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Dept of Trade and Industry

Answer

Dr. Wright: To ask the President of the Board of Trade which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Office of Telecommunications (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interest, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [21703] Mr. John M. Taylor: The following is the information: English Advisory Committee on Telecommunications Northern Ireland Advisory Committee on Telecommunications Scottish Advisory Committee on Telecommunications Welsh Advisory Committee on Telecommunications Business Advisory Committee on Telecommunications Advisory Committee on Telecommunications for Disabled and Elderly People. None of the ACTs hold their regular meetings in public. Some of the information received by them is commercially sensitive to telecommunications companies and the ACTs would not wish to compromise their access to and use of it. However, at the Chairmen's discretion they can invite external observers to meetings. ACTs may conduct both open/public and closed/targeted consultation exercises, assist Oftel with its own exercises and commission consumer research. The ACTs published annual reports list the main external activities of their members, however, these do not constitute a full register of interests. For instance, details of private shareholdings in BT, although required by members' term of appointment to be disclosed to the director general, are not published. ACTs do not publish the formal agendas for, nor minutes of, their meetings. However, their annual reports are intended to give a substantial insight into their work.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

21703; 292 c1011-2W

Session

1996-97

Subjects

Disclosure of information Conflict of interests Government departments Publications Public meetings Non-departmental public bodies Office of Telecommunications