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73WS<br />
Written Ministerial Statements<br />
1 DECEMBER 2010<br />
Written Ministerial Statements<br />
74WS<br />
Written Ministerial<br />
Statements<br />
Wednesday 1 December 2010<br />
TREASURY<br />
Fair Pay in the Public Sector<br />
The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr George Osborne):<br />
Will Hutton has today published the interim report of<br />
his review of Fair Pay in the Public Sector. The Government<br />
welcome the publication of this report and will give<br />
careful consideration to the findings so far. The Government<br />
look forward to the outcome of the final report in<br />
March and will respond in more detail once they are in<br />
receipt of this.<br />
The report is available in the Vote Office and in the<br />
Printed Paper Office and it has been deposited in the<br />
Libraries of both Houses.<br />
Periodic updates of the review’s work will be made<br />
available through the website located at: http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/indreview_willhutton_fairpay_tor.htm.<br />
BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS<br />
Telecoms Council<br />
The <strong>Parliament</strong>ary Under-Secretary of State for Culture,<br />
Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Edward Vaizey): Iam<br />
pleased to confirm the agenda items for which BIS has<br />
responsibility at the forthcoming Telecommunications<br />
Council in Brussels on 3 December 2010. I intend to<br />
represent the UK at this Council.<br />
T<strong>here</strong> are four substantive agenda items:<br />
1. Proposal for a decision of the European <strong>Parliament</strong><br />
and of the Council establishing the first Radio Spectrum<br />
Policy Programme (RSPP): A Progress Report and<br />
Exchange of Views.<br />
This item is an exchange of views on the presidency<br />
report and questions for the discussion in relation to the<br />
Commission’s proposed RSPP (EM 13872/10). This is a<br />
proposal for draft legislation which codifies policy and<br />
legislative actions necessary for the efficient management<br />
of spectrum in the EU up to 2015.<br />
The RSPP is seen by the Commission as a necessary<br />
key contributor towards broadband targets, especially<br />
for those geographically rural and remote areas that<br />
would rely on wireless technology to receive broadband<br />
services. This view is generally shared by the Council<br />
and the European <strong>Parliament</strong>. It follows on from<br />
the agreements reached on spectrum during the<br />
communications framework review.<br />
Progress had been made in debating the draft legislation<br />
in the Council but the European <strong>Parliament</strong> is yet to<br />
start deliberations.<br />
The questions tabled for discussion range from how<br />
spectrum management contributes to economic growth<br />
through issues related to a proposed inventory of spectrum<br />
in the EU to the deadlines related to the release of<br />
certain spectrum.<br />
As efficient spectrum management is a key component<br />
of the Coalition’s broadband strategy, the main points<br />
of my intervention, taking into account the questions<br />
posed, will be:<br />
to broadly welcome the proposals from the Commission<br />
which we do indeed think are important in terms of economic<br />
growth within the EU and for the development of mobile<br />
broadband services;<br />
to welcome the breadth of the proposal but to caution any<br />
legislation mandating the use of spectrum for particular<br />
social or community purposes;<br />
to welcome the approach by Commission of ensuring that<br />
spectrum for mobile broadband is made available as early as<br />
possible but caution on the imposition of rigid timelines that<br />
may not be realistic or match national circumstances; and<br />
to wish the Hungarian presidency well in their deliberations<br />
on this important dossier with a hope that we might see an<br />
agreement before the summer of next year.<br />
2. Proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation (EC)<br />
No 460/2004 establishing the European Network and<br />
Information Security Agency (ENISA) as regards its<br />
duration—A Progress Report<br />
Proposal for a Regulation concerning the European Network<br />
and Information Security Agency (ENISA)—A Progress<br />
Report<br />
These two items are progress reports from the<br />
Commission on the current status of the above two<br />
recently issued documents. (EM 14322/10)<br />
The first progress report covers the proposal to amend<br />
the existing regulation, which established ENISA, in<br />
order to extend its duration for 18 months. (The purpose<br />
of the extension is to allow the continued operation of<br />
ENISA under its current remit whilst the new regulation<br />
is negotiated).<br />
The second progress report covers the new regulation<br />
that renews and updates the mandate of ENISA.<br />
As these items are progress reports and it is anticipated<br />
that no debate will take place, I am not planning an<br />
active intervention. However, should t<strong>here</strong> be a debate;<br />
my intervention will reaffirm Her Majesty’s Government’s<br />
(HMG) current policies that are detailed in the relevant<br />
EM noted above.<br />
3. Cross-fertilisation between the Europe 2020 flagship<br />
initiatives “A Digital Agenda for Europe” and “Innovation<br />
Union”—Adoption of Council Conclusions<br />
This item covers the adoption of the above Council<br />
conclusions. These conclusions are member states’ views<br />
on the synergies between two of the EU Commission<br />
flagship agendas, namely the Innovation Union (EM14035/<br />
10) and the European Digital Agenda (EM 9981/10).<br />
Thus, the conclusions contain elements of both flagship<br />
agendas, including stressing the need for accelerating<br />
the roll out of high-speed broadband which will help<br />
drive innovation, as well as recognising the importance<br />
of increasing EU spend on ICT research and development.<br />
In the main, HMG welcomes these conclusions, and I<br />
intend to make the following comments:<br />
welcome the adoption of these conclusions and pleased to<br />
see joined up thinking in linking together these two critical<br />
flagship agendas;