and (b) agricultural exports to Libya in 2005-06. [119674]
Mr. McCartney: The information requested is as follows:
(a) Data for UK exports of services to Libya are not available. The ONS “UK Balance of Payments Pink Book” gives a figure of £391 million for UK exports of services in 2005 to North African countries other than Egypt and Morocco.
(b) UK exports of food and animals to Libya were worth about £4.8 million in 2005 and £6.2 million from January to November 2006.
Foreign Investment: Zimbabwe
Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has made an assessment of the scale of financial support and investment by UK companies in Zimbabwe. [119203]
Mr. McCartney: UK Trade and Investment, the lead Government organisation that supports companies in the UK trading internationally and overseas companies seeking to locate in the UK, has not made a separate assessment of the scale of financial support and investment by UK companies in Zimbabwe.
There are no trade sanctions or embargoes against British companies doing business in Zimbabwe. UK companies continue to do business in Zimbabwe but trade between the two countries has declined in recent years. In 2005 two-way trade was worth £66 million down from £143 million in 2000 (Office of National Statistics, Business Monitor MA4). The net book value of UK Foreign Direct Investment in Zimbabwe was £52 million at the end of financial year 2005 (ONS).
Information Fair Trader Scheme
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Coal Authority plans to join the Information Fair Trader Scheme. [118898]
Malcolm Wicks: The Coal Authority is already in dialogue with the Office of Public Sector Information and intends to seek Information Fair Trader Scheme accreditation.
Manufacturing: West Midlands
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to encourage (a) manufacturing and (b) research and development in (i) Coventry, South and (ii) the West Midlands region. [119438]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 8 February 2007]: The Government are strongly committed to the development of a high value-added modern manufacturing sector which competes effectively in global markets. We have been extremely successful in providing a stable macro-economic framework in which business can prosper and grow and are taking action through the manufacturing strategy to enable manufacturers in all regions, including the West Midlands, to move to high value-added production through the application of science and innovation and the development of world-class skills.
We have successful manufacturing sectors; in 2006 our automotive sector produced more than 1.4 million vehicles, and our aerospace industry had a turnover of over £29 billion and invested £2.7 billion in R and D. New high-tech manufacturing markets are emerging—our bioscience industry is the largest industry in Europe and our environmental industries, worth £25 billion, are growing at a rate of 10 per cent. a year.
We set up the Manufacturing Advisory Service in 2002 which has generated £277 million of added value and we have extended the research and development tax credit which has had 22,000 claims and provides £600 million a year in Government support, the majority of which goes to manufacturers. We have put £370 million into the Technology Programme which
has supported 600 collaborative R and D projects and 19 Knowledge Transfer Networks since its launch in 2003.
Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE) and its predecessor RSA have provided 7,403 grants worth £2.6 billion, creating £21.6 billion of investment and creating/safeguarding 437,271 jobs from April 1997 to March 2006—around 80 per cent. of which are in manufacturing.
In 2004 (the latest year for which data are available), the UK attracted more inward investment projects (563) than any other EU country. France secured 490 projects.
According to a survey of 1,000 multinationals conducted by AT Kearney, the UK ranked fourth worldwide as a future location for direct investment (ahead of any other EU country). In comparison Germany was ninth, France was 14th, and Italy was 19th. 75,000 new jobs were created by direct inward investment into the UK in 2004-05.
Government have taken the lead by encouraging investment in R and D, creating incentives for companies to invest in their future. We introduced the R and D tax credit to promote investment and stimulate innovation. It has provided £977 million in support for SMEs, the majority of which has gone to manufacturers.
We have more than doubled the science budget to almost £3.5 billion a year—and half the DTI’s budget—for the last nine years.
Between April 2004 and January 2007 Advantage West Midlands has provided the following grants:
Regional Selective Finance for Investment (for manufacturing and service projects)—West Midlands region
Number of offers made—234
Number of jobs created—3,929
Number of jobs safeguarded—3,888
Amount of assistance—£42 million
There are no figures available for Coventry, South, however figures available for Coventry and Warwickshire are:
Number of offers made—27
Number of jobs created—676
Number of jobs safeguarded—435
Amount of assistance—£8 million
Grants for research and development—West Midlands
Number of offers—64
Amount of assistance—£4.8 million
Grants for research and development—Coventry and Warwickshire
Number of offers—18
Amount of assistance—£1,051,000
Grants for research and development—Coventry, South (FY 2005-06)
Number of offers—4
Amount of assistance—185,056
Advantage West Midlands has supported the University of Warwick Science Park Concepts Fund, effectively a proof of concept fund with business
support activity tacked on to it, and has also supported the Mercia Spinner Fund to encourage university spin outs.
Manufacturing is, and will continue to be, of huge significance to the West Midlands’ economy. By 2015, West Midlands’ manufacturing is expected to contribute 20 per cent. of the region’s gross value added (GVA)—the highest of any other UK region.
Medical Research Council
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, further to the answer of 17 October 2006, Official Report, column 1095W, references 93489, 93070 and 93218, on the Medical Research Council, when Professor Blakemore will write to the hon. Member for Hendon. [112683]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 19 December 2006]: I understand the Medical Research Council (MRC) has now sent a reply to you.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he was first informed of the most recent forecasts of the commercial revenues of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; and if he will make a statement. [118368]
Malcolm Wicks: The NDA provide regular information to the Department about expenditure on their nuclear decommissioning and clean-up programmes as well as forecast commercial income. The NDA's Annual Report and Accounts 2005/06 and the draft Annual Plan for 2007/08 (which are available on the NDA website at www.nda.gov.uk) contain information on NDA commercial operations.
Mr. Hands:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate his Department has made of the overall cost to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of the closure of the THORP facility at the
Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant; and if he will make a statement. [118370]
Malcolm Wicks: The cost to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of the incident at the THORP Feed Clarification Cell is a commercial matter for the authority.
Nuclear Power Stations: Climate Change
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) discussions and (b) studies his Department has undertaken on the impact of nuclear power stations upon climate change; and if he will make a statement. [119819]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has had many discussions on nuclear power, some of which included impacts on climate change.
In the context of the Energy Review, DTI has considered a range of assessments covering the life cycle carbon emissions of generating electricity from nuclear power plants. Whilst approaches to assessment differ between individual studies, findings consistently demonstrate significant carbon emissions benefits from nuclear in comparison to fossil fuel plants. A useful summary of relevant studies is included at Annex A to the Sustainable Development Commission’s Paper 2: “Reducing CO2 emissions - nuclear and the alternatives”.
One NorthEast
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much One NorthEast spent in each local authority in the most recent year for which figures are available. [111756]
Margaret Hodge: One NorthEast manage their resources at a sub-regional level, working through sub-regional partnerships in Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley. This approach builds on coalitions of local partners, working together to allocate resources to projects across local authority boundaries. The following table sets out those allocations for 2005-06.
| £000 | |||||
| Northumberland | Tyne and Wear | Durham | Tees Valley | Total | |
Post Office
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2007, Official Report, column 734W, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Department has sufficient resources to meet the Government’s deadline of responding to the Post Office consultation within three weeks and one day of the end of the consultation period. [121089]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is capturing and considering responses to consultation as they arrive and has sufficient resource to meet the expected timetable of responding to the consultation in March.
Post Offices
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates the Ministerial Committee on the Post Office Network has met. [119239]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet, is generally not disclosed as
to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion. However, I can confirm that the Committee did meet in advance of the Statement to Parliament on 14 December 2006.
Post Offices: Redundancy
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he expects redundancy schemes for sub-postmasters to continue beyond 2010; and if he will make a statement. [121056]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government’s proposals for the Post Office network include an 18-month compensated closure programme of sub-post offices starting in summer 2007. Compensation for sub-postmasters will not be available beyond the end of the compensated closure programme.
Power Stations: Plymouth
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in the construction of an energy park at Langage, Devon, following the issuing of a licence by his Department. [120321]
Malcolm Wicks: Commencement of the earthworks began in October 2006 with further advance works to be performed during February to July 2007 and the main civil works commencing thereafter.
The success of the energy park is recognised as a significant economic asset to the local area and all efforts are being made to bring it on stream as soon as is practicable.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the construction of Langage power station to date; and when it will be completed. [120499]
Malcolm Wicks: The overall development has been subject to initial teething problems as is to be expected in a proposal of this size and complexity, and the main parties are seeking to resolve these matters.
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