§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many meetings he and his Ministers have had with information technology users and suppliers, and their trade associations, to discuss policy issues and reactions to EC draft directives;
(2) if he will name all the third parties his Department has consulted during the last year on information technology and information technology-related issues.
§ Mr. LeighDuring the last year, DTI Ministers and officials have had numerous contacts with the suppliers and users of information technology, with their trade associations, and with other interested parties such as NEDO. Such contacts form an integral part of the daily business of my Department and cannot be quantified without disproportionate cost and effort.
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§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last discussed information technology, or information technology-related, issues with other Ministers at the Council of Ministers.
§ Mr. LeighThe Commission communication on the electronics and IT industry was discussed by the Industry Council on 29 April 1991, which Lord Hesketh attended, and again discussed by the Industry Council on 18 November. Lord Reay was unable to attend that Council as he was attending the European Space Agency ministerial meeting in Munich. IT was also discussed within the context of Community research and development at the Research Council on 28 October. Lord Reay represented the United Kingdom at that Council.
IT has also been considered in the context of other Councils in recent times, such as the Internal Market Council on 7 November, at which the proposed IMPACT programme concerning the development of the European information market was discussed.
§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many people in his Department are engaged full time in monitoring developments from the European Commission in Brussels, in the realm of information technology;
(2) how many staff work full time on information technology, and information technology-related, issues in his Department.
§ Mr. LeighMy Department employs over 600 staff on information technology, and information technology-related issues. The major concentrations of these personnel are in information technology division, manufacturing technology division, telecommunications and post division and the national physical laboratory, and in respect of my Department's own use of information systems, services and management division.
Of these staff, a number of them are involved with monitoring the European Commission's activities in relation to information technology research and other programmes that relate to information technology, but none is engaged full time in that capacity.
§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what initiatives his Department is planning in order to harmonise European information technology legislation.
§ Mr. LeighMy Department is reacting constructively to current European Community initiatives which may affect European information technology legislation.
§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether there is a central record of reviews and surveys relating to information technology sponsored by his Department;
(2) how many reviews or surveys relating to information technology, excluding those which relate to his Department's internal departmental use of information technology, are being sponsored by his Department; and what topics they cover.
§ Mr. LeighA list of management or computer consultancy contracts awarded by my Department during financial year 1990–91 was published in theOfficial Report on 5 June 1991, columns 241–46.