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Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much his Department spent on official hospitality in 1994-95 and the financial year to date; and
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what is the 1995-96 projected budget for official hospitality. [5578]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The cost of hospitality for my Department, including agencies, was £712,309 in 1994-95. Figures for this financial year up to 30 November are £411,047.
The projected budget for 1995-96 is £734,657.
Data Protection
Mr. Cohen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what occasions certificates under section 27 of the Data Protection Act 1984 were signed by a member of his Department; for how long each certificate was valid; and in what circumstances personal details held by his Department can be used for the purpose of safeguarding national security. [5336]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Inquiries completed in the time available indicate that no exemptions under section 27 of the Data Protection Act 1984 have been signed by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade in the period since the reply by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Energy, 15 April 1993, Official Report, column 707. If my further inquiries reveal that exemptions have been authorised during that period I will respond further to the hon. Member. In accordance with section 27 of the Act, a certificate may be signed by the President if an exemption is required for the purpose of safeguarding national security. Such a certificate is conclusive evidence of the fact that exemption is, or at any time was, required.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Cousins: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff in his Department worked in other Departments before June 1995; and if he will list the departments. [4818]
Mr. John M. Taylor: A total of 1,735 members of my staff worked in other Departments before June 1995. The cost of listing the individual Departments in which these staff worked could be provided only at disproportionate expense.
Internet
Mr. French: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with his international counterparts about the possibility of joint action being taken to regulate the content of material disseminated via the Internet. [5474]
Mr. Ian Taylor: The nature of the Internet means that measures to control the content of disseminated material are difficult to devise, although normal national laws apply just as much to the Internet as to other media. Before any action to regulate the Internet specifically could be contemplated, either national or international, it would be vital to have a clear view of precisely what measures would be effective. My Department, the Home Office and others are monitoring the development of the Internet, and assessing the feasibility of various measures, including self-regulation. We also compare notes with other Governments as appropriate.
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Mobile Telephones
Mr. French: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the industry of the practice of the cloning of mobile telephones; [5473]
(2) what measures his Department is taking to combat the cloning of mobile telephones; [5524]
(3) what plans he has to amend the Telecomunications Act 1984 in order to outlaw the cloning of mobile telephones. [5471]
Mr. Ian Taylor: On 24 October, Official Report, column 549, I announced the recommendations of the industry and Government study group on mobile telephone fraud. One of the main recommendations was that the Government should consider extending the range of offences under section 42 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 so that it would cover the possession or supply of equipment capable of use in the course of or in connection with the current section 42 offence of dishonestly obtaining telecommunication services with intent to avoid payment. I am considering this recommendation carefully.
Figures regarding the cost to the industry of the practice of cloning mobile telephones are not held by my Department. The mobile telecommunications industry did provide some estimates for the overall scale of mobile telephone phone fraud as part of its contribution to the work of the industry and Government study group mobile telephone fraud. These have been reproduced in the briefing paper, which has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Electronic Mail
Dr. Goodson-Wickes: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps are being taken to regulate the electronic mail services to protect (a) British commercial interests and (b) the consumer. [5459]
Mr. Ian Taylor: Electronic mail is an important example of the new services which are increasingly available as the information society develops. The effective exploitation of these services and opportunities is important for the competitiveness of British business. My Department monitors developments in this area to assess whether there is any need for action to protect consumers or the interests of companies.
There are several groups helping to develop electronic mail services with which the Department is in contact.
Timeshare Directive
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to implement the 1994 timeshare directive. [4845]
Mr. John M. Taylor: I plan to initiate a consultation exercise on the implementation of the timeshare directive in the near future.
Foam-filled Furniture
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what steps he is taking to prevent foam-filled furniture which does not comply with the
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1988 regulations being imported into the United Kingdom; [4844]
(2) if he will launch an advertising campaign to publicise the exemption from the provisions of the Furniture and furnishings Fire Safety Regulations of upholstered furniture manufactured before 1990; [4842]
(3) what measures his Department will take to deter second-hand furniture dealers from illegally selling foam-filled furniture. [4843]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Day-to-day responsibility for enforcing a wide range of consumer safety legislation, including the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, as amended, rests with local authority trading standard departments under a statutory duty set out under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. Trading standards departments have all the necessary powers to act against importers and second-hand traders who supply furniture that does not comply with the regulations. Since 1990 these departments have initiated 274 cases against suppliers of illegal furniture and have been involved in nearly 1,500 enforcement actions. There continues to be a high level of enforcement activity which my Department fully supports. The penalties for non-compliance with the furniture regulations are a £5,000 fine, a maximum of six months in prison or both, for each offence.
Following the making of this legislation my Department publicised detailed guidance for all suppliers of domestic upholstered furniture, setting out the requirements of the regulations in simple terms and explaining the penalties for failure to comply. The Department also published a guidance booklet for consumers explaining the new requirements and emphasising the precautions that should continue to be taken to reduce household furniture fires. Typically, more than 1,500 copies of this guide are circulated throughout the country each month by the Department and local authority trading standards departments. I believe these measures are sufficient to acquaint consumers with the requirements of the regulations and the dangers of unsafe furniture.
In the year the furniture regulations were made nearly 5,000 fires involving furniture killed 247 people. Since 1988 these numbers have fallen dramatically, with 146 people killed in 3,746 fires in 1993. My Department believes that the regulations will continue to play a major part in helping to further reduce these numbers.
Mr. MacShane:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade which countries outside the European Union have minimum wage legislation. [3894]
Mr. John M. Taylor:
This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Marlow:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many shops sell goods by weight (a) in metric units only and (b) in metric and other units; and what proportion this represents of (i) all shops and (ii) all goods sold. [4820]
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Mr. John M. Taylor:
Approximately 62,000 shops sell by weight. The Department has no information on the proportion of shops selling in metric units compared with the proportion selling in metric and other units.
Mr. David Nicholson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with the regulators of the gas and electricity industries over changes to the regulatory regime to take account of recent profit and dividend announcements; and if he will make a statement. [5678]
Mr. John M. Taylor:
No such discussions have taken place. We believe the regulatory regime is working well.
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