The Department of Trade and Industry plans to work with people with learning disabilities to make sure that Consumer Direct provides information in a way that they can understand.

The Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills are jointly supporting a conference later this year on parenting and people with learning disabilities.

Under the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Supporting People initiative, more than £400 million has been allocated to services for people with learning disabilities.

The Department of Health has awarded the Home Farm Trust £194,000 over three years to set up a self sustaining national network of organisations supporting family carers who have adult relatives with learning disabilities.

The Department for Transport has funded a project with Transport for London and a self-advocacy group to make buses and tubes in London easier for people with learning disabilities to use.

The Department for Constitutional Affairs has been consulting people with learning disabilities over the Mental Incapacity Bill.

Today's report, like last year's, is written in an accessible form, using pictures and straightforward, jargon-free language. We commissioned people with learning disabilities from the London Consultative Group to advise us on making the report accessible and I should like to acknowledge the help we received from them. It is important that people with learning disabilities can see for themselves what is being done to improve the services they use and to increase the opportunities available to them to lead the type of life the rest of us take for granted.

"Valuing People" said that it would take a minimum of five years for its programme to be implemented. We are now over half way through that period and continue to make good progress.

Copies of "Valuing People: Moving Forward Together" have been placed in the Library.

Building an enterprise culture

Deliver a national enterprise awareness event involving public and private sector partners in November 2004.

Encouraging a dynamic start-up market

Complete the establishment of the council for graduate entrepreneurship by May 2004.

Building the capability for small business growth

Ensure by March 2005 that Business Link (both the website and the face to face service) is effectively promoting and delivering the DTI's new portfolio of business support products—particularly those relating to innovation, knowledge transfer and best practice.

Improving access to finance for small businesses

Complete an action plan for carrying forward the recommendations of the review of the small firms loan guarantee by December 2004, and launch a pathfinder round of enterprise capital funds within one month of state aid approval being received.

Encouraging more enterprise in disadvantaged communities and under-represented groups

Launch the second round of the City Growth Strategies and Phoenix Fund Building on the best projects from April 2004. monitor their progress and begin a programme of events to share best practice by February 2005.

Improving small businesses' experience of Government services

Plan the transfer of responsibility for the management of Business Link Operator contracts to the regional development agencies within a national framework that maintains core service standards with effect from April 2005.

Developing better regulation and policy

Complete a public consultation so that government can consider whether to extend the concept of common commencement dates for regulations to new areas of domestic law, and publish the responses.

Delivering the Government Action Plan for Small Business

Monitor, evaluate and drive forward implementation of the Government-wide "Action Plan for Small Business" published in January 2004, updating the web-based implementation programme available at www.sbs.gov.uk on a regular basis to record the progress being made.

On the evening of 24 April I made the following statement, which I should like to raw to the attention of the House:

"For thirty years, the international community has supported the efforts of Cypriots on both sides to resolve their differences and put an end to the tragic division of the island.

Over the last few years, Kofi Annan and his team have built on earlier efforts and worked tirelessly to bring about a comprehensive settlement package that meets the key interests of the two sides, and provides a solid foundation for a durable bi-communal, bi-zonal federal solution.

Britain has always given its strong support to the efforts of the UN and of those on both sides who have shown the courage to seek a realistic compromise solution.

We will respect the choice that the Greek Cypriots have expressed today. But I hope that they will continue to reflect on whether this choice is the right one for them. By this decision a majority of Greek Cypriot voters has rejected the settlement, despite the prospect it offered of reuniting the island, providing long-sought relief for the refugees of 1974 and progressively lifting the weight of militarisation—all this within the framework of political stability and economic security which European Union membership provides.

I am glad that the Turkish Cypriot community has voted so clearly for the settlement. The result shows what a fundamental change of attitude has taken place within the Turkish Cypriot community in recent years.

I understand very well their wish to end their isolation in the world, to join with Greek Cypriots in a reunified island, and to move together into the European Union that is the best guarantee for the future of their collective security and prosperity. I want them to know that this remains our goal too, and that we will continue to work for its ultimate realisation.

Meanwhile, I would like to assure all Cypriots that, if at any point in the future both communities decide in favour of a comprehensive settlement which would reunify the island in the European Union, the United Kingdom, as a guarantor power, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and a leading EU member state, not to mention a long-standing friend and supporter of Cyprus, will be exerting all its efforts to ensure that the settlement is the practical and political success which Cypriots have for so long deserved".

These were the policies which I advocated at the 26 April meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg. They met with wide agreement from our European partners. There was regret that the union's strong preference for accession by a reunited Cyprus had not proved possible. But there was also determination to build upon the positive aspects of the situation, including the contribution of the Governments of Greece and Turkey, and—in particular—the pro-EU, pro-settlement vote of the Turkish Cypriot community. The conclusions in respect of Cyprus issued by the council on Monday were as follows:

"The council noted the results of the referenda in Cyprus on 24 April and expressed its strong regret that the accession to the EU of a united Cyprus will not now be possible on 1 May. The council expressed its deep appreciation for the determined and sustained efforts of the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and his colleagues in the search for a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem. The council also welcomed the contribution made by Greece and Turkey. It expressed its determination to ensure that the people of Cyprus will soon achieve their shared destiny as citizens of a united Cyprus in the European Ur ion.

The Turkish Cypriot community have expressed their clear desire for a future within the European Union. The council is determined to put an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community. The council invited the Commission to bring forward comprehensive proposals to this end, with particular emphasis on the economic integration of the island and on improving contact between the two communities and with the EU. The council recommended that the 259 million euros already earmarked for the northern part of Cyprus in the event of a settlement now e used for this purpose.

The council asked COREPER to expedite discussion of the Regulation on a regime under Article 2 of Protocol 10 of the Act of Accession with a view to its adoption before 1 May, taking due account of the council's desire to send a signal of encouragement to the Turkish Cypriot community that its future rests in a united Cyprus within the European Union".

By these and other means we intend to demonstrate Europe's concern for the well-being of Turkish Cypriots. In the same spirit, I have noted the announced intention of the Cyprus Government to support the economic strengthening of the Turkish Cypriot community and to facilitate trade.

As these conclusions indicate, neither the UK nor the EU as a whole is proposing any change in our long-standing and consistent policy of non-recognition of "TRNC".

We look forward to a report from the Secretary-General during the course of May about he future of his good offices mission.

We continue to believe that the Annan plan represented the best available blueprint for settlement. 1 share the UN Secretary-General's hope, expressed after the "no" vote on 24 April, that the Greek Cypriot electorate may arrive at a different view in the fullness of time, after a profound and sober assessment of their decision.

The Concentration is an important way of identifying districts' hot spots of deprivation.

The Extent portrays how widespread high levels of deprivation are in a district.

The Income Scale measure gives the number of people in the district who are income deprived.

The Employment Scale measure gives the number of people in the district who are employment deprived.

The Average of SOA Ranks summarises the district as a whole, taking into account the ranks of both the deprived and least deprived SOAs.

The Average of SOA Scores also describes the district as a whole, taking into account the full range of SOA scores across a district.

The table below summarises the districts that are amongst the 50 most deprived on each of the six district measures.