HC Deb 12 February 1982 vol 17 cc493-4W
Mr. Neale

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what arrangements are being made by the British Standards Institution to consult the public on drafts of the first standards for telecommunications attachments.

Mr. Wakeham

The Department of Industry has compiled a mailing list of people and organisations known to it who have a close interest in telecommunications. This mailing list is being used to circulate a series of notes designed to give early information about important steps towards the full implementation of the Government's policy for the liberalisation of telecommunications. These notes will also fill in the background with explanations of the way in which the new arrangements will work. The British Standards Institution recently asked for advance orders for copies of draft standards that will soon be made available for public comment. This request, which has been widely distributed through the institution's own publication "BSI News", has also been passed on, together with the background information, through the Department's mailing list. I have arranged for copies of this note to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and to be distributed to the press.