I have agreed with the Radio Authority that the current pilot access radio stations should be allowed an extension to their licence, subject to frequency availability and to satisfactory performance to date, for as long as is necessary in order to allow for the possibility that the pilot stations would not be stopped from broadcasting in the event that an access radio regime is set up following the completion of the Radio Authority's evaluation and the passage of the Communications Bill.Current access radio licence holders are aware that they will not automatically be awarded a licence if a new tier of access radio is introduced; they will need to be considered alongside other applicants at the appropriate time.

The Audit Commission announce the outcome of comprehensive performance assessments (CPA) for London boroughs, unitary, metropolitan and county councils on 12 December. These assessments will provide the basis for better local decision making, inform relations between central and local government, and give local people a clear understanding of how well their council is serving them. It is a key stage in one of the most ambitious exercises in performance management ever undertaken by central and local government. But CPA results are not the end of the process, they are the starting point for improvement planning that will demonstrate the Government's public sector reform agenda in action.The services included in CPA have a significant impact on the quality of all our lives: education, social services, housing, transport, welfare benefits, waste, planning and library and leisure facilities. CPA also delivers a picture of the council as a corporate entity, recognising the importance of councils as community leaders, forging effective partnerships and delivering on national and local priorities. We will build on the connections CPA has made through a collective central Government response, applying the measures announced on the 26 November to devolve power, increase support where it is needed and work directly with councils to ensure local people receive the quality of services to which they are entitled.

In October, my Department invited 10 local authorities to become Pathfinders.So far, we have had acceptances from:

British officials paid a fourth visit to Guantanamo Bay between 11–15 November. The purpose of the visit was to ask questions relevant to national security, to check on the welfare of the seven British detainees last seen in May, and to establish the identity and nationality of two further detainees believed to have British nationality. As a result of these inquiries, one was identified as British. The other detainee did not have British nationality. The officials were from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Security Service.The FCO official met the detainees individually. US officials were able to observe the interviews. The official saw no visible signs of mistreatment. Some detainees reported minor medical problems, and the official subsequently raised a number of these with the camp authorities.The official passed to the camp authorities some personal letters for some of the detainees and was able to give oral messages to others. We have passed on to the families oral messages which where received and have briefed them on details of the detainees' circumstances. For reasons of privacy these details are not disclosed in this statement. Detainees continue to be able to send and receive letters through the camp authorities and through the ICRC, although there is some concern about delays.All the detainees continue to be housed in accommodation which includes individual sleeping, washing and toilet facilities. They continue to be able to practise their religion freely, to take exercise, and to have access to reading material.The visiting officials found the US camp authorities to be open and co-operative.

In light of the consultation exercise on the draft Programme for Government and the Draft Budget launched by the Northern Ireland Executive in September 2002, we are today setting out policies, priorities and spending plans for the Northern Ireland Departments for 2003–04 and beyond.When devolution was suspended we made clear our determination to do two things. We pledged that we would work tirelessly to rebuild trust across political parties and to bring about an early return of devolved government. We also explained that for as long as direct rule continued we would govern in an open, active and fair way.The Northern Ireland Office ministerial team is determined to build on the progress that was being made by the Executive and continue the good work they had started to improve public services in Northern Ireland.In setting priorities and plans for 2003–04 and beyond, we have considered carefully the challenges, policy issues and priorities identified in the draft Programme for Government. Many of these remain very relevant and we have decided to continue with these priorities as the basis for action over the coming year. These priorities are:

We have, today published the joint decision that the Secretary of State for Health and I have made in response to the Environment Agency's Proposed Decision on the Future Regulation of Technetium-99 Discharges from British Nuclear Fuels plc's Sellafield site into the Irish sea.At the request of Ministers, the Environment Agency has carried out a review of technetium-99 (Tc-99) discharges from Sellafield in advance of the review of other radioactive discharges from that site. Our request for a faster track review was in response to the concerns raised by other countries that Tc-99, which is very mobile in the marine environment, had been detected at low levels off the coast of Scandinavia and further afield. The dominant source of Tc-99 discharges from Sellafield is the reprocessing of spent Magnox reactor fuel. There is no evidence that Tc-99 at these levels, or the levels found in UK waters pose any credible threat to human health or that of marine organisms. Nevertheless, its presence has been a source of concern to a number of our international partners.In. September of last year, the Environment Agency published its proposal for the future regulation of Tc-99. It was then for the two Ministers with responsibility under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993, the Secretary of State for Health and I, to consider whether we wished to direct the Agency to take some other course of action.In the response that we have published today, we see no reason to direct the Environment Agency to take a different course to the one it has proposed, but we do propose to go further. The details of our decision are set out in the published document, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It will also be available via my Department's website.In essence, the Agency has proposed two types of abatement technology that would allow the Tc-99 discharge limit to be reduced from 90 TBq per year to 10 TBq per year by 2006, or possibly sooner. Two different types of abatement technology are required because of the chemical differences between newly produced Medium Active Concentrate (MAC)—a liquid mixture produced during Magnox fuel reprocessing—which contains Tc-99 as well as other more dangerous radionuclides, and stored MAC.We expect that, subject to HSE agreement and the technology proving to be successful, newly produced MAC will be diverted into a different waste stream early next year. Treatment of MAC in the process designed to deal with the much more radioactive "Highly Active Liquor", will lead to the MAC (containing Tc-99) being converted into glass blocks which will be suitable for long term storage. There would, therefore be no further Tc-99 discharges arising from newly produced MAC and the discharge limit could be reduced to 10 TBq/year by 2006.Because it is chemically different, MAC that is in store cannot be dealt with using the "MAC-Diversion" approach. That source of MAC could, potentially, lead to Tc-99 discharges above 10 TBq/year until 2006. Theoretically, stored MAC could be treated with a chemical called tetraphenylphosphonium bromide (TPP) which would cause it to solidify and allow it to be removed from the treatment plant along with the other more dangerous components of MAC, which are already solidified prior to removal by a separate process. The solid mixture produced would not be suitable for conversion into glass blocks, but it could be mixed with cement and stored in steel drums. The technology behind the use of TPP is, however, not as proven as in the case of MAC-Diversion. The further research work identified by the Environment Agency in its proposed decision would need to be completed successfully to be sure that TPP itself would not pose an unacceptable risk to the marine environment; that workers were not to be subjected to unacceptable risks; and that the presence of TPP in the stored waste would not facilitate leaching of not just Tc-99 but other, more radiotoxic chemicals from the stored waste to create unacceptable risks for future generations.The potential problems surrounding the use of TPP are not necessarily insurmountable, but they will take time to address. The simple expedient of continuing to store MAC in the tanks and building in which it is currently housed, to allow time for TPP research to be carried out, is not available. That building and tanks were constructed during the 1950s/60s; they were not built to modern standards; and they have already exceeded their expected lifetimes. The HSE keeps the storage facility under continual review and its advice is that while the facility is currently safe for use, that may not be the case beyond 2006. Under these circumstances it would be irresponsible to plan for MAC to still be in those tanks beyond that date. There is, however, another approach that could be taken.I am consulting on my proposal to direct the Environment Agency to consider whether it would be possible to impose a moratorium on the discharge of Tc-99 from the Sellafield site whilst TPP research is being carried out. As part of their consideration, I would expect the Agency to review the storage options for Medium Active Concentrate (MAC) beyond 2006, particularly considering work which has been done by BNFL on the practicalities of refurbishing the storage tanks and building. If a moratorium were to be introduced and, in the worst case scenario the research shows that TPP abatement cannot be made to work, the remaining Tc-99 contained in the MAC storage tanks would need to be discharged into the Irish sea quickly, depending on the judgment of Nuclear Installations Inspectorate inspectors about the integrity of those tanks.The Secretary of State for Health and I have also considered whether the two types of practice which generate Tc-99—namely, the processing of spent Magnox fuel and the reprocessing of spent oxide fuel—are justified. We consider that both of these practices are covered by the requirements of Article 6(2) of Directive 96/29/Euratom and that the question whether to undertake a review of justification under this Article should be considered at a later stage.