Ministers hold off on CUPI!
Following questions in the UK Parliament regarding the Office of Fair Trading CUPI report the respective Ministers have provided holding answers related to the UK Met Office, the UK Hydrographic Office, and the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain.
Parliamentary material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO on behalf of Parliament
“10 Jan 2007 : Column 582W
Met Office
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the Meteorological Office's revenues came from licensing products to (a) local and (b) central Government in the last year for which figures are available. [112774]
Derek Twigg: Met Office customers are charged a fee for the overall provision of products and services, not just a licensing charge. Of its total revenue in 2005-06 of £170 million, 1 per cent. was for the provision of products and services to local government and 35 per cent. for products and services to central Government.
Met Office/Hydrographic Office
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to ask the (a) Hydrographic Office and (b) Meteorological Office to implement the recommendations in the Office of Fair Trading's recent market study of public sector information; and if he will make a statement. [110283]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 18 December 2006]: The Government have until March to consider its response to the Office of Fair Trading's Market Study of public sector information. The DTI is responsible for co-ordinating the preparation of the agreed Government response, including MOD, and my officials will liaise with the DTI during the consultation process. Following that response both the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and the Met Office will of course fully implement any newly agreed policy, as appropriate.
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Public Sector Information
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government intend to implement the recommendations made by the Office of Fair Trading in its market study on public sector information; and if he will make a statement. [110246]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 18 December 2006]: DTI is responsible for co-ordinating the preparation of the agreed Government response, and officials will liaise with other Government Departments with a relevant policy interest. Government are required to respond within 90 days of the OFT publication, producing a plan explaining how they will implement
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the recommendations, or if chosen any alternative solution. No action plan is required if no recommendations are accepted. Where the OFT makes no regulatory changes, it is for Ministers to decide whether an action plan is appropriate.”
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Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what action she proposes to take in relation to Ordnance Survey in response to the recommendations made in the recent Office of Fair Trading's market study of public sector information; and if she will make a statement. [110284]
Angela E. Smith: As one of the major public sector information holders covered by the study, Ordnance Survey is giving the report very careful consideration.
Ordnance Survey officials will be working with officials in my department and in other Departments and organisations mentioned in the report to assist the Department of Trade and Industry in its coordination of the official Government response to the report.”
“ Meteorological Office
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the remit will be of the futures group at the Meteorological Office; when the group is expected to be established; and how many members it will have. [102626]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 23 November 2006]: The ‘Futures' group now referred to as Met Office Consultancy was set up in September 2006. The team is led by two individuals with significant commercial and consultancy experience and currently comprises 10 members of staff in total.
The consultancy group is part of the commercial business area and has the specific remit to provide climate change risk management and scientific advice to existing and new business customers. Met Office Consultancy therefore harnesses the scientific expertise and reputation to address business climate change risk management needs namely: accurate assessment of customer climate change risks, their impacts and consequently the business mitigation plans.
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Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Meteorological Office about an increase in their commercial activities. [102627]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 23 November 2006]: The Met Office's commercial activities have been discussed recently in the context of the Met Office four-year corporate plan which sets out ambitious plans for growth in commercial activities. The increase in commercial activities will have a clear role in the successful future of the Met Office by generating profitable revenue from customers to fund future investment thereby helping to deliver value to the UK taxpayer.
The Met Office was successful in meeting its commercial profit KPT for financial year 2005-06, achieving a figure of £2.9 million against a target of £2.8 million. They are also forecasting to meet their target for commercial profit of £3.6 million in the current year.”
Minister called to account! Friday 15 December 2006
Question asked in UK Parliament following publication of the OFT CUPI Report
UK under achieves! Wednesday 13 December 2006
Report on the Market Study on The commercial use of public information (CUPI) has been published
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