My right honourable friend the Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills (Pat McFadden) has today made the following Statement.

Yesterday, we launched a consultation on measures aimed at enhancing further the rescue culture, to give struggling, but viable, companies a greater chance to succeed, thus saving jobs and providing better returns to creditors.

In particular, the proposals consider:

extending to medium and large-sized companies the option of a moratorium against creditor action—currently only available to small companies—so they too can have a breathing space in which they can seek to agree with their creditors a means of securing a company rescue by means of a company voluntary arrangement;

the introduction of a new court-sanctioned moratorium available to all companies, again to allow them time to reach agreement on a company voluntary arrangement; and

providing greater security to repayment of monies loaned post-company voluntary arrangement or administration, to allow firms in difficulties more chance of accessing the funding they need to get back on track.

The proposals are part of the Government’s business rescue measures that my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the 2009 Budget Report earlier this year.

We intend actively to engage with stakeholders throughout the consultation, testing our assessment of the possible impacts of the policy proposals, and welcome views on whether this package is the best way of achieving our aim of making company and business rescue easier and more successful. The consultation closes on 7 September 2009.

A copy of the consultation document will be laid in each of the Houses of Parliament.

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Kevan Jones) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of the report of a survey on service voter registration conducted by Defence Analytical Services and Advice in November 2008. 

The MoD has continued to work with the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Justice to improve awareness amongst our Armed Forces personnel and their families of their options on registering to vote.  This survey was undertaken to provide an estimate of the numbers of service personnel who are currently registered to vote and to draw comparison with the results of similar surveys carried out in each of the previous three years.  These surveys help us to judge how best to encourage service personnel to register in future. 

I welcome the survey, as it provides the facts needed to refine future work.  It indicates that 65 per cent of service personnel are currently registered, compared with 69 per cent in 2007 (a decrease that is assessed as not statistically significant), 63 per cent in 2006 and 60 per cent in 2005.  Of those registered in 2008, the majority (75 per cent) chose to register as ordinary rather than service voters.  The level of voters registered as overseas voters has remained at 1 per cent.

We acknowledge that there is still work to be done. The results of the survey will help to indicate where our efforts should be concentrated for the future.  By continuing to work closely with colleagues in the MoJ and the EC to understand what might be the reasons behind the results, we hope to make further improvements to the quality of information available to our service personnel and their families.  We remain committed to improving arrangements for the service community to exercise their right to vote.

My right honourable friend the Minister of State, Department of Health (Mike O’Brien) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee published its report The Provision of Cross–border Health Services for Wales’ on 27 March 2009. We are today laying before Parliament the Command Paper (Cm 7647) setting out the Government’s response to the committee’s report.

The Government have considered the committee’s report and welcome it as a helpful contribution to the debate about the provision of health services in England and Wales. The Command Paper sets out the Government’s response to the report and discusses the commissioning and funding of services and arrangements to co-ordinate service provision.

The Government believe that the core principles of the National Health Service apply across the UK and an inevitable and healthy consequence of devolution has been some divergence in health policy between England and Wales. The Government agree with the committee that the border between England and Wales does not represent a barrier to the provision of healthcare.

On 1 April 2009, a new protocol between the Department of Health and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) for the commissioning of cross-border health services came into effect. The revised protocol, which has been placed in the Library, is in place for two years with annual negotiations required to agree funding.

My honourable friend the Minister of State (Maria Eagle) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Today, I have published a consultation document proposing new arrangements for the training and qualification of probation practitioners. The consultation period will run until 31 July 2009. Copies of the consultation document are available in the Libraries of both Houses. Copies are also available in the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.

The current arrangements for training probation officers is due to expire and the consultation will seek to gain the views of all those who have an interest in the work of probation practitioners, on proposed new arrangements.

The consultation document proposes that the minimum qualification for a probation officer remains at honours degree level.  Approved prior learning gained in higher education could be accredited so that the qualification can be obtained during the first year of employment with a probation service. This maintains the current standard of qualification but allows probation areas more flexibility in workforce planning.

It is proposed to introduce a minimum qualification for probation service officers of an NVQ level 3 and also to introduce a foundation degree that would allow career progression to probation officer for existing staff.

Multiple entry routes onto the framework will enhance the opportunities for existing staff and give more flexibility for probation areas to maximise their workforce planning strategies. The proposed introduction date of April 2010 will ensure that there is no training gap and allows sufficient planning time for the implementation of the new arrangements.

My right honourable friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Stephen Timms) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

A new arrangement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Cayman Islands for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion was signed in London on 15 June 2009.

After signature, the text of the arrangement will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and made available on HM Revenue and Customs’ website. The text will be scheduled to a draft Order in Council and laid before the House of Commons shortly.