On behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI) inspection report on Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council was published on Thursday 29 May 2003 and copies of the report have been placed in the Library.In its response to the Housing Green Paper of November 2000, the Department for Work and Pensions developed a performance framework for housing benefits. The Performance Standards for housing benefits' allow local authorities to make a comprehensive self-assessment of whether they deliver benefit effectively and securely. They are standards the Department for Work and Pensions aspires to and expects local authorities to achieve in time.The BFI inspected Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council against the Performance Standards. The report finds that the council is not at Standard for any of the 7 functional areas of the Performance Standards—strategic management, customer services, processing of claims, working with landlords, internal security, counter-fraud, and overpayments.Historically the benefit service has had a low profile within the council. As a result performance in terms of administering benefits, identifying and recovering overpayments and countering fraud has been weak over recent years with no prosecutions undertaken, poor claims performance and a lack of overpayment activity and management information.The report finds that from the autumn of 2002, the benefit service has been regarded as a priority area by senior management and Members.Modernisation of the council has led to greater scrutiny of council business by Members, and a new senior management team has been put in place and has introduced improved systems of reporting.The council has put in place a Vision, underpinned by strategic objectives that link performance, and it has introduced the Verification Framework and management checking, both of which have had a big impact on securing the benefits system.The report also finds that the council has put in place a new counter-fraud policy and strategy which clearly informs the action to be taken against fraudsters.In 2001–02, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council administered approximately £55.1 million in housing benefits, approximately 15 per cent. of its total gross revenue expenditure.

The Department for Work and Pensions laid before the house on 18 November 2002 a consultation document entitled: "Pathways to Work—Helping People into Employment". This sets out the next steps in the Government's welfare to work strategy for people with health problems and disabilities. It recommends piloting a number of innovative measures to help people to return to work where they have the capability and expectation of doing so. I will be announcing the detailed outcome of the consultation exercise shortly.My Department, together with the Department of Health and appropriate Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly officials, have been preparing for the implementation of the pilots.On 26 March I announced the locations of the first three Jobcentre Plus pilot districts which will start on 27 October—Bridgend, Derby and Renfrewshire.Today, I am pleased to announce that the further four pilots will be in the Jobcentre Plus districts of East Lancashire, Essex, Gateshead & South Tyneside, and Somerset, starting in April 2004.Objective criteria were used to select the seven pilot areas. The number of pilot areas was increased from the six mentioned in the consultation document to seven in order to reflect the full range of these criteria so we fully understand the potential national impact. The areas represent a mix of geographical and labour market areas and will have fully integrated Jobcentre Plus offices.The pilots will test and evaluate the impact of the extra support we will provide for those sick and disabled people who want to go back to work.

On 27 February the Home Office issued a consultation paper on the Reform of the Disclosure Process to seek the views of registered bodies and others on how best to take forward a number of the recommendations of the Independent Review Team, Official Report, col. 33–36WS. The consultation period closed on 25 April. Five hundred and seventy responses were received. I have today placed in the Library of the House an analysis of those responses. We will consider carefully the views expressed in response to the consultation before deciding how best to proceed.

Each year, to comply with a requirement in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, the Government present to Parliament statistics relating to scientific procedures using animals in Great Britain. The statistics, based on data collected from those conducting licensed programmes of work under the Act, are published as a Command Paper and placed in the Library.For some while suggestions have been made, from different quarters and in various contexts, as to how the statistics might be improved, both as regards the information provided and the way is presented. More recently the statistics have been the subject of recommendations by the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures, in their report published last July.In the Government response to that Select Committee we stated we would have the statistics reviewed to see how their content and presentation might be improved. This is to inform the House that I have today written to the Chairman of the Animal Procedures Committee—the independent advisory body set up under the 1986 Act—asking for that Committee to carry out a thorough review.The review is to take into account all the views and recommendations already put forward on the statistics, and to involve widespread consultation with stakeholders, other interested parties and the wider public. The expected cost of any recommended changes, especially in terms of any additional burden on the scientific community, would have to be fully justified by the likely benefits.I have asked the Animal Procedures Committee to report back to me by the end of 2004. Their recommendations will then be carefully considered.

I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of the Criminal Records Bureau's Corporate and Business Plan for 2003–04. After a difficult first seven months of operations, the Business Plan builds on the steady improvements in performance since last autumn. The average number of Disclosures issued each week since October stands at 40,000 compared with 24,500 a week last August. Turnaround times have reduced from over eight weeks to under five and the number of aged applications over six weeks old (and not awaiting further information from the applicant) has been reduced from a peak of 76,000 to under 10,000.For 2003–04 I have set the CRB challenging but realistic service standards which take into account the experience of the first year of operating. The CRB will now seek to process 90 per cent. of applications for a Standard Disclosure within two weeks and 90 per cent. of applications for an Enhanced Disclosure within four weeks.

I am today announcing the publication of the Review of Area Based Initiatives progress report. Significant progress has been made in giving local people more freedom to deliver, following on from the launch of the Review of Area Based Initiatives some six months ago. A number of changes have been made following the Regional Coordination Unit's recommendations, which have resulted in a marked reduction in the bureaucracy associated with area based initiatives.Copies of the progress report are available in the House Library.

The Leader of the House will announce today at Business Questions our intention to recommit the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill to Standing Committee.We have taken this decision to enable us to bring forward provisions which will end the Crown's immunity from planning control, subject to certain safeguards. Given the substantive nature of the proposed amendments I think it is important that the House of Commons is given the opportunity to debate these new provisions fully before the Bill resumes its remaining stages.We will also be seeking to introduce further provisions which will help to implement the Sustainable Communities agenda.Clearly this will mean that the Bill will not be able to complete its remaining stages in this session. Motions have therefore also been tabled today to allow the Bill to be carried over into the next Parliamentary session. We will be seeking to ensure that the Bill reaches the statute book as soon as possible in the next session to lessen the impact of this slight delay.We propose that the provisions relating to crown development extend beyond England and Wales, which would involve the Scottish Executive pursuing a Sewel motion in the Scottish Parliament. We are, of course, discussing this with the Scottish Executive, which has been kept informed of our proposals.The intention to carry over the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill into the next session does not signify any lessening in our commitment to reforming the planning system.

My right honourable and noble Friend, the Lord Chancellor, has today announced a package of measures, which will help achieve better value for money in the legal aid system while ensuring that help continues to go to those who need it most.A consultation paper has been published today on the Criminal Defence Service (CDS). "Delivering Value for Money in the Criminal Defence Service" sets out a range of proposals to ensure that CDS expenditure is targeted on those areas where legal aid can best advance and protect a client's interests. Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.A further consultation paper on asylum legal aid "Proposed Changes to Publicly Funded Immigration and Asylum Work" has also been published today. This sets out proposals to ensure that we obtain more effective controls of costs and quality in legal advice given to asylum seekers. Copies of this consultation paper have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.He announced that we are setting up a project to consider the likely supply of and demand for lawyers over the coming years and to establish what remuneration rates may be necessary. This will provide an evidential basis for decisions to ensure a sufficient supply of lawyers of the right quality prepared to undertake legal aid work in the coming years.Finally he announced that we are fully implementing the scheme for contracting very high cost criminal cases. These are cases which last (or are estimated to last) over 25 days at trial, or cost more than £150,000. This scheme will ensure better value for money, help the aims of better and earlier case preparation and give the professions greater certainty about payment for work.

The recent Energy White Paper noted that, as we move towards greater dependence on imported gas, there may be implications for gas quality. The Government undertook to keep developments closely under review (Cm 5761, para. 6.21).

Lord Haskins' Rural Delivery Review will help improve the way rural policies are delivered and make a real difference to local people.The seven guiding principles of the review—the first outcome of Lord Haskins' work—were published today. They are:

I can now announce that legislation to bring mortgages and the selling of general insurance within the scope of Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulation will be laid before Parliament today. This follows extensive consultation with interested parties including consumer groups and the industry.Regulation will provide major benefits to UK consumers in two large and important markets. Each year UK consumers pay £26.4bn of general insurance premiums and take £219bn of mortgage loans. Consumer protection in these markets will be increased, with regulation providing safeguards for consumers and introducing minimum standards of advice. Intermediaries selling a range of financial services products will have to deal with one regulator, the FSA rather than the current complex mix of statutory and self regulatory arrangements.The Government consulted on their proposals to implement mortgage regulation in February 2002, publishing the responses in August 2002. This legislation incorporates the outcome of this consultation.This legislation also incorporates the outcomes of the consultation "Regulating Insurance Mediation" the publication of which was reported to Parliament on 21 October 2002 (

In considering the precise release arrangements for the documents supporting the decision on the single currency, the Government have been guided by two key principles: first, the legitimate right of Members of Parliament to have as much of the relevant background material as possible ahead of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement to the House of Commons on Monday 9 June, as recognised by the recommendation of the Treasury Committee that the eighteen supporting studies be published ahead of the assessment; and second, the need to take into account market sensitive information. The Government have sought to strike a balance between these two potentially conflicting objectives. In doing so, the Government have decided on the following arrangements for releasing the EMU documentation which accompanies the Chancellor's statement to the House on 9 June.The Treasury assessment of the five economic tests and third outline national changeover plan will be available from the Vote Office immediately after the Chancellor has completed his statement. The eighteen EMU studies which accompany the assessment will be available from the Vote Office at 9.00 am on 9 June.All the material will be accessible on the Treasury website www.hm-treasury.gov.uk at the same time as it is released to the House. The Treasury will notify media organisations of the precise arrangements for them for the collection of the documents.

An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter Scale hit the northern coast of Algeria at 19:44 local time (18:44 GMT) on 21 May 2003. There were a number of aftershocks. The most powerful (on 27 May) caused further building collapse and some deaths and injuries. According to the latest reports from the Algerian Interior Ministry, 2,268 people have died as a result of the earthquake, while those injured number over 10,100. Preliminary estimates are that up to 200,000 people have been rendered homeless by the earthquake.Telecommunications were widely disrupted. However, to date, some 80 per cent. of the damage has been repaired. The undersea telephone cables between Algeria and Europe were also damaged. Damage to public buildings is still being assessed; of those so far examined, only some 10 per cent. are beyond repair, and 75 per cent. have been declared safe. The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) has advised that purification of water is now adequately covered, but distribution of potable water remains a problem. Sanitation systems and electrical generation and distribution systems are under repair by the authorities.With the initial search and rescue phase over, people whose houses have been destroyed or become unsafe to live in require short-term relief assistance, including shelter, food and water, emergency relief items like blankets, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, and water jerry cans. Some specific needs will arise as a consequence of regrouping homeless people in temporary tented camps that will have to be equipped with adequate sanitary facilities. In the medium to long-term, significant rehabilitation work will have to be carried out to repair infrastructure damage, re-establish the water supply system and provide permanent housing for those made homeless by the earthquake. On 30 May, the Algerian government approved plans to build new homes for 80,000 people left homeless.Following news of the earthquake UK Search and Rescue (SAR) Teams were placed on standby. 95 SAR personnel and 7 search dogs, supported by two DFID Operations Team staff were despatched by DFID funded chartered aircraft the same day. Within the group were teams from the UK Fire Services Search and Rescue Team and the NGOs CANIS Specialist Search Dogs, International Rescue Corps, British International Rescue Dogs and Rescue and Preparedness in Disasters. DFID also supported the UNDAC Team by providing two British members. The flight departed at 23:30 on 22 May, arriving in Algiers at 03:30 the next morning, 23 May 2003. The SAR teams conducted rescue operations in the worst affected towns, in structures in which search dogs or equipment indicated possible survivors. They were also asked to use their sophisticated search equipment and dogs to verify that some previously searched buildings were indeed empty of survivors. During this operation, they found nobody alive.Following the calling-off of the SAR operation by the Government of Algeria, the teams returned to the UK on Monday 26 May 2003. The UNDAC Team continued to support the Government of Algeria in assessing humanitarian needs for a further two days. The full cost of the deployment will be over £100,000.In total, International Search and Rescue Teams eventually numbered over 1,000 personnel and some 75 dogs most have now left Algeria. More than 100 relief flights arrived carrying tents, blankets and plastic sheeting, water purification and distribution equipment, medicines and two field hospitals. These are expected to be largely sufficient to meet immediate and medium term needs. The challenge is to ensure that the aid that has already arrived is distributed efficiently.Support has been provided by a range of donors and non-governmental organisations, a number of United Nations agencies including the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme, and also by the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. The European Community Humanitarian Office is planning a response for a period of up to six months to support health and sanitation interventions.DFID made a further emergency contribution of £95,000 on 29 May to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies which is supporting the Algerian Red Crescent Society in providing shelter items, water and sanitation to those who have been displaced.

HMG remain committed to the OSCE arms embargo against both Azerbaijan and Armenia, which we interpret as covering all goods and technology controlled under entries in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (commonly known as the military list).In December 2002, the Government approved an export licence application for demining equipment for the HALO Trust for demining operations in Armenia and Azerbaijan.The decision was made in accordance with our practice occasionally to make an exemption to our interpretation of the embargo by approving exports of non-lethal military goods to humanitarian, media or peacekeeping organisations where it is clear that the embargo was not intended to prevent those exports and there is a strong humanitarian case for them.