Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the outcome of the Intellectual Property Office’s consultation entitled Standard Essential Patents and Innovation: Executive summary and next steps, updated on 5 August 2022, what plans he has to consult Parliament on the potential impact of such steps on the (a) wider UK intellectual property economy and (b) ability of small and medium-sized enterprises’ to compete in the global marketplace.
Answered by Paul Scully
In December 2021, the Government launched a Call for Views on whether or not the current Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) ecosystem promotes competition and encourages innovation. In its August 2022 Summary of Responses the Government said that there was little consensus on the nature, extent, causes, and impact of problems in the ecosystem. A subsequent questionnaire was launched in March 2023, to better understand the experiences of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), small-cap and mid-cap businesses. A Summary of Responses will be published in Summer 2023. Findings on the SEPs ecosystem will be presented to Ministers in late 2023.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises developing innovative products, do not have to pay excessive royalties to foreign companies for licences to standard-essential patents.
Answered by Paul Scully
In December 2021, the Government launched a Call for Views on whether or not the current Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) ecosystem promotes competition and encourages innovation. In its August 2022 Summary of Responses the Government said that there was little consensus on the nature, extent, causes, and impact of problems in the ecosystem. A subsequent questionnaire was launched in March 2023, to better understand the experiences of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), small-cap and mid-cap businesses. A Summary of Responses will be published in Summer 2023. Findings on the SEPs ecosystem will be presented to Ministers in late 2023.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the Intellectual Property Office review of the standard-essential patent ecosystem on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in international trade, in the context of terms for licencing (a) 5G and (b) other technology standards.
Answered by Paul Scully
In December 2021, the Government launched a Call for Views on whether or not the current Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) ecosystem promotes competition and encourages innovation. In its August 2022 Summary of Responses the Government said that there was little consensus on the nature, extent, causes, and impact of problems in the ecosystem. A subsequent questionnaire was launched in March 2023, to better understand the experiences of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), small-cap and mid-cap businesses. A Summary of Responses will be published in Summer 2023. Findings on the SEPs ecosystem will be presented to Ministers in late 2023.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to reduce the tariff on fish feed imported from the Faroe Islands.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
The UK and the Faroe Islands met in February for the UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement Joint Committee. Officials discussed implementation of the FTA and remain in contact on a number of areas of trade, including the possibility of further liberalisation of fish feed imports from the Faroe Islands.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many tonnes of commercial Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna quota the Government plans to acquire; and how much and what proportion of that tonnage will be designated to Scotland.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The UK has 65.4 tonnes of eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna quota in 2023. Currently, eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna is managed as a UK unallocated stock and is not apportioned between the UK Fisheries Administrations. Defra is considering how best to manage the UK’s eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna quota in future years.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Invamed Group and Others v. HMRC judgment In the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) on appeal from the Upper Tribunal Tax and Chancery Chambers Mr Justice Birss and Judge Roger Berner [2018] UKUT 305 (TCC) 2018 WL 04685885 of 25 February 2020, Neutral Citation Number: [2020] EWCA Civ 243 / Case No: A3/2018/2938, for what reason his Department is applying import VAT on mobility scooters.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The chargeability of import VAT depends on the customs classification of a good. The correct classification for mobility scooters imported into the UK since August 2009 is under heading 8703, which is chargeable to import VAT. This did not change when the UK left the EU, with a specific legally binding Additional Chapter Note to clarify the UK legal position. The court case referred to is in respect of the classification of those goods imported between 2004 and 2007, during which time the court held that a different classification of 8713 was appropriate.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has had discussions with the BBC on coverage of the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd on BBC Parliament.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent, and the Government has no say on the BBC’s day-to-day decisions, including on the content it shows. Any decisions on this matter are for the BBC to take independently.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which five UK sectors exported the largest value of goods to Australia in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of goods exported to Australia did they each contribute.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on UK imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), available via their dedicated website www.uktradeinfo.com.
As part of the wider OTS portfolio, HMRC publishes annual statistics on international trade by particular business characteristics - industry group (sectors), age of business and size of business. The latest published statistics (2021) including exports of goods to Australia appears in the table found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/uk-trade-in-goods-by-business-characteristics-2021-data-tables.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many households in (a) Na h-Eileanan an Iar and (b) Scotland have accessed the Universal Service Obligation scheme for broadband.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Neither Ofcom, nor BT as the broadband Universal Service Provider for Scotland provides a breakdown at a constituency level of how many premises have taken up the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO). However, Ofcom data shows that the number of potentially USO-eligible premises in Na h-Eileanan an Iar has reduced from 2,476 premises in March 2020, to 595 in October 2022, due to a combination of commercial rollouts, improved 4G Fixed Wireless Access services, government intervention and USO delivery.
As of October 2022, Ofcom Connected Nations 2022 reported that, in Scotland, there have been 110 broadband Universal Service Obligation orders resulting in 583 premises connected.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency process for registering medical devices facilitates an adequate level of supply of safe medical devices.
Answered by Will Quince
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) intends to strengthen the regulation of medical devices as set out in the Government’s response to the consultation on the future regulation of medical devices in the United Kingdom. Availability of medical devices remains a key consideration as we develop this future regime, including aspects on medical devices registration.
The MHRA continues to recognise the importance of availability of medical devices in the UK, and is taking a variety of steps to help ensure continuity in supply of medical devices. Firstly, the MHRA will consider applications for an exceptional use authorisation where there is a clear clinical need for a device, that does not otherwise have a valid Conformité Européene (CE) or UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark, to remain on the market. We assess applications for European Union Allowance based on the needs of patients. The MHRA is also working to expand Approved Body capacity to enable more manufacturers to obtain UKCA marking. Four bodies have already been designated and a further six are progressing through the designation process, with more in the pipeline.
In addition to this, the MHRA is working to ensure adequate transitional arrangements for its future regime for medical devices, including continued acceptance of CE marked medical devices taking into account the revised transitional arrangements for European Union (EU) medical devices regulations being progressed in the EU, which will apply in Northern Ireland. Finally, MHRA is working to ensure industry have clear guidance on registration requirements as the above progress and recently published an update on EU timeline revisions to support this.