§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment his Department has made of the efficiency and effectiveness of Oftel. [11955]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorMy Department's close working relationship with Oftel does not extend to formal monitoring of Oftel's performance, since the office of Director General of Telecommunications was created by Parliament with independent statutory powers and duties under the Telecommunications Act 1984. The director general reports to Parliament annually on how he has fulfilled these duties and the use made of the resources Parliament has voted to him. In addition, the National Audit Office has recently examined the effectiveness of the regulatory process in its report, "The Work of the Directors General of Telecommunications, Gas Supply, Water Services and Electricity Regulation", published on 24 July 1996. The director general gave evidence to the Public Accounts Committee on this report on 18 November 1996. He has also appeared twice before the Trade and Industry Committee and is due to appear before it again shortly.