§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the key functions of the Advisory Committee for the Joint Environmental Markets Unit; when the committee was established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairman and the secretary. [9631]
§ Mr. BattleThe Advisory Committee for the Joint Environmental Markets Unit, which comprises officials and business representatives, provides guidance to the joint environmental markets unit in fulfilling its role of helping to promote the UK environmental industry, especially with regard to overseas markets.
The committee was established following consultation between officials in Whitehall and first met in March 1994. Its chairman is currently Mr. Bruce Tremayne and the officials of JEMU provide the secretariat.
§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the key functions of the fuel cells advisory panel; when the panel was established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairman and the secretary. [9639]
§ Mr. BattleThe key function of the fuel cells advisory panel is to advise my Department on the strategies and plans for the advanced fuel cells programme—a sub-programme within the new and renewable energy programme. The panel was established in 1992 under ministerial authority. The chairman is Mr. Adrian Hyde of the energy technologies directorate, DTI, and the secretary is Mrs. Jackie Tagg of the energy technology support unit.
§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what are the key functions of the regional industrial development boards; when the boards were established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairmen and the secretaries; [9629]
(2) what are the key functions of the Industrial Development Advisory Board; when the board was established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairman and the secretary. [9636]
§ Mrs. RocheThe Industrial Development Advisory Board advises the Secretary of State on the exercise of her powers under sections 7 and 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982, "the 1982 Act". Those sections empower the Secretary of State to provide selective assistance, respectively for industry in the assisted areas and for industry generally. IDAB is appointed under section 10 of the 1982 Act and was previously appointed under section 9 of the Industry Act 1972. The main work of IDAB is to advise on individual applications for regional selective assistance when the grant sought is over668W £2 million. The smaller English RSA cases are considered by the seven non-statutory English regional industrial development boards.
The Scottish Industrial Development Advisory Board advises the Secretary of State for Scotland on the exercise of his powers under section 7 of the 1982 Act. SIDAB is appointed under section 20 of the Scottish Development Agency Act 1975. The main work of SIDAB is to advise on individual applications for RSA when grant sought is more than £250,000.
The Welsh Industrial Development Advisory Board advises the Secretary of State for Wales on the exercise of his powers under section 7 of the 1982 Act. WIDAB is appointed under section 13 of the Welsh Development Agency Act 1975. The main work of WIDAB is to advise on individual applications for RSA when the grant sought is over £250, 000.
The names of the chairman and members are published in the Industrial Development Act 1982 annual report, which is laid before the House every year. The current chairmen of the boards are as follows:
Name Board Sir Anthony Cleaver Industrial Development Advisory Board Mr. D. J. MacLeod CBE CA Scottish Industrial Development Advisory Board Mr. K Hodge OBE Welsh Industrial Development Advisory Board Mr. P. J. Tizzard South West Industrial Development Board Mr. D. K. Wilkinson Yorkshire and Humberside and East Midlands Industrial Development Board Mr. R. J. Dickens CBE DL West Midlands Industrial Development Board Mr. C. J. Fleetwood North East Industrial Development Board Mr. E. E. Anstee Eastern Industrial Development Board Mr. G. N. Elliott CBE North West Industrial Development Board Mr. A. Willett London and South East Industrial development Board Officials of the regional assistance directorate of my Department act as the secretariat of IDAB. Officials of the government offices for England, and of the Scottish and Welsh Offices, act as the secretariats for their respective boards.
§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the key functions of the Welsh Consumer Council; when the council was established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairman and the secretary. [9626]
§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsThe Welsh Consumer Council is a self-governing committee of the National Consumer Council, a company limited by guarantee established in 1975 to provide an independent, co-ordinated consumer voice. Establishment followed a 1974 White Paper, the statutory authority for Government funding of the NCC being section 20 of the Competition Act 1980. The WCC aims to further action to promote and safeguard the interests of consumers, to ensure that those who take decisions have a balanced and authoritative view of the interests of consumers before them and to insist that the interests of all consumers, including the inarticulate and disadvantaged, are taken into account. Although the WCC 669W is particularly concerned with issues of relevance to consumers in Wales as part of the NCC, its work is also of UK-wide significance.
The chairman of the WCC is currently Miss Beata Brookes whose appointment term runs to 30 September 1997. Its director is Dr. Nick Pearson.
§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the key functions of the energy advisory panel; when the panel was established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairman and the secretary. [9633]
§ Mr. BattleThe energy advisory panel was established in 1993, following a commitment by the then Government in their coal review to publish an annual energy report to provide information relevant to business and investment decisions. The panel was formed to advise on the interpretation of information in the report, and its implications for the way markets might develop in the future: and to advise on commissioning special studies, and offer advice on the exercise of responsibilities such as licensing. The panel has no statutory basis.
The current chairman is Sir Geoffrey Chipperfield; the secretary is Rob Potter, an official in DTI's energy policy and analysis unit.
§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the key functions of the Renewable Energy Advisory Committee; when the committee was established; by what authority; and if she will list the names of the chairman and the secretary. [9637]
§ Mr. BattleThe key function of the Renewable Energy Advisory Committee is to advise on the direction and priorities for my Department's new and renewable energy programme, including considerations of environmental appropriateness, economic applicability, and the relative priorities and value for money of those proposed projects within that programme.
The committee was established in 1985 under ministerial authority. The chairman is Mr. Godfrey Bevan, director, energy technologies directorate, DTI, and the secretary is Mrs. Grace Gordon of the energy technology support unit.