§ Mr. Batisteasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government will publish their response to the report of the information technology advisory panel, "Making a Business of Information'; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. TebbitI am pleased to be able to announce that the Government's response to the information technology advisory panel report "Making a Business of Information" is published today. Copies have been made available in the Library of the House and in the Vote Office. The Government's response warmly endorses the approach taken by the panel in its report and replies positively to a number of its recommendations. In particular, I am glad to announce that Government have accepted the need identified by the panel to review the present Ministerial responsibility for the tradeable information sector and to allocate the role of policy co-ordination in this area to a single Minister. The Prime Minister has agreed that my right hon. Friend the Member for Mole Valley (Mr. Baker) the Minister for Information Technology, should take on this task.