§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the projects and amount of Government aid which have been given to Czechoslovakia since 1989.
§ Mrs. ChalkerUnder the know-how fund, which was extended to Czechoslovakia in March 1990, we provided some £2 million in 1990–91 and expect to spend up to £6 million in 1991–92. For details of the projects supported I refer to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) on 18 June 1991 at column93. Additional activities agreed since then are as follows:
Financial services and macroeconomic advice
Title: Assistance for Privatisation.
Description: A team of privatisation advisers from Ernst and Young, Schroders and Denton Hall are advising on privatisation policy and implementation.
Status: An ongoing programme of assistance of which the latest phase has just been agreed.
Cost: £738,000.
Title: Training courses for the State Bank.
Description: Courses on banking procedures run by the Bank of England.
Status: Underway.
Cost: £10,000.
Title: Training on bank-lending, credit analysis and credit control.
Description: Six two week courses on the basic principle and skills involved in lending decision making and credit control for staff of various Czechoslovak banks.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £100,000.
Title: Banking Training Adviser.
Description: An adviser to be based at the Prague offices of the State Bank to advise on training needs, policies and programmes for all banks in Czechoslovakia.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £50,000.
Title: Assistance to the Slovak General Credit Bank.
Description: A short training programme to raise the level of ability in international banking operations at the Slovak General Credit Bank.
Status: Underway.
Cost: £38,000.
Title: Assistance to Obchodni Bank.
Description: A treasury management specialist to advise on 679W the organisation and staffing of the Obchodni Bank's treasury department.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £60,000.
Title: Assistance to the Slovak State Insurance Company.
Description: A five day course, by the Chartered Insurance Institute's College of Insurance, on management development.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £5,000.
Title: Assistance to the insurance sector.
Description: Advice on the restructuring of the Slovak State Insurance Company.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £185,000.
Title: Assistance to Komercni Bank.
Description: Advice on international trade finance.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £27,000.
Title: Assistance to Prague Stock Exchange.
Description: A training programme by the London Stock Exchange in conjunction with D. C. Gardner, for members of the newly established Stock Exchange in Prague.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £50,000.
Title: Assistance to the Prague and Bratislava Stock Exchanges.
Description: Advice to the organisers of the Stock Exchange in Prague and the one in Bratislava.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £100,000.
Title: Assistance to Investicini Bank.
Description: A treasury management specialist to advise on the organisation and staffing of the bank's treasury department.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £85,000.
Title: Assistance to Agrobanka.
Description: A short-term consultancy to advise on corporate strategy and organisation.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £20,000.
Title: Training for Slovak Securities Market.
Description: A training course for Securities Market intermediaries.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £50,000.
Title: Assistance to Slovak General Credit Bank. Description: A programme of training for members of the newly established fund management subsidary. Status: Under way.
Cost: £130,000.
Title: Voucher Privatisation—Secondary Market Study.
Description: A study to analyse existing resources to cover the privatisation programme.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £150,000.
Employment services
Title: Training of trainers in labour market assessment and analysis.
Description: A training course for Job Centre managers and directors, organised by the Department of Employment, in labour market assessment and analysis.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £12,000.
Title: Seminar on employment and training policy.
680WDescription: A two day seminar on training needs in a restructuring economy, organised by the Department of Employment.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £8,000.
Title: Management training in the employment sector.
Description: Training courses run by the Department of Employment for Job Centre Directors and their deputies.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £4,000.
Title: Industrial Relations.
Description: A visit to the United Kingdom by officials from the Federal and Republic Ministries to discuss industrial, employment and trade union policy.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £5,500.
Title: Assistance with health and safety at work.
Description: Three projects run by the Health and Safety Executive for Czech and Slovak Labour Inspectors, and officials from the Office of Occupational Safety and the Occupational Safety Research Institute.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £23,000.
Management training and small business advice
Title: Assistance to small business development. Description: Pilot project by B'nai B'rith to advise existing small businesses on how to utilise their potential.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £40,000.
Title: Management training development.
Description: A distance learning package on management training, developed by the Open University in conjunction with the City University of Bratislava.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £220,000.
Title: Enterprise Education Seminars.
Description: A three day seminar by Department of Employment officials and leading representatives from the business/education world to explain the concepts of enterprise education with a view to implementing longer term programmes of assistance.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £12,500
Title: Management training and development programme.
Description: A three part programme of training and consultancy aimed at strengthening the capacity of selected management training institutions, management trainers and senior managers.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £740,000.
Title: Enterprise Europe placement programme Description: Placement programme for selected young Czechoslovak managers with small firms in Britain.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £25,000.
Title: Industrial training programme
Description: Programme of attachments to United Kingdom firms for some 40 Czechoslovak managers organised jointly by the CBI and the British Council.
Status: To be Implemented
Cost: £200,000
Environment/Energy
681WTitle: Environmental Liaison Centre.
Description: The establishment of an umbrella organisation for various non-governmental environmental bodies.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £42,000.
Title: Training for Natural Gas Buyers:
Description: A short training programme, organised by British Gas; on the purchasing of gas on the open market for Czech and Slovak natural gas buyers.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £10,500.
Title: Pricing and restructuring the electricity industry.
Description: Provision of advice and assistance to the Czechoslovak government on the implementation of changes to their electricity sector.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £32,000.
Title: Restructuring the coal industry.
Description: An initial visit to determine the requirements of the Czech government in respect of their restructuring programme in the coal indus-try.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £4,000.
Title: Retraining in the coal sector.
Description: A study visit to the United Kingdom, organised by British Coal Enterprises.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £8,500.
Title: Restructuring the coal industry.
Description: A 2–3 week consultancy by British Coal Enterprises to advise the OKD enterprise on the establishment of a job creation and outplacement subsidiary.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £25,000.
Title: Assistance to the Water Research Institute.
Description: A programme of assistance by the United Kingdom Water Research Centre to improve management of water resources, waste water, environmental engineering and science.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £20,000.
Education, ELT, Publishing and Broadcasting
Title: Assistance to Slovak TV.
Description: To ascertain requirements for organisational changes at Slovak TV.
Status: Completed.
Cost: 1,500.
Title: Assistance to the Czech Bar Association.
Description: To advise on the establishment of a specialist legal publishing house.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £15,000.
Title: Assistance to Barrandov Film Studios.
Description: To ascertain the requirements for improving management structure in readiness for privatisation of the studios.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £1,800.
Title: Assistance to Slovak Television.
Description: A restructuring programme.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £35,000.
Public Administration/Local Government
Title: Assistance to Federal and National Statistics Offices.
Description: A programme of assistance involving secondments to the United Kingdom and visits to 682W Czechoslovakia by specialists from the United Kingdom Governmental statistical services.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £54,000.
Title: Assistance to local government.
Description: A three year programme of assistance, through the Institute of Local Government Studies, to help the Czechoslovaks in their local government reform programme.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £383,000.
Political projects
Title: Placement scheme for officials from the Czech and Slovak Ministries of Justice.
Description: A one month long placement scheme on commercial law organised by Queen Mary and Westfield College.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £3,000.
Title: Assistance for Czechoslovak parliamentarians.
Description: A seven day seminar, organised by the Great Britain/East Europe Centre, on all aspects of parliamentary practices and procedures for 12–14 newly elected parliamentarians from the Czechoslovak Federal Assembly.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £15,000.
Title: Assistance to the Czechoslovak News Agency.
Description: A programme of placements with United Kingdom media organisations for four key personnel of the Czechoslovak News Agency.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £3,000.
Title: Assistance to ZTS Martin.
Description: A pilot project to advise on quality improvement and stock reduction.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £40,000.
Other projects
Title: Information Technology.
Description: An appraisal mission to identify the needs in this sector with a view to providing some form of assistance.
Status: Completed.
Cost: £15,000.
Title: Information Technology.
Description: Two seminars designed to help information technology decision makers to understand key issues in the building of information systems.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £45,000.
Title: Restructuring State farms.
Description: A pilot project to advise the Czech Ministry of Agriculture and the Vlasim State farm to make the transformation to a market based operation.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £150,000.
Title: Seeds Course.
Description: A training course for officials and technical experts in production and marketing of agricultural and horticultural seeds.
Status: To be implemented.
Cost: £65,000.
Title: Agricultural Land Management.
Description: The preparation of an initial study to advise on the best ways to create and manage a system of private ownership, occupation and use of 683W agricultural and other rural land.
Status: Under way.
Cost: £50,000.