The UK's chemical protection programme is designed to protect against the use of chemical weapons. Such a programme is permitted by the Chemical Weapons Convention, with which the United Kingdom is fully compliant. Under the terms of the convention, we are required to provide information annually to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). In accordance with the Government's commitment to openness, I am placing in the Library of the House a copy of the summary that has been provided to the organisation outlining the UK's chemical protection programme in 2004.

I am pleased to announce that Skynet 5 has been accepted into service on time and to cost.

This represents a tremendous accomplishment by all parties concerned in the enterprise arrangement, and shows how PFI can successfully be brought to bear to provide our armed forces with the best available capability at the right price.

In addition to the enhancement to our defence capability, achievement of ISD is good news for our industry. The achievement shows that excellent results can be achieved in a demanding environment through close partnering between public and private sectors. The Skynet 5 project enables around 1,900 jobs to be sustained or created over the life of the programme.

We are announcing today the Beacon Councils for round six of the scheme. Some 44 applications from 48 authorities have been successful across 10 different themes. Government Ministers made their decisions following recommendations from the independent advisory panel on Beacon Councils. Copies of the panel report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The Beacon council scheme was set up in 1999 and provides a remarkably popular and successful way of both celebrating and promoting best practice in local government. In the first six rounds of the scheme, 275 Beacon awards have been made in 59 service themes. Round six beacons will now work with the improvement and development agency to ensure that their good practice is spread to other authorities. Learning exchanges, where authorities can both disseminate their good practice and learn from the excellence of others, have now been attended by nearly all authorities. These events have helped and will continue to help raise the level of service provision by local government to the people of this country.

I am pleased to announce publication today of planning policy statement 6 (PPS6), "Planning for Town Centres" which sets out the Government's policies for promoting vital and viable town centres in urban and rural areas across the country.

PPS6 maintains the town centre first approach to planning for main town centre uses set out in the earlier national guidance on town centres, but places much stronger emphasis on the need for a pro-active plan-led approach to planning for town centres. Positive planning is critically important in ensuring town centres provide enhanced consumer choice, promote economic growth and deliver more sustainable patterns of development.

A further important strengthening of the policy framework in PPS6 is in relation to tackling social exclusion, with greater emphasis being placed on improving the provision of a range of shops and services, and encouraging investment in deprived areas.

PPS 6 applies in England and replaces revised planning policy guidance note 6 (PPG6), "Town Centres and Retail Developments" published in June 1996. The policies in PPS6 should be taken into account by regional planning bodies in the preparation of revisions to regional spatial strategies, by the Mayor of London in relation to the spatial development strategy for Greater London and by local planning authorities in the preparation of local development documents, and may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications.

Over 380 responses to the consultation draft version of PPS6 were received and these responses have been taken into account in finalising PPS6. Draft PPS6 provided guidance on design issues and implementation tools, which has been reviewed and is published today as a separate guidance note, entitled "Planning for Town Centres: Guidance on Design and Implementation Tools", alongside PPS6.

Copies of both documents have been made available in the Libraries of both Houses and are available to download from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website www.odpm.gov.uk/.

I have today set the following key performance indicators for the Valuation Office Agency for 2005–06:

1. Valuation Accuracy

a. 2000 Local Rating List

Confirm that reductions in the lists are kept to a maximum of 4.7 per cent. of the total compiled list rateable value over the entire life of the lists.

b. 2005 Rating Lists

Contain reductions in the 2005 rating lists to a maximum of 4.2 per cent. of the total compiled list rateable value over the entire life of the 2005 rating lists.

2. Council Tax Revaluation—England

Prepare for the forthcoming revaluation of domestic properties in England by undertaking 15 million valuations by 31 March 2006

3. Council Tax—Wales

Clear by 31 March 2006 (up to a maximum of 30,000 cases) those appeals received by 30 September 2005.

4. Value for money ¹

Improve productivity by 5 per cent. in 2005–06 and be on course to achieve improvements of at least 15 per cent. over the four years from 2004–05 to 2007–08.

5. Inland Revenue

Clear 96 per cent. of inheritance tax initial appraisal cases referred by the Inland Revenue, within 30 working days of receipt.

6. Land Services

Cover costs and achieve an income figure in 2005–06 of £21.1 million

7. Customer satisfaction ²

Achieve customer satisfaction, based on annual surveys, of 86 per cent.

8. People satisfaction

Improve staff satisfaction in working for the VOA in comparison with other places of work, based on annual surveys, by 1 per cent.

¹ During 2005–06, the VGA will endeavour to broaden this measure to reflect the significant additional work being undertaken to prepare for the council tax revaluation in England in 2007, and the new right first time approach to handling appeals against the 2005 rating lists.

² During 2005–06 this measure will be broadened to cover all the main areas in which we have direct contact with the citizen, whether as ratepayers or council taxpayers. The indicator will be re-based following the 2005–06 results.

We have been asked to clarify how inheritance tax (IHT) will apply to choices made by pension scheme members under the new simplified pension regime, and in particular what the implications are when scheme members opt for an alternative secured pension rather than taking an annuity at age 75 as they have been obliged to do in the past.

The same broad principles will continue to apply to the new regime as they have done to the old rules, and as they do to any other situation where people are able to make choices affecting their future wealth and that of others.

People are broadly treated as making a taxable transfer for IHT purposes when they omit to increase their own wealth in favour of increased wealth for others, just as they are when they transfer to others wealth that they already have. This is a principle of general application, and has always applied to choices under pension schemes as it has to any other choices that people make about their wealth. It is important that we maintain this principle, both in the interests of fairness between taxpayers and to ensure that pension funds remain dedicated primarily to providing retirement income.

The Inland Revenue published a statement of practice in 1992 setting out when IHT would be applied to choices made under the pension rules in force at that time. A new and wider range of choices will be available under the simplified regime, and that statement will no longer be valid. Treatment broadly comparable to that in the statement may remain appropriate in some situations, but in others that is clearly no longer so.

I have asked the Revenue to open discussions with interested parties to seek a consensus on the detailed application of IHT law to the new situations arising under the simplified regime, and on how in practice cases which are chargeable should be identified and any charge should be quantified. The Revenue will shortly be publishing a consultation document setting out their analysis of the IHT issues as a basis for these discussions.

ASPs were designed to provide an alternative to annuitisation for those with religious objections to risk pooling. They were not meant as a vehicle for inter-generational transfers by scheme members generally, and the Government will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that they are not being used for avoidance.

I am announcing today the publication of the Green Paper "Independence, Well-being and Choice: Our Vision for the Future of Social Care for Adults in England" (Cm 6499).

This is an important part of our modernisation programme for public services and will set the social care agenda for the next decade. Formal consultation will enable us to develop firm proposals which will transform the lives of people who use social care by giving them more control and more choice in helping them to decide how their needs can best be met.

These ambitions are based on what people who use services told us they would like to see. Turning this shared vision into reality will mean that social care services will have to be redesigned to give people more control over their assessments and how the money is spent. But this is not just about social care services. We want to see the capacity of the whole community harnessed to make sure that people have access to the full range of universal services to secure the best possible outcomes for all adults.

The key proposals in the paper include the wider use of direct payments and the piloting of individual budgets to stimulate the development of modern services delivered in a way that people want; a strong strategic and leadership role for local government; closer working between health and social care sectors and greater involvement for the community and voluntary sector; plans to stimulate care capacity and informal caring; and encouraging the use of new models of service delivery including assistive technology and extra care housing, and a greater focus on preventative services.

The ideas that we have put forward are designed to encourage and stimulate discussion about the future direction for adult social care. We would expect to develop concrete proposals for implementation following the formal consultation.

The consultation will run until 28 July 2005 and will apply to England only. Copies of "Independence, Well-being and Choice" have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and are also available from my Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/socialcare

I am today placing in the Libraries of both Houses copies of a new paper entitled "Fighting poverty to build a safer world: a strategy for security and development", published by the Department for International Development (DFID).

The strategy—which has been produced in close consultation with other Government Departments, NGOs, researchers, the UN and other international organisations—analyses the links between security and development. It shows how we can better promote the security of the poor, and suggests ways in which the international system can better achieve both security and development goals.

Security matters for poor people in poor countries. In times of peace, they are the worst affected by violent crime, lawlessness and state-sanctioned abuse; and in times of conflict, millions of poor people have been killed, injured or forced from their homes. So the poor need security as much as they need clean water, schooling or affordable health.

DFID has been at the forefront of international efforts to promote security for poor people. We have initiated programmes to support police and security sector reform in developing countries, in order to make these public services more effective and accountable; we have improved access to justice for poor people; we have tackled poor governance; and we have developed ways of analysing conflict and insecurity, including their impact on the poor. But we need to do more. Our aim is to promote security as a basic entitlement of poor people.

The strategy explains how we will put the safety and security of the poor at the heart of our development work. We will make more use of political and conflict analysis in our programme design; pay greater attention to how regional and global conflict and insecurity affect the poor in countries where we work; focus our work to improve governance more directly on the security of the poor, including giving more attention to the role of security and police services and the judiciary; link conflict prevention and conflict reduction more regularly into our programmes; and work with a wider range of civil society organisations, so as to build relationships with groups with different views on development.

To implement the strategy, we will work closely with other Government Departments, international organisations including the European Union and the United Nations, and Governments and communities in our partner countries.

This statement sets out how I intend to take forward the policy and strategic framework for good relations in Northern Ireland.

The Government's vision for the future of Northern Ireland is that of a peaceful, prosperous, stable and fair society firmly founded on the achievement of reconciliation, tolerance and mutual trust and the protection and vindication of human rights for all. The founding principles of partnership, equality and mutual respect ensure a basis for good relationships.

The publication of the policy today sets out our aim of establishing over time a shared society defined by a culture of tolerance—a normal, civic society, in which all individuals are considered as equals, which respects diversity and where violence is an illegitimate means to resolve differences, but where differences are resolved through dialogue in the public sphere. The policy document outlines realistically the scale of the challenge and that good relations will build on the significant progress of the equality agenda.

The policy objectives to achieve the policy aim include: eliminating sectarianism, racism and all forms of prejudice to enable people to live and work without fear or intimidation; reducing tension and conflict at interface areas; facilitating the development of a shared community where people wish to learn, live, work and play together; promoting civic-mindedness via citizenship education through school and lifelong learning; protecting members of minorities (whether for example by religion, race or any other grounds) and mixed marriages from intimidation and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice; ensure that all public services are delivered impartially and guided by economy, efficiency and effectiveness; shaping policies, practices and institutions to enable trust and good relations to grow; encouraging understanding of the complexity of our history, through museums and a common school curriculum; supporting cultural projects which highlight the complexity and overlapping nature of identities and their wider global connections; supporting and learning from organisations working across ethnic divides for reconciliation, including those operating on a north-south basis; ensuring that voice is given to the diverse victims of violence in Northern Ireland, including via archives and victim-centred reconciliation events; encouraging communication, tolerance and trust across Northern Ireland, but particularly in areas where communities are living apart; promoting dialogue between, and mutual understanding of, different faiths and cultural backgrounds, both long-standing within Northern Ireland and recent arrivals to these shores, guided by overarching human-rights norms.

The policy, which is underpinned by a series of fundamental principles, will be taken forward at three levels. First, a triennial action plan covering actions across public authorities will be prepared by the autumn. Second, the roles and functions of the Community Relations Council will be enhanced to support the policy. Third, a new district council good relations challenge programme will be established by 2007 to replace the existing district council community relations' programme

Government will lead by example and set the pace to promote good relations with a strong public policy agenda. Ultimately, however, sustained and deeper progress depends on political stability. It will require leadership at political, civic and community levels.

Copies of "A Shared Future: Policy and Strategic Framework for Good Relations in Northern Ireland" have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the website www.asharedfutureni.gov.uk/

The racial equality strategy for Northern Ireland will be published in the near future, following consultation with the Northern Ireland Race Forum.

The Small Business Service (SBS) is today publishing its business plan for 2005–06. I have placed copies of the plan in the Libraries of both Houses. It is also available on the SBS website at: www.sbs.gov.uk.

The SBS published a Government action plan for small business in January 2004. The plan identified a set of practical actions focused on improving policy and delivery as it affects small business. For the first time, it aligned contributions from the whole of government behind clear objectives for encouraging enterprise and improving the environment for small business. Implementing the action plan and working with government partners to refresh it remains a priority for the SBS this year.

The business plan also sets out the ways in which the SBS will develop its capabilities to ensure that it is equipped to play an enhanced policy leadership and influencing role within government, across the regions and internationally on small business issues.

The plan identifies 10 key agency targets for 2005–06. These are to:

Increase enterprise awareness in young people by supporting a further "Make your Mark: Start Talking Ideas" campaign culminating in a successful second "Enterprise Week" in November 2005 targeted on people in a wider 14–30 age group.

Continue to support and promote social enterprise by completing a review of the Government's three-year strategy by July 2005, and establishing future priorities for action.

Increase the availability of risk capital for high growth potential businesses, by launching a pathfinder round of enterprise capital funds within two months of EU state aid clearance being obtained.

Hold a conference on risk capital in October 2005 as part of the UK's EU Presidency to highlight the importance of risk capital for small businesses with growth potential, and explore ways of increasing its availability in the UK and elsewhere in the EU.

Work with the SBS's lender partners to launch a simplified, better targeted and more consistently available form of the small firms loan guarantee by December 2005 in line with the recommendations of the Graham review.

Encourage female entrepreneurship by implementing recommendations being made by the Women's Enterprise Panel to increase the proportion of women-owned businesses by March 2006, and take decisions on whether to establish a National Women's Business Council by July 2005.

Work in partnership with the English regional development agencies to focus the business link service on information, diagnostic and brokerage services, and further improve on current levels of business link market penetration and customer satisfaction by April 2006.

Improve small business access to public sector procurement and R&D opportunities by launching a supplier route to Government web portal by October 2005, and re-invigorating the Small Business Research Initiative so that more government departments are meeting the target of procuring 2.5 per cent. of their R&D from small and medium size businesses by March 2006.

Complete a review of the UK's key regulatory and administrative processes using the World Bank's "Doing Business" survey as a benchmark and, with the Small Business Council, make recommendations on the scope for streamlining and simplifying these processes by January 2006.

Increase the SBS's influence on small business issues within government, across the regions and internationally by building its capabilities as a source of expertise, leadership and challenge.

The Secretary of State for Transport has set a range of high-level targets for the 2005–06 year on behalf of the Agencies within the Driver, Vehicle and Operator Group; the Driving Standards Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Vehicle Certification Agency and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. They are included in the Agencies' Business Plans together with their associated measures. The plans also include a range of management targets, performance indicators and key tasks which are appropriate to the Agencies' businesses and which reflect the wider DVO change agenda. Copies of the Business Plans will be placed in the Library shortly.

The key targets for the Driving Standards Agency are:

Secretary of State Targets

Maintain a national average car practical test waiting time of six weeks from 31 January 2005

Appointments will be available within nine weeks at 99 per cent. of permanent car driving test centres by 31 March 2006

Maintain candidate satisfaction with the overall service received at 90 per cent.

Deliver 6,000 Arrive Alive and 200 Arrive Alive Classic presentations by 31 March 2006 and Pass Plus take up to continue at 18 per cent. of those passing the test

Assure the quality of trainers so that 98 per cent. of ADIs have been check-tested once every four years and all ADIs will be HP assessed by 31 December 2006

Assure the quality of the practical driving test by 1 per cent. of all driving tests being subject to quality assurance checks in which examiners are accompanied by a senior operational officer

Roll out plans for acquiring and making operational off road motorcycle test facilities by 2008: To acquire 20 and build 10 multi-purpose centres by 31 March 2006

Deliver the benefits in the value for money plan achieving at least 2.5 per cent. of cost savings and 2.5 per cent. efficiency and effectiveness improvements

The key targets for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are:

Secretary of State Targets

Maintain or improve on the standard of services to the customer

Maintain or improve customer satisfaction at 2004 levels

To deliver a programme of e-service capability across the consumer and business sectors

Increase co-operation with other Government agencies/departments to provide improved services

To achieve a level of tax collected of at least £55m above the 2004 baseline and maintaining or reducing evasion loss at a maximum 3.4 per cent. in line with the roadside survey

To reduce the number of persistent evaders of VED by 35 per cent. by March 2006

Records to be capable of 97.5 per cent. of current vehicle keepers to be successfully traced from the record

Deliver the benefits in the value for money plan achieving at least 2.5 per cent. of cost savings and 2.5 per cent. efficiency and effectiveness improvements

Deliver a return on capital employed of 3.5 per cent. and build reserves for development funding

The key targets for the Vehicle Certification Agency are:

Secretary of State Targets

Deliver at least 90 per cent. of type approval certificates within eight working days

Maintain or improve customer satisfaction rating year on year

Issue at least 98 per cent. of type approval certificates error-free

Expand VGA's global presence in new territories

Carry out and enforce an annual programme of in-service emissions testing

Develop the VGA strategy in relation to emerging technologies in vehicle testing by December 2005

Deliver the benefits in the value for money plan achieving at least 2.5 per cent. of cost savings and 2.5 per cent. efficiency and effectiveness improvements

To make a surplus on an operating basis

The key targets for the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency are:

Secretary of State Targets

Improve the availability of tests to meet customer needs better

Improve licence application processes enabling quicker decisions for customers

To deliver a programme of improved e-service across the commercial and business sectors so that by 2008, 80 per cent. of services will be available electronically

Maintain or improve customer satisfaction against 2004 levels

Complete the roll out of a robust MOT computerisation system nationally and implement the benefits realisation plan

Complete merger of the intelligence and compliance units to ensure the independence of traffic commissioners and improve the quality of investigated cases presented

Improve enforcement effectiveness through increased targeting of offenders making full use of powers to stop, ANPR and improved intelligence data

Improve the suitability of the VOSA test station estate, in terms of location and condition, to reflect changing customer requirements

Deliver the benefits in the value for money plan achieving at least 2.5 per cent. of cost savings and 2.5 per cent. efficiency and effectiveness improvements

The Government have been working with Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) to set out projections of the impact of TfL's business plan on the Department for Transport (DfT) national priorities, in order to generate overall agreed TfL planned outcomes.

These projections are in the format of 2010 outcomes which are given in the table below. The table also includes the year end position for 2005–06 which is consistent with the planned 2010 result.

These have been agreed at a working level between TfL, GLA and DfT, which I have discussed with the Mayor. They will be considered by the TfL Board on the 23 March, and are being published today alongside the TfL board papers. These outcomes are based on modelling, and as such will be updated as actual data is received.

¹ Killed or Seriously Injured

² New national measures of congestion are currently in development, and therefore it is not possible to estimate the impact of TfL's plan in those terms at this time.

These are in addition to the targets for London Underground Limited (LUL) agreed between LUL, TfL and DfT in May 2002, www.TfL.gov.uk/tfl/downloads/pdf/integration-day/tfl-focus-on-tube.pdf (p.17–18) which will continue to be monitored.