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Patent Office
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff are currently employed in the Patent Office; and what are the staff projections for each of the next three years. [1199]
Mr. Ian Taylor: At the end of October 973 staff were employed at the Patent Office. Forecasts of staff levels are set out in the 1995 corporate plan, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Relevant figures are:
1996-97: 920
1997-98: 900
1998-99: 880
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to privatise the Patent Office, and if he will make a statement. [1201]
Mr. Taylor: I have nothing to add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the then President of the Board of Trade on 14 December 1994, Official Report, columns 657-58.
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the tender specifications applying to services to be contracted-out from the Patent Office. [1198]
Mr. Taylor: The specification for the London front office and facilities management are now at an advanced stage.
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade to what extent patent and trademark work currently undertaken within the Manchester offices of the Patent Office is included in the contracting-out specification which will apply to the marketing and information directorate. [1200]
Mr. Taylor: The Manchester office is not within the scope of any study of the marketing and information directorate. Its future is however under separate review. The legal requirement to maintain an office in Manchester ended with the implementation of the Trade Marks Act 1994.
21 Nov 1995 : Column: 77
Mr. David Porter:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he next expects to review the assisted areas map; if he will accept interim submissions from areas excluded in the last review; and if he will make a statement. [227]
Mr. Eggar:
The Government have no plans to review the assisted areas map during this Parliament. The European Commission imposes an overall ceiling on the percentage of working population covered by the assisted areas map. It is not possible to review the status of individual areas outside a full review.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the number of privately owned telephones by (a) region and (b) county; and if he will make a statement. [607]
Mr. Ian Taylor
[holding answer 20 November 1995]: At end March 1994 there were approximately 20.94 million residential exchange lines nationwide. Overall data by region and county are not held. Telephone ownership has risen in the United Kingdom from 78 per cent. per household in 1984 to 91 per cent. today. I share the objective of the Director General of Telecommunications to increase that figure still further.
In rural areas, access will be helped by use of the radio spectrum that was released recently.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what new proposals he has to increase research into and application of nanotechnology. [346]
Mr. Ian Taylor
[holding answer 20 November 1995]: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council manages a programme in nanotechnology which funds a variety of research in universities. The budget for new commitments by the programme was increased to £1 million per annum this year. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council funds a research project in nanotechnology but has no plans to increase its activity in this area.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the number of telephone connections cut off by British Telecom each year since privatisation; and if he will make a statement. [606]
Mr. Ian Taylor
[holding answer 20 November 1995]: That is a matter for BT. However, following a request from the Director General of Telecommunications, monthly figures for BT disconnections covering the period July 1994 to September 1995 have been placed in the Oftel library. These show average total disconnections of around 64,000 per month, and average net disconnections of around 26,000 per month--the net average excludes cases where customers were rapidly
21 Nov 1995 : Column: 78
re-connected after payment of bills. Responsibility for the provision of universal telecoms service falls to the Director General of Telecommunications, who has taken a close interest in all telecoms operators' policies towards disconnection. He is working to develop more innovative approaches to affordable and equitable access to telecommunications, where outright disconnection of service would form a last resort used only in cases of wilful fraud.
Valley Site, Rhydymwyn
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish and deposit in the Library the Drivers Jonas report of May 1994 on the valley site at Rhydymwyn, Clwyd. [596]
Mr. Boswell: A copy of the environment assessment of May 1994 which was prepared by Dames and Moore but which was commissioned by Drivers Jonas on behalf of the Ministry has been placed in the Library of the House today.
Fish Landings
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to restrict fish landings to specified ports and regions for fish to be sold through auction; and if he will make a statement on measures to stop black fish landings. [987]
Mr. Baldry: The fisheries departments devote substantial resources to detecting and preventing illegal landings and appropriate enforcement action is taken where there is evidence of illegal landings occurring. Designated ports and approved auction sales are among the additional control measures which are kept under review.
Fish Quotas
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the species which the Commission is proposing should be subject to quotas under the common fisheries policy. [1003]
Mr. Baldry: The following fish species are subject to quotas under the common fisheries policy:
Anchovy
Anglerfish
Atlantic Salmon
Blue Ling and Ling
Blue Whiting
Capelin
Catfish
Cod
Common Sole
Greenland Halibut
Haddock
Hake
21 Nov 1995 : Column: 79
Herring
Horse Mackerel
Mackerel
Megrim
Northern Prawn
Norway Lobster
Norway Pout
Plaice
Polar Cod
Pollack
Redfish
Roundnose Grenadier
Saithe
Sandeel
Sprat
Whiting
Acts of Parliament
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the Acts of Parliament and consolidation Acts that affect local government that have been introduced by his Department since January 1994. [30]
Mr. Boswell: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has introduced two Acts of Parliament since January 1994.
The Land Drainage Act 1994 amends the Land Drainage Act 1991 in relation to the functions of internal drainage boards and local authorities.
The Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 does not impose express duties on local government bodies, but any such body acting in the capacity of agricultural landlord or tenant will be subject to the provisions of the Act where applicable.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement as to the effects on the traditional British chocolate bar of the EU chocolate directive; and what is Her Majesty's Government's position on the directive. [1324]
Mr. Browning:
The existing EC Cocoa and Chocolate Products Directive, which was agreed in 1973, lays down, amongst other things, compositional standards for chocolate. Under this directive, the United Kingdom may manufacture, and sell as such, chocolate containing vegetable fat other than cocoa butter. The directive also specifies compositional standards for "milk chocolate" manufactured and sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland; this standard is different from that set for milk chocolate manufactured and sold in other member states.
The EC Commission is undertaking a review of this directive but has not yet placed a proposal before the Council.
Our objective is to see that the compositional standards in the new directive fully cover the wide variety of consumer tastes already established within the Community and that the directive ensures free circulation of all traditional styles of chocolate and chocolate products.
21 Nov 1995 : Column: 80
Mr. Ainger:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to revoke the approval for products containing carbaryl. [1218]
Mrs. Browning:
As announced on 7 November, the Government have accepted the advice regarding pesticide uses of carbaryl from the Advisory Committee on Pesticides. The ACP concluded that there was no cause for concern about the risk to consumers from the low levels of residues currently found in food. However, the ACP advised that action should be taken to reduce or remove long term exposure for the users of pesticides containing carbaryl.
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