§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what initiatives the Government are taking to promote United Kingdom engineering design during their Presidency of the EU. [41104]
§ Mr. BattleAs well as the on-going promotion of design by the Design Council and Business Link, during the term of the UK Presidency the Government have promoted the best use of design, including engineering. Most recently, on 2 April my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister launched the `powerhouse::uk' exhibition in London. Funded by DTI as a showcase of British design and creativity, the exhibition was timed to coincide with the second ASEM Summit, attracting some 20,000 visitors over a two-week period, and included examples of world class UK engineering.
£ million 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 UK exports of services Malaysia 258 311 441 602 591 636 966 1,310 1,190 1,160 1,206 Thailand 207 281 429 417 466 475 664 749 835 974 862 Argentina 10 13 14 35 70 119 179 229 234 332 487 Brazil 348 305 339 320 339 273 415 525 675 847 1,028 Venezuela 158 178 125 205 167 189 227 197 179 180 204 Peru 49 31 30 29 33 31 33 45 58 63 86 Zambia 75 86 119 93 63 65 74 45 50 52 46 Tanzania 92 89 93 85 73 79 109 89 87 82 77 Egypt 342 289 296 298 283 252 337 369 384 431 499 UK imports of goods Malaysia 397 526 676 776 914 1,104 1,397 1,204 1,489 2,381 2,026 Thailand 239 321 444 484 635 643 772 914 1,040 1,188 1,222 Argentina 65 66 99 144 136 125 141 171 252 285 270 Brazil 637 740 817 720 766 886 904 919 987 983 955 Venezuela 92 77 111 102 100 138 126 134 204 189 157 Peru 92 91 126 97 84 92 126 113 123 130 148 Zambia 30 25 22 19 22 7 12 13 19 18 32 Tanzania 26 27 23 26 21 21 26 22 27 29 33 Egypt 127 164 213 145 136 137 188 252 247 282 270 UK exports of services Malaysia n/a 227 244 272 271 315 358 404 454 580 n/a Thailand n/a 171 196 225 230 201 233 260 338 335 n/a Brazil n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 192 209 218 258 266 n/a UK imports of services Malaysia n/a 81 167 180 177 137 163 188 194 220 n/a Thailand n/a 115 161 178 141 172 210 216 273 274 n/a Brazil n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 49 56 63 68 73 n/a Notes
Figures for trade in goods are on an Overseas Trade Statistics (OTS) basis. Figures for trade in services are on a Balance of Payments (BOP) basis.
Figures for trade in services are available only for approximately forty of the UK's largest trading partners and generally only from 1988. Information for many of the countries requested is not available. Services data for 1997 will be available in August 1998.
Sources:
Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, HM Customs & Excise
Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics (MRETS), ONS
UK Balance of Payments, The Pink Book, ONS