§ 17. Mr. J. H. Osbornasked the Minister of Technology what arrangements have now been made between the Atomic Energy Authority and British industry to promote the export of capital equipment and ancillary products; what will be the annual cost attributable to his Department; and whether there will be any commission or income to offset this cost, based on "know-how" given, or plant and equipment exported.
§ Mr. ShoreThe U.K. Atomic Energy Authority and the three nuclear consortia have set up a joint organisation known as the British Nuclear Export Executive to co-ordinate sales presentation and promotion of British reactor systems in overseas markets. The Authority's contribution to the first year's cost of B.N.X., is provisionally estimated at £24,000. The Authority will stand to gain from the stimulation of overseas orders by reason of increased fuel business and by royalty income from the use of the Authority's "know-how" and patents.
§ Mr. OsbornCan the hon. Gentleman state whether this is Britain's answer to the high-pressure salesmanship of Westinghouse, General Electric and other firms in the export field? Is he satisfied that this organisation will be effective and competitive? What is the basis of Government finance, and who pays if the agency makes a loss?
§ Mr. ShoreI cannot yet say that I am fully satisfied with this new organisation, because it has only just been created. We shall certainly be watching its progress. Basically, its job is to exercise a co-ordinating function in respect of overseas inquiries and orders. The main work of preparing tenders will devolve upon the individual consortia and upon the A.E.A. itself, and their expenditure under these headings will be considerably larger than the relatively small expenditure for the B.N.X. organisation as a whole.
§ 18. Mr. J. H. Osbornasked the Minister of Technology if he will tabulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the value by industrial category of the main items of exports in the atomic energy industry for each of the six-month periods ended 30th June, 1966, 31st December, 1965, and 30th June, 1965, respectively; what has been the total value of goods and products exported in each of these periods, respectively; what firm contracts and orders are on hand at the present time; and if he will estimate the value of exports expected in each of the next two six-monthly periods.
§ Mr. ShoreThe appropriate extracts from the trade statistics will be tabulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT. Comprehensive forecasts of exports are not possible on present information, but discussions are going on with a number of prospective buyers of reactor systems.
§ Mr. OsbornWhat effect will B.N.X. have on this position? Is it too early to predict whether it will have a marked effect?
§ Mr. ShoreI think that it is really too early to predict this. The B.N.X. organisation will be mainly concerned with large orders for reactor systems, whereas the information which the hon. Member seeks and which is to be published in the OFFICIAL REPORT is mainly 1375 concerned with smaller components, isotopes, and other products of the atomic industry.
§ Mr. David PriceWill the Parliamentary Secretary bear in mind that the Americans are doing their best to knock the A.G.R., saying that the boiling-water reactor is better? Will he see that we send out the toughest salesmen we have
| UNITED KINGDOM EXPORTS | |||
| £'000 | |||
| 1965 | 1966 | ||
| Commodity | Jan.-June | July-Dec. | Jan.-June |
| Radio-active and associated materials— | |||
| Fissile chemical elements and isotopes; other radio-active chemical elements and radio-active isotopes; compounds inorganic or organic, of such elements or isotopes, whether or not chemically defined; alloys, dispersions and cermets, containing any of these elements, isotopes or compounds— | |||
| Inorganic— | |||
| Artificially produced isotopes and inorganic compounds thereof | 281 | 218 | 353 |
| Other | 770 | 154 | 178 |
| Organic | 155 | 84 | 154 |
| Isotopes and their compounds, inorganic or organic, whether or not chemically defined, not elsewhere specified | 29 | 10 | 24 |
| Compounds, inorganic or organic, of thorium, of uranium depleted in uranium-235, of rare earth metals, of yttrium or of scandium, whether or not mixed together | 111 | 139 | 158 |
| Uranium depleted in uranium-235, thorium, and their alloys (including waste and scrap), unwrought or wrought, and articles thereof | 18 | 5 | 17 |
| Nuclear reactors and parts | 238 | 858 | 340 |
| Total | 1,602 | 1,468 | 1,224 |
§ NOTE: Figures for industry earnings in the nuclear field are not extractable from statistics. Much of industry's nuclear work is submerged in the activities covered by other broad headings in the trade statistics.