The Treasury is today launching a consultation on the regulation of investment trust companies.

This is in response to a recommendation made by the Treasury Committee in its report into split-capital investment trusts in February 2003.

The aim of the consultation is to stimulate discussion about whether there is a need for additional regulation and, if so, possible options for doing so.

Copies of the consultation paper are available from the Library of the House, and the document can also be accessed on the Treasury website at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/.

I am announcing today the publication of a consultation draft of a new policy statement on minerals planning and supporting good practice guidance for England. The draft of minerals policy statement 1 (MPS1) sets out the Government's core policies and principles for minerals planning in England to be applied in the preparation of regional spatial strategies and local development documents and in considering planning applications. The draft good practice guidance provides advice on how these policies and principles might be implemented.

When finally published MPS1, together with the good practice guidance, will replace minerals planning guidance note 1 "General Considerations and the Development Plan System", published in 1996 and equivalent general statements on minerals planning policies in a number of other MPGs. Draft MPS1 and the good practice guidance meet the commitment set out in the 2001 planning Green Paper for shorter, more focused planning policy statements separated from advice on non-policy matters.

Draft MPS1 takes account of relevant legislative changes since 1996 that affect minerals planning. It seeks to ensure that minerals planning and development is undertaken in as sustainable a manner as possible. It contributes to the Government's sustainable development objectives for planning and the creation of sustainable communities, by helping to secure the necessary supplies of materials, particularly for construction, while seeking to minimise the effect of mineral working on local communities and the environment, and by promoting the recycling of suitable materials.

We intend MPS1 to be supported by a number of specialist annexes setting out the appropriate planning policy considerations that need to be applied to individual types of minerals in view of their differing characteristics. A consultation draft on the first group of these, to deal with construction aggregates, brick clays, building stone and onshore oil and gas development, will be issued in the spring of 2005.

Consultation on draft MPS1 and the accompanying good practice guidance will run until 28 February 2005. Copies of the draft consultation papers have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has today published for public consultation, a paper on licensing in the private rented sector concerning the implementation of Housing in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing.

This paper seeks to explain the Government's proposals for licensing in the private rented sector that have been set in place by the Housing Act, which has just received Royal Assent. In particular, the paper explains the Government's proposals for HMO licensing and sets out proposals for the secondary instruments required to implement these measures.

The powers in the Act and proposed secondary legislation will require local authorities to introduce licensing for HMOs. Licensing will enable local authorities to:

Ensure that landlords are fit and proper persons or employ agents who are.

Ensure that the standards of tenancy relations management and property management employed by a landlord or agent are adequate.

Impose conditions on licenses to achieve improvements in management where necessary.

Step in and manage properties where landlords refuse to meet the required criteria.

Protect vulnerable tenants.

Ensure that HMOs are not occupied by excessive numbers of people.

Identify high risk HMOs and their landlords, so that health and safety measures under Part 1 of the Act can be targeted on the worst cases.

The paper invites interested parties to comment on how these powers should be implemented in relation to HMO licensing through the necessary secondary legislation.

Copies of the paper are being sent to a wide range of interested parties including local authorities, landlord and tenant organisations and others with an interest in this issue. The closing date for responses is 2 February 2005.

Copies of the paper will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and will be available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at www.odpm.gov.uk.

I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of the National Policing Plan 2005–08.

This is the third national policing plan and sets the framework and context for policing in England and Wales for the next three years.The national policing plan sets out the Government's vision of a police service which puts the law abiding citizen at the heart of all it does, while working in partnership to create and maintain safe, secure and confident communities. This will require the creation of a culture for policing which can tackle crime successfully from the local, to the national and international level.

The national policing plan will inform local planning and help to ensure that all communities know what they should expect from their local police force. It builds on the commitments for police reform set out in "Building Communities, Beating Crime: A Better Police Service for the 21st Century" published on 9 November. The national policing plan 2005–08 is available on the website at: www.policereform.gov.uk.

Further to my written statement to the House of 16 September 2005, Official Report, columns 173–174WS, together with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of State for Defence, I wish to inform Parliament that a copy of a public consultation document on improving the United Kingdom's contribution to post conflict stabilisation has been placed in the Library. It invites contributions on the establishment of an interdepartmental post conflict reconstruction unit.

I am pleased to announce today the launch of the electronic parliamentary community (ePC). This network, initiated by my office, establishes, for the first time, the electronic transfer of information between Government and Parliament.

This first phase of ePC provides the mechanism to deliver parliamentary questions from the House of Commons to Government Departments, and the answers to questions and written ministerial statements from Government to the Commons, principally Hansard and the Table Office at this stage.

In future, and subject to further discussion with the House authorities, it is hoped that this system may be extended to cover other information exchanged between Government and Parliament.

This is a ground-breaking system, and I am grateful to the knowledge network (part of the e-Government unit), to parliamentary staff for their work on this project, ensuring its delivery to tight and challenging deadlines and to the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) for their assistance in establishing the secure connection between Parliament and Government.

I have launched an updated version of the website for the Office of Leader of the House of Commons www.commonsleader.gov.uk.

Users will now be able to see online the Government's Legislative Programme for the forthcoming session of Parliament—the first time that details of bills announced in the Queen's Speech have been published electronically on one site.

To encourage interest in this site, the office will also provide an email alert service which will inform users of changes to the site, particularly those affecting Government business in the House of Commons, i.e. the weekly business statement.

Also included is a historical section setting out the biographical details of individuals who have held the post of Leader of the House of Commons. The cost for site refresh including new functionality was £7,500.

I have today placed before this House a copy of the second annual report of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC Foundation which was sent to me under Article 8(2) of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC Foundation Regulations 2002. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library of the House.

I would like to inform Members of the House that, as part of a rolling programme of appointments, I have decided to appoint three new board members to Advantage West Midlands. The new appointees will take up their positions on the 14 December 2004 and their names are set out below.

The new board members will replace members whose terms of office end in December this year, and they will bring experiences from business, trade unions and local authorities.

Decisions on the appointments have been made following open competition in accordance with the guidelines set down in the Commissioner for Public Appointments' code of practice, and following consultation with key national and regional players.

AWM (New Members)

Sue Prince

Diane Rayner

Gerard Coyne

I would like to inform Members of the House that, as part of a rolling programme of appointments, I have decided to appoint six new board members to "Yorkshire Forward". The new appointees, including one re-appointee, will take up their positions on the 14 December 2004 and their names are set out below.

The new board members will replace members whose terms of office end in December this year. They will bring experience from business, local authorities and the voluntary sector.

Decisions on the appointments have been made following open competition in accordance with the guidelines set down in the Commissioner for Public Appointments code of practice, and following consultation with key national and regional players.

YF (New Members)

Lord Christopher Haskins (re-appointed)

Arshad Javed

Jan Wilson

Linda Pollard

Aiden Rave

Laura Moynahan

The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland have now agreed that a northern Oceanic transitional area (NOTA) will be established, in stages from January 2005, in the Shanwick Oceanic airspace to the north-west of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland will provide air traffic control and related services in the NOTA while National Air Traffic Services (NATS) will provide these services in the rest of the Shanwick sector. Regulatory control for the NOTA will also transfer from the Civil Aviation Authority to the Irish Aviation Authority at a date agreed by the regulators.

The agreement paves the way for increasing co-operation and the progression to more integrated operations between NATS and its Irish counterpart, and gives NATS security of tenure in providing Oceanic air traffic control services for the next 25 years.

I have placed a copy of the exchange of letters between the UK and Ireland in the Library of the House.

On behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the benefit fraud inspectorate (BFI) good practice review of Herefordshire council was published today and copies of the review have been placed in the Library.

One of the benefit fraud inspectorate's key functions is to improve the effectiveness and security of benefits administration by disseminating good practice. good practice reviews are a new initiative for the inspectorate and are designed to identify practices and procedures that can help other local authorities. The good practice review of Herefordshire council has identified many good practices and I am grateful to the council for its participation.

The review found over 100 good practices covering all areas of performance standards including:

annually assessment of revenues and benefits services against a quality framework, based on an excellence model;

good use of management information to identify trends and allocate resources effectively;

answering 97 per cent. of telephone calls within 15 seconds and seeing 97 per cent. of customers within 10 minutes of arrival at the office in 2003–04;

increasing take-up of housing benefits by a range of campaigns;

reducing the number of days to process changes of circumstances;

performing a 10 per cent. check of corporate quality officers' work to ensure accuracy and consistency;

supplying landlords with plenty of information to ensure they are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities;

relocating its main customer enquiries office to a building that meets the access requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act;

performing good quality fraud investigations that comply with all legal requirements reducing to 14 days the time it takes to send first reminders to debtors.

I recommend the review and recommend that all local authorities read it and consider if they can benefit from the application of any of the good practices identified.