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Copyright

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will review the laws of copyright, with special reference to (a) the position in North America, (b) the implications of the new EU directive and (c) the impact of the internet; and if she will make a statement. [65593]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 1 July 2002]: UK copyright law (the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988) has proved remarkably "future-proof" as regards the challenges of the internet and electronic commerce but some modifications will be needed to implement EU Directive 2001/29/EC on copyright and related rights in the

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information society. The directive is required to be transposed into national laws by 22 December 2002. There will be consultation as part of the process with interested parties.

Domestic Subsidies

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1128W, on domestic subsidies, by what date after the final date for the conclusions of negotiations her Department estimates export and trade distorting domestic subsidies will be phased out. [63429]

Mr. Morley: It is as yet too early in the WTO negotiations to forecast the likely scale and timing of reductions in these subsidies. The Government will continue to press for full and prompt implementation of the commitments made at Doha.

United Kingdom Petrol Stations

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many United Kingdom petrol stations are exempt from vapour recovery regulations by way of annual turnover falling below the exemption limit. [65247]

Mr. Meacher: I have been asked to reply.

In accordance with Directive 94/63/EC Stage I, petrol vapour recovery has been rolled out in the UK over the past seven years. The final stage in the implementation of the Directive is 31 December 2004. The controls will then apply to all petrol stations in the UK with an annual throughput greater than 100m ³ . In 1998 it was estimated that this derogation would exempt approximately 136 sites in the UK. However, the total number of petrol stations in the UK since 1998 has decreased, from 13,758 to 13,043 in 2000. As petrol station closures often have a disproportionate impact on the smaller sites, it is likely that the number of petrol stations covered by the derogation has decreased since the data were gathered.

The directive also contains an option for member states to exempt larger sites, those with an annual throughput of less than 500m ³ , if located in an area where vapour emissions are unlikely to contribute significantly to environmental or health problems. My Department and the devolved Administrations are currently looking at applying the derogation in the UK.

TRANSPORT

Railtrack

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when previous network management statements were published by Railtrack; [60649]

(2) what (a) statutory responsibility and (b) other responsibility Railtrack has to produce a network management statement. [60648]

Mr. Darling: Under condition 7 of its network licence as amended in September 1997, Railtrack is required to prepare and publish on or before 31 March in each year—

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or such other date as the Rail Regulator may specify—a statement detailing its plans for the maintenance, renewal and development of the network in Great Britain.

Entertainment Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of the Department's 2001 staff Christmas Party; and how many people attended. [61664]

Mr. Jamieson: The former Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions held no departmental Christmas party.

Rail Franchises

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been spent by (a) his Department and (b) the Strategic Rail Authority in relation to (i) the re-letting of Chiltern railways franchise, (ii) the GNER Franchise Extension, (iii) the Island Line extension, (iv) the Midland Mainline Extension, (v) other franchise re-negotiations and (vi) all franchise renegotiations and extensions; and if he will make a statement. [64144]

Mr. Jamieson: The total so far spent by the Strategic Rail Authority on franchise renegotiations and extensions is approximately £10 million. A breakdown of that figure is not readily available.

EU Directives

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the EU directives relating to his Department which have been (a) amended and (b) repealed in 2002. [64946]

Mr. Jamieson: The following EU Directives have been amended:

"96/49/EC"—Directive on the approximation of the laws of member states with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by rail [Amended by Directive 2001/6/EC]


"94/55/EC"—Directive on the approximation of the laws of member states with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by road [Amended by Directive 2001/7/EC]


"96/96/EC"—Directive on the approximation of the laws of member states relating to roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers. [Amended by Directive 2001/9/EC]


"96/98/EC"—Directive on Marine Equipment [Amended by Directive 2001/53/EC]


"97/68/EC"—Directive on the approximation of measures against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from internal combustion engines to be installed in non-road mobile machinery. [Amended by Directive 2001/63/EC].

No EU Directives have been repealed.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the EU directives and regulations that have been implemented through his Department in 2002; and what was the cost of each to public funds. [64972]

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Mr. Jamieson: The following Directives have been transposed, in full or in part, this year:

96/48—Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the interoperability of the trans-European rail system.


2000/30—Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on technical roadside inspection of the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles circulating in the Community.


2000/39—Commission Directive 2000/39/EC of 8 June 2000 establishing a first list of indicative occupational exposure limit values in the implementation of Council Directive 98/24/EC on the protection of the health and safety of workers from the risks related to chemical agents at work.


2001/6—Directive 2001/6/EC of 29 January 2001, adapting for the third time to technical progress Council Directive 96/49/EC on the approximation of the laws of the member states with regard to transportation of dangerous goods by rail.


2001/7—Commission Directive 2001/7/EC of 29 January 2001 adapting for the third time to technical progress Council Directive 94/55/EC on the approximation of the laws of the member states with regard to transportation of dangerous goods by road.


2001/09—Commission Directive 2001/9/EC adapting to technical progress Commission Directive 96/96/EC on the approximation of the laws of member states relating to roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers.


2001/53—Commission Directive 2001/531/EC amending Directive 96/98/EC on marine equipment.


2001/63—Commission Directive 2001/63/EC adapting to technical progress Directive 97/68/EC of the Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of measures against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from internal combustion engines to be installed in non-road mobile machinery.

We have no central record of domestic legislation made in support of EU Regulations. Such information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost. Similarly, information about the costs of implementation is not readily available.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed in his Department (a) full-time and (b) part-time to (i) monitor and (ii) liaise on European Directives; and if he will make a statement. [66314]

Mr. Jamieson: A number of areas of the Department are engaged at different times in monitoring and liaison of EU Directives. The number of staff involved therefore varies considerably, as does the amount of time individuals spend on EU business. One division of the Department, at present comprising 22 posts, is responsible for overall advice on European and international business.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by his Department since 1 January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case. [64635]

Mr. Jamieson: In the period from 1 January 2002 to 31 May 2002, my Department's predecessor (the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions) was responsible for making 80 general statutory instruments. A list identifying these has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Endorsed on each instrument is an Explanatory Note, which identifies any legislation revoked or amended by the instrument. The remainder of

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the information requested is not held centrally in a form which would enable it to be provided by my Department without incurring disproportionate costs.

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