What action he is taking against market distortions that result in consumers having to pay more for products in the United Kingdom than in the rest of the European Union. [86490]

Before I answer my hon. Friend's question, may I say what a great pleasure it is to see the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Mrs. Browning) at her new post as spokesperson for trade and industry? I am sure that it is well deserved. She has always displayed a remarkable independence of spirit. Her views and hostility to the euro, for example, make those of her leader, the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague), seem Solomon-like in their measured judgment.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Many of my constituents in Kettering know that they are paying over the odds for many of the goods that they purchase—not just cars, but many other consumer goods. I welcome and applaud the steps that my hon. Friend is taking to give higher priority to consumers—unlike the previous Government, who talked an awful lot about market forces and competition, but failed miserably when it came to taking action in the interests of the British consumer.

We are absolutely determined that where there has been a weakness in the supply of statistics, it will not be filled by sometimes worthy and sometimes less worthy speculation in the press about rip-off Britain and so on. When I took on my present job, I was extremely surprised to discover that there were no mechanisms for comparing prices. We are determined to put them in place so that the people of Britain know whether, in international market comparisons, they are paying higher rates than they should for the goods that they purchase.

Is not the major market distortion due to the extra burden of taxation and new regulation from the Government, which feeds directly through to consumer prices? Instead of hearing speeches about red tape, why do we not see some action from the Government to reduce the biggest burden on business, which is the Department of Trade and Industry?

I am still hacking my way through the red tape that the hon. Gentleman left when he was in government. Such comments are a bit rich, coming from a party that ran this country for 18 years, during which time car manufacturers referred to the UK as "Treasure Island." The Conservative Government did very little to drive down prices or increase competition. Our Competition Act 1998, which kicks in from March next year, will ensure that there is no price fixing and that there are no cartels and no mergers that are designed to distort markets. With increased competition, we will see prices fall.

I am pleased that the Government are taking tough action on behalf of the consumer. Our achievement in getting record low inflation is the best thing that a Government can do for the consumer.

I cannot comment on the investigation being conducted by the competition authorities into the ice cream market. It is an important market and a sensitive issue. However, we have engaged in talks with the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission to ensure that there are proper time limits and that those limits are assessed and adhered to with proper rigour, so that companies are not kept waiting, jobs are not put in jeopardy and the innovative efforts of companies are not sabotaged.

Does the Minister think that the massive increases in diesel duty levied by his Government, which have increased the price of diesel by 21 per cent. since the Government came to power, and which have added enormously to the cost of transporting food and consumer goods, have helped or hindered consumers in what they pay for products in the United Kingdom?

I had discussions recently with a number of companies, which told me that that increase was not a great hindrance to prices and competition. We have an extremely efficient transportation system in the UK and it is well used. Given that the previous Government introduced the fuel escalator, it is a bit rich for the hon. Gentleman to ask such a question now.

If he will make a statement on progress made by the oil and gas industry task force. [86492]

The oil and gas industry task force is making good progress. We intend to finalise our proposals in July and publish a full report in September. I am confident that the work that has been done during the past few months will make a significant impact on the future prospects of the UK's oil and gas industry both at home and in export markets.

The establishment of the task force has been welcome, demonstrating, as it does, the Government's commitment to the offshore oil and gas industry. Does my hon. Friend agree that the main challenge facing us is to ensure that it remains economically viable to exploit the remaining 20 or 30 years'-worth of reserves which exist in marginal fields? Is it not important that investment continues to support jobs and the valuable storehouse of expertise and innovation that Britain has built up? To that end, will he urge the Chancellor to avoid taking a narrow fiscal view of the North sea tax regime and to ensure that we have a framework that will encourage further investment?

I congratulate my hon. Friend on recently forming an all-party group on the oil and gas industry. Our fiscal regime is recognised as one of the most helpful in the world, particularly at a time when oil prices have been low. The task force's role is to ensure that the 30,000 people who work offshore, and the 300,000 people throughout the industry who support it onshore, remain in employment even when the oil price is low. The key to delivering that is to consider all aspects of training, the fiscal regime, regulation and licensing and, in particular, innovation and new technologies. We obtain oil and gas in the incredibly difficult circumstances of the rough terrain in the North sea and our expertise remains world class. We continue to build on that expertise in the North sea even in a low-cost environment, and that will allow us to continue winning jobs abroad.

With regard to the gas industry, are the Minister and task force aware of the important fact that there is no proposed energy tax in Belgium, France, Norway or Sweden, and that that which applies in Germany carries a substantial rebate for important energy sectors? If so, will he reflect on the damage that is being done to our industry? Given that British Steel estimates that the proposed climate change levy will increase gas prices by 40 per cent. in the United Kingdom, will the hon. Gentleman tell the House when he will stop helping our competitors and start helping British businesses and British consumers?

The climate change levy proposals are out for consultation and representations are being made now. There is much comment on their impact, some accurate, some over-hyped. I recall the 1996 and 1997 Budgets. In 1996, the Conservative Government, without any notice, slapped an intangible cost tax on the North sea which priced out precisely the developments that we wanted. It was the hon. Gentleman's Administration who made things more difficult. We have consulted and said let it be, and the industry feels that there is a good tax regime for oil and gas exploration offshore. That contrasts markedly with the previous Administration's approach. The Opposition have somewhat short memories of the damage that they did when they were in government.

If he will make it his policy to take powers to enable him to reduce telephone charges for schools, volunteer organisations and residential users of the internet; and if he will make a statement. [86493]

The Government's policy is to make fast and affordable internet access available as widely as possible, and competition is the best way to deliver that. It drives innovation, reduces prices and increases choice, and we are now seeing the beneficial results of that in the UK internet market.

I am almost lost for words, which is frustrating. I thank the Minister for that, but I hope that he will not put too much trust in competition to keep prices down. The rigorous and vigorous watching of cable and telecommunication providers should continue because, as more and more people seek to exploit the internet for recreational and learning purposes, it could be a licence to print money for those people unless there is intervention by the various agencies referred to and by government.

I thank my hon. Friend for such a useful question and such a useful contribution to the debate.

What plans he has to increase the number of business advice services in rural areas. [86494]

In March we announced the setting up of the Small Business Service, which will provide a strong voice for small businesses at the heart of Whitehall and help to improve the quality and coherence of the delivery of support.

I welcome my hon. Friend's remarks and, like me, he will welcome the launch this afternoon of the rural audit conducted by the rural group of Labour Members of Parliament, which has been well-reviewed in today's press. Among the many issues that it highlights is the need for job creation in rural areas and, although we obviously congratulate the consortium of rural training and enterprise councils on the much good work that it has done, we emphasise the need for additional resources in rural areas and, in particular, more localised help and specific assistance with IT, planning and marketing. When the Minister visits my constituency tomorrow, would he perhaps make a statement on how that assistance could be brought to bear?

I am looking forward to my visit to Stroud tomorrow, and I welcome the findings of the report that my hon. Friend and his colleagues have put together, which I am sure will make a valuable contribution. We are deeply aware of the needs of rural areas, and we have made a specific commitment to rural regeneration. For example, there is an identified rural regeneration element in the single regeneration budget, and I am sure that we will not let down my hon. Friend and all our rural colleagues.

I, too, congratulate the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Mrs. Browning) on her new post on the Opposition Front Bench.

Of course we will do that; it is part of the process on which we have been embarked since March, when we announced the establishment of the SBS. The hon. Gentleman obviously has certain views on that and we look forward to hearing about them in more detail.

It is our experience in Northern Ireland that the rural economy has suffered significantly, particularly because of the difficulties in agriculture. Will the Department give us a commitment that it will put pressure on planners throughout the United Kingdom to facilitate change-of-use applications for redundant farm buildings, which would make it easier to establish new businesses in the rural economy? It is our experience that people have great difficulty when applying for change of use to establish businesses and it would certainly help if the Department exerted such pressure on planners to help the rural economy.

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. We know that planning can be a key issue, particularly for small businesses. We are setting up the SBS precisely because we want to make sure that the views of small businesses on that and other issues are heard clearly in Whitehall when policy is made. When the hon. Gentleman sees the consultation document he will realise how determined we are that those issues are discussed properly in Whitehall and that all policies think small first.

I thank both the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs and the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Cotter) for their kind words. At least, I think they were kind words. I am disappointed that the Secretary of State is not present; I understand that he is in Japan, and I hope that he is securing some British business there.

He is scared of the hon. Lady.

I must say that, when I was shadowing the Secretary of State as an Education and Employment spokesman, we had one or two sparring matches; but if I had to come back and haunt any member of the Government, there is no one whom I would wish to haunt more than the right hon. Gentleman. I look forward to seeing him on future occasions.

I welcome the hon. Lady to her new responsibilities. I am well aware of the issue that she has raised—I have received representations in my constituency from farmers who are clearly concerned about the outcome—and I can tell her that an announcement will be made shortly. As I am sure she will understand, I cannot go further at this stage, but I assure her that the Secretary of State considers the issue to be very important.

If he will make a statement on the significance that energy policy has in the Government's social exclusion agenda. [86495]

Given that more than 5 million households in the United Kingdom are spending over 10 per cent. of their incomes on fuel bills, fuel poverty is a serious matter. It is a crucial aspect of the social exclusion agenda, and we are tackling it. I had a meeting with the industry on 18 May to press it to take action, and to develop and pool ideas for best practice. I also pressed the regulator to present a revised social action plan to deal with fuel poverty, so that all consumers—not just those who have access to good deals by means of direct debit—benefit from competition.

Is my hon. Friend aware that Scottish Power and MANWEB—the Merseyside and North-West electricity board—have introduced pilot schemes, along with the Energy Action Grants Agency, to help low-income consumers to spread their payments and weatherproof their bills? Those organisations have distributed more than 100,000 low-energy light bulbs through Age Concern. Surely that is a serious contribution to the social exclusion agenda.

I know of the scheme to which my hon. Friend refers. It includes not only specific packages for low-income families, but advice on benefits, budgetary advice and the supply of fuel on terms that give such families an extra deal: lower bills, along with fixed weekly payments at an agreed rate. That is a very good offer.

One of the most dramatic ways in which to be excluded from society is to be made unemployed. Ninety-seven per cent. of goods in rural areas are transported by diesel-powered vans and lorries, and haulage businesses throughout the country are making workers redundant because of the Government's energy policies. When will they wake up to the real damage being done to real people on the ground?

I know that the main question is on fuel poverty, but I do not mind widening the debate to a discussion of social exclusion because I remember when we were losing a company every three minutes under the Tories. I remember unemployment escalating then, not only in urban but in rural areas. A total of 400,000 new jobs have been delivered under our Government. We have a new deal to put people back into work that reaches all Britain. The hon. Gentleman's party set up the regulation mechanism for gas and electricity, according to which only price mattered. I look forward to Conservative Members' support when we introduce a Bill on energy which acknowledges that tackling fuel poverty and recognising environmental responsibilities are important to the generation of new jobs and combating social exclusion.

I congratulate the Government on the work done so far on fuel poverty, but does the Minister agree that one of its key causes is the standing charge, because it is inevitable that low-income households pay disproportionately more for their gas and electricity than the rest of the population? Will he assure the House that he will continue to press the regulator to tackle the inequities of that system?

I agree with my hon. Friend about standing charges. He may know that we have already asked the regulator to examine, for example, the wide regional variations in charges. Some companies do not have a standing charge, but low-volume customers can pay a high price.

If he will make a statement about the abatement in respect of the minimum wage payable where an employer provides full board. [86497]

Following the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission, there is no offset allowed for the provision of board when calculating whether the national minimum wage has been paid. There is a limited offset of up to £19.95 a week allowed against the national minimum wage to recognise the benefit of the provision of accommodation.

Is the Minister of State aware of the thousands of seasonal jobs that are provided for young people and students by activity holidays, and of the disaster now faced by the industry? In his tour of the country, when he will reconnect with his core supporters, will he check whether he can find accommodation at £20 quid a week anywhere in the country?

I would be delighted to travel around the country and to talk to the 2 million people who have already benefited from the national minimum wage. The hon. Gentleman's "let them eat cake" attitude is out of date. If someone has to remain on his employer's premises to the benefit of that employer, that person should receive a minimum wage as well as accommodation and food. That is why the recommendation is set out as it is.

My right hon. Friend will be aware that the introduction of the national minimum wage faced two great challenges: one political and one in implementation. The political one was made by the Conservatives, who said that it would destroy jobs and create inflation. The second referred to employers paying the fair wage. My right hon. Friend may choose to comment on the spectacular failure of the Opposition's scare stories, but I ask him to say what efforts are being made to ensure that the fair wage is being paid and properly enforced.

I thank my hon. Friend for his comments, and assure him that we have the world's most professional and organised system of minimum wage enforcement. Before 1 April, nine out of 10 employers indicated their total support for the minimum wage, and 40 per cent. of them were already paying it. Since then, I have had to have detailed discussions with 1,200 employers about non-implementation of the minimum wage, and half of them immediately implemented it and apologised for their failure in not doing so before. About 300 of the remaining 600 employers are still being investigated. Only this week, however, a media company had to repay £750,000 to its employees in wages backdated to 1 April.

Why does the Minister have such a blinkered and belligerent approach to the specific question on abatement of the minimum wage when full board is provided? I have a constituent who runs an activity holiday company, and he tells me that, because of the Government's approach, he can no longer offer a job to the young people and students who usually man his United Kingdom sites, but that he is able to continue employing young people and students abroad, where the minimum wage is implemented more flexibly and realistically.

The hon. Lady should know that her constituent's employees, if they are 16 or 17-year-olds, do not qualify for the minimum wage, although people who are not in training will qualify for it. The sector that she mentioned is not losing jobs, but has a shortage of potential employees—because some of the employers are absolutely miserly and want people to work for them for nothing. That is no longer possible, however, because the Government have introduced the national minimum wage, which has been supported by the overwhelming majority of employers.

What assessment he has made of the scientific and industrial advances that have resulted from Britain's participation in the European Space Agency. [86498]

The United Kingdom has a world-class scientific community in several major spheres of space research, not least Earth observation. Our scientists have played an important part in the European Space Agency's Soho satellite, which has extended our knowledge of the sun's energy dynamics. Last week, my noble Friend the Minister for Science announced that ESA had selected a United Kingdom proposal to study the thickness of Earth's ice sheets as the very first mission in its new earth science research programme, living planet.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. I am sure that he will agree that last week's announcement demonstrates the importance of working with our partners in Europe in the European Space Agency, and the benefit of positive leadership in Europe. However, he and other Trade and Industry Ministers will be aware that I have made representations, and even led a delegation to the Department, about closure of the site at Filton. Will he confirm the assurances that we have been given that, when the transfer is made to Portsmouth and Stevenage, every attempt will be made to ensure that none of the workers or expertise available at Matra Marconi Space will be lost, particularly in space vehicle construction and Earth observation? There have also been many assurances that every attempt will be made to find employment for those who choose to stay in the Bristol area. Will he ensure that those attempts are made?

My hon. Friend champions the industry in the House, and knows well that ESA membership provides a very wide range of opportunity for both British industry and our scientific and technological community to develop our expertise in Earth observation, which is crucial in the practical work of tackling the challenges of environmental pollution, for example. Although, as he said, the work being done at Filton by Matra Marconi Space—which is a world leader in the design and manufacture of advanced communications satellites, and in every development in the Earth observation market—will be transferred to Stevenage and Portsmouth, the British National Space Centre has received assurances that Matra Marconi Space's expertise in Earth observation will be maintained. It is important to remember that the units are being relocated, not disbanded.

What financial and other assistance his Department makes available to assist the assessment and commercial evaluation of inventions by British nationals. [86499]

A large part of the Department of Trade and Industry's work is to create an environment in which good ideas can be converted into innovative products and services. We have worked closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to develop the national endowment for science, technology and the arts, known by its unglamorous acronym NESTA. One of its programmes is designed to promote invention and innovation.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply and commend the fresh emphasis on encouraging inventors. Will he focus particularly on the local lone inventor, often working in his garden shed, who feels isolated? I am not making this up, because I have two examples in my constituency. Will my hon. Friend encourage chambers of commerce, industry and trade to offer initial mentoring services to such inventors, perhaps even before they have applied for patents, to ensure that the hundreds of thousands of inventions that are patented every year, on which people have spent a lot of time working, are given proper assessment? We do not want to let things out of the front door only to have to buy them later through the back door.

My hon. Friend is right. Now that Business Links can deal with sole traders through its personal business advisers and innovation and technology counsellors, we have an opportunity to take up some of my hon. Friend's proposals. The NESTA programme will capture those people, and not before time.

I am a little disappointed that the Minister made no reference in his reply to the Government's backing for the idea of an academy of inventors—which has been proposed for the purpose that he has mentioned—led by my constituent Trevor Baylis, the inventor of the clockwork radio. Is the Department investigating the role of invention promoters, which are mainly American companies that are here to take cheaply—in effect, to steal—the ideas of British inventors? Some of them are under investigation in the United States for possible criminal charges.

Mr. Baylis, the hon. Gentleman's constituent, has met my hon. Friend the Minister for Energy and Industry several times. His proposals are being encompassed in the NESTA arrangements. The hon. Gentleman makes an important point about American companies making incursions into this country looking for innovations. The problem is not just Government quangos. It has to do with private enterprise, banks and the way in which venture capital works in this country. We are not entrepreneurial or innovative enough and our financial back-up arrangements are not designed to promote start-ups as they should be.

My question has been partly answered, because I intended to ask about Trevor Baylis and the academy of inventors. Trevor Baylis's idea is that patenting, intellectual property rights and very expensive matters of which inventors have no experience could be provided free by the academy. Will my hon. Friend elaborate on how NESTA could help to develop that capital?

My hon. Friend the Minister for Energy and Industry is meeting the organisation of inventors as well as Mr. Trevor Baylis to try to bring some cohesion and co-ordination to the issue. I am keen that we should begin to advertise the recent price reductions of the Patent Office in Newport. We have reduced costs for inventors and new patents by more than 18 per cent. We now have one of the most robust and least expensive patent systems anywhere in the world, and that is a great boon for British science and invention. I will ensure that the progress that has been made continues.

The question asks about assessment and commercial evaluation. The Minister will know that when all the other questions have been asked in the evaluation of a product the last test is whether that product can be brought to market profitably. In the light of the comments in the press today about the Competition Commission, will the Minister assist me—as a new member of the Conservative Front-Bench team—and outline the Government's attitude to profitability in certain sectors? If today's reports are correct, and we are to have companies dissected in open session, will the Government eventually determine what is an acceptable profit level within business sectors? Nothing will kill innovation quicker than such a policy.

I heard the news about the Competition Commission's proposals and I asked what they would mean. They will not mean that companies have to give up commercial information, but they will affect transparency of prices—something in which I am very interested. I would like to know why certain branded goods are sold in this country at much higher prices than those at which they are sold in comparable markets in America or the European Union. British consumers have a right to know how much the mark-up is and how much more they are paying than if they bought those products in France, Germany or America. The best companies will be glad to tell consumers why that is.

Depending on whether the questions are asked in open session—I do not challenge whether the questions should be asked—the consequence of the proposals must be that eventually the Government will make some public announcement about what they deem to be an acceptable profit level in an industry or sector and what they deem to be excessive. Suppose that someone has made a real breakthrough in innovation. That has happened throughout our history and it is how big moves forward happen in the introduction of products to the market: some new technology suddenly allows a new company, sometimes a very small one, to make a product that allows it to make what might be termed a big profit. Will we have benchmarks for profits? That would stifle innovation and would mean that people would go abroad to make products that should be made in this country. The Government must have some idea how they intend to handle the information when it is available.

There is no intention to set benchmarks for prices. I recognise the need for companies to have flexibility and targets which cannot be judged by civil servants in Whitehall, still less by politicians in this Chamber. The Competition Commission's proposals, as I understand them, will relate only—in the first instance—to its inquiry into car prices. That is a sufficiently big and controversial subject to allow such tactics to be used if the commission is to arrive at something like the truth. It will want to know about a wide range of variables in that pricing equation. The open sessions will not be mandatory and companies will not have to give up confidential, commercially sensitive information, but they will have an opportunity to put the record straight publicly. That cannot be bad for anyone.

What account he has taken of representations received from the IT industry in framing his policy on e-commerce. [86501]

We work extremely closely with the industry in developing our e-commerce policies. Let me give just three examples: we listened to industry concerns about key escrow, and have announced that our e-commerce Bill will contain no such requirements; my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced in the Budget that, as recommended by industry, he was introducing tax breaks aimed at encouraging companies to provide their employees with personal computers for use at home; and three weeks ago, following a recommendation from the IT industry, we announced the launch of a major initiative to raise the e-commerce skills of small business advisers, which we are implementing in close partnership with BT, Intel, Microsoft and Compaq.

Is my hon. Friend aware of the industry's widespread hostility to the previous Government's proposals for the compulsory registration of encryption codes, and will he confirm that the Government have rejected any such proposals?

I can confirm that key escrow will be no part of our e-commerce Bill; I am indeed aware of the industry's widespread hostility to the proposals.

If we are not to have compulsory registration of encryption codes, can the Minister assure us that we will find a balance between allowing people to access and do business on the internet by e-commerce and maintaining security and safeguarding the information that is available? Is the Minister following the developments of the e-commerce directive being considered by the Council of Ministers and will he ensure that there is no conflict between the Bill and the directive?

I am happy to say that I can give an assurance on all those matters. Our proposals will be compatible with European legislation. Of course we are concerned to ensure that the needs of the law enforcement agencies are met as well as the needs of the rapid roll-out of e-commerce, which is to the overall benefit of this country. That is as far as I can go at the moment, so I hope that the hon. Lady can wait to see the details when we publish the e-commerce Bill.

Mr. White.

E-commerce is underscored first by the local loop cost of a telephone call and secondly by the server technology. BT controls 85 per cent. of local loop costs and 90 per cent. of the servers are in America. If we cannot have free local calls, we cannot develop an e-commerce economy, and if the servers are in America, we cannot collect corporation tax. What does my hon. Friend intend to do about that?

I understand my hon. Friend's concern. It has been voiced before in the House: there was recently an Adjournment debate on this very subject. Oftel has been holding consultations on precisely this issue and it will announce the results and recommendations shortly. I will have to see those before I can comment further.

I called Mr. White and Mr. Wyatt stood up, so I shall call Mr. White again.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I can offer my hon. Friend comfort on all those points. We are taking steps to ensure that we are the best environment in the world for e-commerce. The e-commerce Bill is only the beginning of a series of initiatives. I will give further details in due course, when we are ready to announce them.

What representations he has received on his plans for setting up the Small Business Service. [86502]

There has been a range of inquiries in response to the initial announcements about the Small Business Service by my right hon. Friends the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. I have had meetings with small business organisations and other interested parties. A formal consultation document will be published shortly.

Does my hon. Friend accept that there is considerable scope for the use of information and communication technology in improving access to information for small firms? What consideration is he giving to making forms, registration documents and contracts available through the SBS electronically, from day one?

I thank my hon. Friend for that important contribution. It is crucial for all small businesses to get hooked up to digital networks as soon as possible. There are enormous advantages in cost and in terms of dealing with bureaucracy, as my hon. Friend suggested. That is why, in the modernising government White Paper, we have suggested a range of initiatives to help small businesses in that way. We have pledged that 25 per cent. of Government services will be available electronically by 2002, and that 100 per cent. will be so available by 2008.

If he will make a statement about the impact on seasonal workers and employers of the working time directive. [86504]

There has been no specific assessment of the impact that the regulations will have on seasonal workers. A regulatory impact assessment of the costs and benefits resulting from the implementation of the working time regulations has been made, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House.

After Southend's verdict last week that it wanted to be in Europe but not run by Europe, is the Minister aware that many businesses there are suffering as a result of the Government's policies? The problem is so bad that I shall meet the Minister for Small Firms, Trade and Industry shortly to try to secure assisted area status for Southend. The impact of the bureaucratic costs incurred by Southend businesses as a result of the hasty introduction of the directive means that many people are suffering. Will the Minister undertake to conduct a study into the effects of the working time directive on the viability of businesses in Southend?

The hon. Gentleman is the most celebrated seasonal worker in Britain. He travels every day between Basildon and Southend.

I assure my hon. Friend the Minister that I have not met anyone—in Basildon, Southend or anywhere else—who opposes the principle of the working time directive. Is not the absolute principle that it is wrong to force people to work for more than 48 hours in a week one that any decent, civilised society should accept?

I agree with my hon. Friend. Perhaps we should ask the hon. Gentleman, a part-time Tory MP running between Basildon and Southend, how many weeks' paid holiday he will take this summer. Business supports the Government in the introduction of the measure. The Government gave a commitment last year that the regulations would be allowed to bed down to ensure that they operate effectively. That is what we are doing and what we shall continue to do, but the fact remains that the Tories are opposed to paid holidays for workers in Britain.

What plans he has to support companies engaged in the manufacture of diesel engines. [86505]

The Government are providing support to develop diesel engine technology in a number of different sectors, not least through the science budget. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is providing £1.15 million to fund research covering diesel engine development, and an additional £1.2 million for research into the general development of the internal combustion engine.

I welcome that reply, as far as it goes. I draw the Minister's attention to a company in my constituency, Paxman Alstom, which is suffering because orders from the privatised rail industry and the Ministry of Defence have fallen. I urge the Minister and his colleagues in his Department and in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions to implore the rail companies to invest more in new diesel locomotives. Will he also urge the Ministry of Defence to place its orders with British manufacturers?

The Paxman division of Alstom Engines manufactures compact high-speed diesel engines for a wide variety of uses, including commercial, naval marine, high-speed rail traction, off-road, onshore and power generation applications. We are keen that its technological expertise should be enhanced and developed, and that purpose underpins our science and engineering programme. In making appropriate representations to the Ministry of Defence and other Departments on where to place their contracts, the DTI highlights technological expertise and the impact on jobs

Pursuant to his oral answer of 6 May 1999, Official Report, column 1073, on Libya, what conclusions he has come to in relation to restoration of Government services, following the suspension of United Nations and EU sanctions. [86506]

I am pleased to announce that within the limits of resources available, Government services to exporters to Libya are being restored following the suspension of United Kingdom and European Union sanctions. British Trade International is taking a proactive role in collating and making available market information on Libya, both on paper and through the internet, just as it does for all our other trading partners.

I have been deeply involved in the case of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. Is not the case so complex that the time has come for a ministerial visit?

Normalisation cannot occur while a young police officer has been murdered on our streets in uncertain circumstances. We have a duty to find out the truth of that murder and to find the guilty parties.

What action he is taking to promote a more entrepreneurial culture among academic scientists. [86507]

I refer my hon. Friend to the competitiveness White Paper published last December. A number of initiatives set out in that paper will help academic scientists to become more entrepreneurial, including the £25 million science enterprise challenge, which will create up to eight university centres to equip scientists and engineers with entrepreneurship and business skills.

I welcome that response. Will my hon. Friend congratulate Bristol university on becoming one of the 12 that have succeeded in the first round of the bid for the science enterprise challenge?

It says here.

Does my hon. Friend agree that helping universities to develop long-term strategies for interaction with business is good for individuals, the economy and Britain?

Who wrote that one out for the hon. Lady?

I congratulate Bristol university on a tremendous achievement that builds on the great reputation of the university, a reputation that does not deserve to draw heckling from the right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth). For too long, the UK has been adept at locking away intellectual capital in our universities, rendering it commercially redundant. The Government are determined to break with the past, and to see companies spin off from our universities in the way that they should have done long ago. The indolence of the Conservative party during its long years in Government wasted many of our innovative and entrepreneurial skills. That will not happen under our Government.

What assessment he has made of the number of people entitled to annual leave as a result of the working time directive. [86509]

The entitlement to paid annual leave is available to all workers, apart from those in sectors currently excluded from the working time directive—namely, those involved in transport, sea fishing, and other work at sea and doctors in training. When the regulations came into force on 1 October 1998, it was anticipated that 2.5 million workers would benefit for the first time from an entitlement to leave.

One key to implementing the working time directive fully will be to ensure that people are fully aware of their entitlements. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to see that people know what the directive entitles them to? In view of his earlier remarks, will he reassure my constituents that they will not be forced to spend their annual leave in the company of the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess)?

I defend the landladies of Southend. I have visited Southend on numerous occasions and I would welcome the opportunity to have a few days off and a break there. Unfortunately, Ministers are not covered by the working time directive.