On 28 October 2004 Official Report, Column 53WS, my predecessor announced that the Government had accepted a recommendation from the Citizen Information Project (CIP) about using the proposed National Identity Register (NIR) as an adult population register and that further exploratory work should be undertaken, including on shorter-term opportunities for efficiency savings in handling contact details (name, address, date of birth) in existing registers. This also included the possible use of personal reference numbers, as mentioned in the Government's reply (Cm 6359) to the fourth report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2003–04 HC130. The CIP team, based within the Office for National Statistics (ONS), has now reported its final conclusions and its recommendations that:

there is significant value to both citizens and the public sector in greater sharing of contact details (name, address, date of birth, reference numbers) in a secure way across the public sector;

this should be implemented through the identity cards scheme on the basis that the scheme eventually becomes compulsory. The Identity and Passport Service should be responsible for developing the National Identity Register (NIR) as an adult population database. Over time public sector systems, business processes and culture should be adapted to use the NIR as the definitive source of contact details in the longer term;

in developing the child index to support better delivery of children's services, the Department for Education and Skills should also consider whether there is scope to realise further efficiency and effectiveness benefits through a child population register;

a number of specific, short-term arrangements for sharing contact information should be considered by the departments and agencies concerned; and

HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) should, as a priority, agree the detailed terms of reference, time scale and resources required to complete an evaluation of the costs, legal, operational and other implications of making wider, managed use of the National Insurance Number and the associated citizen contact details held by DWP.

The Government have accepted these recommendations and further work is being carried out in line with the transformational Government implementation plan published on 29 March 2006. The Identity Cards Act 2006 includes securing the efficient and effective provision of public services as a purpose of the National Identity Register. Any further necessary legislation to implement the CIP recommendations will be subject to consultation as appropriate.

OGCbuying.solutions have been set the following performance targets for 2006–07.

Savings

The Agency will facilitate at least £500 million value for money improvements for the public sector in 2006–07.

Customer Satisfaction

Buying Solutions will achieve an overall customer satisfaction level of above 90 per cent.

ROCE

The Agency will make a return on Capital Employed of 6.5 per cent.

Efficiency

Buying Solutions will reduce by 5 per cent. the ratio of internal costs over value for money improvements with the outturn for the same ratio in 2005–06.

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, has made the following written ministerial statement.

"The Freedom of Information Act 2000—Statistics on Implementation in central Government October to December 2005" was published on 6 April. I have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses.

This is the fourth quarterly bulletin produced by DCA monitoring the performance of central Government and associated bodies under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. DCA will shortly be producing an annual report analysing the performance of central Government in the first full year of freedom of information."

A new call-out order has been made under section 56 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 so that reservists may continue to be called out into permanent service to support military operations in the Balkans. The order will take effect from 1 April 2006.

At present, around 100 reservists are serving in the Balkans. They are providing a wide range of individual skills. We are most grateful for their continuing support.

I am very pleased to inform the House that my Department has exceeded its target agreed in the 2002 spending review for Sure Start children's centres to provide services to at least 650,000 children under five and their families by 31 March 2006. On that day there were 836 Sure Start children's centres offering integrated services to around 657,000 children.

Sure Start children's centres are a key vehicle for improving the integrated support we give families with young children and improving outcomes for children, particularly those who live in poverty. In phase two (2006–08) of the programme we will develop children's centres to ensure all disadvantaged children have the support they need.

Pursuant to the dissolution of three national health service trusts on 1 April 2005 and their reconfiguration through the establishment of Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust, I have created originating capital for the new NHS trust equal to the net assets transferred to them and therefore propose to remit the outstanding debt of the dissolved trusts.

These operations involved no overall loss to the Exchequer. Her Majesty's Treasury presented on 28 March a minute to the House giving particulars and circumstances of the proposed remission, which it has approved in principle.

Copies of the Treasury minute have been placed in the Library.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 created the Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) service to help vulnerable people who lack capacity to make important decisions about serious medical treatment and changes of residence. The role of the IMCA is to support and represent the person who lacks capacity. Decision makers in the national health service and in local authorities (for example doctors and social workers), will have a duty to consult IMCA for the most vulnerable—those who have no family or friends to be consulted—in relation to decisions about:

serious medical treatment;

moving—other than on a short term basis—to accommodation arranged by the NHS or local authorities, for example in a hospital or care home; and

further circumstances as may be provided for in regulations.

The consultation which ended in September last year, asked for comments on 12 issues around the operation and implementation of the IMCA service. It sought views on some of the important operational details of the service including funding and commissioning, the main functions IMCA will carry out, how to define serious medical treatment and whether to extend the service beyond people who have no family or friends and to situations other that serious treatment and changes of accommodation.

There were a total of 176 written responses to the consultation exercise. In addition, over 450 people attended events abut the consultation. We are grateful to all those individuals and organisations who responded.

The consultation responses have informed how we now plan to use the regulation making powers and prepare for implementation of the IMCA service planned for April 2007. I am today placing a report on the outcome of the public consultation in the Library.

I regret that in an answer to a question from the hon. Member for Richmond Park during development questions on 29 March 2006, I stated incorrectly that $13.5 million had been given towards the crisis in East Africa from the new United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). In fact, $13.5 million was the figure that the CERF secretariat was expecting in initial applications to the fund from UN agencies in the region. On 31 March, $1.7 million of that $13.5 million was approved and disbursed to the World Health Organisation. The remaining applications are in the process of being approved for disbursal to other agencies. Under the current CERF operating rules, there is an in-principle maximum ceiling of $30 million available per crisis.

As hon. Members will appreciate, in a crisis like this, levels of humanitarian funding will be constantly changing as circumstances change.

On 3 April I announced that the Northern Ireland discretionary budget for 2006–07 will be £74.69 million; £13.62 million will be allocated to grants; £60.97 million to loans and £0.1 million will be held as a contingency reserve. The new allocations represent an increase of £15.1 million over the initial gross budget set at April 2005. This increase will be funded through higher loan recoveries, plus an increase in net treasury funding of £10.8 million for this year. This £10.8 million is the first instalment of the increases to the discretionary announced in the autumn 2004 pre-budget report to deal with new policy changes to the social fund loans scheme (see below). These measures, which amount to an increase in funding for the social fund of £18.9 million over the three years to 2008–09, will enable the social fund to play a more effective role in helping those families most vulnerable to over-indebtedness.

The community care grant budget has been increased by £0.3 million to £13.62 million. This will provide more help to customers, in particular families with children and the disabled.

The loans budget has been increased to £60.97 million, an increase of £14.8 million on the initial 2005–06 loans budget. To improve the fairness of the scheme, budgets will be allocated in a way that will over time achieve greater consistency of outcome for customers wherever they live.

Details of the budget allocations; together with a note explaining the basis on which they have been made, have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Changes to the loans scheme

We have greatly simplified the rules for determining the size of the maximum budgeting loan amount that can be offered to eligible applicants. And there are now only three rates that can be offered:

One for single people;

one for couples without children; and

one for families with children.

The complex double debt rule is abolished so that those applicants with existing budgeting loan debt have more help available to them. This, and the simpler rules for determining size of the maximum budgeting loan, means that applicants will understand better the help that is available and when they can access it.

We have increased the overall limit on loan amounts that any applicant can borrow from the social fund. At the same time we are reducing the highest loan repayment rates and giving applicants longer to repay their loan debt.

Also from 3 April 2006, budgeting loan applicants will benefit from being able to have more savings before any budgeting loan award is affected. The capital limit is doubled to £1,000 (under pension age) and £2,000 (pension age).

Overall this is a significant package of changes. Also, in making loans more affordable and easier to access, we aim to help people avoid alternative high cost lenders.