S.C.A.

Amendment Paper as at
Thursday 2nd March 2000

STANDING COMMITTEE A

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UTILITIES BILL

NOTE

The Amendments have been arranged in accordance with the Order of the Committee [10th February], as follows:—

Clause 1; Clause 84; Schedule 1; Clause 2; Clause 6; Clause 85; Clause 3; Clause 86; Clauses 4 and 5; Clause 87; Clause 7; Clause 88; Clause 8; Clause 12; Clause 89; Clause 9; Clause 13; Clause 90; Clause 10; Clause 14; Clause 11; Clause 15; Clause 91; Clauses 16 to 19; Clause 92; Schedule 2; Clause 95; Clause 20; Clause 96; Clause 21; Clause 94; Clauses 22 to 24; Clause 93; Clauses 25 and 26; Clause 63; Clause 66; Clauses 27 and 28; Clause 64; Clause 29; Clause 62; Clauses 30 to 33; Clause 65; Clause 34; Clause 67; Clause 100; Clause 35; Clause 68; Clauses 36 to 41; Clause 69; Clause 42; Clause 70; Clause 43; Clause 71; Clause 44; Clause 72; Clause 101; Clause 45; Clause 73; Clause 46; Clause 74; Clause 47; Clause 75; Clause 97; Clause 102; Clause 48; Clause 76; Clause 98; Clause 49; Clause 77; Clause 99; Clauses 50 to 57; Clause 78; Clause 58; Clause 79; Clauses 59 to 61; Clause 82; Clause 80; Clause 81; Clause 83; Clauses 103 to 105; Schedule 4; Clause 106; Schedule 3; Clauses 107 to 132; Schedules 5 to 7; Clauses 133 and 134; new Clauses; new Schedules.

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

311

Clause     12,     page     8,     line     17,     at end insert—

    '(3A) The Authority shall seek to promote fairness for all consumers.'.

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

312

Clause     12,     page     8,     line     17,     at end insert—

    '(3A) The Authority shall seek to promote equality for all consumers.'.

   

Mrs Helen Liddell

204

Clause     12,     page     8,     line     18,     leave out subsection (4) and insert—

    '(4) The Secretary of State and the Authority may, in carrying out any function under this Part, have regard to—

(a) the interests of consumers in relation to gas conveyed through pipes (within the meaning of the Gas Act 1986); and

(b) any interests of consumers in relation to—

    (i) telecommunication services and telecommunication apparatus (within the meaning of the Telecommunications Act 1984); or

    (ii) water services or sewerage services (within the meaning of the Water Industry Act 1991),

    which are affected by the carrying out of that function.'

   

Mrs Helen Liddell

188

Clause     12,     page     8,     line     26,     after 'licences' insert 'or exemptions'.

   

Norman Baker
Mr Andrew Stunell

117

Clause     12,     page     8,     line     26,     after 'to', insert 'generate'.

   

Mrs Helen Liddell

189

Clause     12,     page     8,     line     28,     leave out 'supplied to premises' and insert 'conveyed by distribution systems'.

   

Norman Baker
Mr Andrew Stunell

115

Clause     12,     page     8,     line     34,     leave out 'or supply' and insert 'supply or use'.

   

Mrs Helen Liddell

190

Clause     12,     page     8,     line     38,     after 'Part' insert ', unless the context otherwise requires—

"exemption" means an exemption granted under section 5;'.

   

Mr Nick Gibb
Mrs Eleanor Laing

213

Clause     12,     page     8,     line     39,     at end insert—

'Obligation of Authority to promote deregulation.

3AA.     In performing its functions under this Act the Authority shall— (a) ensure that the regulatory burden imposed by licences granted under this Act is the minimum necessary to attain the Authority's objectives; and (b) keep the conditions in such licences under review and; (c) modify or revoke any condition which imposes a regulatory burden which exceeds that referred to in paragraph (a).'.

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Mr Nick Gibb
Mrs Eleanor Laing
Mr Ian Bruce [R]
Mr Christopher Chope
Mr Christopher Fraser

309

Clause     89,     page     94,     line     32,     leave out 'and apparatus'.

   

Mr Nick Gibb
Mrs Eleanor Laing
Mr Ian Bruce [R]

57

Clause     89,     page     94,     line     33,     leave out 'wherever appropriate' and insert 'wherever possible, and insofar as it is appropriate to do so,'.

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

305

Clause     89,     page     94,     line     34,     leave out 'commercial activities connected with telecommunications' and insert 'providing telecommunication services.'

   

Norman Baker
Mr Andrew Stunell

119

Clause     89,     page     94,     line     35,     leave out 'telecommunications' and insert 'communications networks'.

   

Mr Nick Gibb
Mrs Eleanor Laing
Mr Ian Bruce [R]

287

Clause     89,     page     94,     line     35,     at end insert 'and in particular to encourage such persons to regulate such activities wherever possible by their individual and collective efforts in preference to the imposition of regulation by the Authority.'.

   

Mrs Helen Liddell

202

Clause     89,     page     94,     line     46,     leave out from 'finance' to end of line 2 on page 95 and insert 'any activities which are the subject of—

(a) obligations imposed by or under Part II or III of this Act; or

(b) obligations imposed by or under any other Act which relate to the running of a telecommunication system or the provision of a telecommunication service.'

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

300

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     2,     at end insert 'but this shall not include raising a levy on licence holders to pay a subsidy to other licence holders'.

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

301

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     2,     at end insert 'but if any cross-subsidisation is proposed, each licence holder must be able to bid to provide the service for the lowest levy and that in the event of such bidding, the authority should be able to take appropriate action to give access to, or transfer assets from, the dominant telecommunications supplier in that market place.'.

   

Norman Baker
Mr Andrew Stunell

118

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     2,     at end insert—

'( ) the need to ensure affordable access to essential supplies of telecommunication services upon reasonable request on fair and open terms and conditions.'.

   

Mrs Helen Liddell

205

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     10,     at end insert—

    '() The Secretary of State and the Authority may, in carrying out any function under Part II or III, have regard to any interests of consumers in relation to—

(a) gas conveyed through pipes (within the meaning of the Gas Act 1986);

(b) electricity conveyed by distribution systems (within the meaning of the Electricity Act 1989); or

(c) water services or sewerage services (within the meaning of the Water Industry Act 1991),

    which are affected by the carrying out of that function.'

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

306

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     10,     at end insert—

     '(3A) The Authority shall seek to promote fairness for all consumers.'.

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

307

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     10,     at end insert—

    '(3A) The Authority shall seek to promote equality for all consumers.'.

   

Mr Nick Gibb
Mrs Eleanor Laing
Mr Ian Bruce [R]

58

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     13,     at end insert 'other than a purchaser or user who receives that service or apparatus in the course of a business carried on by him'.

   

Norman Baker
Mr Andrew Stunell

120

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     21,     at end insert—

'( ) to promote the growth of E-Commerce enabling the United Kingdom to compete effectively in the global economy;'.

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

308

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     27,     at end insert—

    '(     ) to promote the reduction in cost of international telecommunicaitons services to the benefit of United Kingdom consumers;'.

   

Mr Nick Gibb
Mrs Eleanor Laing
Mr Ian Bruce [R]
Mr Christopher Chope
Mr Christopher Fraser

310

Clause     89,     page     95,     leave out lines 35 to 38.

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

302

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     38,     at end insert—

'(g) to enable licence holders to disconnect services that ICSTIS, the Internet Watch Foundation and other content regulators find are acting against the public interest.'.

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

303

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     38,     at end insert—

(g) to prevent persons or telecommunications service operators from providing misleading STD codes or other means which would have the effect of misleading the ultimate purchaser of the services to believe they are paying for a service other than the one that has been provided or to circumvent call-blocking procedures.'.

   

Mr Ian Bruce [R]

304

Clause     89,     page     95,     line     38,     at end insert—

(g) to enable persons providing telecommunications services to disconnect lines which it suspects are being used to defraud customers.'.

Prepared 2 Mar 2000