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Continence Services
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS in the last five years for which figures are available on (a) primary care continence services, (b) secondary continence care, (c) prolapse operations and (d) continence, related problems. [98654]
Mr. Hutton: Information on continence services is not available centrally. Local health authorities through primary care groups are responsible for commissioning continence services to meet the needs of their local population. The National Health Service Executive is reviewing continence service policy and plan to issue updated guidance shortly.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Ministerial Responsibilities
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out the respective ministerial responsibilities for the engineering profession and the engineering industry within his Department. [98622]
Mr. Byers: Responsibility for the engineering industries and the profession is shared by my hon. Friends the Minister for Small Business and E-Commerce and the Minister for Competitiveness.
Repression of Terrorism
Mr. Reed:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the list of equipment which might be used for internal repression of terrorism in Annex 1 of EC Council Regulation No. 2158/99 of 11 October regarding Indonesia will be used generally in respect of countries where there are human rights concerns. [98488]
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Dr. Howells:
The majority of items in Annex 1 to Council Regulation EC No. 2158/99 of 11 October 1999 are entered in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, (EG(C)O or in Group 2 of Part I of Schedule 1 to the EG(C)O. Any application for a licence to export them would be assessed against the criteria announced by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 28 July 1997, Official Report, columns 65-66W and the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports.
The export of the following items in the Annex is not generally subject to control whether from the UK or from other EU member states:
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what actions he will take to prevent mortgage advisers charging non-returnable arrangement fees on loans not proceeded with. [98747]
Dr. Howells:
Under Section 155 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the excess over £5.00 of a fee or commission charged to an individual by a credit-broker ceases to be payable or becomes refundable if no credit agreement results from an introduction arranged by the broker within six months.
Mortgage advisers satisfy the definition of "credit broker" in the Act if they introduce mortgage lenders to people who want a mortgage to buy a home.
If a credit-broker did not comply with this provision, the Director General of Fair Trading would take this into account when considering the broker's fitness to hold a consumer credit licence. The Director General has shown that he is ready to revoke licences where he considers such action necessary to protect consumers.
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has reached agreement with the European Commission on the definition of enterprise grant areas in England; and if he has defined aid measures to which these areas might be entitled. [98679]
Mr. Caborn:
The definition of enterprise grant areas in England is not subject to Commission approval. We are however, currently seeking European Commission approval of the criteria for the Enterprise Grant Scheme in England due to start on 1 January 2000. Details will be published in the Scheme brochure which will be available from Government Offices and Business Links.
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Dr. Whitehead:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms based in (a) Southampton, (b) Newcastle, (c) Hull, (d) Sheffield, (e) Rotherham, (f) Manchester, (g) Dover, (h) Bristol, (i) Bath, (j) Sunderland, (k) Birmingham and (l) Leicester exported goods and services to the EU; and what was the value of goods exported to the EU from each town or city. [98573]
Mr. Caborn:
The information requested is not available in the form requested, and to do so would involve disproportionate cost.
Ann Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if companies that export oversize handcuffs and other such restraining equipment are required to keep records of serial numbers, destinations and end-users as part of the export licensing process; and what reports he has received about the sale of leg cuffs, manufactured in the United Kingdom. [98536]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 22 November 1999]: I understand that under Regulation 9 of the Customs Traders (Account and Records) Regulations 1995, all exporters are required to maintain records of all exports made for a period of four years, whether or not an export licence was required.
I am of course aware of the reports concerned and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has already said that officials are pursuing the allegations concerned.
Ann Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will provide details of the export licences his Department has issued for the export of handcuffs listed in the two Annual reports on Strategic Export Controls. [98539]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 22 November 1999]: Inquiries are being made under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. As confidential information is involved, the parties concerned will be asked if they object to its disclosure and this can take some time. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible, and place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.
Ann Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what meetings there have been between officials from his Department and the Defence Manufacturers Association Export Licensing Group over the last two years; if these meetings discussed export licence controls relating to restraint equipment; and if he will publish the minutes of these meetings. [98537]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 22 November 1999]: Since 2 May 1997 there have been three meetings between officials of the Export Control Organisation and members of the Defence Manufacturers Association Export Licensing Group on 22 April and 23 November 1998 and 26 May 1999; another meeting is due to take place on 25 November. No formal minutes are taken by my officials, and the meetings provide an opportunity for the Association to discuss informally a broad range of procedural issues, principally matters relating to the introduction of the ELATE computer-based application
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form in March 1999 and organisational changes within the Export Control Organisation. The meetings are not intended to serve as a forum for the discussion of Government policy with respect to the export of particular goods or exports to particular destinations and there has not been any discussion of the ban on the export of leg irons and other equipment that has been used in torture announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 28 July 1997, Official Report, columns 65-66W. It should also be noted that many applicants for export licences are of course members of the Defence Manufacturers Association and, as such, are from time to time in contact with officials in the Export Control Organisation about the progress of their applications.
Ann Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what exports there have been by (a) the Crown Agents and (b) other export licence exempt agencies of oversize cuffs, Big Brutus cuffs or jumbo cuffs since 1991. [98538]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 22 November 1999]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) on 1 February 1999, Official Report, column 503W.
Ann Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the licences his Department has granted for the export of oversize cuffs, Big Brutus or Jumbo Cuffs since 1991; and if he will provide in each case details of the destinations, amounts, supplier companies and end-users. [98829]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 22 November 1999]: The export of handcuffs with a maximum overall dimension which when locked exceeds 240mm was made subject to control by the Export of Goods (Control) (Amendment Order 1992), which came into force on 9 March 1992.
helmets not specially designed for military use
fingerprint equipment
power-controlled searchlights
hunting knives
construction equipment provided with ballistic protection not specially designed for military use
certain communications intercept devices
depending on the specification, some night vision and thermal imaging equipment
certain image intensifier tubes and solid state sensors.
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