| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Late Payment Directive
Mr. Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the EU Directive on Late Payment will require revision to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. [57541]
Mrs. Roche:
The Government are working closely with the European Commission and other Member States to ensure that small businesses are paid promptly in both domestic and European markets.
2 Nov 1998 : Column: 372
The contents of the proposed EU Directive are still the subject of discussions between the European Parliament, the European Commission and Member States. Until these discussions are completed, it is not possible to predict what effect it will have on our own late payment legislation.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what reference he has made to the Office of Fair Trading concerning BSkyB's bid for Manchester United; and if he will make a statement. [57514]
Dr. Howells:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced on 29 October that he had decided, in accordance with the advice of the Director General of Fair Trading, to refer the proposed acquisition of Manchester United plc by British Sky Broadcasting Group plc to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations he has received from (a) the public and (b) institutions concerning BSkyB's proposed takeover of Manchester United. [57516]
Dr. Howells:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has received some 200 representations and petitions concerning BSkyB's proposed acquisition of Manchester United. The great majority of these were from individual members of the public.
Mr. Colvin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on Droit de Suite for artists and writers. [57921]
Dr. Howells:
The Government are concerned that the Commission's proposal for a Directive to harmonise artists' resale right (droit de suite) could drive Europe's international art market offshore with the loss of thousands of jobs without bringing any significant benefit to artists. UK auctioneers and dealers, alone, stand to lose fees of up to £68 million per annum and up to 5,000 jobs. The Government, therefore, will continue robustly to oppose the proposal.
Mr. Maples:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he plans to provide a substantive reply to the question from the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon tabled on 7 October 1998. [57990]
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to extend copyright to electronically stored information; and if he will make a statement. [57876]
Dr. Howells:
United Kingdom copyright law (the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (1988 c. 48)) already includes material stored by electronic means. The UK is supporting work at EU and international level to
2 Nov 1998 : Column: 373
ensure that similar protection applies in other countries. The proposed EC Directive on Copyright and Related Rights in the Information Society would establish this across the EU, and we are pressing for early agreement on this Directive.
Mr. Sanders:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to bring forward proposals to protect consumers who attend one-day sales and mock auctions. [57770]
Dr. Howells:
The problems consumers experience at one-day sales and mock auctions are currently being investigated by this Department and the Office of Fair Trading in co-operation with the Trading Standards Organisations with a view to proposals being ready by the end of the year.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what provisions exist for the recording of the incidence of offences motivated by hostility based on the victim's membership of a religious group; [56840]
(3) what is his assessment of the prevalence of assaults and other offences motivated by hostility based on the victim's membership of a religious group. [56838]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
As my right hon. Friend made clear during the report stage of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, on 23 June 1998, Official Report, column 892, we believe that most--possibly almost all--cases of assault, and other offences, which appear to have a religious element will also have a racial element.
Whilst there is no specific procedure for recording religiously motivated crime, the police, under the racial incidents monitoring scheme, will record any incident in which it appears to the investigating officer that the complaint involves an element of racial motivation or any incident which includes an allegation of racial motivation made by any other person.
The Code of Practice for Crown prosecutors states that, provided there is sufficient evidence to prosecute, there will be a public interest factor in favour of prosecution where the offence was motivated by any form of discrimination against the victim, including where the offence was motivated by discrimination against the victim's religious beliefs. In addition, the Crown Prosecution Service has issued guidance to its staff on the racially aggravated offences contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Home Office guidance to the police on these offences also refers to religiously motivated crime. A copy of that guidance will be placed in the Library.
2 Nov 1998 : Column: 374
We undertook during the passage of the Crime and Disorder Act to monitor the effectiveness of the racially aggravated offences. In addition, the Home Office is commissioning research into the nature and extent of religious discrimination in England and Wales.
Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct his officials to cease to certify asylum claims under section 1 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, solely on the basis of the asylum seeker's country of origin. [56463]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
We plan to abolish the "White List" provision when the opportunity for legislation arises but, in the meantime, we shall continue to operate it subject to due scrutiny of the circumstances of individual cases and the continuing review of conditions in the countries of origin of asylum seekers, as explained in paragraph 9.10 of the White Paper "Fairer, Faster and Firmer--A Modern Approach to Immigration and Asylum" (Cm 4018).
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the European Parliament's proposal to change the European Convention protocol on asylum seekers to provide for temporary asylum. [57473]
Kate Hoey:
The Government accept that there would be benefits in member states co-ordinating their response in the event of a future mass influx of displaced persons, but we have some concerns about the Commission's proposal. These concerns centre on its general inflexibility, and in particular the restrictions on member states acting differentially or independently while a particular regime is in force. These issues are still under discussion in the relevant European Union fora.
Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to implement his policy, set out in the White Paper "Fairer, Faster and Firmer" towards people from abroad whose marriages break down within one year due to domestic violence. [56462]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The details of this concession are still being finalised. I shall make an announcement when this work has been completed.
Mr. Levitt:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instigate measures to ensure the highest standards of welfare for police dogs under training. [56957]
Mr. Boateng:
I am of course concerned that police dogs undergoing training should be provided with the highest standards of welfare and I am assured that this is provided in the majority of cases.
All general-purpose police dogs should be trained along the lines set out in the Home Office Police Dog Training and Care Manual, which emphasises that training should be based on 'Praise and Reward'. The manual explains the need for self control on the part of the handler and stipulates that
2 Nov 1998 : Column: 375
(2) what guidance he has given to the police and the Crown Prosecution Service regarding assaults and other offences motivated by hostility based on the victim's membership of a religious group; [56839]
I understand that all police forces have access to an independent veterinary officer. Some forces have recently received visits from both the RSPCA and the National Canine Defence League, who were given full access to all training facilities.
'a handler should never resort to physical punishment in training the dog'.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |