§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which directorships the head of the Construction Export Promotion and Materials Sponsorship Division holds. [56922]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Head of the Construction Export Promotion and Materials Sponsorship Division has been a Non-Executive Director of The Building Centre Group Limited since 21 January 1998. The appointment does not attract any remuneration and was considered and approved in advance by the Department.
The Building Centre is the major permanent exhibition and information centre for the UK building materials industry.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the countries the Minister for London and Construction has led trade missions to since 1 May 1997; which representatives of British industry accompanied him; and what business has been secured as a result. [56930]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe countries visited and the business representatives who took part are as follows:
251W252W 253W
Business representatives Poland—19 to 23 January 1998 Jan Bobrowski & Partners Consulting Engineers Aleksander Bobrowski CU Phosco Lighting Stephen Brickenden WS Atkins David Howell Gibb James Dawson Mott MacDonald Group Mario Donnetti Gardiner & Theobald Keith Rogers Biwater Treatment Phil Rudd & Richard Thomson Maunsell Ed Plewa Barlow Greeves Associates International Barlow Greeves Associates International Christopher Barlow & Gina Barlow Taywood Engineering Ray Elliott Tarmac Heavy Building Materials Overseas Simon Taylor Kvaerner Construction Cahit Atasoy McNicholas Construction Group Barry McNicholas Montgomery Watson Matthew Leonard Bovis Construction Group Henry Liszka Brown & Root Ian Chorlton Buro Happold Padraic Kelly Messrs Sandberg Neil Sandberg Ove Arup & Partners International Richard Thurlow PMI Polska SP. ZO.O. Alexander McMillan Philippines—16 to 19 March 1998 ABS Consulting Jim Ure ARC South Wales Chris Hobbs Ashurst Morris Crisp Clive Tucker Asia Halcrow Ian Rowden Cameron McKenna Julian Hill Conren International Bernard Dennis Dawson Construction Plant Asia Julian Dawson First Philipine Balfour Beatty Alistair Kennedy Franklin & Andrews (Hong Kong) Jeremy Newton Gibb Tony King H R Services Phil Pardoe HR Wallingford Group Dr. John Weare John Laing International John Lockwood Lagan Asia Pacific Peter Long Linklaters Simon Davies Mivan Mervyn McCall Mott MacDonald Group Dr. Bernard Waterworth Sterling Lloyd Matthew Sanderson Transport Research Laboratory Michael O'Connell Taylor Woodrow Construction Bruce Russell & John Chesworth Egypt—6 to 10 September 1998 WS Atkins International David Howell Balfour Beatty International Colin Ostler British Arab Commercial Bank Mohamed Fezzani British Consultants Bureau Rory O'Connor British Standards Institution Tom Harland British Steel Gareth Reece Conren International Bernard Dennis Ecocolour Paul Paschali & Roger Lord Enron International John Bannerman EC Harris John Bacon High-Point Rendel Nelson Ogunshakin HR Wallingford Group Stephen Huntington John Laing International Cairo James Lawday Kvaerner Cementation Foundations Colin Courtney Llewelyn Davies Kenneth Cooke Montgomery Watson Peter Lawrence Mott MacDonald International Tony Emes Ove Arup & Partners Keith Seago & Johnny Ojeil Parkman Roger Pearce John Reid & Sons Rollo Reid Sterling Lloyd Mehrdad Paykazani Stramit International John Mosesson Taylor Woodrow Construction Dennis MacDaid Thames Water International Dreda Gaines United Bank of Kuwait Christopher Somes-Charlton WRC (Water Research Centre) Stephen Ramsey Wintersgill & Faulkner Matthew Wintersgill
Business representatives Brazil—12 to 16 October 1998 Anglian Water International Harry Rowlands Bovis Brasil Denis Carter & Ossie Falconar Kvaerner Ramon Coo & Charles Hardeman Linklaters Edmundo Nejm Taylor Woodrow Construction Bruce Russell Thames Water International Cesar Seara & Emilio Gabbrielli British Consultants Bureau Nigel Peters Buro Happold Padraic Kelly Control Risks Mark Sorby, Joshua King & Robert Froudie High Point Rendel Derek Fletcher IMC Group John Hughes Kennedy & Donkin David Colvin Knight Piesold Peter Garratt Lindapter International Ian Larner Mott MacDonald Don Moore Ove Arup Partnership Ray Crane Individual Consultant Robert Dowding No limit was placed on the number of companies able to participate in these trade missions and every company which expressed an interest in taking part was given the opportunity to do so.
Securing contracts in construction and civil engineering can be a very protracted business and it is rare for orders to flow quickly or solely as a result of contacts made during trade missions overseas. There is no obligation on the part of participating companies to report contracts won or under discussion. However, feedback from the accompanying business representatives has been consistently positive about the value of the information they have gained on markets and particular opportunities and about the number and quality of the business contacts that have been established.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which British companies the Construction Export Promotion and Materials Sponsorship Division has been able to assist with securing orders abroad since 1 May 1997; and if he will list the materials which have been exported as a result. [56932]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Construction Export Promotion and Materials Sponsorship Division provides assistance to exporters in a variety of different ways including trade missions, briefing seminars, publications and market reports. Press reports of the Division's activities, such as trade missions, can also be instrumental in alerting companies to particular markets and opportunities. Exporters will use this information alongside that provided by other organisations, such as Overseas Trade Services, to form a view about market opportunities and whether to pursue particular export orders. It is not therefore possible to provide a list of British companies which have been assisted in securing export orders by the Division's activities alone or of the materials which have been exported as a result.