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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 13 November 1989
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Iraq (Arms)
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what investigations his Department has undertaken into the Matrix Churchill company and the possibility that the company is supplying parts to Iraq which could be used in ballistic missile development.
Mr. Redwood : All export licence applications are examined carefully. I have no reason to believe that the company has contravened United Kingdom export controls.
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what efforts he is making to prevent Iraq from acquiring in Britain defence technology which could be used to develop the Condor 2 ballistic missile.
Mr. Redwood : The Export of Goods (Control) Order includes items controlled in accordance with the United Kingdom's obligations under the missile technology control regime. Applications for licences to export controlled goods are carefully considered by the Departments concerned with a view to preventing exports to undesirable end users.
Foreign Exchange Transactions
Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will ask the director of the Office of Fair Trading to investigate the disparity between the margins quoted by the banks for commercial foreign exchange transactions and tourist foreign exchange transactions.
Mr. Forth : I am not aware of any concern on this matter, but if the right hon. Member has any evidence of anti-competitive behaviour by banks he should bring it to the attention of the Director General of Fair Trading.
Civil Service Dispersal
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any plans to relocate his Department's offices to the north- west of England ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Department has a programme of review of activities for possible relocation away from London and the south-east and the north-west is always considered along with other possible locations. We have no plans for relocation of units to the north-west of England at present. Announcements will be made as decisions are taken.
Paper and Board Industry
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the measures he is taking to assist the British paper and board industry.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are no assistance schemes specific to the paper and board industry as such, but companies in this, as in other sectors of the economy, may be eligible for assistance under various pan- sectoral schemes.
EC Telecommunications Directive
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why agreement was not reached on the European Community telecommunications directive known as the open market provision on 7 November ; whether Her Majesty's Government have assessed the proposals to be restrictive ; and if he will make a statement on the procedures now to be adopted by the Commission under article 90 of the treaty of Rome.
Mr. Forth : Proposals for a Commission directive under article 90 of the treaty and Council directive on a framework for open network provision (ONP) of telecommunications services were the principal items for discussion at the Telecommunications Council on 7 November.
The issue raised by the article 90 directive is whether the internal market in telecommunications is to be a liberal one or not. The aim of the directive under article 90 is to introduce competition into the Community market for all kinds of telecommunications services with the exception of network infrastructure and voice telephony. A majority of member states wish to limit the scope of the liberalisation envisaged in this directive. The Government strongly support the directive's policy, but have certain reservations about its legal base. The conclusions reached by the European Court of Justice in the case currently before it in respect of an article 90 directive issued in May 1988 on telecommunications terminal equipment will be relevant in this context.
Member states did not reach a common position on ONP because a significant minority including the United Kingdom, while acknowledging that the proposal as revised after consideration by the European Parliament is a substantial improvement on the original proposal, believe that further amendment is necessary to secure the right balance between harmonisation and liberalisation.
Company Directors (Disqualification)
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many directors have been disqualified from holding office in each year since the present law was introduced as a result of their conduct in connection with the management of an insolvent company ; and how many cases are pending.
Mr. Redwood : Since 28 April 1986 the Secretary of State has obtained the following orders under what is now section 6 of the Company Directors Disqualifcation Act 1986, based on reports from practitioners and official receivers in insolvency proceedings.