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14 Dec 2009 : Column 942W—continued
Higher Education: Student Numbers
John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students from (a) the city of Leeds, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) England graduated in each year since 1997. [306603]
Mr. Lammy: The latest information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency is shown in the table. This covers qualifiers from UK higher education institutions who were resident in Leeds, West Yorkshire and England at the time of applying to higher education. Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
Internet
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department first informed the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers of its plans to bring forward proposals for new powers in relation to internet domain registries in the Digital Economy Bill. [305484]
Mr. Timms: The Department contacted ICANN in July to inform them that the Government were preparing reserve powers in respect of internet domain name registries.
Internet: Copyright
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the cost of peer-to-peer file sharing of copyrighted material to the UK film industry in each year since 1999; if he will publish his Department's analysis upon which such an estimate is based; and if he will make a statement. [306025]
Mr. Timms: The Government have not carried out a study into the cost of unlawful peer-to-peer file-sharing to the UK film industry. However, the UK Film Council in 2006 estimated the total cost of copyright infringement to the UK film industry to be £388 million of which digital infringement is estimated to have cost the industry £202 million. The 2007 estimates were £404 million total cost, of which digital infringement £224 million. While digital infringement will include other forms of infringement than peer-to-peer, it is likely that it will account for a large proportion of the estimated figure. In the June 2009 consultation document IPSOS research, commissioned by the industry, was included that calculated losses in 2007 from unlawful peer-to-peer file-sharing to the film and television industries of £152 million.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the cost of peer-to-peer file sharing of copyrighted material to the UK games industry in each year since 1999; if he will publish his Department's analysis upon which such an estimate is based; and if he will make a statement. [306026]
Mr. Timms:
The Government have not carried out a study into the cost of unlawful peer-to-peer file-sharing to the UK games industry. However, according to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) in their response to the consultation on this subject published last year, for the six-month period
January to June 2008 industry, online monitoring of a selection of ELSPA members' games found over 350,000 infringing video game files for the UK. Globally, the monitoring of those games found over 11 million infringing video game files.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who shared copyrighted material through peer-to-peer technology in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [306027]
Mr. Timms: The Government have not carried out a study into the number of people who share copyrighted material unlawfully through peer-to-peer technology. Commonly quoted industry figures suggest around 6.5 million regular file-sharers, but it will be an early task for Ofcom under the Digital Economy Bill to set an authoritative baseline for the level of online infringement, and monitor the level of such infringement as the initial obligations begin to be applied.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the cost of peer-to-peer file sharing of copyrighted material to the British music industry in each year since 1999; if he will publish his Department's analysis upon which such an estimate is based; and if he will make a statement. [306055]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 10 December 2009]: The Government have not carried out an independent assessment of the cost of unlawful peer-to-peer file-sharing to the music industry. However, music industry research estimates that in 2008 they suffered losses as a consequence of such activity of £180 million. This figure, clearly identified as an industry estimate, was used in the consultation document issued in June 2009 on this topic.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials have held with representatives from (i) the Federation Against Copyright Theft, (ii) the British recorded music industry and (iii) the Open Rights Group in the last 12 months. [306114]
Mr. Lammy: Ministers and officials from the Department have held numerous meetings in the last 12 months with the Federation Against Copyright Theft, the British Recorded Music Industry and the Open Rights Group.
Internet: EU Law
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has made an assessment of the likely effects of EU Directive 2000/31/EC on the provisions outlined in the Digital Economy Bill, with particular reference to articles (a) 12, (b) 13, (c) 14, and (d) 15 of the Directive; and if he will make a statement. [306030]
Mr. Timms: The Government believe the Digital Economy Bill is fully compliant with Directive 2000/31/EC.
Internet: Security
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) residential customers and (b) business customers who have unencrypted wireless internet connections in the UK; [306028]
(2) what assessment he has made of the number of wireless routers in the UK that are protected by (a) WEP, (b) WEP2 and (c) WPA1 encryption; and if he will make a statement. [306029]
Mr. Timms: We do not collect data on the number of wireless networks that are protected by encryption nor the relative use of the various security techniques available. Get Safe Online advises home users to protect their wireless networks from intrusion by applying encryption.
Invoices
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to prevent the practice of issuing unsolicited invoices to businesses for inclusion in internet and business city guides; and whether any prosecutions have been brought for offences related to this practice. [306816]
Kevin Brennan: Section 3 of the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971 imposes requirements as to how agreements may be made for entries in business directories. A person will not be liable for any charge for inclusion in a directory of an entry relating to that person or his business unless that person has agreed to the charge. Local Trading Standards Services have a duty to enforce the legislation, although the Department does not hold information on the number of prosecutions brought.
National Geoscience Data Centre
Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the costings of each of the four options considered in the British Geological Survey's Tribal Group report on the closure of the National Geoscience Data Centre in Gilmerton, Edinburgh. [305729]
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the costings of each of the four options considered in the British Geological Survey's Tribal Group report on the closure of the Survey's engineering and core store in Loanhead, Midlothian. [305730]
Mr. Lammy: The full report by the Tribal Group including the costings and net savings for the four options is available on the website of the British Geological Survey:
Post Office
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons a sub-postmaster's or sub-postmistress's contract may be terminated. [306500]
Mr. McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd., to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Post Office: Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses are permitted to be accompanied by (a) solicitors and (b) other people independent of the Post Office at disciplinary meetings. [306497]
Mr. McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd., to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses have been subject to disciplinary action in respect of incidents related to the use of the Post Office Horizon system; and what standards of proof are used by the Post Office when investigating such incidents. [306499]
Mr. McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd., to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills who conducts appeal proceedings in respect of disciplinary action taken against Post Office employees. [306501]
Mr. McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd., to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Post Offices
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many post offices in (a) urban and (b) rural areas in each region have closed in each year since 25 December 2004; and if he will make a statement. [306520]
Mr. McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd., to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many post offices in (a) urban and (b) rural areas in each region Post Office Ltd. has identified for closure in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement. [306639]
Mr. McFadden: The Government have said that they will not support a further programme of post office closures so no post offices have been identified for future closure. However, neither the Government nor POL can prevent the closure of individual post offices where, for example, a sub-postmaster decides to retire or resign and a replacement cannot be found. The Government's access criteria will continue to apply across the UK.
We are providing up to £1.7 billion to 2011 to support a network of around 11,500 branches; this includes a £150 million annual social network payment to support non-commercial sub-post offices, in urban as well as rural areas, from April 2008. We also recognise that there will be a continuing need for network support payments beyond 2011.
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in (a) urban and (b) rural areas in each region live (i) less than one miles, (ii) less than two miles, (iii) less than three miles and (iv) three miles or more from the nearest post office; and if he will make a statement. [306640]
Mr. McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd., to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Post Offices: Information and Communications Technology
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what changes to the Post Office Horizon system will be made in the development of a new system. [306498]
Mr. McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd., to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what timetable he has set for the implementation of the new Post Office Horizon system; and what his most recent estimate is of the cost of implementing that system. [306493]
Mr. McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms are in place for independent audit and checking of the new Post Office Horizon system prior to its implementation. [306494]
Mr. McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
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