Written Statements
Monday 28 February 2005
Offshore Patrol Vessel
My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to announce that the Ministry of Defence has approved the award of a contract with VT Maritime Affairs Ltd for the charter and logistic support of a new 1,854 tonne patrol vessel for use in the Falkland Islands.The new ship will be a modification of the highly-successful River class ships, also chartered from VT, currently employed for fishery protection. Like them, the new patrol vessel will also follow an innovative public/private partnership arrangement for the provision of maritime capability. While manned by the Royal Navy, the department will pay a set monthly fee for the provision of the ship and a guaranteed level of availability, with an incentivised payment structure to ensure that any shortfalls are dealt with promptly and effectively.The vessel will thus provide a significant increase in availability compared with the old, and increasingly difficult to maintain, Castle class ships that have provided the Falkland Islands patrol capability for the past two decades.It is planned that the ship will enter service in 2007, and be chartered for an initial period up to 2012. Over this period, she will generate in excess of £2 million savings compared with continuing to run the old ships, while providing at least as good an overall capability at a much lower level of risk.
Nanoscience And Nanotechnologies
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.The Government's response to the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering report
Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies: Opportunities and Uncertainties, has been published today.
The report was commissioned by Lord Sainsbury in June 2003 to, summarise current scientific knowledge on nanotechnology, identify applications of nanotechnology, both current and potential, with indications of when they might be developed, identify what environmental, health and safety, ethical and societal implications or uncertainties may arise from the use of the technology, both now and in the future and identify areas where additional regulation should be considered. The report was published in July 2004 and has 21 recommendations to government.
Our response sets out the Government's agenda on nanotechnologies to ensure that the Government have clear policies and regulation, informed by good research, in place to ensure the responsible development of nanotechnologies in the UK.
The response includes:
A review of current safety regulations to make sure that safeguards for workers' health and the environment are robust;
A new cross-government group to co-ordinate all aspects of research into nanoscience to underpin safety assessments;
A consultation with industry and the EU on how companies could disclose their safety testing methods and label consumer products; and
The Government will facilitate a dialogue with the science community and the public to explore both aspirations and concerns around the development of nanotechnologies.
Our programme will be reviewed by the Council for Science and Technology after two and five years (i.e. 2007, 2010).
The Prime Minister, the House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology and the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology will be sent copies of this report, and I have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses. An electronic version of the report has been placed on the Office of Science and Technology website at www.ost.gov.uk/ policy/issues/index.htm.
Low Pay Commission
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.Last summer the Government asked the Low Pay Commission to produce its next report on the national minimum wage by the end of February 2005. We asked the commission to monitor and evaluate the impact of the minimum wage and make recommendations on the need for any change.The Government arc today publishing the commission's 2005 report and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the chair of the commission, Adair Turner, and its other members for their work on this very important issue.The main recommendations put forward by the commission concern the rates of the minimum wage.The commission has first recommended increasing the adult rate of the minimum wage from the present £4.85 to £5.05 in October 2005, and to £5.35 in October 2006, subject to confirmation by the commission in February 2006, to check that the macroeconomic conditions continue to make it appropriate, and in light of the implementation of forthcoming age discrimination legislation.
The final key commission recommendation is that we should introduce interest charges on arrears of underpayment of the minimum wage and impose financial penalties for seriously non-compliant employers. The great majority of employers are either compliant or pay minimum wage arrears without the need for any formal enforcement action. However, the Government understand the underlying point that the commission makes about the need to tackle seriously non-compliant employers more effectively. We are already considering a number of options for improving enforcement and intend to make a Statement on this in early summer. We will consider the point about interest charges in this context.
I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that the Government have decided not to pursue employers where workers are paid below the minimum wage in some pay periods, but above the minimum wage overall. Such action will enable us to concentrate our resources on employers deliberately seeking to pay workers below the minimum wage.
I have placed copies of this Statement, the report from the Low Pay Commission, the Government's individual response to the commission's recommendations and our draft regulatory impact assessment in the House Libraries.
Equalities Review
My right honourable friend the Deputy Minister for Women and Equality (Jacqui Smith) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.The Minister for the Cabinet Office (the Member for South Shields) and I are today announcing a review of the persistent social, economic and cultural factors that combine to deny individuals the opportunity to make the best of their abilities and contribute to society fully.The Equalities Review, which will report to the Prime Minister by the summer of 2006, will look at barriers to opportunity and will make practical recommendations on key policy priorities for the Government and public sector, employers and trades unions, civic society and the voluntary sector. Its findings will inform the modernisation of equality legislation and the development of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR).In the Queen's Speech, the Government announced that they intend to bring forward a Bill to establish the CEHR as soon as parliamentary time allows. The CEHR will bring together existing expertise from the current equality commissions on gender, disability and race and make provision for the new equality strands on sexual orientation, religion and belief and age, as well as promoting human rights. The Bill will also introduce provisions to outlaw discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the provision of goods, facilities, services and public functions; and a general framework to introduce a duty on public bodies to promote equality of opportunity between women and men and prohibit sex discrimination in the exercise of public functions.It is widely recognised that in many cases the root causes of disadvantage go beyond discrimination and cannot therefore be rectified by anti-discrimination legislation alone. Earlier consultation on the CEHR also demonstrated considerable support for modernising equality legislation and creating a simpler, fairer, legal framework.In response to this and in conjunction with the equalities review, the Government will also now begin a review of discrimination legislation. led by the Department of Trade and Industry, which will benefit from the background and analysis that will be provided by the equalities review. This will assess how the equality legislative framework can be modernised to fit the needs of Britain in the 21st century. Specifically, proposals will aim to minimise the burdens on business and on public services while leading to demonstrably better outcomes for minority groups. This work will be the foundation for the development of a clearer and more streamlined legislative framework.The Prime Minister has asked Trevor Phillips to chair the equalities review in a personal capacity. He will be joined by a small panel of leaders from the fields of business, the public sector and the social policy arena. The review panel will draw advice from a reference group co-chaired by Bert Massie (chair, Disability Rights Commission) and Julie Mellor (chair, Equal Opportunities Commission) whose members will include key equality, human rights, business and trade union stakeholders and other experts. The equalities review will be supported by a Secretariat based in the Cabinet Office and will be overseen jointly by DTI and Cabinet Office Ministers.
Work And Families
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am today publishing a consultation document
Work and families: choice and flexibility. Through the consultation, we are seeking views on the details of commitments set out by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2004 Pre-Budget Report. These commitments will help us to deliver the Government's vision for families: to ensure that all children have the best start in life, respond to changing patterns of employment and give parents more choice about how to balance their work and family responsibilities.
The Government have already introduced a number of measures to support working families, including longer maternity leave, increases in both statutory maternity pay and maternity allowance plus extending the payment period, new paid paternity and adoption leave and the right to request flexible working for parents of young or disabled children. However we recognise that families still face challenges in balancing their work and home responsibilities. There is a continuing evolution in family life and working patterns. In most families it is no longer the case that the father works and the mother stays at home to look after the children; instead both parents work.
At the same time, many employers have found that greater flexibility suits their business very well, enabling them to attract and retain good quality staff, match their business needs with the needs of individuals and encourage a more committed and productive working environment.
The measures we are proposing respond to these changes and will help us to deliver our vision for families. Through the consultation we will be asking for views on a number of commitments. We will extend statutory maternity pay, maternity allowance and statutory adoption pay from six to nine months from April 2007, towards the goal of a year's paid leave by the end of the next Parliament. Through the consultation, we will also be seeking views about how to simplify the maternity leave and pay arrangements.
Improved communication between parents and employers during maternity and adoption leave is important for employers, helping them to plan their business more successfully, and for mothers who often want to keep in touch with what is going on at work. Through consultation, we are asking for views on whether we should place a new requirement on mothers to confirm their return date with their employers in advance and on increasing the period of notice that a mother must give if she wants to return earlier than originally planned. We would also like to hear suggestions about ways to improve communication between employers and employees during maternity leave and support women returning to work after time out because of caring responsibilities.
We want to give more choice to parents about who cares for their child during the first year of their life and so we intend to introduce a new right for mothers to transfer a proportion of their statutory maternity leave and pay or allowance to fathers or between adopters. We are seeking views on options for how much leave and pay may be transferred from the mother to the father and how best to handle the administrative effects on the employers of the mother and the father, including managing the respective absences and ensuring that adequate notice is given of intended absence and return to work.
Evidence has suggested that the right to request flexible working is operating successfully. Through the consultation, we will look at options for extending this right to carers of adults and to parents of older children. We also want to know if there is more the Government can do to assist employers handling requests for flexible working and help employees make requests.
The consultation will enable us to firm up the details of our commitments to ensure the practical arrangements operate as smoothly as possible for parents, carers and business.
Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and will be available on the DTI website at www.dti.gov.uk/ workandfamilies.
Food Products: Sudan 1
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Miss Johnson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that on 18 February the agency issued advice to consumers not to eat foods that had inadvertently been contaminated with an illegal dye, Sudan 1. This advice follows previous action by the Food Standards Agency to ensure the withdrawal of a range of products containing contaminated chilli powder since July 2003.Sudan 1 could contribute to an increased risk of cancer and it is sensible to avoid eating any more. However, at the levels present the risk is likely to be very small and there is no risk of immediate ill-health.The Food Standards Agency, at the earliest practicable date, obtained an initial list of affected products (on the evening of 17 February) and published it together with its advice to consumers on 18 February. Further updates were published on 21 and 24 February, bringing the list of affected products to 474. The agency has taken the view that waiting for a single total list would provide less protection for consumers. The agency acted with all possible speed to inform consumers which products were affected so retailers and consumers could act on this advice.The agency has contacted the major catering suppliers and they have withdrawn affected products and these are included in the lists on the website. More than 150 smaller companies that received contaminated products have also withdrawn products from their customers and these products will be listed on the agency website as soon as information becomes available.Most of the products have now been withdrawn. Local authorities are pursuing this to ensure any remaining products are removed from sale as a matter of urgency. The agency is considering with local authorities what enforcement action may be necessary.Since July 2003 all dried and crushed or ground hot chilli and hot chilli products entering the EU must have been tested for Sudan 1. The risk has been widely publicised in the UK food industry and affected products were withdrawn from sale. The Food Standards Agency and local authorities routinely test over 1,000 products a year for Sudan 1.Food companies have a legal obligation to remove from sale products that do not meet food safety requirements and to inform the Food Standards Agency and local authorities, and advise consumers about the withdrawal.
Written Statements
Tuesday 1 March 2005
Northern Ireland: Victims' And Survivors' Commissioner
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:The troubles have left their mark on the people of Northern Ireland and all those affected by the conflict. Almost 4000 lives were lost, each one an individual loved and mourned by family and friends. And the human cost extends beyond these victims, to their families and friends, to all those who survived their ordeals, and to the wider community which struggles still to heal the divisions that were created and became entrenched.The pain of loss is still keenly felt by those who lost loved ones. The Government cannot hope to change that. But there is a sense in which we in Northern Ireland need to come to terms with what has happened over the past 35 years: to tackle the legacy in a way that respects the suffering and loss that has been experienced; but which also allows the community as a whole to build a future that is not overshadowed by the events of the past.Last spring, the Prime Minister said that he hoped that the Government could find a way to deal with Northern Ireland's past. Since then I have been reflecting on how we might begin this process. I have visited South Africa, to see at first hand how a very different society has sought to address its own particular legacy. I have talked privately to experts and opinion formers to hear their views. And in parallel with that process the Minister for Victims, Angela Smith, has been engaged in a detailed consultation with groups representing victims and survivors of the troubles on the future shape of services to meet their needs. I have drawn a number of lessons from these experiences.My view remains that Northern Ireland needs its own tailored approach to dealing with the past. That is not to say that we cannot learn from the experiences of other societies that have faced a difficult and turbulent period in their recent history. But any process for dealing with Northern Ireland's past will require an approach that acknowledges and respects its unique features as well as its similarities to situations elsewhere.I also believe that the scope and aims of any process need to be widely understood and agreed, and must be capable of commanding support and credibility right across the community. Government have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that an appropriate mechanism is found for dealing with the past to the satisfaction of all sections of the community. But I recognise too that, for some, the Government's role in past events is itself seen as an issue; and it is hard for some sections of the community to see us as a genuinely neutral party. Neither do the Government have a monopoly on wisdom, and I recognise the major contribution that many practitioners and other bodies are already making in this field.These considerations have led me to conclude that any process for dealing with the past in Northern Ireland cannot be designed in isolation, or imposed by government. There will need to be broadly-based consultation that allows individuals and groups across the community to put their views on what form any process might take. And that consultation process itself will need broad cross-community support if the ideas it generates are to be constructively received.In the light of recent events, I am clear that now is not the right moment to launch such a broadly-based consultation process. And I think that we need to be realistic about what can be achieved in advance of a political settlement. But that is not to say that nothing can be done or that political considerations should forever stand in the way of meaningful progress. There are important steps that the Government can take now to address issues that are at the heart of how we can all deal with Northern Ireland's difficult legacy.I am therefore announcing today that the Government intend to put in place a new Victims' and Survivors' Commissioner. I believe that this is necessary both to ensure a real focus on the needs of victims and survivors of the troubles in Northern Ireland and to ensure that their voices continue to be heard and respected. So I am publishing alongside this announcement a consultation paper on the future of victims' and survivors' services for those victims, which includes the Government's initial proposals for the commissioner's detailed remit. The document sets out proposals for a comprehensive approach to the provision of services, with the commissioner playing a pivotal role in ensuring effective service delivery and in promoting the interests of all those who have suffered as a result of Northern Ireland's troubled past. One of the commissioner's responsibilities will be to take forward the establishment of the Victims' and Survivors' Forum envisaged in the Joint Declaration to represent their views in a structured way. That consultation will continue until the end of June this year.For many victims and survivors, the possibility of coming to terms with what has happened in the past is made more remote because there remain significant unanswered questions, for example about the fate of their loved ones. For many families, the difficulty of not knowing certain details surrounding their loved one's death continues to be a significant issue many years on. The Government recognise that there is a need to address in a systematic way all of the unresolved deaths in Northern Ireland's recent troubled past. As I announced last September, I have been in discussions with the Chief Constable about how the groundbreaking work of the Serious Crime Review Team (SCRT) within the Police Service of Northern Ireland might be expanded to help meet this need. I hope that both we and the PSNI will soon be in a position to say more about the next steps on this.
We need to consider carefully and collectively how best to deal sensitively with the needs and expectations of all sections of the community in dealing with the legacy of the past. The creation of a Victims' and Survivors' Commissioner is intended as a major contribution to that work. But it does not mark the end either of the process or the Government's contribution to it.
Reservists: Support For Un Operations
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:I have today signed a new call-out order made under Section 56 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 so that Reservists may continue to be called out to support UN operations in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The current order has expired and this new order takes effect from 1 March 2005. There are no plans to call out Reservists compulsorily under this order as it is expected that the small numbers needed will be met through voluntary mobilisation.
Osnabruck Court Martial
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Geoffrey Hoon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:The conclusion of the recent court martial in Osnabruck. and the lifting of reporting restrictions on an earlier court martial about the same incident enables me to say more about the outcome of both trials, although I must take into account that both cases are still subject to the statutory process of review and potential appeal.I was profoundly disturbed when I first saw the photographs. I do, however, share the Chief of the General Staff's view that the incidents depicted do not reflect typical behaviour and standards of the British Army. We also agree that it is right to apologise on behalf of the Army to the victims and the people of Iraq.On Friday the Chief of the General Staff issued a statement on this and future cases. He explained that this was the first in a possible five cases which might come to court where the allegation against members of the British Army is that they committed acts of deliberate abuse against Iraqis. These cases involve up to 22 soldiers.The CGS announced on behalf of the British Army that he has asked a senior officer to assess what lessons we need to learn in light of this and the other cases that might come to court, and to make recommendations for action. We will publish the findings from this work when the Army is no longer constrained by the legal processes. I fully support this statement.
The Army sets high standards and demands that they are met. The recent courts martial have demonstrated that those who fail to meet those standards are called to account. The vast majority of servicemen and women do, however, perform to the very highest standards. Their service in Iraq has been outstanding and we are right to be proud of this.
Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Geoffrey Hoon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:I am pleased to report to the House the latest developments in our plans to provide the Royal Air Force with a modern replacement air refuelling capability. Last year I reported our decision to take forward single bidder negotiations with AirTanker Ltd for the provision of the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme which is planned to replace the RAF's fleet of VCIO and TriStar aircraft. Today I can report that significant progress has been made in those negotiations and that AirTanker has been selected as the preferred bidder.We continue to believe that the provision of the capability through a service-based contract with industry under the private finance initiative (PFI) offers the best prospect of a value for money solution that fully meets the needs of our Armed Forces. Through a PFI contract, industry would own and maintain the aircraft and provide training services, infrastructure and some personnel, while the RAF would undertake military operations.The negotiations over the last 12 months have resulted in agreement on key commercial terms such as pricing structure, measurement of service performance, commercial use of the aircraft and the compensation that would be paid in the very unlikely event that the contract is terminated.This programme will present UK industry with important opportunities. I expect that several hundreds of jobs will be created to support this programme throughout the United Kingdom. Several thousand skilled UK individuals will undertake work in support of the service.We will now continue to take forward negotiations with AirTanker Ltd, aimed at agreeing the detail of the complete PFI contract as soon as possible. I should stress that this remains a complex and challenging F'FI programme and that issues remain to be resolved before a value for money arrangement can be concluded. At £13 billion, it is the largest to be considered by the MOD to date. A final decision on whether or not to proceed with a PFI contract will not be taken until all negotiations, including an assessment of the finance ability of the deal, have been satisfactorily concluded. I will of course ensure that the House is kept fully in touch with significant developments.
Civil Registration Reform
My honourable friend the Financial Secretary (Mr Stephen Timms) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:The House will wish to be aware of developments in the Government's plans for modernising civil registration.On 29 March 2004, my predecessor Ruth Kelly announced that a draft regulatory reform order containing provisions relating to the registration of birth and deaths in England and Wales would be presented to Parliament during that Session and that presentation of the proposals relating to marriage would be postponed until the present Session.The Regulatory Reform (Registration of Births and Deaths) (England Wales) Order 2004 was presented to Parliament on 22 July 2004. The Commons' Regulatory Reform Committee and the Lords' Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee published their reports towards the end of last year concluding that use of the order-making powers of the 2001 Act is inappropriate for modernisation of the registration service in respect of births and deaths. In the light of those reports, I am no longer planning to bring forward a draft regulatory reform order to reform marriage law.This Government remain committed to the modernisation of the registration service in England and Wales. This service, with its roots in the 19th century, touches everyone during their lives and it is important that it reflects the needs of society, families and individuals. Modernisation will provide more choice for the public in how they deal with the service, improved service delivery and easier public interaction with government on a wider range of services.I am actively looking for ways of delivering the key elements of civil registration modernisation and will be working with stakeholders over the coming months to agree a way forward. I will seek Parliamentary approval at appropriate times. In the meantime, new and more modern technology is planned to be introduced that will make it easier for members of the public to deal with the local registration service.
Written Statements
Wednesday 2 March 2005
Poverty Reduction
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development has made the following Statement.I have placed in the Libraries of both Houses a copy of a new UK policy paper,
Partnerships for poverty reduction: rethinking conditionality.
The policy has been developed jointly by DfID, the Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It is the result of substantial consultation over the past year with the UK public, NGOs, the World Bank and other donors.
The UK Government believe that an effective aid partnership is based on shared commitment to poverty reduction, human rights and strong financial management. The policy outlines four changes in our approach to conditionality:
Developing Country Ownership—the UK will use aid to support developing countries' own poverty reduction plans—based on solid evidence and wide consultation, and taking account of the views and concerns of poor people. We will not use conditions to influence the policy choices made by partner countries. We will instead agree benchmarks with partners to assess progress in reducing poverty.
Predictability—developing countries can use aid most effectively if they can rely on it as part of their long-term budget plans; for example, to recruit more teachers and health workers, or to put more people on anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS. The UK will move to long-term aid commitments, and will seek to make aid more predictable by being clear in advance about how much aid will be given and the basis on which funds will be reduced or interrupted; for example, if countries move away from agreed poverty reduction programmes, abuse human rights or misuse the funds through corruption.
Accountability—this changed approach to aid, with transparently agreed benchmarks rather than conditions imposed by donors, means that developing countries and donors will be accountable to each other, and to their own citizens, for their contribution to the shared effort on poverty reduction. The UK aims to increase transparency around the conditions and the decision-making process relating to aid. We will publish our conditions on the DfID website.
Harmonisation—the UK will press the World Bank and the IMF to monitor and streamline their combined terms and conditions, and will work with donors to limit the overall burden of conditions.
The "Make Poverty History" campaign is calling on donors to provide "more and better aid" to help developing countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. I see the principles in this paper as central to both objectives. By supporting policy leadership in developing countries, donors will make their aid more effective. And by ensuring that aid is effectively used for reducing poverty, donors will give their own countries confidence that more aid will be worth while.
Israel And Palestine: London Conference
The purpose of the London meeting, on 1 March, was to help the Palestinian leadership strengthen the institutions needed for a future Palestinian state. This work was also aimed at supporting Palestinian efforts to prepare for Israeli disengagement as a step towards achieving the two-state vision envisaged by the road map.The London meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister. Delegations from 23 nations and institutions attended including the UN Secretary-General Koff Annan, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, EU Secretary General Solana, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, G8 foreign ministers and others from the region and beyond, along with the World Bank and IMF.President Abbas outlined an ambitious but realistic plan for strengthening the Palestinian Authority's (PA's) institutions in the areas of governance, security and economic development. In the area of governance, President Abbas committed his authority to completing the programme of local elections across the West Bank and Gaza in accordance with democratic values; strengthening the public sector and civil service and building a strong and independent judiciary. On security, President Abbas committed his authority to ensuring effective security implementation consistent with the PA's national security plan, in accordance with phase I of the road map; streamlining the existing security and intelligence services; and reviving lines of communication with the Israeli security establishment. On economic development, President Abbas, committed his authority to working to ensure the financial management of the PA is of the highest international standard; implementing a Unified Pensions Law; and stimulating private sector investment as the essential precondition for long-term economic growth.In response to these plans, the international community committed itself to providing financial and political support. On governance, the international community committed itself to support the programme of elections and the strengthening of the public administration and judiciary. In order to take these commitments forward, the European Commission agreed to develop and implement a short-term strategy for action on governance, supporting progress by the Palestinian Authority and ensuring engagement of the international community. The World Bank agreed to lead efforts to enhance the international community's assistance for economic preparation for Israeli disengagement. This includes exploring opportunities to promote increased private sector investment in the West Bank and Gaza. The participants asked the chair of the AHLC, the World Bank and the European Commission to develop plans to streamline the international effort and enable the international community to respond more flexibly to Palestinian needs, and to present these to the quartet, as soon as possible.On security, the international community committed itself to providing financial support to re-equip the security services; establishing a fund for early retirement of security personnel; and helping to address the cost of pensions for security officers. The US agreed to form a co-ordinating group to provide significant practical support to the Palestinians in the area of security to fulfil the objective set out by the quartet in May 2004 to establish a US-led oversight committee on security. US security co-ordinator General Ward would play a leading role. The security group will work closely with the PA to oversee the restructuring and retraining of the Palestinian security services. In doing so, it will help the PA fulfil all of its security-related obligations under phase I of the road map.On economic development, the international community committed itself to providing expertise and financial support for the PA's economic programme. It also offered assistance for activities related to Israeli disengagement and economic revival including working with Israel and the PA to develop a reliable link between the West Bank and Gaza and to dismantle the closure regime and increase freedom of movement. The international community agreed to hold a consultative group meeting of international donors later in the year to consider an increase in funding to the PA and to establish a mechanism under World Bank leadership to encourage increased international private sector investment into the Palestinian economy.The participants recognised that the implementation of the commitments made by the Palestinian Authority at the London meeting would constitute a major step in implementing its road map commitments. At the same time participants urged and expected action by Israel in relation to its own road map commitments.The participants at the London meeting also condemned the terrorist bombing in Tel Aviv on 25 February and stressed that such acts must not be allowed to derail the peace process.The conclusions of the London meeting are being placed in the Library of the House. A copy is also available through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website:
www.fco.gov.uk
Civil Legal Aid
My honourable friend David Lammy, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, has made the following Written Ministerial Statement in the other place today.With the agreement of the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, I am pleased to announce a package of measures, some of which come into effect from 1 April 2005, that will encourage early and effective resolution in civil dispute cases, including family cases.These measures give effect to proposals for reform of civil legal aid set out in the July 2004 Legal Service Commission (LSC) consultation paper
A new focus for civil legal aid—encouraging early resolution; discouraging unnecessary litigation. The main theme of the paper was to refocus the civil legal aid scheme to encourage early resolution and the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) measures such as negotiation or mediation and away from contested litigation.
We have taken account of detailed and considered representations received during the consultation in finalising the measures announced today to deliver a reform package that acknowledges and addresses the key concerns expressed in consultation. I believe this represents a positive move forward for civil legal aid that we can build on in future years.
Following the consultation. I confirm that we will not be making reductions in financial eligibility except the aligning of levels described below or reducing the scope of services covered, save for minor amendments to the personal injury exclusion. We will also remove cost protection in family cases to deter unreasonable conduct by publicly funded clients, and introduce stricter controls over multiple and repeat applications in private law family cases. These controls will be enforced through improvements to processing systems that provide a reliable means of identifying previous legal aid applicants.
The consultation paper proposed significant changes to the funding of cases concerning financial provision in divorce (ancillary relief), including a power for the LSC to refuse legal aid for legal representation if private funding, by means of a loan or otherwise, is available and affordable in an individual case.
In principle, we believe that such a power would be appropriate, but we will only introduce it if satisfied that a good range of private funding arrangements is accessible to clients currently within legal aid eligibility limits. We will undertake further work on the availability and conditions of finance, in conjunction with our key stakeholders. I should emphasise that any new funding arrangements along these lines would apply only to those cases that do not reach any resolution during the financial dispute resolution hearing, but continue to full contested court proceedings.
To discourage unnecessary litigation, in clinical negligence cases and actions against the police most applicants will be expected to pursue any available complaints system before they are funded to take proceedings. This will give the potential defendant public body the opportunity to respond to the matters raised and provide an explanation or apology if appropriate before it is decided whether litigation is the appropriate remedy for the client. The LSC will consult further on when such an approach would not be appropriate and on guidance to further encourage the use of mediation in non-family disputes.
As urged by many respondents, we will also be improving the operation of the statutory charge, to encourage early repayment of legal aid costs. Our reforms package includes increasing the interest rates as an incentive to pay off the charge as soon as practicable. We also intend to introduce a discretion for the LSC to be able to decide whether the statutory charge should be postponed, subject to assessing the client's means. This will also include the power to review postponed charges at regular intervals. The LSC will also adopt a firmer approach when deciding whether a charge can be transferred to a new property. Finally, we propose to remove the exemption for the first £3,000 of money or value from property recovered, from the statutory charge.
We propose to strengthen the cost/benefit criterion when assessing applications for funding in claims against the police to ensure that the benefits obtained from a case are proportionate to the costs involved, and to improve general handling of police cases. We will also raise the minimum cost benefit requirements for clinical negligence damages claims to match those for other categories of case.
We will also be restricting the very high cost civil cases budget to ensure that disproportionately expensive cases do not preclude access to justice for smaller cases. In terms of the overall legal aid budget, the need to achieve substantial savings remains. If the Community Legal Service does not remain in budget, there is a very real risk that funding will have to be reduced in future, and consequently that the most deserving cases may not receive the assistance they need. With a limited budget, we need to ensure that legal aid funding is targeted on the most needy cases and to the priority areas.
These proposals are fully consistent with the Fundamental Legal Aid Review (FEAR) and represent the first phase of a co-ordinated continuing legal aid reform programme to achieve an appropriate long-term settlement for legal aid.
We propose to implement the eligibility changes in April and the remaining changes in July. A copy of the consultation response paper and the final regulatory and equalities impact assessment will be available shortly on the DCA website at www.dca.gov.uk.
Defence Information Infrastructure (Future)
My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Defence (Mr Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to announce that the preferred bidder for the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) contract is the Atlas consortium. This group of companies has international experience of delivering first-class IT systems and we look forward to working in partnership with it over the coming years. We have conducted a rigorous competition and are confident that provision of an effective, efficient and value-for-money service, vital to the modernisation of defence, has begun today.
Adoption And Children Act 2002
My honourable friend the Minister for Children (Margaret Hodge) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to set out the Government's detailed plans for full implementation of the adoption and special guardianship provisions in the Adoption and Children Act 2002.The Adoption and Children Act 2002 received Royal Assent in November 2002 and modernises the whole existing legal framework for domestic and intercountry adoption. It also introduces a new legal order, special guardianship, which offers legal permanence for children for whom adoption is not suitable.We have already implemented some key provisions of the Act. These include:1 June 2003—restrictions on intercountry adoption;31 October 2003—the first phase of the adoption support services framework for adoptive families;1 December 2003—giving parental responsibility to unmarried fathers who jointly register the birth of their child with the mother;1 April 2004—advocacy services for children and young people making a complaint under the Children Act 1989;30 April 2004—the first phase of the independent review mechanism, which will cover prospective adopters whose adoption agency is minded not to approve them;27 September 2004—independent reviewing officers;31 January 2005—amendment to the definition of "harm" in the Children Act 1989 to make clear that harm includes any impairment of the child's health or development as a result of witnessing the ill treatment of another person.During 2003 and 2004 we consulted extensively on a range of draft regulations, court rules and guidance and ran over 25 workshops, seminars and focus groups to ensure that we had heard from all those with an interest in this fundamental reform of adoption law. We have reviewed the consultation drafts and the implementation timetable in great detail in the light of the comments received.We will be laying all the core sets of regulations to implement the adoption and special guardianship provisions in the next few weeks, starting today with the Adoption Agencies Regulations, the Adoptions with a Foreign Element Regulations and two statutory instruments which are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure. These are the Suitability Regulations and the Restriction on the Preparation of Adoption Reports Regulations. The regulations covering access to information, adoption support services and special guardianship will follow this month. The court rules are being considered by the Family Procedure Rule Committee and will be in place and available to support training well in advance of implementation.We planned for the legislation to come fully into force in September 2005. However, following concerns expressed by those who will be required to put these important changes for children and their families into effect about the need to allow sufficient time for training and preparation once the regulations, court rules and guidance are in place, we now intend to bring the legislation fully into force on 30 December 2005. This will allow a nine-month preparation period for the field from the laying of the core regulations and will enable training to take place in the autumn, after the summer holidays and immediately prior to implementation.We remain committed to providing an extensive communication and training programme to ensure that those working in the adoption field and more widely in children's services are fully up to speed with the new legislation. The DfES is currently developing this programme, and is continuing to involve stakeholders closely through an advisory group representing the interests of those in the adoption field. The Department for Constitutional Affairs is separately organising training for the judiciary and courts service staff which will be closely aligned with the DfES training programme.
Written Statements
Thursday 3 March 2005
Northern Ireland: Chief Inspector Of Criminal Justice
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.The Government have received the first report from the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, Kit Chivers. The report is on the management of sex offenders in Northern Ireland and has today been published.The Government warmly welcome this report which recognises the excellent work in this field being done by those agencies involved in public protection and identifies a number of areas for possible future development. I shall be considering very carefully the inspection's key recommendations. I have no doubt that the report will be of value in informing and reassuring the public about the steps already being taken to manage the risks posed by sex offenders in the community. and in helping managers and staff who are involved in this challenging area of work.
Hong Kong: Sino-British Joint Declaration
The latest report on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong (Cm 6484) was laid before the House today and copies have been placed in the Library of the House. A copy of the report is also available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk. The report covers the period from 1 July to 31 December 2004 and includes a foreword by my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary. I commend the report to the House.
Iraq: Statement Of Intent
My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.On 14 February 2005, my honourable friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Lord Bach) signed a statement of intent with the Secretary—General of the Iraqi Ministry of Defence which lays the foundation for co-operation on defence equipment matters in areas such as requirement definition, exchange of information, supplier identification, and the availability of commercial training.It is HM Government's aim to assist the Iraqi Government and Armed Forces to rebuild their country and to improve security and stability. In support of this, a non-legally binding statement of intent will be mutually beneficial for both Governments.All such activities in connection with potential defence exports continue to adhere fully to national and international export control obligations.Copies of the statement of intent will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Welfare Agencies
My right honourable friend the Paymaster-General (Dawn Primarolo) has made the following Written Ministerial StatementIn parliamentary Answers on 4 and 26 March 2003 and in letters to several honourable Members, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury explained changes that have been made to the rules governing the VAT treatment of state-regulated welfare agencies such as domiciliary care and independent fostering agencies. He explained that the changes would take effect from the date that the regulatory system and standards for welfare providers was implemented or, in the case of independent fostering agencies, on 1 April 2003. Following representations from a small number of businesses, Customs has issued a business brief clarifying the circumstances determining the time at which an agency becomes exempt. Copies are available in the House Library.
Written Statements
Monday 7 March 2005
Finance Act 2004: Pre-Owned Asset Regulations
My right honourable friend the Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo) has made the following Written Ministerial StatementSchedule 15 to the Finance Act 2004 provides for an income tax charge on the benefit that taxpayers gain, in certain circumstances, from the continuing enjoyment of assets they formerly owned. The primary legislation leaves some matters—the operative date for valuations, and the rates of return which apply for purposes of the schedule—to be specified in secondary legislation. They also allow regulations to provide for assets to be valued less frequently than annually. More generally, they enable regulations to make further exemptions from the charge set out in Schedule 15.The Inland Revenue issued a consultative document on 18 August 2004
Taxation of Pre-Owned Assets: Further Consultation seeking views on the matters to be covered by regulations. There was a full and constructive response and I am grateful to all who took part. We propose to make regulations as follows, having regard to the responses received.
Valuation date
As proposed in our consultation document, the valuation date for a tax year will be 6 April in the year or, if later, the beginning of the "taxable period" for which the asset in question first becomes chargeable.
The "prescribed rate"
The "prescribed rate" (to be applied to the values of chattels and intangible assets when quantifying the cash value of the benefit enjoyed) will be equal to the "official rate" of interest, as defined in Section 181 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003. The rate is currently 5 per cent.
Valuations at extended intervals
Regulations will provide, broadly, that land and chattels will be valued every five years. That is to say, a valuation will be made as prescribed in the primary legislation for the first tax year in which a particular asset becomes chargeable under Schedule 15. That valuation will also be used in any of the four succeeding years in which a charge arises.
If a charge arises in the fifth year after the first chargeable year, a fresh valuation will be made which will apply in the next four succeeding years, and so on for years 10, 15 and subsequent five-year anniversaries. If no charge arises for the fifth year, or any later five-year anniversary, no valuation need be made until the next tax year (if any) for which a charge arises, and a fresh series of five-yearly valuations will start from that year.
Valuations will be carried forward in cash terms without adjustment (e.g. for indexation against asset price inflation, as the enabling power would permit).
Equity release
Schedule 15 provides exemption for any case where the former owner continues to enjoy an asset they have sold, so long as they have disposed of their whole interest in it (apart from the right of continuing enjoyment) and have done so either at arm's length or on arm's length terms.
It became clear in consultation that this was not sufficient to accommodate all open-market equity release transactions, under which homeowners often sell only a part share in their property. I made clear last autumn that regulations under Schedule 15 would cover the full range of bona fide equity-release schemes with arm's length providers, while continuing to bear down on schemes aimed at avoidance. With that in mind, we do not in general think it is appropriate to provide exemption for sales of a part interest which are made otherwise than at arm's length. If one member of a family needs to raise cash and another member of the family is willing and able to provide it, there are other and more straightforward ways of structuring this than adopting the form of an equity release transaction.
The point was, however, made in consultation that some intra-family part disposals can arise from patterns of behaviour adopted for good family or business reasons: for example, where a child moves in to care for an aged parent and acquires an equitable interest in their shared home as a corollary of that, or where younger members of a family take over the active role in a family partnership, and in doing so acquire an interest from the partners who preceded them. We also accept that any cases where asset owners have already sold a part interest within their family are unlikely, given the law as it stood at the time, to have chosen that approach primarily for tax avoidance purposes.
Bringing together these different considerations, the regulations will extend the existing exemption (described above) to all sales done at arm's length where they involve the whole or a part of the vendor's interest in their asset. They will extend this exemption to any part sale, even if not at arm's length, so long as it was made before today and on arm's length terms. This will also apply to future disposals if they are made for a consideration other than money or readily realisable assets.
Regulations to this effect will be made shortly, in time to take effect from the commencement of the new charge on 6 April. The Inland Revenue will also be publishing its guidance on the interpretation and operation of Schedule 15, it will be announced and made available at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk
Financial Transparency Directives
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.My department today published a consultation document on the implementation of Directive 2000/52/ EC amending the directive on the transparency of financial relations between member states and public undertakings. The objective of the directive as amended is to increase the transparency of funding given by government and other public sector bodies to other bodies operating in the market place and which may be in receipt of state aid. The directive's provisions will improve the Commission's ability to investigate potentially illegal state aid, including allegations of over-compensation for performing a public service obligation or the cross-subsidisation of public funds into other commercial activities.A key objective of the consultation exercise is to gather information on which organisations are likely to be caught by the directive and whether and to what extent there may already be provisions in place that would meet the requirements of the directive, so that we can best judge how to implement it. However, the department's initial conclusion is that legislation may well be necessary to ensure full implementation of the directive. The consultation document therefore also seeks views on draft regulations.
It is estimated that the directive will affect less than 0.5 per cent of UK businesses i.e. approximately 8,000 businesses out of a total of about 1.6 million, since it does not apply to entities with an annual turnover below 40 million, i.e. approximately £27.5 million (as at 02/03/05). According to statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics approximately 99.5 per cent of UK businesses have an annual turnover of less than £25 million.
Copies of the consultation documents will be laid in the Libraries of both Houses and made available on the departmental website at www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/ stateaid
Coronary Heart Disease
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Miss Johnson) made the following Written Ministerial Statement.The Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework (CHD NSF), published in March 2000, set out a blueprint for provision of fairer, faster, high quality services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease, based on 12 national standards.A new CHD NSF chapter, on cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, and the 2005 CHD NSF progress report
Leading the Way were published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Written Statements
Tuesday 8 March 2005
Iraq: C130 Hercules Crash
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Geoff Hoon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.The RAF board of inquiry (BOI) has produced its interim report into the crash of the C130 Hercules in Iraq on 30 January 2005 with the tragic loss of all 10 personnel on board.I should emphasise that the BOI is not yet in a position to establish the cause of the crash. There is a great deal of detailed evidence that has yet to be analysed and a number of lines of enquiry that need further investigation.Based on the evidence currently available, the BOI has ruled out a number of possibilities. These are bird strike, lightning strike, mid-air collision, controlled flight into the ground, wire/obstacle strike, restriction in the aircraft's flying controls, cargo explosion, engine fire, sabotage (including the use of an improvised explosive device) and aircraft fatigue. These interim findings are supported by the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).There remain a number of other possible causes that require further investigation. The BOI is continuing its work, assisted by the AAIB which is also working independently from the BOI to ensure every possible avenue is explored. We will not be commenting or speculating further on the possible causes of the crash until the BOI has concluded.The families of those killed in the crash are being informed personally of the BOI interim findings.
Armed Forces: Kosovo Deployment
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Geoffrey Hoon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.NATO has requested the deployment to Kosovo of the United Kingdom spearhead land element (SLE), which currently provides the ready battalion for the NATO Balkan-wide over-the-horizon operational reserve force. The battalion currently fulfilling the role of SLE is the lst Battalion the Royal Green Jackets.The deployment, which was requested by NATO late in the evening of Friday 4 March, was made in order to demonstrate the alliance's resolve and capability in the run-up to a number of important local anniversaries, including that of violent demonstrations last year on 17 March. The Kosovo Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, has also announced today that he is to resign following his indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. We welcome his decision to go voluntarily to The Hague.Following the request from NATO, troops began to deploy to Kosovo over the weekend. A total of around 500, in all, should deploy by early this week. We anticipate recovering the battalion back to the UK within 30 days, as we did with the UK element of the operational reserve force that was deployed last March, unless there are compelling operational reasons to consider leaving this capability in Kosovo for longer.I shall keep the House updated of any significant developments when they occur.
Finance Act 2004: Pre-Owned Asset Regulations
My right honourable friend the Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.This Statement announces regulations under Section 104 of the Finance Act 1986 to provide relief from double inheritance tax (IHT) charges in situations caught by the pre-owned assets provisions at Schedule 15 to the Finance Act 2004, and is in addition to extended relief from income tax under Schedule 15 which I announced in a Written Statement on 7 March (
Official Report, col. WS 23).
The pre-owned assets legislation in Schedule 15 provides for taxpayers to make an election so that they do not have to pay income tax in respect of a pre-owned asset but instead have the asset treated as part of their estate for IHT purposes. If the taxpayer dies within the next few years after making the election there is a possibility of two IHT charges on the same underlying asset value.
In particular, many taxpayers have used a "double trust" structure; one trust is created to buy the settlor's asset in exchange for an IOU, and this IOU is gifted into a second trust to take it out of the settlor's taxable estate. If the settlor dies within seven years, the estate will be liable to IHT on the IOU; and if they have made an election under Schedule 15 to the Finance Act 2004, their estate will be also liable on the underlying asset. It is clear from responses in consultation that this prospect is preventing some people making an election which they would otherwise find attractive.
The regulations will eliminate this double IHT charge so that people who wish to make an election under Schedule 15 can be assured that only one IHT charge will be due whatever the timing of their death.
The regulations will be announced and made available on the Inland Revenue's website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk.
Commissioners For Revenue And Customs Bill: Taxes And Customs Department
My right honourable friend the Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.In response to one of the recommendations of Gus O'Donnell's review of the revenue departments in 2004, the Government have introduced the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Bill. In line with the review's recommendations, the Bill will create a new integrated taxes and customs department to supersede the existing departments of the Inland Revenue and H M Customs and Excise. This restructuring will aid the efficient and effective management of taxation, and the provision of a more effective service to the public and businesses.Subject to parliamentary approval, the new department will be launched in April 2005. It is important to have an integrated Internet site in place immediately, to provide a single point of contact for online customer information. An integrated internal Intranet site, providing a single point of reference for staff, will be launched at the same time.Urgent work is required in advance of the legislation receiving Royal Assent to allow those sites to be developed, tested and presented as new unified HM Revenue and Customs sites, both to enable the new sites to be launched on time, and avoid later costly duplication of development and testing work.Parliamentary approval for additional resources and cash of £11,750 for this new service has been sought in the Inland Revenue's Spring Supplementary Estimate. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure of £11,750 on work to develop and test the new logo on the IT systems will be met by a repayable cash advance from the contingencies fund.
Legal Deposit Advisory Panel
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I wish to announce the establishment of a new advisory non-departmental public body: the Legal Deposit Advisory Panel.The Legal Deposit Advisory Panel will have a crucial role in the implementation of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003. The key tasks of the advisory panel will be to advise the Secretary of State on the content of regulations for the deposit of particular classes of non-print media, making recommendations for future secondary legislation as appropriate. This will ensure that the substantial archival resources in the legal deposit libraries keep pace with contemporary publishing trends.Following extensive consultation with publishers, legal deposit libraries and other interested parties we have formulated the terms of reference and membership specifications of the panel. We will now be seeking to appoint members to the panel in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments regulations.
Written Statements
Wednesday 9 March 2005
Army Restructuring: Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire And Wiltshire Regiment
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Geoffrey Hoon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:On 16 December 2004 I announced changes to the future structure of the Infantry, including a decision on how we would achieve a reduction by one in the number of battalions in the Prince of Wales's Division. The antecedent components of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (RGBW) were to merge with, in the case of the Gloucestershire element, the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment (which would also transfer to the Light Infantry) and, in the case of the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment element, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.However, following my announcement, there was a widespread perception that the plan to split the RGBW along the lines of its antecedent parts amounted to the disbandment of the RGBW and the abandonment of its own heritage. In view of this, I asked the Executive Committee of the Army Board (ECAB) to review its original recommendation in relation to the future of the RGBW. In the process of this review, ECAB noted that in formulating its original recommendation on the RGBW it had given insufficient weight to the sense of identity that has evolved during the 10 years since the RGBW was created.ECAB concluded that although the substance of the original recommendation—that the RGBW will form the basis of the reduction by one battalion of the Prince of Wales's Division—should not change, more could be done to preserve the identity and heritage of the RGBW itself, and not just of its antecedents. ECAB now recommends that this should be achieved instead through an amalgamation of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment with the RGBW. The resulting new regiment will become 1st Battalion the Light Infantry (reflecting the original decision for the D and D to join the Light Infantry).I have accepted the need for this adjustment to the original recommendation. The details of how the amalgamation will be taken forward will be a matter for the Army to manage and will be worked out by those concerned over the coming months.
Armed Forces And Veterans: Administrative Support
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:I am announcing today that I have asked the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff for Personnel to explore whether there is scope for further service improvement through the greater integration of services delivered by the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency and the Veterans Agency. This is consistent with our overall policy at the Ministry of Defence to continue to improve the administrative support we provide to the Armed Forces and veterans.This study will build on the opportunities offered by the joint personnel administration programme that will go live progressively during 2006. This review will take full account of the Government's intent to maintain a sharp focus on the delivery of services to all veterans. Trade unions, staff and customers including veterans' groups will be consulted before any conclusions are reached. I expect to report on the outcome of the study before the Summer Parliamentary Recess.
British Electricity Trading And Transmission Arrangements: "Go Live" Date
My honourable friend the Minister for Energy and E-Commerce (Mike O'Brien) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I have announced that the "go live" date for the British Electricity Trading and Transmission Arrangements (BETTA) will be 1 April 2005. BETTA will bring together Scotland's transmission networks and the network in England and Wales to create a single GB electricity market.I have also announced our intention to limit the charges renewable generators on the Scottish islands, and potentially in the far north of the Scottish mainland, will have to pay to the National Grid to transmit electricity to customers across Britain. I am doing this under a power taken in the Energy Act 2004. Exercise of this power will ensure that remote location is no bar to renewable development, which can make an important contribution to the Government's target of having 10 per cent renewable energy by 2010. We will be consulting on the details of the scheme in the summer.
Health Delivery Plan And Action Plans
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Miss Johnson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.The Government's Public Health White Paper
Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier, launched in November 2004, set out commonsense steps to prevent unnecessary deaths and help people to make healthier choices.
The delivery plan for choosing health, published today, explains how government will put these plans into practice. It includes 45 "big wins" which the evidence suggests will make the greatest impact on health. It also covers policies and programmes which will be developed and implemented, targets to improve health, partnerships between industry, the voluntary sector and professional groups, and services delivered by local authorities and the NHS.
Delivering Choosing Health is backed up by two action plans: Choosing a Better Diet: a food and health action plan; and Choosing Activity: a physical activity action plan also published today.
Choosing a Better Diet: a food and health action plan, brings together, in one place, all the White Paper commitments relating to food and nutrition as well as further activity across government. This includes action to improve information to enable healthier eating, restrict further the advertising and promotion
of foods to children, increase access to healthier food, simplified food labelling, and improve school food.
Choosing Activity: a physical activity action plan sets out, for the first time, co-ordinated cross-government action on promoting physical activity and sport. It highlights the leadership role of the NHS and the importance of close partnership working across sectors, particularly with local authorities, to bring about positive change in activity levels across the whole population. The plan outlines a national framework to complement and support work at a regional and local level. It details an extensive range of departmental commitments such as action to promote active travel through increased walking and cycling, work to improve the physical environment of communities to encourage more active living, and programmes to increase participation in sport and leisure activities.
Copies have been placed in the Library.
Written Statements
Thursday 10 March 2005
Courts Service: Performance Targets 2005–06
On 1 April 2005, I will launch Her Majesty's Courts Service. The new agency brings together 43 organisations: the Court Service and the 42 magistrates' courts committees.The following table sets out the key performance targets which I have set for her Majesty's Courts Service for 2005–06.
| Relevant PSA | Headline targets criminal courts | Performance required by March 2006 |
| PSA 1(SR 2002 and 2004) | Increasing offences brought to justice: Reducing the proportion of ineffective criminal trials | Not more than 17 per cent in the Crown Court Not more than 23 per cent in magistrates' courts |
| PSA 1 (SR 2002 and 2004) | Ensuring cases are disposed of promptly | 78 per cent of cases start on time in the Crown Court |
| PSA 1 (SR 2002 and 2004) | Average case length for persistent young offenders | Not more than 71 days |
| PSA 1 (SR 2002 and 2004) | Maintain the number of sitting days in the Crown Court | 104,200 sitting days |
| PSA 2 (SR 2002 and 2004) | Improve enforcement of fines and execution of community penalty breach warrants | A Payment rate of 81 per cent or above The different individual area targets for warrant execution are met |
| Relevant PSA | Headline targets Civil and Family Courts | Performance required by March 2006 |
| PSA 3 (SR 2002)PSA 5 (SR 2004) | Hearings and orders | Increase the proportion of contact and ancillary relief orders made by consent to 73.4 per cent Reduce by 5 per cent the proportion of disputed claims in the courts that are ultimately resolved by a hearing |
| PSA 4-PSA 5 (SR 2002 PSA 5 (SR2004) | Claims | Increase by 2 per cent the number of small claims that are heard within the target time |
| PSA 4 (SR 2002) | Increase the level of user satisfaction in key areas | User satisfaction with: knowledge of court staff at public counter 85 per cent knowledge of staff on telephone service 80 percent speed of resolution of complaints 60 per cent helpfulness of written communication 80 per cent |
| Relevant PSA | Headline targets criminal courts | Performance required by March 2006 |
| PSA 4 (SR 2004) | Public Law Children Act Cases (Vulnerable children) | To improve performance in the time taken to complete care cases heard in the courts against the 40 week target (ultimately by 10 percentage points by 2010) |
| PSA 4 (SR 2002) | Adoptions | Complete 70 per cent of cases in County Courts within 20 weeks |
Afghanistan: Counter-Narcotics
The United Kingdom, as lead nation, salutes the determination of President Karzai and his government in implementing the 1384(2005) Counter-narcotics Implementation Plan. The plan is a framework for action to accelerate all our efforts over the coming year and sets out counter-narcotics (CN) activities ahead under eight pillars:
- building institutions
- information campaign
- alternative livelihoods
- interdiction and law enforcement
- criminal justice
- eradication
- demand reduction and treatment of addicts
- regional co-operation.
On creating alternative livelihoods for farmers who currently grow opium poppy
Following the visit of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development to Afghanistan in January 2005, the UK has pledged $125 million of support for alternative livelihoods in 2005–06; our alternative livelihoods commitment has more than doubled annually from 2002–03 to 2005–06. The UK is also leading the way in pressing some of the larger multilateral donors, such as the World Bank, to include counter-narcotics objectives in their programmes. Activities include:
substantial support to activities to bring short term, visible impact in 2005, building on the $5 million already made available for "cash for work";
support to a wide range of agricultural and off-farm income-generating activities in poppy-growing provinces;
increasing access to credit to rural areas, and developing products to address the specific problem of opium debt;
assessing opportunities to promote alternative products to opium poppy, and more favourable terms of trade for those products; and
improving the co-ordination and implementation of development and counter-narcotics programmes in Badakhshan, where the UK has already committed more than $7.5 million.
On law enforcement
The UK has mapped out and is co-ordinating the development of the Counter-narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA), working with other lead nations to establish the counter-narcotics capacity of all Afghan law enforcement institutions. As part of the CNPA development plan, the UK is establishing a further nine mobile detection teams (over 100 officers) in the next 18 months, capable of interdicting drug traffickers in Kabul and the provinces. We are also providing mentoring for intelligence and investigation units. We are looking to international donors to contribute to the CNPA development plan. We also welcome the recent results of the Afghan Special Narcotics Force (ASNF), for which the UK has provided advice and funding. The force has seized over 75 tonnes of opiates, destroyed 80 drugs labs and disrupted two drugs bazaars during the past year.
On developing the criminal justice system
The UK. working with the UN, has set up and completed the first phase of training and mentoring of the Counter-narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force of investigators, prosecutors and judges. The task force will be 80 strong by mid-2005. We have also funded UNODC (nearly $2 million) to establish a secure court and prison facility for counter-narcotics.
On eradication of the opium crop
This will be carried out in 2005 by the US-supported Central Poppy Eradication Force (CPEF) and by governors and police chiefs at local level. The UK is working closely in both these areas and has established a planning and monitoring cell to ensure that eradication by CPEF is targeted in a way which takes account of alternative livelihoods. We are also helping CPEF with salaries and equipment and are the major donor for verification and assessment of the eradication campaign to ensure it is carried out: over $1 million to establish 30 ground-based verification teams (240 people) and satellite imagery. The first 15 verification teams should produce preliminary results by March.
On building the institutions necessary to support long-term Afghan commitment
The UK is helping to build central and provincial capacity in a number of key government institutions, including the new Counter-narcotics (CN) Ministry under Minister Qaderi, the counter-narcotics function within the Ministry of the Interior, the Rural Reconstruction Ministry, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Civil Service Commission and the Cabinet Secretariat.
On lobbying
My right honourable friends the Foreign Secretary and the development Secretary have now launched a substantial lobbying campaign to encourage international partners, including the G8, the EU, the US, neighbouring countries of Afghanistan and other Berlin conference participants, to support the plan and help establish the new Counter-narcotics Trust Fund. The aim of this fund will be to pull together donor support for the Afghan Government's counter-narcotics priorities. The April 2005 Afghan Development Forum will be an important opportunity for the Afghan Government to seek additional support for alternative livelihoods.
The UK is also working with Afghan and international partners:
to raise public awareness of the risks to Afghanistan of the drugs trade and the dangers to health from addiction associated with growing opium poppy through proactive and comprehensive information campaigns and drug treatment activities; and
to increase regional co-operation to tackle the drugs trade across borders through implementation of the April 2004 Berlin Declaration on Counter-narcotics within the framework of the Kabul Good Neighbourly Relations Declaration of December 2002. In 2004–05, the UK provided around $2.5 million of assistance to increase counter-narcotics capacity on Afghanistan's borders with Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan, the three main routes for opiates being smuggled out of Afghanistan. Further such assistance is planned for financial year 2005–06.
My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary (Mr Jack Straw) visited Kabul on 16 February, the day President Karzai launched the 2005 CN implementation plan. They agreed on the crucial importance of working together in support of the plan to mobilise international assistance so that narcotics do not destroy Afghanistan's potential for stability, reconstruction and a thriving licit economy. The 2005 plan therefore represents an important opportunity. We share the resolve of the Afghan Government to achieve the sustainable elimination of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan in 2005 and beyond.
Copies of the plan are being placed in the Library of the House.
Ministry Of Defence Estate
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:PriDE, a joint venture between Interserve (Defence) Ltd and Southern Electric Contracting (SEC) has been awarded the regional prime contract covering the Ministry of Defence's estate in the south-east. This follows the successful conclusion of discussions with the consortium, which was appointed as preferred bidder in August 2004.The seven-year contract, worth in the region of £400 million, is the third in a series of five such regional arrangements to cover the estate and provide for capital works, property maintenance and facilities management services throughout the south-east of England.The MOD has undertaken to make significant improvements in the overall condition of its estate by changing its organisational structures and introducing prime contracting methods. Encouraging innovation and efficiency, regional prime contracting is a key initiative that aims to provide a better quality of service and greater value for money through suitably incentivised contracts conforming to the principles of smart acquisition.
Iraq: Interrogation Techniques
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Geoffrey Hoon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.Since May 2004 Ministers have made Statements in both Houses of Parliament and in Written Answers to the effect that the use of hooding in Iraq by the British Armed Forces ceased at the end of September 2003. These Answers referred to conventional forces and remain true with respect to them. It has been drawn to Ministers' attention, however, that UK Special Forces from time to time used hooding as a temporary measure for the safe arrest and transit of detained persons until May 2004. For the sake of completeness the parliamentary record should be corrected to reflect this.Most of the criticism about the use of hooding has related to the obscuring of vision during interrogation. This practice is contrary to the instructions given by the then Prime Minister in 1972 and was ceased by UK military interrogators thereafter. UK military interrogators are made fully aware of this as part of their training and there have been no reported incidents where UK military interrogators have interrogated individuals while they have been hooded.Our legal advice remains that the practice of temporarily obscuring the vision of a detained person, for the purposes of initial detention and transit, by the use of a hood is not contrary to the law. In Iraq, the initial circumstances on the ground were such that it was judged by certain military commanders that its use was appropriate given the numbers of detainees and in some cases the need to obscure the identities of particular detainees for their own protection.I can, however, confirm that no UK forces are currently authorised to use hooding in any circumstances.
Ministry Of Defence: Aircraft Support Logistics
My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.On 1 November 2004, I informed the House that there would be a series of announcements relating to the Defence Logistics Transformation Programme. On 25 November 2004, following a period of trades union consultation, I announced the implementation of changes arising from the recommendations of the end-to-end review of the logistics process for military aircraft support. I indicated that, in addition to changes arising from air depth support, the application of end-to-end logistic principles would result in a reduction of around 1,500 RAF uniformed personnel and some reductions in MOD civilian posts at some RAF stations.As part of this continuing process, I am announcing today how the overall reductions in both RAF uniformed personnel and MOD civilians as a result of the application of the end-to-end logistic principles are expected to affect individual RAF stations. The civilian reductions will be subject to TU consultation. These efficiency reductions, together with the increase to the defence budget, will ensure that the department can modernise its Armed Forces to meet tomorrow's challenges.Further work to identify efficiencies has now estimated that the reduction in the number of RAF uniformed personnel posts will be in the region of 2,000. With regard to MOD civilian posts, I anticipate that a net additional 70 posts will no longer be required. These changes will form part of the service and civilian manpower reductions of 7,500 and 10,000 respectively that were announced on 21 July last year.The effect on individual stations of these efficiencies are detailed in the table below. I expect the changes to be implemented by April 2008.
Service
| Civilian
| |||||
RAF Station
| Changes relating to aircraft depth Support 1
| Other changes
| Total
| Changes relating to aircraft depth support 1
| Other changes
| Total
|
| Brize Norton | 180 | 120 | 300 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cottesmore/Wittering | 0 | 325 | 325 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kinloss | 35 | 145 | 180 | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| Leeming | 0 | 215 | 215 | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| Leuchars | 0 | 160 | 160 | 0 | +10 | +10 |
| Lossiemouth | 340 | 360 | 700 | 50 | +15 | 35 |
| Lyneham | 130 | 100 | 230 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marham | + 340 | 370 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| St Mawgan | 90 | 85 | 175 | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| Waddington | 0 | 125 | 125 | 0 | 25 | 25 |
| Total | 435 | 2,005 | 2,440 | 90 | 70 | 160 |
Note:
All figures are reductions unless otherwise indicated. All numbers are rounded.
1 Announced subject to Trades Union consultation 16 September 2004. Confirmed 25 November 2004.
Inquiries Bill
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor has today published the Government's response to the Public Administration Select Committee's first report of Session 2004–05 on Government by Inquiry which was published on 3 February 2005. The Government's response includes comments on each of the 22 recommendations of the committee.The Government welcome the committee's report on the use and effectiveness of independent inquiries into matters of public concern. The committee's response is of immediate relevance to the current parliamentary debate on the Inquiries Bill, which has now entered the House of Commons having completed its passage through the House of Lords.The Inquiries Bill is designed to provide a comprehensive statutory framework for inquiries set up by Ministers into events that have caused, or have the potential to cause, public concern.The Government believe that government amendments brought forward in the House of Lords address many of the issues raised in the committee's report. However, the Government are keen that the recommendations in the report, and our response published today, should both help to inform the debates on the Inquiries Bill as it continues its passage through Parliament.I have placed copies of the response in the Libraries of the House and it has also been published on the Department for Constitutional Affairs website at
www.dca.gov.uk.
Television Licence Fees
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.On 18 November last year (
Official Report, House of Commons, col. 99WS), the Government announced that, from 1 April 2005, the fee for a colour television licence would rise to £126.50 and the black and white licence fee to £42.00. I am today laying before the House the regulations necessary to bring these new fees into force.
The new regulations also increase the fee for a duplicate licence, to replace one that has been lost or destroyed, from £3.25 to £4.50.
Oil And Gas: Licensing
My honourable friend the Minister for Energy and e-commerce (Mike O'Brien) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to inform the House that I am today inviting applications for petroleum licences for unlicensed seaward blocks which will form the 23rd round of offshore petroleum licensing. These blocks are located in the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) areas 1–5 (a map of the SEA areas can be found on the website indicated below).
Strategic Environmental Assessment ( SEA )—Post Adoption Procedures
The DTI's draft plan to offer licences for offshore oil and gas exploration and production through a 23rd licensing round was the subject of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) initiated in 2003. The SEA is documented on a dedicated website (www.offshore-sea.org.uk) I and includes commissioned reports on various components of the natural environment, cultural features and socio-economic considerations. In addition, as part of the SEA new information was collected, for example, on selected seabed features through sea-floor mapping, sampling and photography, and on the offshore behaviour of seals by means of satellite tagging. The draft plan for the 23rd licensing round included offering blocks within the area
to the east of Scotland, and also in those areas that had been subject to earlier DTI SEAs (SEAs 1, 2, 3, and 4) which covered the remaining parts of the UK North Sea exclusive economic zone and the UK EEZ to the north and west of Orkney and Shetland.
The potential implications of the exploration and production activities which could follow if the draft plan was adopted were considered at an expert assessment workshop and a stakeholder workshop. The results of these workshops were assessed further and documented in an environmental report which then formed the basis for consultation with the consultation bodies and the public. The initiation of a three month consultation period on the DTI's draft plan and environmental report was advertised in a number of local and national newspapers and by e-mail notification to a wide range of individuals and organisations.
All responses received from statutory and other consultees on the draft plan and the environmental report have been considered by the DTI and a post-consultation report for SEA 5 has been prepared and placed on the SEA website. This summarises consultee comments and DTI responses to them. The full texts of consultee comments have also been placed on the SEA website.
In deciding to proceed with a 23rd offshore licensing round the DTI has considered the conclusions and recommendations of the SEA 5 environmental report together with feedback received from consultees. As a result of the SEA process, a number of blocks are being withheld from licensing for the present on environmental grounds. These blocks are:
15/20c, 15/25d, 34/6, 34/7, 34/8, 34/12, 34/13, 34/17, 34/18, 40/15, 41/29, 41/30, 47/11, 47/27, 47/28, 47/29, 47/30, 48/26, 51/3, 51/4, 51/5, 52/1, 52/28.
Licensing of these blocks may be revisited in the future; for example, as more information on the features of interest becomes available. In addition, a number of blocks may be licensed but with conditions attached restricting or prohibiting marine activities. It should be noted that the Offshore Petroleum Production and Pipe-lines (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1999 and the Offshore Petroleum Activities (Conservation of Habitats) Regulations 2001 variously require that all major activities undertaken in connection with UK offshore hydrocarbon exploration and production include environmental assessment as part of consenting.
In addition, 34 blocks will not be offered for licensing in these SEA areas at the request of the Ministry of Defence
The DTI has established an offshore oil and gas environmental monitoring committee which is charged with co-ordinating the monitoring of significant environmental effects of the industry, including those that could arise from the implementation of the plan to hold a 23rd round of offshore licensing. The results of this monitoring will be made publicly available, including through the SEA website.
In addition to the website above, a copy of the SEA report can be reviewed free of charge at:
Department of Trade and Industry
1 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0ET
Arrangements to view the report can be made by telephoning 020 7215 5032.
Eu: Corporate Governance
My right honourable friend the Minister for Industry and the Regions (Jacqui Smith) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I have today placed in the Libraries of the House copies of a consultation document entitled
European Company Law and Corporate Governance—Directive Proposals on Company Reporting, Capital Maintenance and Transfer of the Registered Office of a Company. This document is available on the DTI website at www.dti.gov.uk/c1d/current.htm. The consultation period ends on 3 June 2005.
The consultation covers three proposals which form part of the European Commission's Action Plan on Company Law and Corporate Governance published in May 2003. The Commission has formally published two of the proposals. These are a directive amending the fourth and seventh accounting directives and a directive amending the second Company Law Directive on Capital Maintenance. The Commission is expected to publish the third proposal shortly, a directive on the cross-border transfer of the registered office of a company.
By covering all three proposals in one single consultation we hope to give stakeholders the opportunity not only to consider all proposals at the same time but also to understand how they relate to the overall framework of modernising company law and corporate governance in the EU.
Amendments to the Fourth and Seventh Accounting Directives
This proposal seeks to enhance confidence in financial statements and annual accounts published by European companies. It would introduce an annual corporate governance statement for publicly traded companies, tighten up accounting disclosure requirements and clarify the collective responsibility of directors towards the company for the annual report and accounts. The Government support the broad principles behind the directive and believe that light touch common standards for disclosure should contribute to EU market confidence, encourage cross-border investment and facilitate cross-border access to capital. They are of the view that the requirements of the directive are broadly consistent with existing UK law and practice.
The consultation seeks views on the extent to which the proposed disclosure requirements will place additional burdens on companies and whether they will be of value to users of company accounts. It also asks for views on the nature of the information the Commission is proposing to be contained in the corporate governance statement.
Amendments to the Second Company Law Directive ( Capital Maintenance)
This proposal seeks to simplify the second Company Law Directive so that it is easier for public limited liability companies to take measures affecting the size, structure and ownership of their capital. It contains provisions to simplify procedures for valuation of non-cash consideration for allocation of shares, acquisition of own shares, financial assistance and waiving of pre-emption rights. It also aims to enhance standardised creditor protection for reductions of capital and introduces "squeeze-out" and "sell-out" rights of majority and minority shareholders respectively. The Government support the objective of streamlining measures to reduce burdens for business behind this proposal but have reservations about the real deregulatory benefits it will bring in practice.
The consultation seeks views on a number of issues to determine whether the changes in the proposal will have a significant beneficial impact for companies wanting to change their capital structures. It raises a number of areas where the proposals could lead to uncertainty on whether and how certain provisions will apply. It also seeks views on the proposed introduction of "squeeze-out" and "sell-out" rights in situations other than takeovers.
Additionally, later this year the Commission intends to start a study to look at more radical reform of the capital maintenance regime and the Government invite views on the overall merits of reform of this nature.
Proposal far a Directive on the Cross-Border Transfer of Registered Office
This proposal will establish a legal framework for companies registered in the EU to transfer their registered office from one member state to another without having to be wound up. In Great Britain both public and private companies registered under the Companies Act 1985 would be able to utilise the proposed transfer structure. The Government support the measure as one which should extend the opportunities for corporate restructuring across the EU.
This consultation is based on the proposals contained in the Commission's e-consultation carried out in spring 2004. It explores whether the overall proposal will be useful to UK companies and seeks views on the details of the procedures to be followed.
Prescription Charges
My honourable friend the Minister of State (Ms Rosie Winterton) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
We shall lay before the House regulations to increase National Health Service charges in England from 1 April 2005. There will be a cash increase in the prescription charge of 10 pence from £6.40 to £6.50 for each quantity of a drug or appliance dispensed.
The cost of prescription prepayment certificates will rise from £33.40 to £33.90 for a four-month certificate and from £91.80 to £93.20 for an annual certificate. These offer savings for those needing more than five items in four months or 14 in one year.
Some 86 per cent of prescription items are dispensed in the community free of charge with another five per cent of items dispensed to holders of prepayment certificates at no additional charge at the point of dispensing.
Around 50 per cent of the population are entitled to free prescriptions including:
Men and women aged 60 and over
Children under 16
Young people aged 16, 17 and 18 who are in full-time education
Pregnant women and women who have had a child in the previous 12 months and who hold a valid exemption certificate
People who hold a valid exemption certificate for a war disablement but only in respect of medication for the disablement
People suffering from certain medical conditions and who hold a valid exemption certificate
People or their partners who get:
Income support
Pension credit guarantee credit
Income-based jobseeker's allowance
Tax credit where income is £15,050 per year or less and meets qualifying conditions.
People on low incomes who qualify under the NHS low income scheme
Prescription charges are expected to raise some £452 million for the NHS in 2005–06.
Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and fabric supports supplied through the hospital service will be increased similarly.
The maximum patient charge for a single course of dental treatment begun on or after 1 April 2005 will increase from £378 to £384. Only around two in every 1,000 dental courses of treatment incur the maximum charge.
The prescription charge increase is the same as in the previous six years and is well below the current level of inflation. The other increases are in line with this percentage increase.
In order to continue to provide help with the cost of spectacles or contact lenses to children, people on low incomes and individuals with complex sight problems, optical voucher values will rise by 2.5 per cent.
NHS charges and optical voucher values in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administrations.
Details of the revised prescription, maximum dental charge and optical voucher values have been placed in the Library.
Nhs: Long-Term Conditions
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Community (Dr Ladyman) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.In February 2001, my right honourable friend the then Secretary of State for Health (Mr Alan Milburn) announced that the department would be developing a new national service framework (NSF) with a particular focus on the needs of people with neurological conditions. I am pleased to announce that the long-term conditions NSF is today being published. It is an integral part of this Government's overall strategy to improve services for people with long-term conditions.This NSF covers the full range of issues for people with neurological conditions across health and social care. It has been developed through active consultation with key stakeholders, including people who use services and their carers, and the direct participation of experts and practitioners from the field.Although the NSF focuses on people with neurological conditions, much of the guidance it offers can apply to anyone living with a non-neurological long-term condition. Commissioners will therefore be encouraged to use the NSF in planning service developments for people with other long-term conditions.The long-term conditions NSF is an evidence-based, 10-year strategy, which advocates a cultural shift in the provision of care, with services being designed and delivered around the needs of people and their families. It highlights the need for high-quality services that offer choice and are prompt, convenient and responsive and that look at the "whole person", rather than at a presenting illness or problem.The broad remit of the NSF is covered in 11 quality requirements, which are:
- A person-centred service
- Early recognition, prompt diagnosis and treatment
- Emergency and acute management
- Early and specialist rehabilitation
- Community rehabilitation and support
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Providing equipment and accommodation
- Providing personal care and support
- Palliative care
- Supporting family and carers
- Caring for people with neurological conditions in hospital or other health and social care settings
The long-term conditions NSF has been developed in line with this government's wider public sector reforms, to devolve power and responsibility to local agencies. While the NSF sets out the levels of service quality which we expect to be available by 2015, the pace of change is to be left to local National Health Service and social care discretion to determine, and will be balanced against other priorities. The costs of implementing the NSF will be met from the additional resources announced in the 2004 spending review for the NHS and adult personal social services.
Copies of the NSF for long-term conditions have been placed in the Library.
Written Statement
Thursday 10 March 2005
Income Tax (Trading And Other Income) Bill
Section 19 of the Human Rights Act 1998 requires the Minister in charge of a Bill in either House of Parliament to make a statement, before Second Reading, about the compatibility of the provisions of the Bill with the convention rights (as defined in Section 1 of that Act).I am the Minister in charge of the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Bill in the House of Lords.On 9 March 2005 I made the following statement under Section 19(1)(a) of the Human Rights Act 1998."In my view the provisions of the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Bill are compatible with the convention rights".
Written Statements
Monday 14 March 2005
St Helena
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr Gareth Thomas) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.On 19 April 2004 (
Official Report, Commons, col. 1 WS) I announced in a Written Statement that the Government would be undertaking feasibility and other investigatory work to determine how best to ensure access for St Helena when St Helena's passenger and supply ship, the RMS "St Helena", is withdrawn from scheduled service in or around 2010.
That work is now completed. We have looked not only at issues relating directly to access, but also at the potential of various access options to encourage the development of a vibrant island economy. This reflects our aim, shared with St Helena, to achieve economic growth for the island.
We have decided that, subject to satisfactory contract bids and a rigorous environmental impact assessment, we will establish air access for St Helena. This will entail providing an airport, with a 2,250 metre runway, near the eastern coast at Prosperous Bay Plain. It will be capable of supporting the safe operation of long-haul jet aircraft, such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737–800. We will also provide advice to help establish regular air services; and we will support the St Helena Government in taking advantage of the economic benefits that the new investment should bring to the island. All private sector investment interest will be considered on an equal footing.
For their part, among other supporting work, the St Helena Government will review local legislation on inward investment, immigration and taxation. Our shared aim with St Helena will be the creation of a policy environment, against a transformed background of good access, that will encourage sustainable economic development and progress for St Helena and its community.
Iraq: Uk Service Personnel Prosecutions
In June 2004 I advised of my superintendence over the Army Prosecuting Authority and undertook to inform the House of criminal proceedings against soldiers arising out of incidents in Iraq. I also superintend the RAF and Naval Prosecuting Authorities and am accountable to Parliament for any prosecutions decisions.
It is therefore appropriate that I advise the House that senior aircraftman James Alexander Bowskill of 2 Squadron RAF Regiment, based at Royal Air Force Station Honington, has been charged with an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
The charge reads that Bowskill drove a vehicle dangerously on a road, causing the deaths of five Iraqi civilians. The incident occurred in the vicinity of Basra, Iraq, on 3 February 2004. The court martial will take place on 4 April 2005 at the Military Court Centre in Colchester.
Fundraising: Voluntary Sector Self-Regulation
We are today publishing proposals for consultation on the principles on which the Government will base their assessment of the success of the self-regulation of voluntary sector fundraising.Self-regulation of fundraising was a recommendation of the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit review of the charitable and wider not-for-profit sector,
Private Action, Public Benefit. The Government accepted the Strategy Unit's recommendation for self-regulation of fundraising, and have made provision in the Charities Bill for statutory regulation should self-regulation fail.
The draft Charities Bill was subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament. The report of the Joint Committee on the draft Charities Bill endorsed the self-regulation of fundraising initiative and recommended that the Government publish for consultation the criteria in accordance with which my right honourable friend the Home Secretary will judge whether self-regulation is working effectively.
Proposals for a "regulation of fundraising scheme" have recently been published by the Institute of Fundraising. The main aim of the scheme is to maintain and build on the high levels of public trust and confidence in the voluntary sector's fundraising activities. The scheme will help the sector guard against future threats to the high levels of public confidence, and to provide the sector with a platform to defend itself against criticism.
The principles in accordance with which the Government propose that the success of the "regulation of fundraising scheme" should be assessed include: measures of participation, comprising of the number of participating organisations, the proportion of fundraised income covered by scheme membership, and the range of organisations in the scheme's membership; and other measures such as the effectiveness of complaints handling, public awareness of the scheme, the promotion of best practice, the scheme's independence, effective sanctions for non-compliance, the impact of the scheme on non-members and effective liaison with other regulators.
In the scheme's initial years the focus would be on measuring the take-up of the scheme within the sector as it develops its membership. It is envisaged that a formal assessment of the success of self-regulation would take place as part of the review of the impact of the Charities Bill which is due to take place within five years of enactment, and would report to Parliament.
We are very grateful to all those who have contributed to the development of the proposals for the self-regulation of fundraising. I would particularly like to thank the Institute of Fundraising for taking the lead in developing the scheme, Rodney Buse for considering and consulting on an appropriate model for self-regulation to adopt, and the members of the steering committee for their work in taking the proposals forward.
Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Library and will also be available on the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/comrace/ active/charitylaw/index.html.
Details of the proposed self-regulation scheme are available on the Institute of Fundraising website at www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk.
Comments are requested by 3 June 2005 and a further Statement will be made in due course.
Homelessness
I am pleased to announce that the Government's new homelessness strategy Sustainable Communities: Settled Homes; Changing Lives has been launched.
Settled Homes; Changing Lives follows on from our five-year plans, Homes for All and People, Places and Prosperity. It builds on our achievements to date in tackling the worst forms of homelessness. This has resulted in meeting challenging targets to significantly reduce rough sleeping since 1998 and put an end to the scandal of homeless families having to raise their children for long periods in cramped bed-and-breakfast hotels. It also sets out our plans for reducing homelessness further and halving the use of temporary accommodation by 2010.
I have placed copies of our strategy for tackling homelessness in both House Libraries. The Government response to the ODPM Select Committee report on homelessness will be laid before Parliament today. Both documents are also available on the ODPM's website at www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/ odpm_ control/documents/contentservertemplate/ odpm_index.hcst?n = 865&1 = 2.
Asylum And Immigration: Statutory Instruments
On 7 March the Lord Chancellor made the following statutory instrument:The Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 (Commencement No. 5 and Transitional Provisions) Order.
The order, is made in accordance with Section 48(3)(a), (4), (5) and (6) of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004, hereafter referred to as the 2004 Act. This order commences Section 26 (unification of appeal system) of, and Schedules 1 and 2 to the 2004 Act on 4 April 2005. This order also contains transitional provisions in relation to pending appeals which were made to an adjudicator before 4 April 2005, and in relation to farther appeals and applications in such cases. Copies of the order have been made available to Members and Peers in the votes and printed pages office.
On 10 March, the Lord Chancellor also laid before Parliament the following statutory instruments.
The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Fast Track Procedure) Rules 2005, and the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Fast Track Time Limits) Order 2005.
The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Fast Track Procedure) Rules 2005 are made in accordance with Sections 106(1)–(3) and 112(3) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and Section 40A(3) of the British Nationality Act 1981, after consulting with the Council on Tribunals in accordance with Section 8 of the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992. These rules prescribe a "fast-track" procedure for appeals and applications to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, where the appellant is in detention under the Immigration Acts at the locations listed in Schedule 2 to the rules. The rules come into force on 4 April 2005.
The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Fast Track Time Limits) Order 2005 is made in accordance with Sections 26(8) and (9) of the 2004 Act, after consulting with the Lord Chief Justice in accordance with Section 26(10) of the 2004 Act. This order shortens the time limits for review applications made by parties to "fast-track" appeals to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. These are referred to as Section 103A applications.
For a transitional period, Section 103A applications will initially be considered by a member of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. If the tribunal member does not make an order for reconsideration or grant permission for the application to be made out of time, the applicant may notify the appropriate court, under Paragraph 30(5)(a) of Schedule 2 to the 2004 Act, that he wishes the court to consider the application.
This order reduces to two days the time limits for making the Section 103A application and for giving notice under Paragraph 30(5)(a), in cases where the fast-track procedure rules apply, so long as the appellant remains in detention when the application is made or notification is given. It comes into force on 4 April 2005.
Genetics And Insurance
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
We are publishing today a new concordat and moratorium on genetics and insurance, which has been agreed between the Government and the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Copies have been placed in the Library. An electronic version has been placed on the Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk/ publications.
The new framework, which comes into force today, provides that the use of genetic information by insurance companies will be transparent, fair, and subject to independent oversight. It will help to reassure patients who may be deterred from taking predictive genetic tests for fear of the insurance consequences, and is flexible enough to respond to fast-moving technological and clinical developments in genetic testing.
The concordat balances the interest of patients and insurers. Those seeking insurance should not withhold information relevant to underwriting, and insurers should not treat people who have an adverse predictive genetic test result less favourably than others, except as provided for in the concordat.
The moratorium on the use by insurers of predictive genetic test results is extended for an extra five years until 1 November 2011. No one will be required to disclose the results of a predictive genetic test unless it has been approved by the Genetics and Insurance Committee (GAIC) and is for insurance of more than £500,000 for life insurance or £300,000 for other health insurance. This means that for the vast majority of insurance policies genetic tests results will not be used at all.
The concordat clarifies the broad types of insurance for which predictive genetic test results may be relevant. They are life, critical illness, and income protection insurance policies. Insurers will not use the results from predictive genetic tests for travel insurance, private medical insurance, or any other one-off or annual policy, or for long-term-care insurance.
The concordat also clarifies the circumstances when patients need not disclose genetic information, and how information will be handled by insurers. For example, genetic tests taken as part of a research study will not need to be disclosed to insurers. This is good news for United Kingdom clinical researchers, as it specifically rules out the use by insurers of the results of genetic tests taken during participation in clinical trials, removing a potential obstacle to patient recruitment in the development of diagnostic tests, treatments, and medicines.
These commitments are backed up by independent oversight of the use of predictive genetic tests by GAIC together with the ABI's code of practice and an impartial complaint and arbitration process.
The Government would like to thank the Human Genetics Commission, GAIC, patient groups including Breakthrough Breast Cancer, CancerBACUP and the Alzheimer's Society, and other research groups and individuals who have provided valuable contributions that have helped shape this new concordat and moratorium on genetics and insurance.
The new framework means that insurance will continue to be available for people who take predictive genetic tests. They will need to disclose only the adverse results of predictive genetic tests for a limited range of unusually high-value insurance polices—and then only if the predictive genetic test has been approved by the GAIC. It is the Government's view that this approach is good news for individuals and insurance companies as it will ensure that the rights, safety and well-being of those taking predictive genetic tests are protected whilst also ensuring a viable and fair insurance market.
Written Statements
Tuesday 15 March 2005
Northern Ireland: Department Of Health, Social Services And Public Safety
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.As a consequence of additional allocations made to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety since Parliament's approval of Estimates in July 2004, the department has an additional cash requirement in respect of Health and Social Services boards and trusts.Parliamentary approval for additional cash to finance these services is currently being sought in a supplementary estimate for DHSSPS. Pending that approval, urgent cash needs, estimated at £143 million, will be met by repayable advances from the NI consolidated fund.
Land Registry: Key Performance Indicators And Targets 2005–06
The following list sets out the key performance targets* I have set for Her Majesty's Land Registry for 2005–06.CUSTOMER SERVICE
Speed:
Percentage of official copy and search applications processed within two working days: 98 per cent
Percentage of all registrations processed within 18 working days: 80 per cent
Accuracy:
Percentage of registrations processed free of any error: 98.5 per cent Overall Satisfaction:
Percentage of customers who, overall, are very satisfied/satisfied with the full range of services provided by Land Registry: Better than 95 per cent
FINANCIAL:
Percentage return on average capital employed: 3.5 per cent
Efficiency:
Cost per unit in cash terms2 (real terms3 ): £30.011 (£21.75).
1 This is a milestone towards the HM Treasury agreed cost per unit target for 2006–07 of £28.81 in cash terms (£20.27 in real terms).
2 Based on the GDP deflator issued by HM Treasury on 23 December 2004 (base year 1992–93).
3 The real term unit cost in the base year of 1992–93 was £30.65.
CRITICAL ACTION POINTS
Customer service:
Make scanned deeds referred to on the register available electronically via land register online;
Land registration:
Register for the first time an additional 5 per cent of the area of freehold land in England and Wales;
Electronic service delivery:
Provide a further data centre for business continuity purposes; and
Other business development:
Complete electronic document authentication prototyping.
* More information on these and other key targets is published in the strategic and business plans
National Enforcement Service
I am pleased to announce today plans for the introduction of a National Enforcement Service to take forward my commitment to ensuring the fullest possible compliance with court orders. For too long enforcement of court orders has been patchy and flawed. We have made real improvements in enforcement. The payment rate of fines now at 80 per cent compared to just over 50 per cent two years ago. But there is more to be done. The time has come for the next stage of reformMy proposals involve the introduction of a robust national framework to deliver a single consistent enforcement process for the whole of England and Wales, and to deal robustly with offenders who fail to attend court, default on fine payments and breach community penalty orders. The launch of the new unified Her Majesty's Court Service next month will allow us to put in place a cross-criminal justice system enforcement team that is more distinct, professional and better skilled. The specific remit of the National Enforcement Service will be to bear down on the hard core of offenders who consistently attempt to flout their obligations to the courts. This does not mean a new agency or department, but a better, more collaborative approach to tackling enforcement, which builds on the lessons learned from national initiatives including the recent "Operation Payback". Enforcement staff in the magistrates' courts together with the police, the National Probation Service and other criminal justice agencies will form the core of the service.
Improving sentence compliance is key to building public confidence in the criminal justice system and the National Enforcement Service will do just that. The National Enforcement Service framework will be tested first across a region from April 2006 with the aim of full national rollout in 2007–08.
Veterans Agency: Performance Targets 2005–06
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am announcing today that the key targets that have been set for the chief executive of the Veterans Agency (VA) for the financial year 2005–06 are as follows:
Service
Key target 1: To issue decisions on claims to war pensions in an average of no more than 59 working days. This is an improvement of four working days on the agency's 2004–05 target; and it represents a cumulative improvement of 41 per cent against the agency's 2000–01 baseline level of 100 working days.
Key target 2: To issue decisions on war widows claims in an average of no more than 23 working days. This is an improvement of two working days on the agency's 2004–05 target; and it represents a cumulative improvement of 36 per cent against the agency's 2000–01 baseline level of 36 working days.
Key target 3: To achieve an externally-validated war pensions scheme claims accuracy rate of at least 97 per cent.
Key target 4: To achieve an externally-validated AFCS claims accuracy rate of at least 97 per cent.
Key target 5: To achieve an externally-validated medical adjudication accuracy rate of at least 97 per cent.
Working in Partnership
Key target 6: To work with the Department for Constitutional Affairs Court Service to reduce the average time it takes an appeal to pass through the war pensions appeals process. By 31 March 2006 the average time should reduce to no more than 225 working days. This is an improvement of 15 working days on the agency's 2004–05 target; and it represents a cumulative improvement of 60 per cent against its 2000–01 baseline level of 565 working days.
Iran: Body Armour
In March 2005, after consultation with the Ministry of Defence and the export control organisations, the DTI, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office donated armoured vests and body armour plates to the Iranian Anti-Narcotics Police (ANP). This gift was to provide an element of protection for the ANP in their work of countering drugs smuggling from Afghanistan. We are satisfied that these goods would be used only for anti-narcotics operations and are therefore prepared to make an exception to the UK national embargo announced in 1993, as amended in 1998.We are fully committed to implementing the UK embargo on Iran. However, we are, in limited circumstances, prepared to make exceptions where denying an export or a gift would be contrary to the intention of the embargo. As the UK has been active in encouraging and assisting Iran with combating the smuggling of drugs from Afghanistan, I am confident that granting this exception is fully consistent with this responsible approach of supporting the ANP while respecting the aims of the embargo.A departmental minute announcing the intention to make the gift was laid before Parliament on 22 February.All export licences, F680s and Crown immunity gifts are considered on a case by case basis judged against the consolidated and national arms export licensing criteria.
Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2005
My right honourable friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr Paul Boateng) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.Following the announcement that the Budget will take place on 16 March, HM Treasury plans to publish the public expenditure statistical analyses 2005 on Thursday 7 April 2005.
Patient And Public Involvement In Health: Support Arrangements
My honourable friend the Minister of State (Ms Rosie Winterton) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement today.The Government have today published their response to the recent consultation exercise on the future support arrangements for patient and public involvement in health.The main features of the response includecombining patients' forums in primary care trust areas into single forums but not reducing the number of forum members;requiring forums to have chairs who will be appointed by the NHS Appointments Commission. These appointments will be made with the full involvement of forum members; and
the development of a national resource centre in patient and public involvement that will assist both the NHS and patients' forums in their respective responsibilities in relation to patient and public involvement.
Copies have been placed in the Library.
Copies of the consultation findings as well as the Government's response are also available on the department's website.
Written Statements
Wednesday 16 March 2005
Northern Ireland: Magilligan Prison
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.The Government have received a report from the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, Kit Chivers. The report is on an announced inspection of Magilligan Prison and has today been published.The Government warmly welcome this report, which recognises not only areas of good practice but, helpfully, identifies a number of areas for improvement. I shall be considering very carefully the report's recommendations. I have no doubt that the report will be of value in informing and reassuring the public, and is helpful to the managers and staff who are involved in this challenging area of work.
Debt And Reserves Management Report 2005–06
My honourable friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr Stephen Timms) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.The
Debt and Reserves Management Report 2005–06 is being published today. Copies will be available in the Library of the House at the conclusion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget Statement.
Invest To Save Budget
My right honourable friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr Paul Boateng) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to announce that 37 bids from across the public and voluntary sectors have been successful in round 7 of the Invest to Save Budget at a cost of £37 million in total over the three years to 2007–08 for England. The allocated sum rises to £43 million to include consequential funding for the devolved administrations. Details of the winners of this round have been placed in the Library of the House.The Invest to Save Budget (ISB) provides support for projects that increase the extent of joint working between different parts of government; identify innovative ways of delivering public services; and reduce the cost of delivering the services and/or improve the quality and effectiveness of services delivered to the public.
This, the seventh round of the ISB, concentrates on the priority areas of:
Health and social care for older people;
Employment for people from black and ethnic minority communities;
Correctional services;
Hostel provision for homeless people;
Support for parents and learning services for adults; and
Integration for people from ethnic minorities.
Winning projects must agree an implementation plan with the sponsor departments. Each project must provide six-monthly progress reports and carry out an evaluation of its success once it has been completed. Wider dissemination of the good practice from completed projects is then fed back into the whole spectrum of public service providers.
Premature Deaths: People With Learning Disabilities
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Community (Dr Ladyman) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am announcing today the first stage of a confidential inquiry into premature deaths among people with learning disabilities. The Department of Health has asked the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), which is taking responsibility for confidential inquiries from April 2005, to carry out a scoping study to establish the best way to conduct the inquiry.The Government's White Paper
Valuing People, published in 2001, included as one of its main objectives improvements in the health of people with learning disabilities. In particular, it highlighted the need to address evidence of health inequalities. The Government have taken action to address this, primarily through asking learning disability partnership boards to develop plans for health action planning in their local areas. But Valuing People also noted that there was cause for concern about evidence of avoidable illness and premature deaths, and included an undertaking to look at the feasibility of establishing a confidential inquiry into mortality among people with learning disabilities.
The department has held wide-ranging discussions with experts and stakeholders and has determined that an inquiry would not only be practicable but would also provide valuable information about the healthcare of people with learning disabilities. Healthcare for this group has also continued to be raised as a matter of concern for organisations such as Mencap and the Disability Rights Commission.
Professor Sir John Lilleyman (Medical Director, NPSA) is the lead director for confidential inquiries and will be in charge of the management of the scoping exercise. The research will be overseen, managed and commissioned by Professor Richard Lilford's team at the University of Birmingham.
Our intention is that this inquiry should be carried out in a new and more flexible style compared to previous inquiries. It will be time-limited and produce results that can then be used to inform practice. The confidential investigation of healthcare histories of people with learning disabilities will be complex, since it will in many cases need to cover care provided in a variety of settings, for example residential care homes. The scoping project I have announced today is the first step to a full-scale inquiry and will also provide valuable information in its own right about the healthcare of people with learning disabilities.
Written Statements
Thursday 17 March 2005
Asian Tsunami: Rehabilitation Funding
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Mr Hilary Benn) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.The 26 December 2004 tsunami brought destruction to coastal areas of south and south-east Asian countries and claimed over 273,000 lives, leaving millions of people in need of assistance.DfID committed £75 million to the immediate relief effort, some £66 million of which has already been allocated to United Nations agencies, the Red Cross movement, and non-governmental organisations, or spent through DfID direct action or donations in kind. The British public has responded with unprecedented generosity to this disaster. Appeals such as that of the Disasters Emergency Committee have had an overwhelming response.DfID will now contribute up to £65 million for longer-term rehabilitation and reconstruction. This is likely to be channelled mainly through the trust funds that are being set up in affected countries. Our response will be guided by the findings of needs assessments currently being finalised, and by the level of resources already available to affected countries. Our assistance towards longer-term reconstruction will not be at the expense of DfID funding for other emergencies or existing programmes.
Nepal: Assistance Suspension
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr Gareth Thomas) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.Earlier today, I informed the government of Nepal that the Department for International Development was ending support to Nepal's police, prison services and the Prime Minister's office. A total of £2.4 million had been committed but £1.3 million remains unspent and will now be cancelled.This follows the dismissal of the Government by King Gyanendra of Nepal on 1 February. Since then, the UK Government have been carrying out an initial assessment of the implications for our development partnership with Nepal. Assistance will continue to be kept under review.The criteria against which decisions on DfID assistance are made are the ability to make an effective contribution towards the millennium development goals and the safety and security of staff. We need to ensure that our programmes can continue to benefit poor and excluded people in Nepal. It is vital that the government of Nepal maintain agreed financial allocations to essential development services, such as health and education, and not divert them to other purposes.Along with the rest of the international donor community, the safety and welfare of staff carrying out development programmes, especially those in the field, is of paramount importance. We will not continue programmes in the face of increased and unacceptable risk or interference. The UK has called on both parties to the violent conflict in Nepal to ensure that the international community can continue to provide the development assistance that is needed to provide essential services to the poor. The Department for International Development will press for concrete measures by both sides to affirm that they will do everything in their power to safeguard poverty reduction programmes and staff.We are deeply concerned about human rights in Nepal and will continue to work with others in the international community to encourage democracy in Nepal, the full protection of human rights by both parties to the conflict and progress towards a peace process.
Finance Bill
My right honourable friend the Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.It is expected that the Finance Bill will be published on Thursday 24 March. Explanatory notes on the Bill's clauses will be available in the Vote Office (the Printed Paper Office in the House of Lords) and the Libraries of both Houses on that day. The explanatory notes will be available from Stationery Office bookshops and on the Treasury's website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.
Dcms: Five-Year Plan
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am publishing today the department's five-year plan,
Living Life to the Full. Copies will be deposited in the House Libraries and the plan will be available on the DCMS website.
The plan sets our course for the next five years and builds on the significant progress that we have made in recent years. It sets out our achievements, our goals and the practical steps we will take to achieve them in the years ahead.
The fabric of this country and the quality of life we all experience are improving rapidly. The average proportion of household income spent on leisure nearly doubled between 1977 and 2002. We all expect more choice and higher quality. At the same time, opportunities are expanding to enjoy the arts, visit museums and galleries, to play sport, to travel, access the world's best media and prosper in the creative industries.
We have come a long way. In 2001 we introduced free admission to national museums and galleries—resulting in a record number of visits—34 million last year. Creative Partnerships—bringing the experience and stimulation of culture to young people in deprived areas—will see 450,000 young people involved by this time next year. We recently published the BBC Green Paper setting out the framework for a strong BBC independent of government. We are investing £1 billion in sports facilities to benefit every community. Working in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills we have ensured that more than a half of all children in school do a weekly minimum of two hours PE and school sport, which is up from a quarter in 2002. We are putting our wholehearted support behind London's bid to bring the Olympics to this country in 2012.
But there are still too many people who do not know about the opportunities available to them or who are not able to afford the cost of their talent: parents who cannot afford to support their children in making the most of their creativity and skills; adults who do not know how to get involved in local cultural and sporting opportunities; and young people who miss out on formative experiences.
In the plan we make 10 commitments covering the key areas where the department, working together with our partners in our sponsored bodies, in local government, in the voluntary and private sectors, can make a real difference.
We will work to build a comprehensive offer to young people on culture—known as Creative Sparks. We will review how National Lottery money has been spent so far on arts, sport, heritage and film projects, and then consult about how proceeds should be spent in these areas after 2009. We will continue to improve our support for élite athletes, rewarding success with the talented athlete and 2012 scholarships. We will persuade nearly half a million adults per year to become physically active. We will complete our programme to replace outdated licensing and gambling laws, balancing personal freedom and prosperity with strengthening protection for the vulnerable. We will provide a virtual high-street for tourism and leisure offering an information and booking service to on-line users.
The title of the plan is Living Life to the Full. Quite simply that is what our sectors can offer—the ability for everyone to live their lives and develop their talents to the fullest extent. So the aim of our five year plan is straightforward, yet ambitious—making the quality of life in this country world-class and giving everyone the chance to taste it.
Company Law Reform
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to announce that we are today publishing a White Paper setting out proposals for a Company Law Reform Bill.
These proposals result from a comprehensive review of company law, which we initiated in 1998. In 2001 we received the final report from the Company Law Review, an independent group of experts, practitioners and business people. The White Paper also takes account of international and other developments. We are very grateful for the input of a wide range of interested parties into the proposals we are bringing forward today.
The White Paper sets out a range of measures designed to further four crucial objectives: to enhance shareholder engagement and a long term investment culture; to ensure better regulation and a "think small first" approach; to make it easier to set up and run a company; and to provide flexibility for the future.
The proposals are part of a wider programme of action to facilitate enterprise, encourage investment and promote long-term company performance. We brought forward legislation to strengthen regulation of the accounting and audit profession and to allow a new type of community enterprise company. We have laid draft regulations for quoted companies to produce an operating and financial review and we have introduced greater transparency by quoted companies on directors' remuneration. We have taken smaller companies out of the need for an audit. We have also worked with market participants to strengthen corporate governance and shareholder engagement.
The measures set out in the White Paper represent a significant step forward in ensuring that our law remains up to date, flexible, and accessible for all those who use it. By making company law better fitted to today's realities, the measures should create improved performance across the economy as a whole. They could also produce cost savings for business of some £250 million a year. The proposals will help to ensure that Britain remains one of the best places in the world to set up and run a business.
Nhs: Non-Medical Professions' Review
My right honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Health has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.On 27 January I announced that the Chief Medical Officer for England had agreed to carry out a review of the revalidation of doctors and related matters, following concerns expressed by Dame Janet Smith in her fifth report from the Shipman inquiry. Dame Janet focused her inquiries, as her remit required, on the medical profession. However, if changes are proposed to the arrangements for doctors, it is likely that they will have important implications for the regulatory arrangements for the other health professions, particularly where their roles are changing. And there may be other implications. I have therefore asked Mr Andrew Foster, director of Workforce, to lead a review of non-medical professional regulation. This review will run in parallel to the review into medical issues being conducted by Sir Liam Donaldson. It will consider and advise me about the measures needed to:strengthen procedures for ensuring that the performance or conduct of non-medical health professionals and other healthcare staff does not pose a threat to patient safety or the effective functioning of services, particularly focusing on the effective and fair operation of fitness to practise procedures;ensure the operation of effective systems of continuing professional development and appraisal for non-medical healthcare staff and make progress towards regular revalidation where this is appropriate; andensure the effective regulation of healthcare staff working in new roles within the healthcare sector and of other staff in regular contact with patients.In the light of the above, it will further consider and recommend any changes needed to the role, structure, functions and number of regulators of non-medical healthcare professional staff. The director of Workforce is likely to report his conclusions and recommendations to me towards the end of the year.As with CMO's review, there will be an advisory group, which will include experts from non-medical regulators and from the NHS. A larger reference group, which will include education and training bodies and professional organisations as well as consumer and healthcare quality interests, will also support this process.The members of the advisory group are:
| Andrew Foster (Chair) | Director of Workforce, Department of Health (DH) |
| Chris Beasley | Chief Nursing Officer |
| Kay East | Chief Health Professions Officer |
| Professor Sue Hill | Chief Scientific Officer |
| Professor Raman Bedi | Chief Dental Officer |
| Dr Jim Smith | Chief Pharmaceutical Officer |
| Harry Cayton | Director of Patient and Public, DH |
| Jane Wesson | Chairman, Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) |
| Sandy Forrest | Director, CHRE |
| Steve Barnet | Director, NHS Employers |
| Alastair Henderson | Deputy Director, NHS Employers |
| Jonathan Asbridge | President, Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) |
| Sarah Thewlis | Chief Executive, NMC |
| Norma Brook | President, Health Professions Council (HPC) |
| Marc Seale | Chief Executive, HPC |
| Nic Greenfield | Deputy Director of Workforce, DH |
| Steve Catling | Head of Professional Standards, DH |