Question
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. I welcome his reaffirmation that the Government do not regard organ pipes as within the scope of the directives, but the threat to our organ-building industry remains. We have been landed in this mess largely because DTI officials were informed of this problem five years ago but apparently forgot about it and agreed to the adoption of the two directives without mentioning organ pipes. Does the Minister therefore agree that the Government have an obligation to put matters right without delay? That should not be impossible. In March, Vice-President Wallström told the European Parliament that organ pipes were not covered. The Commission says that it takes very seriously concerns expressed by the industry and the public. I do not think that the course described by the Minister of State for Energy in the other place last Thursday is much use. It requires a wait for an unspecified EU meeting in the third week of June. My Lords, will the Minister press for the course that would give a satisfactory result, which is an amendment proposed to the Council of Ministers by the Commission to take organ pipes out of the scope of the directives?
Answer
My Lords, I do not think that I can comment on the position of DTI officials five years ago. I simply do not know whether they were told or what action they took. The Commission has now written to the DTI to tell officials that it will ask member states to discuss the issue at the next meeting of the directive’s technical adoption committee on 21 June. We believe that that discussion will lead to a satisfactory conclusion, which seems the best way to handle it at this stage.