§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans his Department has to resolve the legal anomalies regarding the import and sale of moderns not approved for connection to the United Kingdom public telephone network; and whether he intends to press for a Europewide solution.
§ Mr. McLoughlinMy Department is reviewing the United Kingdom approvals regime for telecommunications terminal equipment, including the placing on the market of modems capable of, but not approved for, connection to the network. One of the main objectives of the review is to introduce a regime consistent with our obligations under the Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive —91/263/EEC. At the same time, my officials are discussing the particular problems caused by unapproved modems with the Commission and other member states with a view to developing a pan-European solution.