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3 Apr 2003 : Column 790W—continued
Fur Imports
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what customs classifications apply to animal furs being imported into the country; and if she will make a statement; [105357]
- (2) how many fur pelts have been imported under the customs classification of other fur since January 2000; and if she will make a statement. [105356]
Ms Hewitt: The commodity headings used, since 2000, for classifying animal furs being imported into the United Kingdom are given in the table. The classification is based on the Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System, which incorporates the Combined Nomenclature of the European Communities. Within the UK, responsibility for the classification lies primarily with HM Customs and Excise.
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| Commodity | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 43011000 | Raw furskins of mink, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43012000 | Raw furskins of rabbit or hare, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | (a) |
| 43013000 | Raw furskins of lamb, the following: Astrakhan, Broadtail, Caracul, Persian and similar lambs, Indian, Chinese, Mongolian or Tibetan lambs, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43014000 | Raw furskins of beaver, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | (a) |
| 43015000 | Raw furskins of muskrat, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | (a) |
| 43016000 | Raw furskins of fox, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43017010 | Raw furskins of whitecoat pups of harp seal and of pups of hooded seal (blue-backs), whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43017090 | Raw furskins of other seal, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43018010 | Raw furskins of sea otter or of nutria (coypu), whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43018030 | Raw furskins of marmot, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43018050 | Raw furskins of wild felines, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43018090 | Other raw furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | (a) |
| 43018095 | Other raw furskins (including rabbit, hare, beaver or muskrat), whole, with or without head, tail or paws | (b) |
| 43019000 | Raw heads, tails, paws and other pieces or cuttings, suitable for furriers' use | |
| 43021100 | Tanned or dressed furskins of mink, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021200 | Tanned or dressed furskins of rabbit or hare, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | (c) |
| 43021935 | Tanned or dressed furskins of rabbit or hare, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | (d) |
| 43021300 | Tanned or dressed furskins of lamb, the following: Astrakhan, Broadtail, Caracul, Persian and similar lambs, Indian, Chinese, Mongolian or Tibetan lambs, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021910 | Tanned or dressed furskins of beaver, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021920 | Tanned or dressed furskins of muskrat, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021930 | Tanned or dressed furskins of fox, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021941 | Tanned or dressed furskins of whitecoat pups of harp seal and of pups of hooded seal (blue-backs), whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021949 | Tanned or dressed furskins of other seal, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021950 | Tanned or dressed furskins of sea otter or of nutria (coypu), whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021960 | Tanned or dressed furskins of marmot, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021970 | Tanned or dressed furskins of wild felines, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021980 | Tanned or dressed furskins of sheep or lambs, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43021995 | Other tanned or dressed furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | |
| 43022000 | Tanned or dressed heads, tails, paws and other pieces or cuttings, suitable for furriers' use | |
| 43023010 | "Dropped" furskins | |
| 43023021 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of mink | |
| 43023025 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of rabbit or hare | |
| 43023031 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of lamb, the following: Astrakhan, Broadtail, Caracul, Persian and similar lambs, Indian, Chinese, Mongolian or Tibetan lambs | |
| 43023035 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of beaver | |
| 43023041 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of muskrat | |
| 43023045 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of fox | |
| 43023051 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of whitecoat pups of harp seal and of pups of hooded seal (blue-backs) | |
| 43023055 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of other seal | |
| 43023061 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of sea-otter or nutria (coypu) | |
| 43023065 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of marmot | |
| 43023071 | Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of wild felines | |
| 43023075 | Other whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped" |
Notes:
From 2002, the four codes indicated by (a) were replaced by the one code indicated by (b). Changes such as these are negotiated as part of the continuing process of international harmonisation of customs codes negotiated at the World Customs Organisation and at EU level in the General Rules Committee. Also from 2002, the code indicated by (c) was replaced by the code indicated by (d).
UK imports of fur classified under "other" categories, since January 2000, in metric tonnes, are given in the table. In 2002 imports of furs classified as "other" were
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a third lower than in 2000 and nearly 90 per cent. lower than in 2001, despite including some additional products, as described under note (e) to the table.
| Commodity code | Description | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | January 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43018090 | Other raw furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | 9.5 | 859.0 | (e) | (e) |
| 43018095 | Other raw furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | (e) | (e) | 27.4 | 2.4 |
| 43021995 | Other tanned or dressed furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws | 129.2 | 66.6 | 60.6 | 3.2 |
| 43022000 | Tanned or dressed heads, tails, paws and other pieces or cuttings, suitable for furriers' use | 3.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| 43023075 | Other whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped" | 24.0 | 24.8 | 20.1 | 0.4 |
(e) Until 2001, raw furskins of rabbit or hare, beaver and muskrat were separately identified. Since 2002 any imports of these products would have been included under code 43018095 as explained in notes concerning commodity codes (a) and (b) in the previous table.
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Iran
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total value of (a) exports to and (b) imports from Iran were in the last year for which figures are available. [106132]
Nigel Griffiths: The value of UK exports in 2002 was £402 million; imports were worth £36 million. These statistics are published by HM Customs and Excise in the December 2002 issue of OTS1, Overseas Trade Statistics, UK Trade with Countries Outside the European Community.
Iraq
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which British companies have (a) tendered for and (b) been awarded (i) contracts and (ii) sub-contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq. [105124]
Ms Hewitt: We wish to see UK companies play a substantial role in the humanitarian and redevelopment process in Iraq. We understand that a number of UK companies are pursuing contracts for post-conflict redevelopment work. It would not be appropriate to name individual companies.
Medical Research Council
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what plans she has to assess the working practices of the Medical Research Council; and if she will make a statement; [106247]
- (2) what plans the Medical Research Council has to fund future alpha rated research projects; [106246]
(3) what plans the Medical Research Council has made to increase funding for research into obstetrics; and if she will make a statement; [106249]
(4) what plans she has to assess the funding and management of the Medical Research Council. [106248]
Ms Hewitt: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is internationally renowned for its promotion of excellent medical research. Its core mission is to support research that will have an impact on human health. Everyone is in agreement that it does this very well.
The Office of Science and Technology (OST) has processes in place to review the planned activities of all the Research Councils. Each council, including the MRC, submits an annual Operating Plan which sets
3 Apr 2003 : Column 794W
out their planning and funding assumptions for the following year. The MRC will be publishing its 2003–04 Operating Plan on its website in due course.
Some of the recommendations and conclusions of the Select Committee report on the MRC issued on 25 March related to management and planning. We will be responding in detail to the recommendations of the SC report in due course and as part of this will consider what additional elements we might need to introduce in this specific case into the standard monitoring and reporting processes that we have with Research Councils in order to address the issues identified.
OST recognised some time ago that the processes underpinning the ability of the MRC to make a judgment of the financial implications of forward commitments could be improved. OST have been working with them to address this and are pleased with the progress made to date.
The MRC does not normally earmark funds for particular topics: research proposals in all areas will compete for the funding available. The MRC spent an estimated £19.1 million in 2001–02 on its reproductive health portfolio. Reproductive health research includes normal and abnormal fetal and placental development and growth, as well as conditions affecting pregnancy and childbirth.
The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards will continue to be made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.
In respect to funding alpha rated research projects, it is not possible to anticipate the number of applications MRC will receive, nor what the outcome of the subsequent peer review and rating will be at this stage in the cycle. However, set out as follows is a table representing the MRC's current estimate of the value of awards MRC will be making over the coming session:
Estimates for funding for sessions 2003–04 to 2005–06
These figures reflect the estimated value of awards which the MRC could make for the session which runs September to July as a useful guide to applicants. Alpha rated research projects would be included in all but the third row of the table. Whole life award values are the total value of awards. (A grant of £1 million per annum would show as a total of £5 million in the table). They do not represent MRC's annual expenditure on awards.
| 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provision for renewals of existing long-term investments (grants and units), to meet anticipated demand | 65 | 105 | 180 |
| Career Establishment Grants | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Training/Career Development: Fellowships and studentships | 39 | 40 | 41 |
| SR2002 specific initiatives | 0 | 45 | 105 |
| All other new awards | 30 | 29 | 38 |
| Totals | 140 | 225 | 370 |
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These estimates are necessarily very approximate since final totals still depend critically on the mix of awards made from the different forms of MRC support and assume no other change in MRC's circumstances or calls on its budget.
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