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7 Feb 2005 : Column 1263W—continued
Mobile Phones
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will invite the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services to regulate the marketing of mobile phone services to ensure that it is possible readily to terminate the service, with particular reference to (a) ring tones and (b) jokes. [213865]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) already regulates the marketing and overall operation of mobile phone services such as ring tones and jokes when they are charged for by premium rate. As a principle, consumers should be able to leave mobile phone services (such as ringtones and jokes) as easily as they can join them—and whenever they choose to do so.
In cases where consumers have been unable to unsubscribe to a service—for example, due to an overcomplicated or convoluted procedure aimed at delaying or preventing someone from opting out of the service—ICSTIS has found these services to be in breach of its Code of Practice (provision on vulnerability). In such cases ICSTIS has imposed fines and/or instructed that access to the service is barred.
The Government and ICSTIS welcomed the recent decision by the mobile networks to formalise the common stop command, ensuring a single common policy for the regulation of subscription services paid for by premium rate SMS. The common stop command is 'stop'.
Norman Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate her Department has made of how many mobile phones were sold in each of the last five years; what percentage she estimates
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have become redundant; and what percentage she estimates have been (a) recycled and (b) otherwise disposed of. [214125]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: No data were readily available on the number of handsets sold per year in the last five years. However, industry estimates that 18 million handsets, are replaced every year and that in total over the last two years there have been about five million handsets taken by mobile phone recycling and refurbishment companies in the UK. It is further estimated by industry that about 60 per cent. of the handsets taken for recycling and refurbishment have been refurbished and tested in the UK and then sold for re-use abroad, mostly to Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. The remaining 40 per cent. have been sent for materials recycling.
Post Offices
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to increase the extent to which the availability of the Post Office cheque payment service is advertised. [202752]
Mr. Pond: I have been asked to reply.
There are no plans to do this.
Direct Payment is now the normal method of payment for benefits and pensions. The Government have always made it clear that there would be an alternative for the minority of people who are genuinely unable to be paid by Direct Payment into an account. The cheque payment was therefore designed in consultation with a range of customer representative groups and detailed information about it was circulated to them and to all hon. Members in May of last year.
At the end of the conversion process those customerswho have not provided account details will automatically be moved to the cheque method of payment, which can be cashed at a Post Office, or can be paid into a bank account.
Power Station (Plymouth)
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect on the creation of new jobs on land at Langage Plymouth of delays in progress with the power station project; if she will vitiate the licence granted in respect thereof; and if she will make a statement. [213982]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Secretary of State granted consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to build a 1,010MW CCGT station at Langage on 20 November 2000. The consent is valid for five years and it is a commercial decision for the developer as to when to start construction.
Renewable Energy
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much energy generated in the UK in 2003–04 was derived from (a) wind energy, (b) solar power and (c) biomass. [213371]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information is as follows:
(a) In 2003 wind energy accounted for 0.3 per cent. of electricity generated in the UK. In the same period, of the renewables eligible under the Renewables Obligation wind energy contributed 0.39 per cent. of electricity sales by licensed suppliers in the UK.
(b) For solar power the proportions were less than 0.01 per cent. on both bases.
(c) Biomass accounted for 0.63 per cent. of electricity generated in the UK in 2003, while biomass eligible under the Renewables Obligation contributed 0.47 per cent. of electricity sales by licensed suppliers in the UK.
Telephone Sales
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to control (a) telephone cold calling and (b) unsolicited silent calls from commercial power diallers from (i)within and (ii) outside the UK. [213502]
Ms Hewitt: The information is as follows:
(a) My Department introduced the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) scheme, under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 1999. The TPS scheme provides protection to subscribers from unsolicited telephone cold calls, which either originate from the UK or are made from abroad on behalf of UK companies, irrespective of whether they are dialled manually or made by commercial power diallers.
(b) The Communications Act 2003 confers powers on the Office of Communications (Ofcom) to regulate forms of behaviour, which fall within the Act's definition of persistent misuse of an electronic communications network or service. Unsolicited silent calls made by commercial power diallers are an example of behaviour, which might represent persistent misuse. Ofcom has taken action against companies, which were found to have generated unacceptably high levels of unsolicited silent calls.
Working Time Directive
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many prosecutions of companies were brought in 2003–04 for breaches of the Working Time Directive; [213369]
(2) how many visits were made to companies in 2003–04 by officials from her Department or from agencies for which her Department is responsible to verify compliance with the Working Time Directive. [213370]
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Mr. Sutcliffe: During the 12 months to 31 March 2004, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Infoline received over 5,000 inquiries on Working Time issues. All those requiring further action were followed up and HSE officers made 47 visits specifically to verify compliance with the Working Time Regulations. The HSE brought no prosecutions in this period, but one prosecution was concluded during that period—in which the company concerned was fined a total of £30,000 for four breaches of the Working Time Regulations. The other enforcement agencies; the Civil Aviation Authority, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Vehicle Operator Services Agency, made no visits and undertook no prosecutions for breaches of the Working Time Regulations in the period 2003–04.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Alcohol-Procurement Prosecutions
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been of adults found to have bought alcohol on behalf of persons under the age of 18 in (a) pubs, bars and clubs and (b) off-licences and other licensed retailers in each of the last 10 years . [210686]
Paul Goggins: The available information on persons proceeded against is contained in the first table.
(12)These data are on a principal offence basis.
The second table contains information on persons given penalty notices for disorder for offences relating to buying, selling etc. alcohol to persons under 18 in England and Wales.
(13)Piloted in Essex, Metropolitan police (part), North Wales (part) and West Midlands from August 2002 for 12 months.
(14)New offence added to PND scheme from 1 November 2004.
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