HC Deb 02 March 1999 vol 326 c696W
Yvette Cooper

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the pilot projects instigated by his Department since 1 May 1997, indicating the area in which each pilot took, or is taking, place. [72640]

Mr. Byers

Details of the pilot projects instigated by my Department since 1 May 1997 are set out in the table.

Pilot projects instigated by DTI since 1 May 1997
Description of the project Area covered
Investigation into the feasibility of introducing Intelligent Character Recognition Systems into Companies House. England and Wales (but restricted to nine regular presenters of documents)
Running a service whereby presenters of documents can file them electronically with Companies House using an approved software package (four packages approved to date). England and Wales
Providing access to images of all Companies House documents via the CH Direct service. Service piloted with 18 customers. Mainly in the UK, but also world-wide via the Internet.
A project to enable trade fair intermediaries to access the TradeUK National Exporters Database and the Export Sales Leads Service at overseas trade fairs via the Internet. World-Wide.
A project to pilot the Hints to Exporters series on the Internet, rather than through printed copies. World-wide.
Manufacturing for Biotechnology Initiative. A pilot initiative to raise awareness of manufacturing opportunities for biotechnology SMEs and to enhance manufacturing potential. National
Joint project with the British Jewellery and Giftware Federation to test the scope for trade associations to commission the chargeable export services delivered by British Diplomatic Missions worldwide on behalf of companies in their sector. National
Competitiveness and management organisation in SMEs. The pilot compares differences in management styles, then helps companies to choose the styles that suit their particular culture. East Midlands
A project to encourage market research companies to achieve British Standard BS7911. National
Capex Scoreboard. List of 500 UK companies' capital investment figures in comparison with 300 international companies for benchmarking purposes. National
Research on the innovation stories behind successful entrants for the Design Council's Millennium Products awards. Pilot interviews conducted nationally.
Pilot awareness campaign promoting the use of automatic identification technologies among SMEs. Hertfordshire
UK-Russia High Technology Forum. Aims to encourage technology transfer between Russia and some countries in the FSU with the UK. National
Joint project with North Nottinghamshire TEC and local Business Links to examine the challenge of delivering Level Two ICT skills to a mass market. North Nottinghamshire
Joint project with Merseyside SATRO and schools in Liverpool and Salford to examine whether DTI's CD-ROM based information on business best practice could be of value in an educational environment. Liverpool and Salford
Joint project with DfEE to identify the value that firms place on the skills of their workforce in 12 sectors. National