In June 2005 Her Majesty The Queen graciously approved the award of a theatre honour ("Iraq 2003") and the battle honour ("Al Basrah") for units of the British Army. Subsequently, individual regiments and corps applied to the Army Honours and Distinctions Committee for the award of these Honours. Following receipt of the committee's recommendations, the Executive Committee of the Army Board has sought, and obtained, Her Majesty's gracious approval for the following awards to be made.

The following Regiments and Corps are to be awarded the Theatre Honour ("Iraq 2003"):

The Life Guards

The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)

1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)

The Queen's Royal Lancers

Royal Tank Regiment

Irish Guards (already awarded 1 )

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

The Light Infantry

The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment)

The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding)

The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)

The Parachute Regiment

Army Air Corps

The Royal Yeomanry

The following Regiments and Corps are to be awarded the battle honour "Al Basrah":

The Life Guards

The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)

1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)

The Queen's Royal Lancers

Royal Tank Regiment

Irish Guards (already awarded)

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

The Light Infantry

1 Her Majesty gave early approval, in June 2005, for the Irish Guards to be awarded the theatre honour "Iraq 2003" and the battle honour "Al Basrah". This early award allowed the Irish Guards to troop their colour, with their new theatre honour emblazoned upon it, at the Queen's birthday parade.

The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)

The Parachute Regiment

Army Air Corps

The regulatory impact assessment that was published alongside the Higher Education Act 2004 contained estimates of the fee income for the Higher Education sector and the costs of student grants and loans. These estimates were updated on 23 March 2005, Official Report, column 71WS. The figures below are a further update of the March statement. This latest update takes account of latest RAB charges, devolution of student support to Wales from academic year 06/07, updated student numbers and decisions about household income thresholds for the new maintenance grant for 2006–07, announced on 14 July 2005, Official Report, column 35WS. The latest RAB charges from 06/07 are 21 per cent. for maintenance loans and 33 per cent. for fee loans.

Table 1: Fee income for higher education providers

Table 2: Cost of student support

Table 3: Level of support to individual students: full-time students in Academic Year 06/07

Notes:

1. Fee income figures rounded to the nearest £50 million. Remaining costs have been rounded to the nearest £10 million. Both are given in steady state 2006–07 terms. 2. The forecasts are based on RAB charges under a 2.2 per cent. discount rate of 21 per cent. for maintenance loans and 33 per cent. for fee loans. The RAB charge is an estimate of the percentage of the face value of loans issued in a given year which reflects the resource cost over the expected life of the loan to the Government of making the loans. The RAB charge is made up of a) the face value of loans issued that are not expected to be repaid due to low income, death of the borrower, etc, and b) the net present value of the interest subsidy on loans that are repaid. There is an interest subsidy as borrowers pay zero real interest and the Government's current published discount rate in resource accounts is 2.2 per cent. Changes to the discount rate therefore cause changes to the RAB charges, and to the resource costs of student loans. 3. The maintenance loan forecast assumes an 82 per cent. take-up. 4. Fee loan forecasts are based on the assumption that 9 per cent. of students are charged a fee of £2,000 and 91 per cent. of students are charged a fee of £3,000. Average fee for new students will be £2,910. The forecasts also assume 80 per cent. take-up of fee deferral. 5. New grant forecasts reflect policy announcements on 14 July 2005. 6. Forecasts now exclude costs of student support for Welsh domicile students, following decisions about devolution of student support to Wales. 7. Table 3 refers to full-time, undergraduate students only. Means-testing arrangements for the Maintenance Grant and Student Loan Rates for 2006–07 were announced in a written statement, placed in the House on 14 July. Maintenance Loan entitlement will be reduced by a £1 for every £1 of Maintenance Grant payable up to a maximum of £1,200. Maintenance loan entitlement will continue to be reduced by a £1 for every £9.50 of household income in excess of £37,900 until 75 per cent. of loan maximum loan rate is left.

The Government have committed itself to informing Parliament on an annual basis of the sanctions regimes being implemented by the United Kingdom. Currently the United Kingdom implements mandatory United Nations sanctions, imposed by the UN Security Council acting under chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, in relation to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Somalia. The UK also implements sanctions regimes imposed autonomously by the EU in relation to Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burma, China, the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (in connection with individuals indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), Iran (for nuclear rated dual use goods), Moldova, Sudan and Zimbabwe. In accordance with a decision of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the United Kingdom implements arms embargoes on Armenia and Azerbaijan. The UK also imposes an arms embargo against Iran. The Government also take full account of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) moratorium on certain exports of small arms and light weapons to ECOWAS member states. A full list of sanctions regimes and restrictive measures implemented by the UK has been published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/sanctions.

On 11 October 2004, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs announced in a written ministerial statement, Official Report, column 3WS, that, upon receipt of an application to export arms or related materiel to an end user not explicitly exempt from the embargo, the Government will seek certification on a case-by-case basis from the Government of Iraq or the multinational force. The certification is to ensure that the proposed export is required by the Government of Iraq or the multinational force to serve the purposes of Resolution 1546 and is therefore exempted from the embargo. A certification process has been established with the Government of Iraq.

Following consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry recently made four exceptions to this procedure and issued licences in advance of receipt of certification from the Government of Iraq. All licences were for equipment to be used by a private security company to protect election monitors and ballot boxes for the Iraqi referendum. Equipment concerned included: armoured vehicles, body armour, military helmets, smoke grenades, mini signal flares, stun grenades and six machine guns. The Government received certification for the licences after they were issued.

Two public consultations were carried out earlier this year on the future of independent prescribing by nurses and on the introduction of independent prescribing by pharmacists. The responses were overwhelmingly in favour of allowing appropriately qualified nurses and pharmacists to prescribe any licensed medicine for any medical condition. As a result, the Committee on Safety of Medicines has recommended to me that appropriately qualified nurses should be able to prescribe any licensed medicine for any medical condition within their professional competence—with the exception of Controlled Drugs. It has also recommended to me that a new category of non-medical prescriber—pharmacist independent prescribers—be introduced. They will have similar powers. I am announcing today that I am accepting these recommendations and that regulations will be amended to enable this from spring 2006.

We will be working with the relevant bodies across the United Kingdom—the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland and the Nursing and Midwifery Council—to consider the training implications for their members who wish to take up these responsibilities.

This is very good news for patients who will benefit from quicker and more accessible service. It also demonstrates our confidence in nurses and pharmacists, and our wish to use their skills and professionalism to the full.

Patient safety remains paramount and strong safeguards are currently in place to regulate existing prescribing activity by nurses and pharmacists. We will work with professionals and the regulatory bodies to look at what, if any, additional measures are needed to ensure the right safeguards are in place. These extra prescribing flexibilities will only be available to nurses and pharmacists who have undertaken specific training, approved by the relevant professional and regulatory bodies. Once trained, individuals will be required to keep their skills up to date. Nurse and pharmacist prescribers will need to work within their employers' clinical governance frameworks and they will be accountable to both their employers and their regulatory bodies for their actions.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of four new members to the Animal Procedures Committee. They were appointed with effect from 1 February 2005.

Dr. John Doe is a Director of the Central Toxicology Laboratory and Global Head of Health Assessment at Syngenta. Mr Robert Kemp retired recently from AstraZeneca. He has over 20 years' experience of working as an animal care technician, and is the current Chairman of the Institute of Animal Technology. Professor Keith Kendrick is Head of Neuroscience at the Babraham Institute. Professor John Pickard holds senior neurosurgical/neuroscience clinical and academic posts in Cambridge.

Each has been appointed for a four year term. I am pleased that they have agreed to serve on this important committee.

I would like to inform the House that Mr. David Jessel and Dr. James MacKeith have been re-appointed as Commissioners to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Copies of the press release relating to these appointments are available in the House Library.

I have today received copies of the annual report of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland for the financial year 2004–05. The report outlines the Board's performance against targets during that year.

Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

I have today placed in the Libraries of both Houses papers relating to decisions that have been taken during the period 1 October 2004 to 12 September 2005 which relate to the North/South Implementation Bodies and Tourism Ireland Limited under the terms of the Exchange of Notes of 19 November 2002 (Cmnd 5708).

Decisions that have been taken during the period 1 October 2004 to 12 September 2005 which relate to the North/South Implementation Bodies and Tourism Ireland under the terms of the Exchange of Notes of 19 November 2002 (Cmnd 5708).

FOYLE CARLINGFORD AND IRISH LIGHTS SECTOR

FOOD SAFETY SECTOR

LANGUAGE SECTOR

TRADE AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SECTOR

TOURISM SECTOR

INLAND WATERWAYS SECTOR

IP/WI 8 -Waterways Ireland. Corporate Plan 2005–07, Business Plan for 2005 and Budgets 2005–07.

IP/WI 9 -Proposal to make a compulsory purchase order at Webb's Bridge, Abbeyshrule, Co Longford.

IP/WI 10 -Waterways Ireland. Remuneration and other conditions of service of the Chief Executive.

IP/WI 11 -Waterways Ireland. Capital Funding 2004–05.

IP/WI 12 -Waterways Ireland. North/South Pension Scheme.

IP/WI 13 -Waterways Ireland. Annual Report and Accounts for 2003.

IP/WI 14 -Proposal to make a compulsory purchase order at Longford Bridge, Ballymahon, Co Longford.

IP/WI 15 -Waterways Ireland. Pay awards for staff based in Northern Ireland.

IP/WI 16 -Electricity Generation project, Tarmonbarry, River Shannon.

IP/WI 17 -900 year lease on the River Shannon at Jolly Mariner, Athlone, Co Westmeath to Mr John Lally.

SPECIAL EU PROGRAMMES SECTOR

We announced last year that we would conduct a feasibility study into the prospects for an obligation on transport fuel suppliers to ensure that a proportion of their sales were from a renewable source.

In the light of the completed study, the Government will introduce a renewable transport fuel obligation. The level of obligation will be 5 per cent. in 2010.

An obligation will ensure a cost effective transition to a renewably fuelled transport system over the long term, saving around 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year by 2010. Carbon savings could increase in future years, depending on how the level of obligation changes. This will help to reduce the impact of transport on climate change, and increase the United Kingdom's fuel security and diversity of supply.

To ensure that biofuels are sourced sustainably, obligated companies will be required to report on the level of carbon savings achieved and on the sustainability of their supplies.

The Government will consult widely on precisely how the obligation will operate.

A copy of the study and accompanying regulatory impact assessment have been placed in the Library of the House.

From January 2004, following the Employment Act 2002 which introduced new data sharing provisions, the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study has linked benefit and programme information held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on its customers, with employment records from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

To promote and facilitate retirement planning, section 234 of the Pensions Act 2004 provides new functions for the Secretary of State. To aid these functions sections 235 and 236 of and schedule 10 to the Act provide for information to be supplied to the Secretary of State for such purposes.

To enable the Secretary of State to carry out his function of promoting and facilitating retirement planning and the development of private pensions policies, DWP has expanded the database through the linking of financial data relating to PEPs, ISAs, TESSAs, private pension pots and savings accounts for all aged 60 and over. At the same time, in order to better support evaluations of welfare-to-work activity DWP has added earnings information for people aged 16 and over who have been a DWP client.

DWP and HMRC have been working together to enable this data sharing to take place and to develop safeguards for the initiative.

It is the Department's intention to link housing benefit/council tax benefit to this database. Initially housing benefit and council tax benefit information will only be linked for present and historic data to DWP benefits data. It is also the intention to link housing benefit and council tax benefit information to HMRC data, however this aspect of linking needs further investigation.

The extension to the scope of the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study will be used to perform a range of new statistical and research analyses, as well as being used for some limited operational purposes, and will give DWP further opportunities to improve and evaluate the effectiveness of its businesses. It will, for example for those aged 60 and over:

improve data matching to support the Pension Credit take-up campaign;

enable better segmentation of the population in support of this activity;

enable better understanding and research with regard to people who work beyond state pension age; and

enable DWP to understand the links between savings held and the benefits system in retirement and how people are using or accumulating savings in retirement.

And for those of both working and pension age, it will:

enable DWP to evaluate its policies more effectively and to understand better the links between Housing Benefit and the rest of the welfare system to assist in future policy planning; and

use earnings data to better support evaluations of welfare-to-work programmes and further develop policies.

DWP has a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure that the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study is used appropriately. We have, therefore, developed a set of safeguards around access rights, system monitoring, storage/retention of the information and vetting of new uses (these are attached to this statement). Information on this, and a full range of the study's uses, has been placed in the Library and on the Department's website at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/longitudinal–study/ic–longitudinal–study.asp.