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3 Mar 2006 : Column 985W—continued
EU Services Directive
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the proposed EU directive on services, with particular reference to the country of origin principle. [55500]
Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry meets regularly with his EU counterparts and has had discussions on the proposed EU Services Directive as well as on other issues. Ministers will discuss the Services Directive during the Competitiveness Council on 13 March, and conversations between DTI Ministers and their counterparts will take place in preparation for that Council.
Independent Retailers
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential future role of small independent retailers in the economy. [53657]
Alun Michael: DTI considers the role of small independent retailers as a matter of course in its work but has not undertaken a specific piece of work on the future role of small independent retailers as such. The focus of the Department's research has been on the key factors affecting the economic performance of the retail sector as a whole.
When looking at particular regulatory (or deregulatory) proposals we look at the impact on small business or small retailers when relevant as part of that work.
In our analysis of the sector, the role of small retailers does feature. For instance, one of the recommendations of a report that we commissioned to assess the productivity of the retail sector was to look at the development of a small number of efficiency metrics of relevance for smaller retailers. Following this recommendation we consulted with several trade associations and some retailers, and found no consensus over what those benchmarks should be. We also concluded that if there was any value in taking this work forward, it needs to be led by the industry.
In addition the DTI recognises that independent retailers are important to communities so, we ensure that representative bodies of smaller retailers are involved with our key retail fora: Retail Policy
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Forum (better regulation); Retail Innovation Group (identification and exploitation of good practice); and have been invited to be part of the steering group for the fledgling regional retail strategy that is exploring good practice in working with retail at regional/local level.
Internet Services
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice his Department issues on internet service providers and the right to privacy of individuals using internet services including search engines. [55485]
Alun Michael: The DTI website provides information on choosing an internet service provider (http://www.dti.gov.uk/industries/information_security/pdfs/Choose_ISP.pdf), and information about the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (http://www.dti.gov.uk/industries/ecommunications/directive_on_privacy_electronic_ communications_200258ec.html). The Government is a supporter of the Get Safe Online initiative (http://www.getsafeonline.org/). This provides information on how to protect against internet threats, including advice on how to protect privacy online. Our advice on choosing an Internet Service Provider is tailored towards small business, but most points will also apply to individuals. The advice focuses on encouraging people to understand their requirements, and not to just choose on a technical basis. The information we provide about the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 focuses on the related European Directive and the consultation about and implementation of the regulations. The Information Commissioner's Office provides guidance to organisations and individuals regarding this legislation and the Data Protection Act. Information regarding the rights of individuals under the Data Protection Act and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations is available from the Information Commissioner's Office website (http://www.ico.gov.uk/).
Poland (Exporters)
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the five largest British exporters to Poland in 2004–05. [54601]
Ian Pearson: For reasons of commercial confidentiality, the Department does not publish this type of information about where individual companies operate.
Post Offices
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government is taking to prevent the closure of branch post offices; and if he will make a statement. [54849]
Barry Gardiner:
In 2003 the Government introduced an annual subsidy of £150 million to help maintain the rural post office network. On 24 February we secured European Commission approval for an extension of the subsidy to 2008. Up to £25 million of the Government's
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subsidy package is available to Post Office Ltd to finance pilot activity to test modern, innovative ways of delivering services in rural areas.
The Government's requirement for Post Office Ltd to prevent avoidable sub-post office closures in rural areas currently runs until the end of March 2006 and a further announcement will be made shortly.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) nature, (b) duration and (c) location is of pilot studies to (i) assist with the long-term viability of post offices and (ii) assess the viability of remote post office branches after the end of the Post Office card account. [54906]
Barry Gardiner
[holding answer 2 March 2006]: Post Office Ltd. is conducting trials of modern, innovative ways of delivering post office services to rural
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communities. The trials will operate for 12 months and are focused on a 'Core and Outreach' approach. There are four types of Outreach service being piloted:
Hosted (fixed or portable)—a full service offer by the sub-postmaster/mistress (SPM) or a fully trained employee;
Partner Service—a basic service (e.g. access to cash, bill payment, stamps, weighing and leaving parcels) provided by another retailer alongside their main business, generally a petrol station or pub. The Core SPM maintains a remote overview and provides the site with the products required.
Home Service—a full service is offered via telephone or internet ordering. The SPM then arranges to deliver, in person or by post, the products requested.
Mobile—a full service is offered by a mobile post office visiting a number of locations at set times.
I have asked Post Office Ltd. to publish a report detailing findings on its pilot activity and expect them to do so shortly.
The locations of the 'Core and Outreach' pilots are detailed in the following table.
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Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether alternative funding will be put in place to ensure the continuation of Post Office banking in remote communities after the withdrawal of Post Office card accounts. [54907]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 2 March 2006]: I understand that Post Office Ltd. is currently developing new banking and savings products which might be suitable for existing Post Office card account customers, in addition to the 25 or so bank accounts that can already be accessed at post offices. The company is also piloting innovative ways of delivering its products and services to remote communities in a sustainable way. It is too early to speculate on the need for any alternative funding.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices in Ogmore constituency receive rural support funding. [55389]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 1 March 2006]: The Government's annual £150 million funding is used to underpin the fixed element of sub-postmaster remuneration, known as their 'Assigned Office Payment' and to meet the costs incurred by Post Office Ltd. in supporting the non-commercial part of the rural network, such as IT costs, cash delivery arrangements, training and marketing.
How this funding is used to benefit rural post offices in Ogmore constituency is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook, the managing director, has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) Crown post offices and (b) sub-post offices there were in each local authority area in Hampshire in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) the latest period for which figures are available; how many he expects there to be by 2010; and if he will make a statement. [55535]
Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook, the managing director, has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Mr. Paterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the European Commission has cleared the payment of subsidies to Post Offices
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Limited for the forthcoming financial year; and when an application for clearance was made to the Commission. [55599]
Barry Gardiner: The European Commission gave state aid clearance on 24 February to the Government's £300 million support package to the rural post office network for the two years from April 2006 to March 2008. The application for state aid clearance was submitted to the Commission in March 2005.
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