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9 Feb 2004 : Column 1216W—continued

Information Technology

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what specific initiatives her Department is sponsoring to promote effective use of information and communication technology. [153570]

Mr. Timms: In recent years, DTI has been promoting the effective use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) through the UK online for business programme.

Specific initiatives under this programme include:

a national network of e-business advisers, located in the Business Links

production of a wide range of impartial, jargon-free information available on- and off-line

a comprehensive website, offering advice and examples of best practice

As a result of a decision to restructure business support within DTI, the activities of UK online for business will increasingly be integrated into the wider interests of the Department and the Business Link

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Organisation. The decision to restructure has been a direct response to feedback from stakeholders and the aim will be to rationalise the wide range of schemes run by .the Department into a small number of coherent and focused products.

The strategy for DTI, in partnership with industry, will be to underline the business benefits that can be achieved through more effective, sophisticated use of ICT. Businesses need to become better users of the technologies, addressing issues relating to people and processes as well as the technology itself.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what initiatives her Department is sponsoring to encourage internet connections among micro and small businesses. [153571]

Mr. Timms: Recent evidence shows, particularly in the DTI's International Benchmarking Study 2003, that there has now been an end to the "dash for access". Broadly speaking, businesses that want internet connection have got it and the dynamics are now around speed and type of access. The key issue for business is how it can unlock real value from the smarter deployment of ICT.

As there is still scope for greater numbers of micro and small businesses to become connected to the internet, DTI will continue to promote internet connection as part of the support and advice it gives to SMEs. However, the main focus will be to encourage a more effective, integrated use of ICT so that businesses can exploit the technology fully and gain the full set of benefits that it can bring.

A copy of the International Benchmarking Study 2003: Business in the Information Age is available in the Libraries of the House—URN 03/147.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her budget in 2003–04 is for the promotion of internet use among micro and small businesses. [153573]

Mr. Timms: The expenditure for 2003–04 for the UK online for business programme, which promotes internet and ICT use by SMEs, is forecast to be £7 million.

Mobile Phones (Data Protection)

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from mobile phone users on the privacy of the data on them stored by network operators. [153623]

Mr. Timms: We have received no representations from individual users.

However, in 2003 a consultation was held on the implementation of the EC Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive. This consultation included the question: "How should service providers gain consent to processing of traffic and location data and what information should they provide?"

A number of interested groups responded on this issue and their views were taken into account in the final version. These comments are available via the DTI website along with a copy of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

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Post Office Closures

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers she has to delay the proposed closure of a post office. [153027]

Mr. Timms: None. Decisions on post office closures and relocations are an operational matter for the company. It would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in determining individual closures. That has been the policy of successive Governments since 1969 when the Post Office was established as a statutory public corporation.

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recourse is available to users where the Post Office has acted improperly in a proposed closure. [153030]

Mr. Timms: Decisions on post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Every proposal that the company makes for the permanent closure of a post office branch is subject to public consultation in accordance with the Code of Practice on Post Office Closures and Relocations—agreed between Post Office Ltd. and Postwatch, the consumer watchdog for postal services. Postwatch are consulted on every post office closure proposal before a decision is made and there is every opportunity for those affected by a proposal, and the local MP, to make representations to the company or to Postwatch.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Post Office closures there have been in each Northern Ireland constituency in each year since 1997. [150672]

Mr. Timms: The Department does not hold such data and this is a matter that falls within the day-to-day responsibility of Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Offices (Stores)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which (a) convenience store companies and (b) supermarket chains have post office branches located in their stores; how many branches each organisation had located in its stores in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement on the continued availability of such branches in convenience stores. [152745]

Mr. Timms: We do not collect the information requested, which is an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Printer Cartridge Remanufacturing Industry

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures the Government have put in place to ensure the future of the printer cartridge remanufacturing industry. [153195]

Mr. Timms: The Government welcomes the positive contribution of the cartridge refill sector, but do not have any financial support mechanisms specifically aimed at it.

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Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which Ministers in her Department have met (a) Lexmark and (b) Hewlett Packard to discuss the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive; and on what dates. [153197]

Mr. Timms: I have not met representatives of Lexmark, but met with Hewlett Packard representatives on 18 December 2003.

Private Non-financial Corporations

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the percentage net rate of return of private non-financial corporations was for (a) manufacturing and (b) services for each year between 1993 and 2003. [153554]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 9 February 2004:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the profitability of UK manufacturing and service companies, in each year since 1993.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) First Release "Profitability of UK companies" shows the annual profitability of manufacturing companies since 1970 and service companies since 1989. Data for 2003 will be published on 31st March. This First Release, giving data up to 2002 is available free of charge from the National Statistics Website and is available in the House of Commons Library. The web address of the latest edition is: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/profit0104.pdf

Public Bodies

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the total expenditure limit for (a) BTI, (b) the Office of Fair Trading, (c) OFTEL, (d) OFGEM, (e) Postcomm and (f) the Export Credit Guarantee Department for each year between 1997 and 2007. [151831]

Ms Hewitt: This information is set out in "Central Government Supply Estimates 2003–04 Supplementary Budgetary Information" (Cm 5797, May 2003). Figures are available from 1998–99 (the first year for which resource information was produced) to 2005–06 (the final year of the current Spending Review period). The title of BTI was changed in the Winter Supplementary 2003–94 to UK Trade and Investment, and from the Spring Supplementary 2003–04 the activities previously carried out by OFTEL have transferred to OFCOM (Office of Communications), a public corporation.

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