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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Flood and Coastal Defence
Mr. McNulty: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made on the review of the funding arrangements for flood and coastal defence and development of high level targets for flood and coastal defence operating authorities. [85731]
Mr. Morley: In response to last year's Agriculture Select Committee Report on Flood and Coastal Defence, the Government agreed to review the funding mechanisms for flood and coastal defence. As a first step in the review process, a consultation letter was issued to interested parties on 7 May. A copy has been placed in the Libraries.
A consultation paper seeking comments on substantive high level targets for flood and coastal defence from March 2000 will be issued to a wide range of interested organisations later this week; a copy will be placed in the Libraries. The Environment Agency will be consulting separately on further elaboration of its flood defence supervisory duty, and reporting to me in the autumn.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Encryption (Law Enforcement)
Mr. McNulty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the results of the study recently carried out on Encryption and Law Enforcement by the Performance and Innovation Unit in the Cabinet Office. [85605]
Mr. Wills: I am now able to announce the main conclusions from this important study carried out by a joint Government-industry team in the Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation Unit.
The Team's recommendations, which have been agreed by the Government, include the establishment of a new industry/Government forum to take forward discussion on encryption matters which will be chaired by a senior DTI official; a new initiative to create an international forum to discuss encryption and law enforcement issues; and the establishment of a Technical Assistance Centre (under Home Office auspices) to assist the law enforcement agencies to make intelligible legally obtained encrypted information.
On the Electronic Commerce Bill, the PIU Team concluded that the proposed licensing (or accreditation) regime for cryptography service providers should not include any requirement for mandatory storage of
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encryption keys. The PIU team also welcomed the proposals in the consultation document to allow lawful access to decryption keys and/or plain text under proper authority
I believe that the recommendations outlined above, coupled with the dialogue that has already taken place with industry on this complex issue, will usher in a new era of co-operation between Government and industry; ensuring that the UK becomes both the best, and the safest, place to conduct electronic business.
Copies of the PIU report are available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he proposes to respond to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the selling of raw milk; and if he will make a statement. [85533]
Dr. Howells:
I refer the hon. and learned Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's oral answer on 6 May 1999, Official Report, column 1069, to the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath).
Mr. Michael J. Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 28 April 1999, Official Report, column 194, on raw cows' milk, if he will list the hon. Members who wrote to him in April regarding the Monopoly and Mergers inquiry. [85360]
Dr. Howells:
I am placing in the Library of the House a list of the hon. Members who wrote to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in April regarding the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the supply in Great Britain of raw cows' milk.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements he will make to ensure that single vehicle car imports are compliant with EU safety requirements. [85611]
Mr. Battle:
Single vehicle imports are subject to the Single Vehicle Approval test administered by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport. Its purpose is to ensure that imported cars which are not manufactured in the European Union are safe on UK roads. To that end, the proposed revisions to the scheme will enhance the test standards to align broadly with EU safety standards.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements he will make to ensure that consumers are kept informed of specification differences between UK-sourced new cars and single vehicle imports. [85612]
Mr. Battle:
The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has published a booklet "The Single Vehicle Approval scheme" (SVA2) which describes the existing SVA regulations and test regime. Before the proposed revisions to the scheme are implemented, they will update and expand this information to include the main differences between European and non-European standards. The existence of specification differences between cars made for use in the European Union and sold
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through the manufacturers' official networks, and those made for other markets and brought into the UK by independent importers, has also been the subject of extensive coverage in the media. In deciding to remove the limits on imports of cars made for other markets progressively by 2001, the Government have been partly guided by the need to give the independent importers time to establish further their service networks in the UK.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on (a) the difficulties in the process of introducing full competition in the domestic electricity market two years ago, (b) the undertakings he gave on the timetable for market opening and (c) the actions he took to accelerate the process of market opening. [85609]
Mr. Battle:
On coming to office, it was clear that the Government would have to give a strong lead to this work in order to see it successfully completed. I commissioned a report from the then DGES on the status of the programme soon after taking office. That report and one from his programme manager was published on 29 May 1997 and provided a sound way forward upon which the industry was prepared to commit to delivery.
Among the difficulties which have been faced have been the sheer size of the task and the level of technical complexity involved. The task of putting in place the vital IT infrastructure which is required to make the competition process work was one of the largest and most difficult in the world. I have worked hard to ensure that competition was introduced in a sensible, systematic way which ensured that customers were paramount and have conducted a series of meetings with the companies, the Regulator, the Electricity Pool and the programme managers to ensure that any difficulties were ironed out.
It was intended by the previous Government that supply competition would be introduced from April 1998. However, a realistic programme of work had not been put in place to support delivery by that date. Despite the efforts of the industry during 1998, the April date proved unachievable with fully tested systems. At a meeting I held on 22 January 1998 with the DGES, representatives from the electricity industry agreed to accept a target of rolling out competition between September 1998 and June 1999. The first areas to open to full competition did so on 14 September last year. Competition was introduced in each PES area in three planned stages over six months. A comprehensive testing programme was put in place to establish whether systems could interact effectively. The market was declared fully open on 24 May, a month ahead of schedule, by the DGES. The DGES will be monitoring for some time to come to ensure that the mechanics supporting the change of supplier process are working effectively and that the companies adopt a reasonable approach to doorstep selling. Consumers across the country should now benefit from lower prices and a better level of service.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list (a) the decisions announced in section 36 and section 14 consents for gas-fired electricity power plants during 1999 and (b) the factors determining whether such applications were approved or refused. [85610]
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Mr. Battle:
As promised in the Energy Sources White Paper, all decisions have been duly reported to Parliament. Members can also consult the actual decision letters, copies of which have also been placed in the Library of the House.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to review the Electricity Act 1989 with regard to access for way leaves and compensation to be paid. [85546]
Mr. Battle:
My right hon. Friend has no plans to review the wayleave provisions of the Electricity Act 1989.
Mr. Coaker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress is being made in promoting the involvement of Government departments in the Foresight Programme. [85729]
Mr. Battle:
The latest Whitehall Foresight progress report was published on 26 May. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The report provides examples of what Departments are doing to promote Foresight and to respond to Foresight priorities and recommendations. It also outlines Departments' initial plans for participation in the new round of Foresight which started on 1 April. Overall, it reflects significant forward progress since the last report published in June 1998.
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