The Safe Harbour negotiations are on-going between the EU and the US. The UK is keen to uphold the Safe Harbour principles and for these negotiations to reach a swift and mutually acceptable conclusion. I am always interested in the views of stakeholder groups on this and other data protection issues.

The Government's broadband initiatives to expand broadband coverage in rural areas and improve business connectivity in cities provides opportunities for internet service providers to compete and the market to grow.

The Government has not received any representations from internet service providers on the exemption from liabilities ("safe harbour") provisions contained within the eCommerce Directive. Some rights holders have expressed concern that the exemption from liabilities provisions are no longer necessary in their current form. The UK government recently published its vision for the future of the digital economy in the EU, and we will continue to seek the views of all stakeholders in developing our policy in this area.

The Government has not received any representations from internet service providers on the exemption from liabilities ("safe harbour") provisions contained within the eCommerce Directive. Some rights holders have expressed concern that the exemption from liabilities provisions are no longer necessary in their current form. The UK government recently published its vision for the future of the digital economy in the EU, and we will continue to seek the views of all stakeholders in developing our policy in this area.

I refer my hon Friend to the reply I gave to Question UIN 227250. The UK Government set out its policy in a paper published in January and is available at http://engage.number10.gov.uk/digital-single-market/.

Search engines play a valuable role in guiding consumers to sources of legitimate content online. They are well placed to work with copyright owners to explore ways to promote legitimate websites in search results, taking into account any competition issues. A series of round table discussions between search engines and copyright owners chaired by my noble Friend Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister for Intellectual Property, have been productive and work continues on these important matters.

The Safe Harbour negotiations are on-going between the EU and the US. The UK is keen to uphold the Safe Harbour principles and for these negotiations to reach a swift and mutually acceptable conclusion. I am always interested in the views of stakeholder groups on this and other data protection issues.

The Safe Harbour negotiations are on-going between the EU and the US. The UK is keen to uphold the Safe Harbour principles and for these negotiations to reach a swift and mutually acceptable conclusion. I am always interested in the views of stakeholder groups on this and other data protection issues.

The UK Government set out its policy in a paper published in January and is available at http://engage.number10.gov.uk/digital-single-market/. We want the EU to create an open, flexible digital single market with a regulatory framework that reflects the dynamic nature of the digital economy. Through the internet, consumers should be able to enjoy greater choice, lower prices, more mobility and better public services. We should also make it easier for businesses to operate online so that they can innovate, drive growth and create jobs. The Government has had several discussions with the European Commission on this point, including with Vice President Ansip and Commissioners Oettinger and Jourova.

The Government intends to appoint a chair to lead the statutory review of the secondary ticket market.

The statutory review of the secondary ticketing market will be a full review of consumer protection measures in the market. It will be independently led and it will be presented to Parliament.

Bus lanes are provided to give bus services priority during congested times, which can improve punctuality, reliability and journey times.

Provision of bus lanes is the responsibility of local traffic authorities, including decisions on what type of vehicles are allowed access. The Government believes these decisions are best made at local level as local circumstances will influence what is appropriate. Traffic signing must clearly reflect the classes of vehicle permitted to access bus lanes, so that drivers are clear what is expected of them.

As well as buses and pedal cycles, authorities have discretion to allow motorcycles, hackney carriages and ‘authorised vehicles’ to access bus lanes.

Schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum which prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. Our new national curriculum, introduced in September 2014, provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.

The new national curriculum gives teachers greater flexibility to teach topics that are appropriate and meet the needs of pupils, including the importance of intellectual property rights. It is for individual schools to decide what support and resources they wish to draw on in developing and teaching their school curriculum.

The sentences that are available for crimes that are committed online are the same as those for offences that are committed offline. Fraud or malicious communications, for example, carry severe maximum penalties, whether committed online or offline. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts. Sentencing guidelines are issued by the independent Sentencing Council to help ensure that there is proportionate and consistent sentencing.

In November 2014 the Government announced a further £3m of funding for the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), securing its future until 2017. This investment will ensure the City of London Police continue to focus on the important area of online crime.

PIPCU’s steering board regularly review its progress against key performance measures. Their role is to review its operational effectiveness and to consider areas of expansion if required.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) produces a wide variety of resources to educate SMEs about the use of intellectual property (IP). The suite of online tools ‘IP for business’ includes an information booklet, a short free online learning tool, a series of IP health checks that allow businesses to assess IP related opportunities and risks for their own company, and a paid for master class providing more in depth IP knowledge. These tools will help businesses in all sectors, including digital businesses. The IPO also attends events for small businesses, providing information and signposting to advice on IP issues. In addition, the IPO provides support to business advisors, including training and networking events, to improve their understanding of IP and how it can apply to the businesses they advise.

The Intellectual Property Office also works with partner organisations to promote IP understanding and encourage the sharing of information, including any educational resources, amongst businesses.

There is not a single Intellectual Property Education Coordinator role. The Intellectual Property Office acts as a co-ordinator for Intellectual Property (IP) Education work and has a team dedicated to IP education and awareness raising. This team is working closely with industry and across government to raise understanding of and respect for all forms of intellectual property.

The department has not formalised an agreement with the BBC regarding its editorial content on intellectual property. However, the BBC has done a great deal of work in this area. In particular, the BBC has just launched a new website, Copyright Aware, highlighting and explaining the subject of copyright. The site includes a variety of resources and aims to encourage consumers and creators to deal more consciously and responsibly with creative works, recognising the effort and skill that has gone into producing them.

The Department has not carried out any recent assessment of the impact of bus lanes on traffic flow. However, in 2004 we published ‘Bus Priority: The Way Ahead (Resource Pack Edition 2)’ which was the final report of a 4-year research project comprising the analysis of case studies about bus priority projects on UK roads.

Provision of bus priority facilities, including bus lanes, are for the relevant local authority. Assessment and monitoring of the impact of bus lanes on traffic is for the authority concerned to carry out. In relation to Manchester, the responsible authority is Transport for Greater Manchester.

The Department has not carried out any recent assessment of the impact of bus lanes on traffic flow. However, in 2004 we published ‘Bus Priority: The Way Ahead (Resource Pack Edition 2)’ which was the final report of a 4-year research project comprising the analysis of case studies about bus priority projects on UK roads.

Provision of bus priority facilities, including bus lanes, are for the relevant local authority. Assessment and monitoring of the impact of bus lanes on traffic is for the authority concerned to carry out. In relation to Manchester, the responsible authority is Transport for Greater Manchester.