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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Companies House

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set Companies House for 1999-2000. [83002]

Dr. Howells: I have set Companies House the following targets for the 1999-2000 year.

Operational Targets

To process 99% of statutory documents within 5 days of receipt at Companies House

To achieve, on average, a monthly compliance rate for accounts submitted of 95%

To ensure that a minimum of 98% of fiche provided to customers is error-free

To ensure that there is a minimum of 96% error-free work in current processing

To answer 90% of all incoming telephone calls within 20 seconds

Questions delegated to the Chief Executive

The Chief Executive to reply within 10 days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to him for reply

Complaints Handling

To clear up 95% of complaints within 10 days and

To clear up 85% of complaints within 5 days

Financial Targets

To maintain a unit cost reduction of 3% in real terms on document registration

To achieve, taking one year with another, a 6% average rate of return based on the operating surplus expressed as a percentage of average net assets

To pay bills due within 30 days, or other agreed credit terms, on receipt of goods or services or a valid invoice, whichever is later.

Telecommunications

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received a report by the Director General of Telecommunications for 1998, as required under section 55 of the Telecommunications Act 1984. [83003]

Mr. Wills: Yes. The fifteenth Report by the Director General of Telecommunications is being published today. It covers the period 1 January to 31 December 1998. Copies of the Report have been laid before each House of Parliament.

Patent Office

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set the Patent Office for 1999-2000. [83001]

Dr. Howells: I have set the Patent Office the following targets for 1999-2000.

Patents

To issue 14,500 patent search reports or combined search and examination reports on average within 3 months from the date of request, with 90 per cent. of those within 4 months from the date of request.

To grant 8,500 valid patents on average within 2 years from the date of filing of the request for substantive examination, with 90 per cent. of those within 3 years from the date of request.

29 Apr 1999 : Column: 225

Design

To register 7,700 designs on average within 5 months from the date of filing of the application, with 90 per cent. of those within 12 months.

To process 70,000 trade mark class applications with a target to register within 9 months 90 per cent. of those to which no substantive objections are raised or oppositions filed.

Finance

To pay 100 per cent. of bills within 30 days of receipt of goods or services or a valid invoice, whichever is the later.

Questions designated to the Chief Executive

The Chief Executive will reply within 10 working days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to her for reply.

Efficiency Target

To increase output in relation to current expenditure by an average of at least 2 per cent. per annum over the period 1998-99 to 2002-03.

Radiocommunications Agency

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set his Department's Radiocommunications Agency for 1999-2000. [83000]

Mr. Wills: I have set the Radiocommunications Agency the following quality of service targets for 1999-2000 in respect of its licensing and enforcement activities, and correspondence. These are in addition to achieving an overall efficiency improvement of 2 per cent. over 1998-99.

Licensing Targets

Category A

Licences that involve no frequency assignment, site clearance or international co-ordination: 100 per cent. of applications and amendments to be processed and despatched within 5 working days.

Category B

Licences that involve frequency assignment but no site clearance or international co-ordination: 90 per cent. of applications and amendments to be processed and despatched within 15 working days; the remainder to be processed and despatched within 25 working days or an explanation of the delay provided to the applicant.

Category C

Licences that require frequency assignment and site clearance and/or international co-ordination: 90 per cent. of applications and amendments to be processed and despatched within 40 working days; the remainder to be processed and despatched within 60 working days or an explanation of the delay provided to the applicant.

Renewals

Renewals of all licences in category A to be processed and despatched within 5 working days; renewals of licences in categories B and C to be processed and despatched within 10 working days.

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Enforcement

100 per cent. of safety of life services reports of interference to be investigated within 24 hours.

98 per cent. of business customers reports of interference to be investigated within 5 working days; the remainder within a further 5 days.

98 per cent. of domestic customers reports of interference to be investigated within 1 month; the remainder within a further month.

Correspondence

I also expect all correspondence from hon. Members delegated to the Chief Executive by Ministers or otherwise for reply, and all written complaints addressed to him about Agency services, to be answered within 10 working days of receipt; the Agency's inquiry point to respond to 95 per cent. of calls within 30 seconds; and 100 per cent. of valid invoices to be paid within 30 days of receipt (or as agreed with the supplier).

Minimum Wage

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department is undertaking on the extent to which employers are seeking to avoid their obligations under the minimum wage legislation. [81541]

Mr. Ian McCartney: The Inland Revenue are enforcing the national minimum wage policy, and will supply this Department with data on all matters relating to compliance on a regular basis. In addition, we have asked the independent Low Pay Commission to monitor and evaluate the introduction and impact of the national minimum wage overall.

North Sea Coal

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment he has made of the potential for underground gasification of coal seams under the North Sea as a source of energy for the United Kingdom; [82441]

(2) what assessment he has made of the potential use of oil and gas platforms to exploit the underground gasification of coal under the North Sea. [82442]

Mr. Battle: My Department published on 22 April Energy Paper 67, which set out the Government's policy on cleaner coal technologies for research and development, technology transfer and export promotion. The Energy Paper includes a detailed account of the potential of underground coal gasification for the UK and the main technology targets for future work in this area. Our planned future R and D work will include studies on the exploitation of underground coal gasification offshore in the North Sea. Copies of Energy Paper 67 have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Weights and Measures Laboratory

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set his Department's National Weights and Measures Laboratory for 1999-2000. [82999]

Dr. Howells: I have set the National Weights and Measures Laboratory the following quality of service and efficiency targets for 1999-2000.

29 Apr 1999 : Column: 227

Financial Targets
To report a break even situation in the Income and Expenditure Account 1999-2000.
To meet the net vote target in 1999-2000.
Operational Targets
To complete 90 per cent. of European type approvals within 10 weeks.
To complete all European type approvals within an average of eight weeks.
To complete 95 per cent. of all calibration jobs (including preparation of certificates) within 18 working days of acceptance of the work.
To meet 70 per cent. of the milestones included in the work programme agreed between NMPSU and NWML.
Questions delegated to the Chief Executive
Chief Executive to reply within 10 working days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to him for reply.
Financial target. Restated from previous year.
To reduce the real cost of a programme hour by 4 per cent. over the period 1997-2000.

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