§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the last occasion on which a Government Minister led a trade delegation to(a) Mexico, (b) Morocco, (c) Mozambique and (d) Namibia; and what future trade delegations are planned. [76547]
§ Mr. Wilson(a) The last Government Minister to lead a trade delegation to Mexico was Lord Laing of Dunphail when President of the Board of Trade in October 1996.
593WI will be taking a trade delegation in June this year. Other trend mission planned are as follows:
Month/Year May 1999 General trade mission led by Wolverhampton Chamber of Commerce September1999 Healthcare mission led by London Chamber of Commerce October 1999 General trade mission led by the Latin America Trade Advisory Board November1999 General trade mission led by the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland (b) The last ministerially-led trade delegation to visit Morocco was in December 1997 (a water mission led by the Under-Secretary of State for Social Security, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) the then Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
Two trade missions to Morocco are planned:
Month/Year September 1999 Business Link, Barnsley March 2000 Nottingham Chamber of Commerce (c)There have not been any ministerially-led mission to Mozambique. There are plans for three trade missions to visit Mozambique:
Month/Year February 2000 Business Link, Gloucestershire February 2000 British Water Date to be announced London Chamber of Commerce (d) My hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche) when Minister for Small Firms, Trade and Industry, led a delegation to the Southern Africa Trade and Investment Conference held in Namibia between 24 and 27 July 1998.
There is a trade mission in Namibia at present. No others are planned.
§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the last occasion on which a Government Minister led a trade delegation to(a) Belarus, (b) Bolivia, (c) Botswana, (d) Cambodia and (e) Chile; and what future trade delegations are planned. [76523]
§ Mr. WilsonThere has been no recent ministerially-led trade delegation to Belarus or Botswana and none is planned in the near future.
Lord Fraser of Carmyllie led a trade mission to Bolivia in November 1996 and I am planning a visit at the end of May 1999. A trade mission run by the Energy Industries Council will also visit Bolivia in May 1999.
There have been no recent ministerially-led trade delegations to Cambodia and none is planned in the near future. The British Electro Technical and Allied Manufacturers Association are planning a trade mission in November 1999.
594WLord Clinton Davis led a trade delegation to Chile in September 1997. The following trade missions are planned:
Month/Year Trade International Northern Ireland April 1999 Northern Development Company May 1999 British Electro Technical and Allied Manufacturers Association June 1999 Southern Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce/BL North Derbyshire September 1999 Birmingham Chamber of Industry and Commerce November 1999 British Chilean Chamber of Commerce November 1999 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry March 2000
§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the last occasion on which a Government Minister led a trade delegation to(a) Pakistan, (b) Panama and (c) Paraguay; and what future trade delegations are planned. [76553]
§ Mr. WilsonThe last Government Minister to lead a trade delegation to Pakistan was my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) in January 1998, when President of the Board of Trade. This year trade delegations from Business Link Sussex (March), the Society of British Gas Industries (April), Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce (September) and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce (October) will visit Pakistan.
Sir Martin Laing, BOTB Chairman, led a small delegation to Panama in May 1998. LATAG, the Latin American Trade Advisory Group will be taking a mission to Central America, including Panama this July.
The right hon. Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer) led a trade delegation to Paraguay in 1993. There are plans for Mid-Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce (July) and the British Argentine Chamber of Commerce to visit this year.
§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the last occasion on which a Government Minister led a trade delegation to(a) Georgia, (b) Ghana, (c) Guatemala and (d) Honduras; and what future trade delegations are planned. [76532]
§ Mr. WilsonThere have been no recent ministerially-led missions to Georgia. There are no planned trade missions to that country.
Lord Fraser of Carmyllie led a trade mission to Ghana from 3–5 March 1996. The following trade missions to Ghana are currently planned:
Date Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce 6–18 June 1999 Birmingham Chamber of Commerce 9–23 September 1999 London Chamber of Commerce February-March 2000 There have been no recent ministerially-led trade delegations to either Guatemala or Honduras and none is planned. A trade mission run by LATAG, the Latin American Trade Advisory Group, will visit Central America in July 1999; Guatemala will be one of the countries visited.
595W
§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the last occasion on which a Government Minister led a trade delegation to(a) New Zealand, (b) Nicaragua, (c) Nigeria and (d) Oman; and what future trade delegations are planned. [76550]
§ Mr. WilsonThe information is as follows:
New Zealand
There have been no recent ministerially-led trade delegations to New Zealand. However, New Zealand has been visited by many UK Ministers, including the previous Minister for Trade.
My Department plans to support nine trade missions to New Zealand in the financial year 1999/2000:
Date Association of British Healthcare Industries 12–14 July 1999 Business Link Sussex 6–10 September 1999 Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry 27–29 September 1999 North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry 13–15 October 1999 Australia and New Zealand Trade Advisory Committee 17–19 November 1999 Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and Industry 2–5 February 2000 Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry 14–18 February 2000 Business Link Shropshire 20–22 March 2000 Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry 13–15 March 2000 Nicaragua
There have been no recent ministerially-led trade delegations to Nicaragua.
My Department has no plans to support any trade missions to Nicaragua in the financial year 1999/2000.
Nigeria
The present Minister for Trade led a trade delegation to Nigeria from 14–16 December 1998.
My Department is planning to support four trade missions to Nigeria in the financial year 1999/2000:
Date Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce and Industry 6–18 June 1999 Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry 9–23 September 1999 Energy Industries Council 29 November-3 Dec 1999 London Chamber of Commerce February-March 2000 Oman
The last occasion on which a Government Minister led a trade delegation to Oman was in October 1996.
My Department is planning to support four trade missions to Oman in the financial year 1999/2000:
Date Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce 22–24 May 1999 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry 25–27 September 1999 Business Link West 8–17 February 2000 Middle East Association 6–8 March 2000