§ Mr. GrocottTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the public appointments for which he is responsible(a) in the west midlands region and (b) in Shropshire, indicating in each case the duration of the appointment, the date when a new appointment is due, and the salary.
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe information is as follows:
droit de suite levy on works of art; what position it has taken; and whether he proposes to introduce such a tax.
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe Government decided against the introduction of droit de suite, or "resale right", in the United Kingdom when this was considered during the process of review leading up to the present copyright legislation, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, since it was not convinced that this right, which entitles artists to a share in the proceeds of the second and subsequent sales of their work, is either justified or satisfactorily workable in practice. There are no plans to reverse this decision, but the Commission is studying droit de suite as part of its working programme in the copyright field announced in 1991, since several other EC states already provide a right of this kind in their copyright laws. So far as the Government are aware, however, the Commission has not yet decided whether to bring forward any proposals for harmonisation in this area. It has not sought the views of member states on the matter, but has nevertheless been made aware of the United Kingdom's general reservations on the principle of droit de suite.