I will tomorrow announce the Government's plans for implementing the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in Goodwin v The United Kingdom and "I" v The United Kingdom, following collective Ministerial consideration of the recommendations received from the Interdepartmental Working Group on Transsexual People. Copies of the announcement will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses, the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office. The announcement will also be made available on the LCD website at www.lcd.gov.uk.

In the Pre-Budget Report of 27 November my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer said that:

"Premiums for Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) have increased substantially in recent months, affecting many businesses, and especially Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in high-risk sectors. Following a request from the Government, Fhe Association of British Insurers (ABI) and trade associations are working to ensure that affordable cover is available. The Government has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders including the CBI, TUG and ABI to discuss the long-term issues affecting ELCI. The Department for Work and Pensions will now undertake a formal review of the operation of ELCI. Full details of this review will be announced shortly."

The 89th Session of the International Labour Conference adopted a new Convention 184 on Safety and Health in Agriculture and a Recommendation 192 supplementing the Convention. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today laid before Parliament a White Paper entitled 'International Labour Conference' (Cm 5703), copies of which have been placed in the Library.

The United Kingdom Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of Western European Union is as follows:Tony Lloyd Esq MP (Leader)

Statisticians in my Department have discovered errors in the urban/rural coding of the National Travel Survey data. A statistical release issued today presents revised data for key analyses for 1996–2001. Copies of the document have been placed in the Library of the House. The effects of the revisions are in general small, but they do affect the 10 Year Transport Plan indicator of rural bus service availability.

I am pleased to report to the House that Government are today launching a Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food. Later today, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I will meet farmers and leaders of the food industry, rural, environmental and consumer bodies to discuss the new strategy and hear examples of good practice from across the food chain.The strategy is further evidence of this Government's commitment to help deliver innovative and practical solutions to the challenges faced by those involved in the food chain. We do not underestimate the scale of these challenges: farm incomes remain under pressure and the foot and mouth disease outbreak also added to the momentum for change.This strategy builds on the invaluable work conducted by the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food to chart a way through these challenges. It sets out how industry, Government and consumers can work together to secure a profitable and internationally competitive future for our industries, whilst contributing to a better environment, improving nutrition and public health and prosperous communities.The strategy is backed by £500 million from Government over the next three years. Subject to clearance under the usual EU procedures, this will provide:

I have now received a copy of the first interim report prepared by the Race Monitor, Mary Coussey who was appointed this year to the post created under Section 19E of the Race Relations Act 1976, as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.The report is based on Ms Coussey's short time as Race Monitor and describes the visits to ports she has made so far and also gives an indication of her work programme for the rest of this financial year. She has not on this occasion made any recommendations.Under the terms of her appointment, the Race Monitor will be submitting a full annual report to Parliament in March next year.A copy of the interim report has been placed in the Library.

I have considered the current arrangements on the use of intrusive surveillance of prison cells during hostage incidents and have concluded that the current arrangements do not assist the Prison Service in bringing a hostage incident to a safe conclusion. As things stand, the Prison Service Incident Commander is required to obtain my authorisation of any hostage incident where he considers it necessary to use surveillance in the management of the incident. This can take an hour or more, which could be a dangerous delay.It makes no sense that the Prison Service is hampered in its safe management of the incident through concerns about the hostage-taker's privacy. The Prison Service has taken advice of the Chief Surveillance Commissioner, who concluded that a hostage-taker forfeits his right to privacy by engaging in this activity. I agree with this approach and I have instructed the Prison Service to alter procedures accordingly.This will mean that in future the Director General or Deputy Director General will authorise applications for covert surveillance in hostage incidents. The Prison Service will however be required to maintain an audit trail of each authorisation demonstrating that the use of surveillance was necessary, proportionate and consistent set out in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).Should the Prison Service require the use of intrusive surveillance of a prisoner's cell for any other purpose, those applications will still come to me, as they are likely to raise issues of privacy.

Nicholas Hardwick has been appointed by Her Majesty as Chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which will replace the Police Complaints Authority on 1 April 2004 under the provisions of the Police Reform Act 2002. The Commission will exist in shadow form from 1 April 2003.The appointment will be for five years in the first instance, and Mr Hardwick is expected to take up post on 1 February 2003.Nicholas Hardwick has been Chief Executive of the Refugee Council for the past eight years. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of Centrepoint, the charity and Housing Association, from 1986 to 1995.

The Department for Education and Skills, in conjunction with the National College for School Leadership, carried out a wide-ranging consultation exercise earlier this year on our proposals to make the NPQH mandatory for first time headteachers. Over 650 responses were received from individuals, LEAs and the main teachers' professional associations. Respondents were in favour of the NPQH being made mandatory for first time headteachers. Following this consultation, I have taken the decision that from 1 April 2004, all those appointed to their first headship post in the maintained sector, including nursery schools, and in non-maintained special schools, will be required to hold, or be working towards, the NPQH.Working towards NPQH means that appointees must have at least successfully applied for a place on the course prior to their first headship appointment. The working towards arrangement is a transitional measure that will be in place for five years until 31 March 2009. After this date, the requirement to hold the NPQH will be a pre-appointment requirement for those appointed to their first headship post.Those currently serving as headteachers will not be required to gain the qualification.The NPQH provides aspiring headteachers with practical, professional training and the introduction of the mandatory requirement will give governing bodies a choice of qualified, well prepared new candidates for headship, in addition to any applications from experienced headteachers. We have carried out extensive modelling work and we are confident that there will be enough holders of the NPQH by April 2004 to meet demand.

The Ministry of Defence has appointed Brey Utilities as the Preferred Bidder for Package A of Project Aquatrine, the MOD contract to provide water and wastewater services for the first pack age of work in the Midlands, Wales, and South West England. Project Aquatrine, one of the leading Public Private Partnership projects in the MOD, will transfer the responsibility for the maintenance and operation of all the Department's water and wastewater assets and infrastructure in Great Britain to private sector providers.This project will enable the transfer of environmental risk to those in the private sector who are best placed to manage it.It is anticipated that Contract signature for the first package of work will be achieved in March 2003, following a three-month Preferred Bidder negotiation period. On this basis, it is expected the Contract will go live in December 2003. The Reserve Bidder for Package A is C2C.

The competition announced in May 2000 has resulted in the selection of a preferred partner, Landmarc Support Services. Detailed negotiations will now take place to secure a contract to provide support services to the Army Training Estate with effect from 1 April 2003.This will result in the transfer of approximately 1,400 Ministry of Defence civilian personnel to the private sector. The full protection of the Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) will apply. The departmental trades unions will be fully consulted in the normal way.This contract will maintain existing command and control arrangements together with safety and public relations under MOD whilst introducing best commercial practice in all areas of non-core business. It will also lead to a more cost-effective professional and relevant means of service delivery.

I have today placed in the Library of the House the Standards Board for England's Annual Report and Accounts for 2001–02.

The Agency currently charges £50 per hour plus VAT to provide advice and undertake remedial work at the request of business users where problems are identified in the own radio systems. The charge, which has not been increased since 1997, will be increased to £57 per hour plus VAT and the charge for the use of the Agency's specialist mobile laboratory which is accredited to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (ACAS) will be increased from £1140 to £1293 plus VAT per day with effect from 1 January 2003. The Agency does not charge business users for enforcement work which is carried out as part of its regulatory duties. The charge only applies for remedying problems which can be dealt with by filters and improvements to site and equipment.

I am pleased to announce that today we have published a summary of the results of the consultation, Towards a National Ambient Noise Strategy.There was very clear support for the Government's proposals for the development of an ambient noise strategy and I am pleased to confirm that we are taking the next steps to develop the strategy. These include: continuing the mapping already underway across England, the establishment of an expert working group to address the effects of noise and to establish cost-effective techniques to take action to improve or preserve noise levels, as appropriate.A significant number of respondents indicated a need for a more strategic approach to neighbour noise. I agree that there is a need for a separate Neighbour Noise Strategy and as a first steps towards developing this I am pleased to launch a study to examine neighbour noise, both from the point of view of the noise makers and their victims. The research will generate appropriate and realistic options for action both to raise awareness and to influence behaviour and, with many of the proposals identified during the consultation, should provide us with a solid basis to also develop a more strategic approach to the control of neighbourhood noise.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's 11th Annual Report and Accounts 2002 were laid before Parliament today.Copies have been placed in the Library.

The Government have decided to roll forward, unchanged, the maximum price scheme for generic medicines used in National Health Service primary care. This follows consultation with stakeholders that concluded on 29 November 2002.

In order to ensure that security vetting is up to date and appropriate to current circumstances, and in view of recent events, I have asked for a review to be conducted of security vetting arrangements operating in Northern Ireland. This review will be led by the Northern Ireland Office, and includes senior representatives of the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The review will report to me with recommendations, and a plan for their implementation. I will inform the House of the outcome.