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Insolvency Service
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Miss Melanie Johnson): The Insolvency Service's planning assumption is that compulsory insolvencies will total 33,000 in the year to 31 March 2004, and I have therefore set it the target of completing 26,000 case administrations in the year to 31 March 2004. This figure takes into account plans for Official Receivers to retain more cases with assets in order to ensure increased payments to creditors.
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I have also set it targets for 2003–04 of containing an increase in the unit costs of administering bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation cases to plus 1 per cent. in real terms from the baseline of 2001–02; and containing the increase in the cost of investigations of bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation cases by plus 10 per cent. in real terms from the baseline of 2001–02. The increases reflect investment in staff and IT ahead of the implementation of the Enterprise Act. The investment is expected to lead to a reduction in unit costs over the next 4 years.
As part of its role in securing confidence in the market I expect the Insolvency Service to investigate and report financial misconduct, to assist in the prosecution of criminal offences and to bring proceedings for disqualification in all cases where that is in the public interest. I also expect the Service to reduce the average time of concluding disqualification proceedings from 26 months to 25 months by 31 March 2004; and to increase the percentage of disqualification cases concluded within 30 months from 78 to 84 per cent. and those within 24 months from 40 to 45 per cent.
I have set the Service a target to improve the benchmark score for the Service's User Satisfaction Index, introduced in 2002–03, to 84 per cent. by 31 March 2004 and to publish its survey results quarterly.
The Service is also expected to:
- Check and action at least 98 per cent. of Insolvency Services Account payment requisitions within 4 days or the due date, and
Action 100 per cent of invoices for payment within 30 days of receipt and improve the percentage of invoices for payment within 20 days from 95 to 97 per cent.
Action 80 per cent. of redundancy payments claims within 6 weeks.
Patent Office
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Miss Melanie Johnson): I have set the Patent Office the following targets for 2003–04:
To increase performance year on year so that 90 per cent. of search reports are issued within six months of request by 2005–06.
The milestones towards achievement of this target are:
- by 2003/04–75 per cent.
- by 2004/05–80 per cent.
- by 2005/06–90 per cent.
- To grant 90 per cent. of patents within 3 years of request.
- Designs
- To register 90 per cent. of correctly filed design applications, to which no substantive objections have been raised, within 3 months of the date of application.
- Trade Marks
- To reduce to an average of 26 weeks the time taken to issue a decision in trade mark inter partes cases once the case is ready.
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- Policy
- To publish details of progress towards key milestones in UK and International policy development in the Annual Report and on our web site.
- Efficiency Targets
- To increase output in relation to current operational expenditure by an average of at least 2 per cent. per annum measured over a rolling 3 year period.
- In addition to these key targets:
- Customer Service Standards
- To meet our Customer Service Standards as shown in the Annual Report and on our web site at http://www.patent.gov.uk/.
- Finance
- The Office will pay 100 per cent. of bills within 30 days of receipt of goods or services or a valid invoice, whichever is the later.
- Questions Delegated 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.
Chemical Weapons
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Nigel Griffiths): I have appointed Dr J Marriott, the new Government Chemist to the Committee for a period of three years. He replaces Dr Worswick, the former Government Chemist.
Employment Tribunals
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Patricia Hewitt): With my right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor I am today announcing the reconstitution of the Employment Tribunal System Taskforce, under the Chairmanship of Janet Gaymer.
The Taskforce will monitor progress on implementation of its recommendations, to support the Government's strategic objectives for an Employment Tribunal system that is cost-effective and efficient and reflects the needs of its users.
The full membership of the Taskforce will be:
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(His Honour Judge Meeran joins the Taskforce in place of His Honour John Prophet who has retired since the publication of the Taskforce report. Frances O'Grady, Deputy General Secretary for the TUC, replaces Brendan Barber who is now General Secretary Elect of the TUC).
Enterprise Act
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Miss Melanie Johnson): The substantive competition and consumer provisions of the Enterprise Act (Parts 1 to 9) will come fully into force on Friday 20 June 2003. This includes:
- A new power for designated consumer bodies to bring supercomplaints to the OFT which will then have a duty to respond within 90 days.
A quicker, cheaper ability for consumers to bring damages claims in cases of competition infringement to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). Groups of consumers will also be able to be represented by designated consumer bodies.
A streamlined approach to third party appeals in Competition Act cases, allowing third parties to go direct to the CAT.
A new merger regime, giving the competition authorities independence in the vast majority of new merger investigations.
A new market investigations regime, again with the OFT and Competition Commission now taking the lead in deciding what action to take in respect of markets that are not working.
A new criminal offence for individuals who dishonestly engage in hard-core cartels. These individuals will be liable to prosecution and imprisonment for up to five years and a leniency regime will encourage whistle-blowing by cartel members.
A new ability for the OFT and sector regulators to seek disqualification of directors who have been responsible for breaches of competition law.
The extension of the Stop Now Orders regime to protect consumers from traders who do not meet their legal obligations.
New provisions for the disclosure of specified information obtained by a public authority under certain consumer and competition legislation.
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The newspaper merger regime will remain in place until later in the year since it is being updated by the Communications Bill. The separate water merger regime will be commenced once the Water Bill currently before Parliament has clarified the scope of the regime.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Private Finance Initiative
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Christopher Leslie): I am announcing today the names of six local authorities with whom my Office will work on the develoment of joint service centre schemes under the Private Finance Initiative. These are:
- Barking & Dagenham
Derbyshire
Essex
Lambeth
Nottingham
Rochdale
Whether schemes ultimately proceed will depend on authorities working up business cases which satisfy the scrutiny of the inter-departmental Project Review Group (PRG), which considers all local government PFI schemes seeking central Government support. Endorsement by PRG is essential before schemes can be put out to tender.
The total value of the PFI credits that will be allocated, if all these schemes are endorsed and proceed to contract signature, is about £50 million.