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6 Jun 2005 : Column 306W—continued
British Energy
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the occasions between 1 July 2004 and 31 March 2005 on which (a) Ministers and (b) officials met representatives from British Energy. [1485]
Malcolm Wicks: The then Minister for Energy, my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) met the Chief Executive of British Energy on 25 November 2004, and officials had very frequent contacts with British Energy in the period up to the successful completion of its restructuring on 14 January 2005. In future, officials will meet British Energy on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues affecting the company, and ministerial colleagues and I will meet British Energy as appropriate.
Climate Change
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what work the Department is undertaking in relation to climate change objectives in preparation for UK presidency of the G8 and EU. [65]
Malcolm Wicks: To provide a detailed answer at this stage would undermine our negotiations with other G8 countries. I can confirm, however, that DTI is working actively and closely with the Prime Minister's office, Defra, FCO, Treasury, DFID and other Departments in order to prepare for a successful summit at Gleneagles. DTI's contribution reflects the fact that energy policies are fundamentally important in tackling the causes of climate change: one of the two main themes for discussion. Defra and DTI also co-hosted the Energy and Environment Ministerial Roundtable in March which brought together energy and environment ministers or policy makers from 20 countries with significant energy needs; businesses, NGOs and international organisations such as the IEA also participated.
Departmental Name
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps were taken to put into effect the renaming of the Department as the Department for Productivity, Energy and Industry; and what the cost of those steps was. [107]
Alan Johnson [holding answer 23 May 2005]: The renaming exercise only reached preliminary stages. Replacement nameplates for the Department's London buildings were commissioned; a small number of publications and event literature were amended; websites were changed and departmental guidelines and stationery templates were adjusted and distributed. The total cost of these actions was £14,500.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of the recent departmental name change reversal. [62]
Alan Johnson: The total cost of reversing the name change back from DPEI to DTI was £15,400.
This is substantially less than the cost that would have been incurred by completing the implementation of the original name change.
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Draft European Computer Implemented Inventions Directive
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from (a) representatives of industry and (b) others following the recent European Parliament report proposing changes to the draft European Computer Implemented Inventions Directive; and if he will make a statement. [1460]
Alun Michael:
Since, the rapporteur Michel Rocard MEP's report on the 13 April, the Secretary of State and his predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, West (Ms Hewitt) have received two letters on the computer implemented inventions directive. One of these letters came from the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents and the other came from the right hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East and Wallsend, passing on the concerns of a constituent. Officials at the Patent Office have continued to engage
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with all interested parties, having recently completed a series of workshops on the concept of technical contribution" within the directive. These workshops were attended by over 300 people, and a full report is available on the Patent Office website.
Energy Research
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much and what percentage of public expenditure on energy research and development for the financial year 2004–05 was planned to be spent on research and development for (a) nuclear fission, (b) nuclear fusion, (c) fossil fuel generation and (d) renewable energy sources. [171]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 23 May 2005]: The following table sets out the expenditure of the DTI and Research Councils on research and development for nuclear fission, fusion, fossil fuel generation and renewables between 1997–98 and 2004–05. The following figures are in £ million.
(16)Estimated spend with some elements not included.
(17)Includes full range of renewables and also Research Council spend on carbon capture, energy storage and networks.
(18)Includes energy efficiency.
In addition further research relating to energy is included in the work of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research which has some £10 million funding from Research Councils over 2000–05, and in the work of the Carbon Trust. The UK also participates in international collaborative energy research via the EU and the International Energy Agency.
EU Committees
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the (i) Advisory Committee for the transparency of measures governing the pricing of medicinal products for human use, (ii) Advisory Committee on standardisation in the field of information technology (Sogits) met and (iii) Standing Committee for the harmonisation of national legislation relating to recreational craft met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [554]
Alan Johnson: The information requested is as follows:
(i) The Advisory Committee for the transparency of measures governing the pricing of medicinal products for human use is under the specific responsibility of the Department of Health.
(ii) The Advisory Committee on standardisation in the field of information technology (Sogits) did not meet during the period in question.
(iii) It is my understanding that the hon. Member is referring to the Standing Committee set up under Article 6 of Directive 94/25/EC (as amended) on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of member states relating to recreational craft. The Standing Committee met in Brussels under the Irish Presidency on 5 May 2004. Two officials from the Department of Trade and Industry represented the United Kingdom. The UK contributed a number of points to the discussion on the production of guidance for industry and other stakeholders. No meetings were held during either the Italian or Dutch EU Presidency.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the (i) Standing Committee for the approximation of the laws of the member states relating to lifts, (ii)Standing Committee for the approximation of the laws of the member states concerning pressure equipment and (iii)Committee for the implementation of projects, actions and measures for the interoperability of trans-European networks for the interchange of data between administration (IDA) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [574]
Alan Johnson:
The mandate for the lifts Standing Committee is contained in Article 6.3 of the Lifts Directive 95/16/EC. The Committee did not meet during the Italian Presidency. The first Committee meeting was held on 3 February 2004 in Luxembourg during the Irish Presidency and the second Committee met on
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9 September 2004 in Luxembourg during the Dutch Presidency. An official from the Standards and Technical Regulations Directorate in my Department and a technical expert from the Health and Safety Executive attended both of the Committee meetings.
The mandate of the pressure equipment Standing Committee is contained in Article 7.2 of the Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC. The provisions of this Article have not yet been put into effect, so the Committee has never met.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the (i) Committee on the Directives on names and labelling of textile products and (ii) Standing Committee on the harmonisation of national legislation on cableway installations designed to carry passengers met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [626]
Alan Johnson: The Committee on the Directives on names and labelling of textile products met only once during this period, on 30 January 2004 in Brussels. UK representation consists of one official from my Department.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the (i) Standing Committee on the approximation of the laws relating to construction products, (ii) Standing Committee on the approximation of the laws of the member states relating to machinery and (iii) Standing Committee on medicinal products for human use met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [631]
Alan Johnson: (ii) The mandate of the machinery Standing Committee is contained in Article 6.2 of the Machinery Directive 98/37/EC. The provisions of this Article were first put into effect in February 2005, i.e. during the Luxembourg presidency, and so the Standing Committee did not meet during the presidencies stated.
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