Wednesday 19 May 2004

Following that review, we are today announcing changes to the quotas that apply to two temporary low-skill employment schemes, the seasonal agricultural workers scheme (SAWS) and the sectors based scheme (SBS). We are also announcing measures which will ensure that these schemes are not open to abuse.

These schemes serve a valuable role in helping UK employers to recruit workers in sectors (agriculture, food processing and hospitality) where there are difficulties in meeting labour needs from the resident workforce. At the same time, it is important that these schemes should now reflect the fact that workers from the countries which joined the EEA on 1 May are now free to seek work in these sectors. Most important of all, it is important that these schemes are protected from abuse.

We are therefore announcing that:

• The quota for 2005 for the seasonal agricultural workers scheme will be 16,250, a 35 per cent reduction on the current quota; and
• From 1 June 2004, the existing overall quota for the sectors based scheme will be cut by 25 per cent. There will be a quota of 6,000 SBS permits for the food processing sector and 9,000 SBS permits for the hospitality sector. These quotas will be released in two half-yearly stages.

These reductions are based on the level of take-up of these schemes by accession nationals, prior to accession on 1 May.

We are also announcing that the Home Office will introduce measures intending to ensure that those participating in our temporary employment schemes leave the United Kingdom at the end of their stay. These measures will include applying country-specific quotas within the overall quotas. These country-specific quotas will be made available only where we are confident that the source country will accept their nationals back if they are found to be here illegally.

The Home Office will consult industry on the detail of how these quotas will be applied, and will have immediate discussions in particular with the SAWS operators about action to ensure that the students who come in under this scheme return home at the end of their assignment.

We intend also to change the immigration rules so that those admitted under the SBS will no longer be able to switch into permanent migration schemes, such as work permit employment. Those admitted under SAWS are currently not allowed to switch into permanent migration schemes, and new guidance will be issued to ensure that these rules are being enforced consistently.

We are also issuing new guidance to ensure that applicants for SBS and SAWS are subject to rigorous checks, and to ensure that we act swiftly on the basis of intelligence of abuse, including the use of fraudulent documents.

With these additional controls in place on the temporary low-skill schemes, and in the light of our continuing review of abuse across all migration schemes, we are now in the position to take the next step in the progressive reopening of visa applications from Bulgaria and Romania. With effect from today, we are announcing the lifting of the suspension on applications from Bulgaria and Romania for the temporary low-skill (SAWS and SBS) schemes, for the high-skill schemes (work permits and HSMP), and for all after-entry cases. The one exception is applications from the self-employed under the ECAA scheme, which will remain suspended in the light of the ongoing investigation by Ken Sutton.

Further announcements will be made in due course relating to other aspects of the managed migration review.

Empty homes

The Government are committed to finding ways of bringing empty homes back into use. We have already encouraged voluntary measures wherever possible, but recognise that more is needed to reduce significantly the number of privately owned homes that remain vacant for long periods of time.

The Government therefore intend to enable local authorities to make management orders in respect of long-term empty homes. The legislation will contain the evidence a local authority would need to provide in support of an application to make a management order on an empty home. We will ensure intervention is proportionate, appropriately targeted and compliant with the Human Rights Act. Voluntary arrangements will continue to be appropriate in many circumstances.

Empty homes management orders would support measures to increase housing supply. We will set out the precise scope of intervention in legislation. Our intention is to apply this measure to genuine cases of housing vacancy. We do not consider it would be appropriate to apply it to property that is genuinely occupied, albeit not on a regular basis, or property subject to an action that will result in it coming back into use without the need for intervention.

A management order would enable a local authority to put in place arrangements to enable a property to be let. In the case of a dilapidated property, this might entail renovation. The legal estate would be retained by the owner who would be entitled to any rental income generated by the local authority after deduction of its relevant costs. The owner would be entitled to sell the property or request revocation of the management order.

Tenancy deposit protection

The Government also propose to add to the Housing Bill some provisions on tenancy deposits.

The Government remain of the view that providing a link between the safeguarding of tenancy deposits and a requirement for all tenants to have written agreements is a sensible objective. However it accepts that the Law Commission proposals on tenure reform will take time to put into effect and need careful consideration.

Our intention is to add provisions to the Housing Bill to require that tenancy deposits should be subject to safeguarding arrangements. The Government accept that we will need to sponsor a scheme to provide for the safeguarding of the deposits sought by the majority of landlords. But we also recognise that members of trade or professional bodies should be able to look to those bodies to provide their own schemes if these schemes provide sufficient protection and the Government are able to approve them.

The provisions will need to define the term ''tenancy deposit" and provide that where such deposits are required by landlords or their agents they should be safeguarded by a scheme approved by the Government. There will need to be civil sanctions for non-compliance. There will need to be provisions for the timely return of deposits and for their repayment following dispute resolution.

These measures on empty homes and tenancy deposits follow extensive consultation with the key stakeholders, and there will be an opportunity for further debate when they are tabled for inclusion in the Housing Bill.

• It will bring digital terrestrial television signals to the 25 per cent of the population who live in areas that cannot currently receive them because of spectrum limitations;
• Increased quality and choice for viewers;
• Broadcasters will no longer have to incur the costs of transmitting signals in both formats, releasing resources for investment in programming and other services for consumers; and
• Spectrum will be released to allow the development of more television and other services for consumers.

The BBC and the commercial public service broadcasters have a lead role in achieving switchover. They have an established relationship with virtually all Britain's households and are therefore uniquely placed to ensuring a smooth transition to digital broadcasting. They will also benefit from reduced costs and from the ability to offer consumers a wider range of services.

The Government have now written to the commercial terrestrial broadcasters and the BBC inviting them to engage with us and with Ofcom on how to achieve a complete switchover and to establish an appropriate timetable, in liaison with other stakeholders. The outcome of these discussions will be reflected in the digital licences which Ofcom will grant to ITV companies, Channels 4 and 5, and in the BBC's Charter review.

Further stages in establishing the plan for switchover will be reported to the House in due course.

The EU Financial Services Action Plan: Delivering the FSAP in the UK and After the Financial Services Action Plan: A new strategic approach are available in the Library of the House.