§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of ISO 9000 certified companies have(a) transferred and (b) are in the process of transferring to ISO 9001:2000; and what plans there are to encourage UK companies and their suppliers to do so before the deadline. [120287]
§ Ms HewittMy Department does not collect information on the numbers of UK businesses certified to the ISO 9000 standards but contacts with certification bodies indicate that approximately 50 per cent. of certified UK businesses have transferred to ISO 9001:2000 and a further 25 per cent. are in the process of transferring. The ISO 9000 standards are voluntary and it is a matter for the companies involved to make any changes to their quality management systems to meet the requirements of ISO 9001:2000. My Department has, however, been providing general advice on the new standard and certification bodies have been encouraging UK businesses to transfer to ISO 9001:2000 since it was adopted in December 2000.
§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the number of companies in the UK which are ISO 9000 certified; how many are certified by UKAS accredited companies in the UK; what reports the Government have received that some have been certified inappropriately; and what percentage her Department estimates have been certified inappropriately. [120288]
§ Ms HewittMy Department does not collect information on businesses certified to ISO 9000. However, figures produced by the International Standards Organisation indicate that in, December 2001, there were 66,760 ISO 9000 certifications in the UK. Neither my Department nor UKAS collect information on the number of UK businesses certified to ISO 9000 by UKAS accredited companies. My Department is made aware from time to time of certifications which might be deemed inappropriate for various reasons (for example because the certifier is unaccredited and the certificate is not accepted in the market as a result) but keeps no record of the precise numbers of such cases.
§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on change of ISO 9000 certification to the latest version of ISO 9001:2000. [120289]
§ Ms HewittAll ISO standards are reviewed at least every five years to ensure they continue to meet the needs of business and industry. ISO 9001:2000 is the 927W most recent version of the ISO 9000 series of quality management systems and has been produced by quality and industry experts working under the aegis of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). From 15 December 2003 it is the intention of the certification organisations only to issue certificates against the new standard. It is a matter for individual businesses to decide whether to be certified against the new standard.
However, ISO 9001:2000 is intended to reflect modern management approaches and the experience gained in industry and commerce over the past 25 years, with the focus moving from compliance to achieving results, and as such it is welcomed by the government. We hope that businesses will use the new standard to improve their productivity and competitiveness and that as many as possible will transfer to the new standard.
§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice the Government is giving to ISO 9000 certified companies about the need to transfer to ISO 9001:2000, by 15 December this year. [120290]
§ Ms HewittI refer my hon. Friend to the answers to his questions answered today PQs No. 120287 and 120289.