§ Lord Birdwoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps are being taken to ensure that the proposal to revise the legislation on permitted electro-magnetic emissions from short-range devices (referred to in the Interim European Telecommunications Standard Institute Radio Equipment and Systems Unit 8) will not damage the market-entry opportunities of those United Kingdom companies which have established a position in this technology.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Strathclyde)The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) (Working Group 8), is currently drafting standards of generic testing methods for a wide variety of short range radio devices. Membership of ETSI and its working groups is made up of manufacturers and other interested groups from industry. Although implementation of ETSI standards by national administrations is voluntary, in the interests of harmonisation, the UK Government intend to implement such standards when they become available, provided these meet essential regulatory requirements. ETSI standards are important to achieving a European-wide market and enabling the free movement of goods throughout Europe, and will thus benefit UK manufacturers. We are actively encouraging UK firms to participate in the development of ETSI standards.