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Exeter Airport

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek an urgent investigation by the Competition Commission of the proposed sale of Exeter airport by Devon county council. [1343]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) advises that consideration of this particular case is a matter for the European Commission under the EC Merger Regulation (ECMR). As a competent authority for the purposes of the ECMR, the OFT will retain an interest in the competition analysis of the proposed transaction.

Export Control

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place the minutes of the Export Control Advisory Committee meetings since 13 May 2004 in the Library. [937]

 
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Malcolm Wicks: No. To do so would inhibit the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.

Freedom of Information Act

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many requests for information regarding the 1984–85 miners' strike under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 have been refused by his Department. [166]

Alan Johnson [holding answer 23 May 2005]: The Department has received one FOI request for information relating to the 1984–85 miners strike and the requester was referred to the National Archives as they hold all the Department's records relating to the strike.

MacNaughton Paper

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has established who leaked the paper arguing the case for nuclear energy, drafted by Joan MacNaughton and which appeared in the press at the time of his appointment; and if he will make a statement. [1522]

Malcolm Wicks: This leak has been subject to an internal investigation. Our policy is to neither publish nor comment on the outcome of leak investigations.

MG Rover

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when Ministers in his Department first informed the press that they were offering MG Rover (Phoenix Venture Holdings) a bridging loan of £100 million; and for what reasons this information was provided. [903]

Ian Pearson: On 1 April, in response to press speculation, the Department informed the press that if there were the prospect of a commercial deal being done, both MG Rover and SAIC were aware that the Government would consider the option of providing a bridging loan facility to that deal. If it were to be offered, any potential bridging loan facility would be provided under strict criteria to ensure the proper use of taxpayer's money and would of course be fully repayable.

No formal decision to offer a bridging loan to MG Rover was taken by the Department. This position was set out in the then Secretary of State's statement of 7 April.

Packaging Regulations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage change in the amount of packaging used for food and drink products has followed the implementation of the packaging (essential requirements) regulations 2003. [1494]

Alun Michael: Packaging data collected in the UK do not show sector specific changes, instead they show material specific tonnage to enable the monitoring of performance against the targets set by the packaging and packaging waste directive 94/62/EC (as amended).
 
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DEFRA's data note (as at July 2004) shows that since 1998, the estimated total tonnage of packaging flowing into the UK waste stream has dropped from 10.2 million tonnes to 10.1 million tonnes in 2003 (i.e. 0.98 per cent.) even though consumption of the packaged product has increased.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions have been instigated under the packaging (essential requirements) regulations 2003; and what the results have been. [1495]

Alun Michael: To date, three successful prosecutions have been brought under the packaging (essential requirements) regulations. One company was fined a total of £600, another £250 and the most recent £2,000.

Power Stations

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list (a) the power stations operating in the UK and (b) the power stations that have been decommissioned since 2001. [1074]

Malcolm Wicks: A list of UK power stations can be found on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/energy_stats/electricity/dukes5_11.xls

A list of generation disconnections can be found at table 3.7 of National Grid Transco's Seven Year Statement: http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/library/documents/sys_04/dddownloaddisplay.asp?sp=sys_ Table3_7

Premium Rate Lines

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the number of people affected by malpractices in the premium rate telephone information services industry. [1160]

Alun Michael [holding answer 26 May 2005]: In the first quarter of 2005 complaints received by the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) were down by a third compared to 2004 at 8,446 complaints. This represents a 33 per cent. reduction in the number of complaints compared to the first quarter of 2004, during which ICSTIS received 12,542 complaints. ICSTIS has taken a number of measures to inform consumers about premium rate services and numbers that appear on their telephone bills, and has increased its use of emergency procedures to close down services before they can cause extensive consumer harm.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the role of the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services in investigating malpractice in the telephone services industry. [1161]

Alun Michael [holding answer 26 May 2005]: The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) regulates premium rate services via a code of practice approved by the Office of Communications (Ofcom). ICSTIS fines service providers for breaching its code of practice and disconnects services which cause consumer harm.
 
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In the course of 2004, DTI asked Ofcom to review theregulation of premium rate services to ensure that the right level of protection is in place to protect consumers. Ofcom has now produced its report with recommendations designed to strengthen the enforcement powers and improve the effectiveness of the system of regulation. We are now working of ICSTIS to implement these recommendations as soon as possible.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what penalties are imposed on operators of premium rate lines who advertise the number without disclosing the cost per minute. [1245]

Alun Michael: The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) has responsibility for the regulation and promotion of all Premium Rate Services (PRS). All PRS providers have to comply with ICSTIS's Code of Practice, which makes it a breach to advertise a number without disclosing the cost per minute. Those providers found to be in breach can be warned both informally and formally, shut down immediately using their Emergency Procedure, barred from operating and fined up to £100,000.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services has taken against the operators of premium rate phone line 09050099178; and who the operator of this line is. [1248]

Alun Michael: The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) raised a number of breaches of its Code of Practice after receiving 43 complaints about companies operating within the 0905 009 9000–9199 number range. Consequently, on 25 May 2005 ICSTIS invoked its Emergency Procedure. As a result all services operating on this number range have been shut down until a full investigation has been conducted and an adjudication made. Should ICSTIS find the provider to have breached its Code of Practice, the provider can also be barred from operating and fined up to £100,000. Details of the operator of the line can be obtained from ICSTIS and details of their adjudication will appear on their website in due course.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on procedures for investigation of malpractice in the premium rate telephone information services industry. [1157]

Alun Michael: The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) regulates premium rate services (PRS) via a code of practice approved by the electronic communications regulator the Office of Communications (Ofcom). ICSTIS has both a standard procedure, and a fast-track emergency procedure which can be used to disconnect a fraudulent PRS service in as little as two hours.

In the course of 2004 DTI asked Ofcom to review the regulation of PRS to ensure that the right level of protection is in place to protect consumers. Ofcom has now produced its report with recommendations designed to strengthen ICSTIS' enforcement procedures
 
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and improve its effectiveness. We are now working hard to implement all these recommendations as soon as possible.

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