Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the HM Revenue and Customs total DEL will be decreased by £3,595,000 from £4,624,117,000 to £4,620,522,000. Within the total DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of DEL arises from:

Near cash administration costs draw down of non-voted DUP of £20,200,000 taken up as voted provision to facilitate improvements to key operational activities.

Near cash programme transfer of £153,000 from the Department for Finance and Personnel in respect of the aggregates levy.

Non-cash revaluation costs of £2,500,000 reclassified as AME from DEL.

The change in the capital element of DEL arises from:

The draw down of £24,259,000 from the modernisation fund to support costs for the PAYE modernisation project.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Office for National Statistics' total departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £6,672,000 from £175,178,000 to £181,850,000, and the administration budget will be increased by £6,520,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is as set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of DEL arises from:

Reserve claim of £5,400,000.

The take up of Departmental Unallocated Provision (DUP) of £6,000,000 in order to finance in-year pressures and to meet new priorities

Transfer from the BERR in respect of Construction statistics consisting of £152,000 programme and £1,120,000 admin.

The change in the administration budget arises from reserve claim of £5,400,000, the take up of DUP of £6,000,000 and the transfer of £1,120,000 from BERR.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Government Actuary's Department's total DEL will be increased by £222,000 from £424,000 to £646,000. Within the total DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of DEL arises from:

the take up of DEL End-Year Flexibility (EYF) of £222,000 to cover reduced appropriations-in-aid.

The change in the administration budget arises from the take up of administration DEL EYF of £222,000.

I will be attending the EU Competitiveness Council in Brussels on 25 February.

The two main agenda items are likely to be the Lisbon economic reform process, and the single market review. The Council will be invited to adopt a key issues paper on the renewed Lisbon strategy. This will form the Competitiveness Council’s contribution to the Spring European Council. The Council will then be invited to adopt conclusions on the Commission’s single market review. The review follows much of what the UK called for—a new flexible approach to single market policy that puts the emphasis on promoting competition, reducing the burden of regulation, and encouraging innovation. It is important that the UK builds on the success of the review by ensuring positive conclusions.

The only other substantive agenda item for which BERR is responsible will be:

Strategic Energy Technologies (SET) action plan (an exchange of views). The UK strongly supports the need at Member State and EU level to increase the scale and impact of our investments in low carbon technologies.

There will be seven further items taken under Any Other Business for which BERR is responsible:

i) A presentation by the Commission on its recent package of proposals for the European defence industry,

ii) Information from the presidency on emissions of CO₂ from passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.

iii) Information from the Commission on a consumer markets scoreboard,

iv) Information from the presidency on the recent European clusters conference,

v) Information from the presidency on the climate-energy legislative package.

vi) Information from the Commission on the single market scoreboard,

vii) Information from the Commission on better regulation.

Spring Supplementary Estimates 2007-08

Expenditure Limits

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s DEL will be increased by £584,491,000 from £3,396,817,000 to £3,981,308,000 and the administration budget will be increased by £174,122,000 from £326,709,000 to £500,831,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is as set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

RfR1

i) Machinery of Government transfer of £810,000 non-voted expenditure from the Department for Communities and Local Government in respect of Northern Way;

ii) transfer of £311,000 to Department of the Environment Northern Ireland for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive;

iii) transfer of £750,000 non-voted expenditure from the Ministry of Defence for Nirex;

iv) virement of £363,000 from voted to non-voted expenditure in respect of the regional development agencies reflecting increased contributions from other Government Departments;

v) virement of £300,000 from voted to non-voted expenditure in respect of Capital for Enterprise Ltd;

vi) utilisation of £991,000 from the unused balance of the Department’s EYF entitlement in respect of non-voted expenditure of the regional development agencies;

vii) utilisation of £256,159,000 from the unused balance of the Department’s EYF entitlement in respect of non-voted expenditure of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority;

viii) Reserve claim of £97,000,000 in respect of non-voted expenditure of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority;

ix) utilisation of £4,400,000 from the unused balance of the Department’s EYF entitlement in respect of global threat reduction;

x) utilisation of £10,841,000 from the unused balance of the Department’s EYF entitlement in respect of British Shipbuilders non-cash;

xi) utilisation of £1,357,000 from the unused balance of the Department’s EYF entitlement in respect of the renewable energy performance and innovation fund;

xii) utilisation of £3,252,000 from the unused balance of the Department’s EYF entitlement in respect of sustainable development and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive;

xiii) Machinery of Government transfer of £152,000 to the Office for National Statistics in respect of construction statistics;

Also within the change to resource DEL above, the changes to the administration budget are (RfR1):

i) machinery of Government transfer of £42,000 from the Department for Communities and Local Government in respect of Northern Way;

ii) transfer of £100,000 from the Treasury solicitors in respect of European division;

iii) utilisation of £62,000,000 from the unused balance of the Department’s EYF entitlement in respect of onerous property lease non-cash;

iv) Reserve claim of £122,000,000 in respect of onerous property lease non-cash;

v) virement of £2,000,000 to programme in respect of energy demand reduction pilot;

vi) virement of £1,700,000 to programme in respect of clean and sustainable energy;

vii) virement of £5,200,000 to programme in respect of in-year restructuring costs;

viii) machinery of Government transfer of £1,120,000 to the Office for National Statistics in respect of construction statistics;

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

RfR1

i) machinery of Government transfer of £25,000,000 non-voted expenditure from the Department for Communities and Local Government in respect of Northern Way;

ii) virement of £2,364,000 from voted to non-voted expenditure in respect of the Regional Development Agencies reflecting increased contributions from other Government Departments;

iii) virement of £8,900,000 from voted expenditure on sustainable energy capital grants to fund a shortfall in non-voted launch investment CFER receipts;

iv) virement of £15,000,000 from voted expenditure on sustainable energy capital grants to non-voted expenditure by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority;

v) virement of £32,000,000 from voted expenditure on Regional Selective Assistance to non-voted expenditure by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority;

vi) transfer of £1,628,000 to the Ministry of Justice for the ETS and ACAS caseflow project;

vii) utilisation of £3,000,000 from the unused balance of the Department’s EYF entitlement in respect of non-voted expenditure of the Regional Development Agencies;

Spring Supplementary Estimates 2007-08—Ofgem Written Statement

Expenditure Limits

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets’ DEL will be increased by £1,000 from £1,652,000 to £1,653,000 and the administration budget will be increased by £1,000 from £702,000 to £703,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is as set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from a token increase in administration costs to bring to Parliament’s attention a reclassification of Ofgem’s expenditure in connection with environmental programmes from RfR2 to RfR1.

This change better reflects Ofgem’s responsibilities for the administration of environmental programmes, and it is therefore no longer appropriate to treat it as a separate RfR.

There is no change in the capital element of the DEL

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased by £131,548,000 from £50,559,305,000 to £50,690,853,000, the administration cost budget will be increased by £3,300,000 from £192,477,000 to £195,777,000. There is no change for the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED), whose DEL remains at £221,790,000 and administration cost budget remains at £28,955,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

Within the administration cost budget changes, the impact is set out in the following table:

Resource DEL

The £131,548,000 increase in the voted element of the resource DEL arises from a decrease in the voted element of the resource DEL of £95,208,000 and an increase of £226,756,000 in the non-voted element of resource DEL.

Voted Resource DEL

The £95,208,000 decrease in the voted element of the resource DEL arises from:

RFR1

The take up of end year flexibility of £135,294,000 for central administration costs (£2,000,000), for central services programme costs (£16,685,000), for school central programmes (£27,300,000), children’s services and programmes (£12,500,000), schools standards fund (£65,769,000), departmental restructuring (£11,040,000).

A movement from Sure Start RFR2 to RFR1 £4,026,000 towards the costs of early years foundations.

A movement of £65,056,000 from children’s fund RfR3 to local area agreements.

A movement to Sure Start RFR2 of £50,000 from schools central programmes for the formula development project.

A movement to non-budget of £206,799,000 for learner support (£13,170,000), 14-19 development (£70,379,000), teachers’ pay and performance (£119,629,000), TEC property costs (£3,621,000).

A transfer to the Department for Innovations, Universities and Skills for £4,746,000 in respect of adult training and skills.

RFR2

The take up of end year flexibility of £1,000,000 for Sure Start family unit grants.

A movement from RfRl of £50,000 to Sure Start central grants for the formula development project.

A movement to RFR1 £4,026,000 for costs to support the roll out of the early years foundation stage (£2,000,000), for groups contribution to the flood recovery grant (£2,000,000), for the early years census (£26,000).

A movement to non-voted of £19,957,000 for teacher training.

RFR3

A movement of £65,056,000 to local area agreements RfRl.

Non-voted resource DEL

The increase in non-voted resource DEL of £226,756,000 arises from:

A movement from RFR1 of £206,799,000 for learner support (£13,170,000), 14-19 development (£70,379,000), teachers’ pay and performance (£119,629,000), TEC property costs (£3,621,000).

A movement from RFR2 of £19,957,000 for teacher training.

Capital DEL

There is no increase or decrease in capital DEL, but there are movements between voted and non-voted capital DEL.

Voted Capital DEL

RFR1

A movement of £86,000,000 from School Standard Funds to Sure Start Capital grants through Local Authorities RfR2.

A movement of £416,228,000 from non-voted capital DEL which is made up of £310,000,000 for city academies, £80,644,000 for school standards, £25,584,000 for ICT in schools.

RFR2

A movement of £86,000,000 from School Standard Funds RFR1 to Capital grants through Local Authorities.

Non-voted Capital DEL

A movement of £416,228,000 to voted capital DEL which is made up of £310,000,000 for city academies, £80,644,000 for School Standards, £25,584,000 for ICT in Schools.

Administration cost budget

The take up of End Year Flexibility of £2,000,000 to cover net pressure on departmental administration costs.

A reclassification of £1,300,000 from further education programme costs.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department for Communities and Local Government's Departmental Expenditure Limits for 2007-08 will change as follows:

(1) The Department for Communities and Local Government's Main Programmes DEL will be decreased by £9,290,000 from £10,374,025,000 to £10,364,735,000 and the administration budget will be increased by £8,377,000 from £296,007,000 to £304,384,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

(i) take up of End Year Flexibility of £17,854,000 comprising :

Programme Expenditure

(a) £9,100,000 to provide cover to enable the settlement of the Thurmaston case. The Ombudsman has completed her report on the Co-operative Society claim of maladministration against the Department with respect to the handling of a planning appeal that was called in 1996, and finds the Department partly at fault. A financial compensation settlement is being negotiated.

Administration costs

(b) £8,754,000 for central administration comprising £6,005,000 to cover the work of the Department for Communities and Local Government and £2,749,000 for Government Offices to fund additional capital charges and a provision for future Government Office early staff exits.

(ii) transfer of £190,000 from Fire Publicity (Main DEL - RfRl) to Best value Inspectorate (Local Government DEL - RFR2 ) to cover additional Fire Comprehensive Performance Assessment inspection work on Fire and Rescue Authorities.

(iii) transfer of £200,000 from E-Planning (Main DEL RFR1) to Local Government on Line (Local Government DEL RFR2) to fund the National Process Improvement Project.

(iv) a transfer of £1,187,000 to other Government Departments, comprising:

Programme Expenditure

(a) £810,000 to reflect Machinery of Government Changes to provide funding to the Department for Enterprise, Business and Regulatory Reform for the Northern Way programme.

Administration Costs (Central Department)

(b) £377,000 to reflect Machinery of Government Changes comprising £42,000 to the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform for staff costs in respect of the Northern Way and £335,000 to the Government Equalities Office for accommodation costs.

(v) an increase in receipts of £27,517,000 offsetting increases in provision comprising £1,900,000 in respect of receivable costs incurred by the Department in the development of the Fire Regional Control Centre buildings; £3,100,000 for the re-charging costs in respect of expenditure incurred by Firelink on behalf of Scotland; £19,113,000 to reflect the new arrangements for management of new European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes involving payments via the Regional Development Agencies; £300,000 for central administration for the outward costs of Secondees and £3,657,000 for the work being undertaken by the Government Offices on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families offset against a reduction in receipts of £553,000 for the Pan-Government Agreement.

(vi) a net transfer of £22,408,000 from voted to non-voted provision comprising:

From voted to non-voted provision

(a) £2,000,000 from Housing Market Renewal Fund comprising costs incurred by the Department (£907,000), Housing Corporation (£455,000) and English Partnerships (£638,000) relating to informing the choice of policy options and identifying in detail the implications of proposals, scoping studies and work to inform the legislative process for the new Homes and Communities Agency;

(b) £171,000 from Planning and Publicity to Housing Corporation to cover the Housing Corporation's pension pressure;

(c) £1,670,000 within Thames Gateway comprising £570,000 to Thurrock Urban Development Corporation (£450,000 near cash to bring budget in line with revised forecast and for additional legal costs; and £120,000 non-cash to cover cost of capital charges and depreciation) and £1,100,000 to London UDC also to bring budget in line with revised forecast and for additional legal costs;

(d) £18,255,000 for ERDF new programmes. There is a switch from voted to non-voted expenditure because for the new programmes, DEL income is now voted, whereas its expenses are non-voted due to management of programmes by Regional Development Agencies (which are Non-Departmental Public Bodies); and

(e) £992,000 reduction in administrative non-cash to offset a corresponding increase in administration near cash to accommodate consultancy spend, previously treated as programme expenditure.

From non-voted to voted provision

(f) £380,000 to FireControl from non-voted Departmental Unallocated provision (DUP) to cover the non-cash charges related to the building of FireControl assets (IT infrastructure, software build, hardware and workstation for the Firecontrol Regional Control Centres); and

(g) £300,000 from non-voted DUP to the National Register of Social Housing to cover cost of capital charges.

The change in the administration budget arises from a take up of End of Year Flexibility of £8,754,000 (see above section (i)) to cover the work of the Department for Communities and Local Government and staff early exit schemes ; a net transfer from other Government Departments of £377,000 (see above section (iv)).

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

(vii) a transfer of £25,000,000 to other Government Departments to reflect Machinery of Government Changes transferring the Northern Way programme to the Department for Enterprise, Business and Regulatory Reform.

(viii). an increase in receipts of £28,554,000 comprising £8,658,000 for Capital Pooled Housing Receipts to reflect revised forecast and £19,896,000 to reflect the new arrangements for management of new European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes involving payments via the Regional Development Agencies. Receipts enable provision to be increased elsewhere on the Estimate.

(ix) Within the capital element of the DEL there is a transfer of £23,964,000 from voted to non voted provision comprising;

From voted to non-voted provision

(a) £711,000 from Capital Housing Pooled Receipts to fund pressures on the Housing Corporation's Information Technology costs;

(b) £250,000 from Planning Inspectorate also to fund pressures on the Housing Corporation's Information Technology costs;

(c) £4,000,000 within Thames Gateway to Thurrock UDC to reflect allocation of funding under the programme; and

(d) £19,003,000 for ERDF new programmes. There is a switch from voted to non-voted expenditure because for the new programmes, DEL income is now voted, whereas its expenses are non-voted due to management of programmes by Regional Development Agencies (which are Non Departmental Public Bodies).

(2) The Department for Communities and Local Government (Local Government) DEL will be increased by £390,000 from £22,944,116,000 to £22,944,506,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

(i) transfer of £190,000 to Best Value Inspectorate - Request for Resources (Local Government DEL - RFR2) from Fire Publicity (Main DEL - RfRl) to cover additional Fire Comprehensive Performance Assessment inspection work on Fire and Rescue Authorities.

(ii) transfer of £200,000 to Local Government on Line (Local Government DEL RFR2) from E-Planning (Main DEL - RFR1) to fund the National Process Improvement Project.

(iii) £102,000 transfer from Resource DEL to Capital DEL for a number of Invest to Save Budget Projects.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

(iv) £102,000 transfer to Capital DEL from Resource DEL for a number of Invest to Save Budget Projects.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any Supplementary Estimate, the Department for Culture Media and Sport's Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased by £20,004,000 from £2,008,031,000 to £2,028,035,000 and the administration cost limit will decrease by £4,000 from £55,574,000 to £55,570,000. Within the DEL change the impact on resource and capital are set out in the following table:

Departmental Expenditure Limits and Administration Budgets

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

Take up of £4,000 End Year flexibility: for the Participation Survey.

The administration cost limit has decreased by £4,000 from £55,574,000 to £55,570,000. This is as a result of an internal transfer from administration costs to programme costs to correct a misallocation.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

Take up of End-Year Flexibility of £20,000,000 to allow accelerated spending by the Olympic Delivery Authority within its agreed budget.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Ministry of Defence Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) will be increased by £1,247,750,000 from £35,594,551,000 to £36,842,301,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on Resources and Capital are as set out in the following table:

The changes to the resource and capital elements of the DEL arise from:

the take up of the Department’s End Year Indirect Resource Flexibility totalling £1,621,874,000 to reflect latest TLB forecasts of outturn of Indirect Resource expenditure;

an increase in the RfR2 of £566,000,000 Direct Resource DEL and £380,650,000 Capital DEL to reflect the forecast costs of peace keeping operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Balkans;

the transfer of £424,000,000 Indirect Resource DEL from RfRl to RfR2 to cover depreciation, cost of capital and impairment forecasts with no overall impact on DEL;

a transfer out of £750,000 to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform;

the take up of Capital End Year Flexibility (EYF) of £40,000,000 resulting from the sale of QinetiQ in 2005-06, as agreed with Treasury;

draw down of £200,000,000 from the Department’s (Unvoted) Unallocated Resource Provision to reflect the increased (Voted) Indirect Resource DEL forecast of outturn for RfRl with no overall impact on DEL;

resource and capital transfers in from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in respect of contributions to the Balkans Conflict Prevention Pool net costs, the Global Rest of the World Conflict Prevention Pool costs, and Afghanistan capital costs of £39,850,000.

The changes to Resource DEL and Capital DEL will lead to an increased net cash requirement of £894,351,000.

I am placing a copy of the Ministry of Defence Votes A 2008-09 in the Library of the House.

The Government have accepted the findings of the Review Board for Government Contracts as detailed in their report of the 2007 “General Review of the Profit Formula for Non-Competitive Government Contracts”. The board’s recommendations will be implemented with effect from the 1 February 2008, in accordance with arrangements agreed between Government and industry, recorded in an addendum to the published report. I will be placing a copy of the report in the Libraries of both Houses.

Today I am announcing the final framework for a Code of Best Practice for Carbon Offsetting. The code will increase consumers’ confidence when purchasing offsets by endorsing established mechanisms which offset in a clear and verifiable way. The code intends to inform and protect consumers by requiring providers of accredited offsets to supply clear information and transparent prices. A supporting quality mark and communications will help raise awareness about tackling climate change, the steps that consumers can take and the role offsetting can play. The Government encourage consumers to avoid and reduce their emissions and then use offsetting to tackle unavoidable emissions.

The Government’s appointed accreditation body, AEA, published the draft code today, a copy of which is available at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/carbonoffset/codeofpractice.htm

AEA are seeking industry comments on the planned practical arrangements and we intend the final code to be implemented in April.

Initially the code will grant accreditation only to providers of Kyoto-complaint credits. The Government believe that these credits provide the best available guarantee to consumers that the amount of carbon they have purchased represents verifiable, additional carbon savings.

We recognise, however, the value the non-regulated market can add, in particular by enabling innovative offset projects to be tested prior to entering the compliance market. However, there is not yet a single agreed formal definition or fully operational standard for “good quality” Voluntary Emissions Reductions (VERs), which currently prevents their inclusion in the Government code. Therefore, I am inviting the industry to agree and put into practice its own standard for VERs, which can provide a similar level of assurance as the compliance mechanisms. This standard should address the principles of additionally, avoiding carbon leakage, permanence, verification, transparency and avoiding double counting. We will assist the industry to come together to discuss how this might be done.

Once industry has reached a consensus on a standard and it has been fully operational for six months, the Government will conduct an audit to confirm whether credits approved under the industry standard can be included under the Government code.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased by £235,038,000 from £1,888,455,000 to £2,123,493,000. The administration budget will decrease by £9,424,000 from £870,060,000 to £860,636,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

On 17 February the Parliamentary Assembly of Kosovo was convened for an extraordinary session at which Prime Minister Thaçi read out Kosovo’s declaration of independence. The declaration made clear that Kosovo was a democratic, secular and multi-ethnic republic and that its leaders would promote the rights and participation of all communities in Kosovo. The declaration in particular committed Kosovo to implementing fully the obligations contained in UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari’s Comprehensive Proposal for a Kosovo Status Settlement, including its extensive minority safeguards. And the declaration invited and welcomed an international civilian presence to supervise implementation of the Comprehensive Proposal, an EU rule of law and police mission (EULEX) and a continuation of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR). The declaration was endorsed by all Parliamentary members present.

The declaration took place following exhaustive negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina aimed at finding a mutually agreed resolution to Kosovo’s status. UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari had presided over 14 months of intensive negotiations before concluding an agreement was out of reach. An EU-Russia-US Troika facilitated an additional four months of talks, with EU member Ambassador Ischinger concluding that the parties would not be capable of reaching agreement if negotiations were to be continued, in whatever format.

My statement of 11 December noted that, against this backdrop of inconclusive negotiations, almost all in the international community were agreed that the status quo in Kosovo was unsustainable. This is a point that had been underlined by the European Union, the UN Secretary General and the Contact Group. My statement made clear that we could not therefore allow the status process to grind to a halt, having learned in the 1990s the cost of an indecisive international response to developments in the Balkans. In the view of the Government, it would be important for the EU to play a leading role in bringing the status process through to conclusion. The UN Special Envoy’s Comprehensive Proposal, balancing independence with strong minority safeguards and international supervision, remained in our view the only viable way forward.

Since my statement, the Government have worked hard to ensure the necessary international community resolve and engagement to solve the Kosovo issue. The Government strongly supported the decision at the December European Council that the EU should play a leading role in implementing a settlement defining Kosovo’s status.

Against this background, the General Affairs and External Relations Council met on 18 February, the day following Kosovo’s declaration of independence. EU Ministers agreed that the EU should play a leading role in strengthening stability in the region. The EU has given effect to this commitment through a series of steps:

In terms of ensuring security and justice sector reform, the EU has agreed on the deployment of an ESDP Policing and Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) consisting of 2,200 international personnel. This will be the largest civilian ESDP mission to date.

In terms of ensuring Kosovo’s political development and good governance, the EU has now agreed on the appointment of an EU Special Representative to Kosovo.

The EU has agreed to make a major contribution to the international civilian office which will oversee settlement implementation.

The EU has committed itself to the promotion of Kosovo’s economic and political development. The Commission will use community instruments to take this forward and is planning to organise a donors conference.

EU Ministers were clear in their view that Kosovo constituted a sui generis case which did not set any precedent.

Taken together, these decisions amount to a clear and united EU approach towards contributing to Kosovo’s future and to delivering stability in the Western Balkans region. I welcome the leadership that the European Union has shown in tackling this European foreign policy challenge.

EU Ministers also discussed the issue of recognition. There was agreement that this is a matter for national governments and the Council acknowledged that it was for member states to decide, in accordance with national practice and international law, on their relations with Kosovo.

Bringing all these elements together—the unsustainable status quo; Kosovo’s commitment to the stringent safeguards in the UN Special Envoy’s Comprehensive Proposal; and the international support for settlement implementation and, increasingly, recognition—the Government considers that UK recognition of Kosovo is fully justified. Our firm view is that it is the best way of resolving Kosovo’s status, ensuring regional stability and solving this last remaining issue from the break-up of the Former Yugoslavia. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wrote to President Sejdiu on 18 February indicating to the Kosovo government that the United Kingdom recognises Kosovo's independence. I have also written to Prime Minister Thaçi proposing the establishment of diplomatic relations. At least 16 other countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the US and Turkey, have also either recognised Kosovo or indicated their intention to do so.

Kosovo’s independence will bring a long-awaited certainty and permanence to Kosovo’s identity, marking an end to nearly nine years of political and economic limbo But it will also be just the beginning of a challenging journey ahead, building a stable, sustainable, multi-ethnic and democratic country. It will be important for Kosovo’s Assembly and Government to adhere faithfully to the undertakings made in their declaration of independence. It will also be important for all sides to refrain from action that risks provoking or increasing ethnic tensions.

The UK will make a full contribution in support of Kosovo’s efforts. The UK will second approximately 70 personnel to the ESDP mission and about 10 to the International Civilian Office. We will maintain our current contribution of around 140 troops to KFOR as well as maintaining a battalion on stand-by as part of the NATO operational reserve force. And in terms of development, the UK has committed £23 million in bilateral assistance to Kosovo over the next three years.

As Kosovo moves forward, there will remain a need to address the regional dimension. We recognise how difficult an issue Kosovo’s independence is for Serbia. Despite the difference of view with Belgrade on Kosovo, the Government will remain keen to maintain a cooperative and warm bilateral relationship. We will also want to assist Serbia and the other countries of the region to move towards European standards and EU accession. The interim political agreement offered to Serbia following the January General Affairs and External Relations Council was a sign of the EU’s commitment to Serbia’s progress. There remains a compelling strategic case for enlargement to the Western Balkans as a whole so that this region can share in the security, stability, and prosperity that the EU offers.

In May 2006, the Secretary of State announced details of an independent review of palliative care services for children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses and their families.

This independent review was an important piece of work. It offered us a crucial opportunity to look at current provision and consider what more can be done to improve the sustainability and accessibility of children’s palliative care services in both the statutory and voluntary sectors. The Government accepted and endorsed the recommendations contained in the review report and committed to the delivery of a first ever national strategy for children’s palliative care to meet the expectations of the review, of sector stakeholders and of children and families.

The strategy, which is launched today, sets out clear expectations for improving choice, access and continuity of care, and seeks to place palliative care at the centre of local children’s service provision. It highlights how commissioners, providers and teams of palliative care professionals can shape the provision of services to meet the needs of children, young people and their families. In addition, it emphasises the roles that each can play in providing child-focused, family-centred services and gives examples of what could be put in place to achieve this.

The policy sits as a framework for future service development. It seeks to highlight the key aspects of the Independent Review and challenge local areas to take this group of children more seriously. Accordingly, local areas will need to devise their own strategies and spend their money better to deliver more effective and more equitable services.

The findings of the Independent Review of Children’s Palliative Care Services and the cross-Government programme “Aiming High for Disabled Children” are backed by a significant financial commitment to help deliver the step-change in service provision that is needed for these children, young people and their families, all of whom wish to pursue ordinary lives, achieve their full potential and make a contribution to society.

A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.

Subject to the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department of Health's element of the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased by £7,208,000 from £93,848,552,000 to £93,855,760,000 and the Administration Cost Limit will be increased by £6,370,000 from £224,633,000 to £231,003,000. The Food Standards Agency DEL remains unchanged at £154,339,000. The overall DEL including the Food Standards Agency will increase by £7,208, 000 from £94,002,891,000 to £94,010,099,000. The impact on resource and capital are set out in the following table:

The Department of Health DEL has increased by £7,208,000 made up of:

the take-up of £6,000,000 (administration costs) end year flexibility as announced in the provisional outturn white paper (Cm 7156) for a range of planned non-recurrent expenditure which includes; activities for professional, regulation and leadership and the "Five Programmes with the NHS" work,

£838,000 (£214,000 capital) for round 8 and 9 Invest to Save budget awards.

a transfer of £370,000 (administration costs) from the Cabinet Office for services of the Parliamentary Counsel.

a £60,000 adjustment to budgets which reduces capital charges (revenue) for care standards tribunal services (which moved from the Ministry of Justice) and increases capital by £60,000.

The Department of Health's administration cost limit has increased by £6,370,000 as described above.

There is no change to the Food Standards Agency element of the DEL.

Plans of changes to the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) and administrative budget for 2007-08.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the Home Office’s Departmental Expenditure Limits for 2007-08 will be increased by £8,068,000 from £9,247,819,000 to £9,255,887,000 and the administration budget will be reduced by £19,540,000 from £414,140,000 to £394,600,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department for International Development's departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £22,568,000 from £5,254,357,000 to £5,276,925,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

The net change in the Resource element of DEL arises from:

Additions

£9,660,000 transferred from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in respect of Global Conflict Prevention Pool

£50,000 transferred from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Reductions

£1,500,000 transferred to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Global Conflict Prevention Pool for projects in Sri Lanka.

£3,413,000 transferred to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in respect of Africa Conflict Prevention Pool.

£229,000 transferred to the Ministry of Defence in respect of Africa Conflict Prevention Pool.

The net change in the Capital element of DEL arises from:

Additions

£15,000,000 draw down of Capital provision from end of year flexibility entitlement set out in the Public Expenditure 2006-07 Outturn White Paper.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Northern Ireland Court Service (NICS) and The National Archives (TNA) Total Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased as follows:

Total DEL for MoJ (RfRl, 2 & 3) is increased by £831,000 from £9,628,003,000 to £9,628,834,000 and the administration budget is decreased by £(233,327,000) from £712,716,000 to £479,389,000. This is due to a reclassification of administration budget to programme budget following discussions with HM Treasury.

Total DEL for NICS is increased by £15,918,000 from £130,570,000 to £146,488,000 and the administration budget is decreased by £(3,000,000). This is due to an increase in administration income.

Total DEL for the TNA has remained unchanged.

Within the Total DEL change for MoJ (RfRl, 2 & 3), the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

1) The change in the Resource and Capital DEL for the MoJ DEL arises from:

RfRl: To promote the development of a modern, fair, cost effective and efficient system of justice for all.

Resource Change: Admin (total decrease of £(235,177,000))

Reserve Claims:

An increase in resource DEL of £6,271,000 in respect to the Diana Princess of Wales Inquest.

Other Increases:

An increase in resource DEL of £19,552,000 from the Home Office in relation to Corporate costs following the Machinery of Government changes.

Decreases:

A decrease in admin budget of £(261,000,000) in relation to a switch between admin and programme spend following discussions with HM Treasury.

Resource Change: Programme (total increase of £320,018,000)

Reserve Claims:

An increase in resource DEL of £35,000,000 in relation to keeping prisoners in police cells under operation Safeguard.

An increase in resource DEL of £15,000,000 in relation to providing extra 500 places for those committed to prison.

An increase in resource DEL of £5,000,000 in relation to the End of Custodial Licence Safeguard Programme.

Other Increases:

An increase in programme budget of £261,000,000 in relation to a switch between admin and programme spend following discussions with HM Treasury.

An increase in resource DEL of £2,000,000 from the Home Office in relation to CJIT.

An increase in resource DEL of £1,098,000 from the Department of Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS) in relation to education and learning skills for offenders and prisoners.

An increase in resource DEL of £920,000 in relation to a net transfer to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in respect of the Compass, Progress and ExiSSrl Projects.

Resource Change; Programme (total decrease of (£314,833,000))

Decreases:

A decrease in resource DEL of £(250,000,000) in relation to a transfer to HM Treasury in respect of the release of provisions within the Legal Services Commission. £(47,567,000) of this was voted DEL and £(202,403,000) was non-voted DEL.

A decrease in resource DEL of £(44,600,000) in relation to the Netting Off scheme agreed with HM Treasury.

A decrease in resource DEL of £(15,000,000) in relation to a transfer of non-cash to the Northern Ireland Court Service.

A decrease in resource DEL of £(3,000,000) in relation to a transfer to the CPS in respect of the Victims Surcharge.

A decrease in resource DEL of £(1,190,000) in relation to a transfer to the Welsh Assembly in respect of Election Costs.

A decrease in resource DEL of £(1,043,000) in relation to a transfer to the Department of Health in respect of Prisoner Healthcare costs.

Capital Change (total increase of £235,428,000)

Reserve Claims:

An increase in Capital DEL of £60,000,000 in relation to the Prisoner Capacity programme.

Take up of End-Year Flexibility (EYF):

An increase in Capital DEL of £131,000,000 in relation to the London accommodation Programme (Queen Anne's Gate).

An increase in Capital DEL of £39,800,000 in relation to a variety of specific projects.

Other Increases:

An increase in Capital DEL of £3,000,000 from the Home Office in respect of costs related to Phoenix House.

An increase in Capital DEL of £1,628,000 from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) in respect of capital costs for the Case flow Project.

RfR2: Overseeing the effective operation of the devolution settlement in Scotland and representing the interests of Scotland in the UK Government

Resource Change; Admin (total increase of £900,000)

Take up of End-Year Flexibility (EYF):

An increase in Resource DEL of £900,000 in relation to a draw down of EYF.

RfR3: To support the Secretary of State in discharging his role of representing Wales in the UK Government, representing the UK Government in Wales and ensuring the smooth running of the devolution settlement in Wales.

Resource Change: Admin (total increase of £950,000)

Take up of End-Year Flexibility (EYF):

An increase in Resource DEL of £950,000 in relation to a draw down of EYF.

There is no change in the Capital DEL for RfR2 and RfR3

2) The change in the Resource and Capital DEL for the Northern Ireland Court Service (NICS) arises from:

Within the Total DEL change for Northern Ireland Court Service, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

Resource Change: Programme (total increase of £16,070,000)

Take up of End-Year Flexibility (EYF):

An increase in Resource DEL of £1,000,000 in relation to a draw down of EYF.

Other Increases:

An increase in Resource DEL of £15,000,000 from the MoJ in relation to a transfer of non-cash to NICS.

An increase in Resource DEL of £70,000 in relation to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland changing its status from an NDPB to a business unit of NICS.

Resource Change: Programme (total decrease of £10,000)

Decreases:

A decrease in net Resource DEL of £(10,000) in relation to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland changing its status from an NDPB to business unit of NICS switch of spending to capital from resource.

Capital Change (total decrease of £10,000)

Increases:

An increase in net Capital DEL of £10,000; in relation to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland changing its status from an NDPB to business unit of NICS switch of spending to capital from resource.

Decreases:

A decrease in Capital DEL of £(20,000) to cover costs related to the Northern Ireland Office for use of shared asset.

3) The National Archives are not submitting a Spring Supplementary Estimate.

Plans to change the Charity Commission’s Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) and administration budget for 2007-08.

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Charity Commission total DEL will be increased by £2,800,000 from £31,993,000 to £34,793,000. Within the total DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is as set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of the DEL and in the administration budget arises from the take up of £2.6 million from the modernisation fund—out of a total £3 million agreed in the CSR 07 settlement. This funding will be used to pay for staff severances consequent upon the Commission’s reprioritisation and restructuring exercise, which will enable the Commission to meet the CSR settlement through to 2010-11.

The change in the capital element of the DEL reflects take up of £200,000 from prior years’ EYF to fund the completion of capital projects to enhance the effectiveness of IT systems and increase the availability of on-line services.

The supplementary estimate also details changes in operating appropriations in aid, fully offset by changes in spending and not impacting on the Commission’s Departmental Expenditure Limit:

project funding of £50,000 by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the continuation of the International Outreach project;

£50,000 additional accommodation charges funded by the sub-letting of a floor at the Commission’s London office building.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the Spring supplementary estimate 2007-08, the Cabinet Office total Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) has changed from the amount voted in the Winter supplementary estimate 2007-08.

As a result, the Cabinet Office Total DEL has increased by £27,377,000 from £398,597,000 to £425,974,000.

The impact on Resource DEL (RDEL) and Capital DEL (CDEL) is set out in the following table:

The changes in the spring supplementary estimate 2007-08 compared to the winter supplementary estimate 2007-08 are due to:

drawdown on the reserve for V matched funding,

take up of Resource DEL End Year Flexibility to cover grants in the Office of the Third Sector,

budgetary cover transfer to Department of Health to cover costs of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel,

reclassification of expenditure from administration to programme within RDEL,

transfer of non cash to near cash within RDEL,

a transfer from non cash RDEL to Capital DEL,

a transfer of non voted transfer from RDEL to non voted CDEL in respect of Executive NDPB (ENDPB),

an increase in non-operating appropriations in aid in CDEL reflecting a disposal of a fixed asset.

Changes in Resource DEL (RDEL)

£1,584,000 increase in the resource element of DEL arises from:

Drawdown on the reserve

Drawdown for V matched funding for the Office of the Third Sector to cover grant expenditure increases RDEL and net cash requirement in the estimate by £4,729,000.

End Year Flexibility (EYF)

Take up of EYF to cover grants expenditure for necessary Third Sector projects increases grant expenditure in RDEL and net cash requirement by £3,300,000.

Outward budgetary cover transfer

A budgetary cover transfer to Department of Health to cover the costs of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) reduces RDEL and net cash requirement in the Estimate by £370,000.

Transfers between budgets

a) A transfer from non cash administration to Capital DEL to fund capital investment in IT projects including the Government Gateway Strategic Support Programme reduces RDEL by £6,000,000 and no change to net cash requirement.

b) A non-voted transfer of £75,000 from RDEL to CDEL to finance capital expenditure of ENDPB.

Change in Administration Budget (RDEL)

£50,370,000 decrease in the administration budget arises from:

(a) £370,000 transfer to Departmental of Health

(b) £6,000,000 transfer from administration within non cash RDEL to Capital DEL

(c) £10,500,000 reallocation from administration to programme within non-cash

(d) £33,500,000 reallocation from administration to programme within near cash DEL.

Change in Near Cash in RDEL

£16,848,000 increase in near cash in RDEL arises from:

(a) £3,300,000 take up of end year flexibility

(b) £4,729,000 drawdown from the reserve

(c) £10,000,000 conversion from non cash to near cash

(d) £370,000 budgetary transfer to Departmental of Health

(e) £75,000 transfer of non voted to Capital DEL

(f) £14,000 change in notional audit fee

(g) £750,000 change in provisions

Changes in Capital DEL (CDEL)

£6,072,000 increase in the capital element of DEL arises from:

A transfer of £6,000,000 from non-cash administration to Capital DEL to fund additional pressures which have arisen within the department which relates to IT projects including the Government Gateway Strategic Support Programme.

Sale proceeds from the disposal of a minibus has increased non-operating appropriations in aid by £3,000 and reduced net cash requirement in the by the same amount.

A non-voted transfer of £75,000 from RDEL to CDEL to finance the capital expenditure of ENDPB.

Change in Depreciation

£19,721,000 decrease in depreciation arises from:

(a) £10,000,000 conversion from non cash to near cash

(b) £6,000,0000 conversion from non cash to capital DEL

(c) £3,721,000 transfer to Cost of Capital.

My hon. Friend the Member for Preston (Mr. Hendrick) has been appointed as a full Member of the United Kingdom Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe in place of my hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly (Wayne David).

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) provision for the administration of the Scotland Office will be increased by £900,000 and takes account of the following routine adjustment:

a take-up of near cash End Year flexibility of £900,000.

The increase will be added to the planned total of public expenditure spending commitments in the current financial year.

The Scotland DEL will decrease by £4,500,000 from £27,077,409,000 to £27,072,909,000.

The Scotland DEL decrease takes account of the following routine adjustments to the Scottish Executive provision:

a reduction of £5,000,000 following the change in responsibility for the payment ofcertain staff in SEERAD; and

a reduction of £25,000,000 in non cash provision for impairments; and

an increase of £500,000 in respect of a further transfer from the Department ofTransport for rail services in Scotland.

cash accrual adjustments of £25,000,000.

The Employment and Social Policy informal meeting was held on 31 January to 2 February in Brdo, Slovenia. I represented the UK.

The theme of the informal meeting was “How best to respond to the common principles of flexicurity”, following their adoption at last year’s December Council. There was a broad consensus around the concept of flexicurity and the discussion was positive and forward looking, but there was no agreement on how to make the “flexicurity” principles a reality.

Ministers agreed that there was no one model to copy, but that we could usefully learn from each other’s experiences. All Member States raised the importance of better training and lifelong learning, and also the need to anticipate the economy’s future requirements. There was also a strong focus on the need to facilitate job transitions, modernising social protection systems to ensure their long-term fiscal sustainability and ensuring that flexicurity worked for all workers, with a particular focus on young and older workers.

I spoke on the importance of maintaining flexibility at a time of economic uncertainty, the need to promote new approaches to skills and lifelong learning, and support for the idea of a European skills review.

The French also launched their idea of a “flexicurity mission”. Its objective would be to explain flexicurity and what it meant in terms of reforms to European citizens. The mission would visit a few Member States before reporting back to the Council during the French presidency.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department for Work and Pensions Departmental Expenditure Limit will increase by £60,847,000 from £7,643,047,406 to £7,703,894,406 and the administration budget will decrease by £88,000 from £5,816,364,000 to £5,816,276,000.

Within the Departmental Expenditure Limit change, the impact on resource and capital is as set out in the following table:

Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit

The change in the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit arises from:

Request for Resources 2

i. A machinery of government transfer of the Disability Rights Commission (sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions) to the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (sponsored by Government Equalities Office).

ii. The Disability Rights Commission is an Executive Non Departmental Public Body. The Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit transactions were a reduction in Voted Administration of £88,000 (near-cash) and a reduction in Non-Voted Other Current £20,000,000 (near-cash).

Request for Resources 5

iii. A draw down of £45,000,000 Other Current End of Year Flexibility to support non-cash expenditure.

Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit

The change in the Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit arises from:

Request for Resources 3

iv. A budget transfer from the Northern Ireland Executive of £4,935,000 in respect of expenditure incurred by the Pension Transformation Programme.

v. A draw down of £31,000,000 End of Year Flexibility to support expenditure on the Pensions Change Programme.

Administration Costs Limit

The movement in the Administration Cost limit arises from the changes to the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit as noted at items i and ii above.

Movements in Non-Voted Resource Expenditure

The changes in non-voted resource expenditure arise from the changes to the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit as noted at items i and ii above. In addition the following adjustments:

Request for Resources 1

vi. A reduction in non-voted resource expenditure of £104,900,000 offset by an increase in voted resource expenditure of £104,900,000 in respect of the allocation of the Departmental Unallocated Provision to support the Child Support Agency Operational Improvement Plan.

Request for Resources 2

vii. An increase in non-voted expenditure of £1,461,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £1,461,000 in respect of increased spend of Working Ventures (UK) Limited.

Request for Resources 3

viii. An increase in non-voted expenditure of £244,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £244,000 in respect of increased spend of The Pensions Advisory Service.

ix. An increase in non-voted expenditure of £189,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £189,000 in respect of decreased spend of The Pensions Ombudsman.

x. A reduction in non-voted expenditure of £839,000 offset by an increase in voted expenditure of £839,000 in respect of decreased spend of The Pensions Regulator.

xi. An increase in non-voted expenditure of £6,532,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £6,532,000 in respect of planned expenditure for the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority.

xii. A reduction in non-voted expenditure of £600,000 offset by an increase in voted expenditure of £600,000 in respect of an adjustment to the classification of spend for Better Government for Older People.

Movements in Non-Voted Capital Expenditure

The changes in non-voted capital relate to the following adjustments:

Request for Resources 3

xiii. An increase in non-voted expenditure of £5,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £5,000 in respect of increased spend of The Pensions Advisory Service.

xiv. An increase in non-voted expenditure of £17,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £17,000 in respect of increased spend of The Pensions Ombudsman.

xv. An increase in non-voted expenditure of £474,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £474,000 in respect of increased spend of The Pensions Regulator.

I wish to report to the House on the latest developments on last year’s outbreaks of Bluetongue and Foot and Mouth Disease, and the recent cases of Avian Influenza in Dorset.

Bluetongue

Following confirmation of Bluetongue on premises located within the then restricted zones, the Bluetongue protection and surveillance zones were extended on 8 and 13 February. After confirmation of the disease on premises in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Greater London, Surrey and Sussex, the protection zone has been expanded westwards and into Eastbourne. A further case in Dorset has required that a separate protection zone be established covering all of Dorset and the New Forest. The surveillance zone now extends into all of Somerset and Devon and into the south-east corner of Wales. We are currently consulting industry representatives as to whether Cornwall should be included in the surveillance zone. Bluetongue has now been confirmed on a total of 80 premises since the outbreak was first discovered last year.

All of the infected animals on the recently confirmed premises were found as a result of pre-movement testing, which is currently required before animals can be moved out of the surveillance and protection zones during the vector-free period, which was declared from 20 December. This requirement is proving to be useful surveillance and is helping to identify previously undisclosed infected premises. Some 40,000 livestock have been tested under pre-movement testing. All evidence suggests that the infected animals on the newly confirmed premises were infected before the vector-free period commenced; there is no evidence to suggest that virus is circulating in the UK at present.

Following the extensions of the surveillance and protection zones, a voicemail message was sent to known keepers in the zone extensions who are registered on Animal Health’s database. Each of these premises were also issued a letter with accompanying leaflets on how to spot disease.

In agreement with the core group of industry stakeholders, the UK remains in Phase 1 of the UK Bluetongue disease control strategy—that is, seeking to contain disease rather than living with it. At present, we are not intending to move to a zone covering the whole country in advance of vaccine being available. However, this situation remains under review as events develop.

Bluetongue Vaccination Plans

Yesterday, I announced the publication of the UK vaccination plan, which sets out the proposed approach to vaccination in the months ahead. The plan, which is publicly available on the Defra website, has been sent to the European Commission, alongside a request for EU co-funding, should such funding be available on acceptable terms.

As part of the plan, Defra has placed an order with the animal health company Intervet for 22.5 million doses of Bluetongue vaccine. 20 million doses are reserved for use in England and 2.5 million doses are reserved for potential use in Wales. In keeping with the principles of the Bluetongue control strategy, livestock keepers in the protection zone will be able to purchase vaccine from the bank through their private vets. Intervet has indicated that vaccine will begin to be available from May.

The UK is the first country dealing with the current outbreak of BTV-8 in Northern Europe to make an order for vaccine. This will ensure that vaccine will be available in England and Wales as soon as possible.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1

Following confirmation on 10 January that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza had been isolated in three dead wild mute swans in the Chesil Beach area in Dorset, a wild bird control area and a monitoring area were established. The control area was larger than the minimum required under European rules and reflected expert ornithological advice about the movement of mute swans and other wild birds in the area.

Movement restrictions were introduced, including a requirement on bird keepers to house their birds or otherwise isolate them from contact with wild birds and a ban on bird gatherings. 10 dead mute swans submitted under the surveillance programme have been confirmed with the H5N1 virus, and the last positive sample was collected on 29 January and confirmed on 4 February. In addition we sampled 60 apparently healthy mute swans and faecal samples from other wild birds but with negative results.

Taking into account epidemiological evidence, a veterinary risk assessment and—as provided for under European rules—that it is now 21 days since the collection of the last positive case, I have today confirmed the lifting of the control area.

I have also reassessed the shape and size of the monitoring area, and have decided that this should not be changed at the moment. On the basis of advice from veterinary and ornithological experts I have concluded that the possibility of continuing undetected infection in wild birds other than swans cannot be ruled out and that retention of this wider monitoring area for a little longer would therefore be prudent. However, we will keep the situation under constant review. The European rules provide for the area to be lifted only when at least 30 days have elapsed since the last positive sample was collected. My aim is to return poultry keepers to normal business arrangements as quickly as possible.

Animal Health is contacting keepers in the area to advise them of how the changes will affect them. In addition we are reminding all keepers that the country remains at a constant, albeit low risk, from H5N1. Therefore it is vital that keepers remain vigilant and take precautionary measures to isolate kept birds from wild birds.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Finally, following last August’s outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, Defra is continuing to work closely with the OIE to regain full FMD free status at the wider international level.