§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the appointment of the next Director General of Gas Supply. [55990]
§ Mr. MandelsonI have appointed Callum McCarthy as Director General of Gas Supply (DGGS) from 1 November 1998, and as Director General of Electricity Supply (DGES) from 1 January 1999. Both appointments will run until 31 October 2003.
The appointment of a single individual as DGGS and DGES reflects the convergence of the gas and electricity markets, and the Government's confirmation, in July, that they proposed to amalgamate the regulatory regimes for gas and electricity. Subject to parliamentary approval of legislation to create the post, Mr. McCarthy will in due course be appointed as the first Energy Regulator for Great Britain, chairing a new full-time board that will replace the present DGGS and DGES.
I am placing in the Library of the House a copy of my Department's Press Notice of 24 September, with further details of the appointment.
1082WThe Council also discussed the issue of parallel imports and trade-mark rights, following the European Court of Justice's recent Judgment in case 355/96 (Silhouette).
The Commission made presentations of its Green Paper on patent protection within the EU; on its communication on statutory audit in the EU, addressing the supervision of auditing and auditing standards within a Single Market context; and on its progress towards development of an action plan to follow up the Report of the Business Environment Simplification Task Force (BEST).