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18 Dec 2002 : Column 859W—continued
CAFCASS
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consultations she has had with CAFCASS regarding (a) the ratification of its new standards and (b) the complaints procedure it may put in place. [87316]
Ms Rosie Winterton: CAFCASS is a non-departmental public body and there is no requirement for my Department to ratify their national standards. CAFCASS's corporate plan for 2002–06, agreed with Ministers and published in February 2002, set out CAFCASS's commitment to develop national standards and a new complaints procedure for the service. CAFCASS consulted widely on their proposed national standards and complaints procedure. CAFCASS intend to implement both next year.
Parental Responsibility
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the Government's policy is on the EU proposal for a Council Regulation on Mutual Recognition of Decisions on Parental Responsibility; if he will place a copy of the current text of the Proposal in the Library; and whether the current text will be detrimental to the effective operation of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction between EU member states. [87246]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government support the underlying aim of this proposal, namely to extend the principle of mutual recognition to all decisions on parental responsibility by establishing a clear and coherent set of rules for attributing jurisdiction, and putting in place arrangements for co-operation between the courts and central authorities of member states. Agreement was reached at a Council of Ministers meeting on 29 November, on revised provisions relating to child abduction. The Government support strongly these additional measures which will, for intra-EU cases, augment the 1980 Hague Convention without affecting its operation, and have met with approval in the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference. A copy of this agreement has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
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Transsexual People
Mr. Todd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when she expects full legal status to be granted to transsexual people; and if she will make a statement. [87784]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government is committed to legislating as soon as possible to give legal recognition to transsexual people in their acquired gender. I refer the hon. Member to the Ministerial Statement I gave on Monday 16 December 2002.
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) when she expects to respond to the European Court of Justice ruling that discrimination against transsexuals is in breach of the Equal Treatment Directive; [87280]
- (2) what plans she has for ending discrimination against transsexuals. [87276]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the Ministerial Statement I made on Monday 16 December. This sets out our plans for giving transsexual people legal recognition in their acquired gender. Transsexual people are already protected from discrimination in employment and vocational training by the Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999, subject to limited exceptions. The Government are considering whether those exceptions should be modified in respect of transsexual people granted legal recognition in their acquired gender.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Affordable Housing
12. Mr. Streeter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to provide sufficient affordable housing in the south-west. [86330]
Mr. McNulty: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has increased investment. The south-west will receive #74.3million for affordable housing through the Housing Corporation's ADP in 2003–04, up #12.5million on this year. And reforms to the planning process will make the system more responsive to the need for affordable housing. Housing market imbalances are a key consideration as my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister develops a long-term programme of action for thriving communities—my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has promised to report back to the House on this in the new year.
Comprehensive Performance Assessment
13. Jim Knight: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) capacity support and (b) intervention will be available for under-performing authorities identified through the comprehensive performance assessment process. [86331]
Mr. Raynsford: The Government want the public to receive a continuously improving standard of services from local authorities. The Government will work with those authorities which are identified as poorly
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performing by the comprehensive performance assessment to ensure that they move swiftly to put an effective recovery plan in place.
Decent Home Standards
14. Mr. Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the progress he has made in setting the decent home standards. [86332]
Mr. McNulty: The decent home standard was finalised in February and guidance on its implementation was issued in Mach.
Firefighters' Training
15. Mr. Tynan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what disruption to the training of firefighters has been caused by the allocation of fire-fighting equipment from training facilities to the armed forces. [86333]
Mr. Raynsford: Some courses have had to be postponed at the Fire Service College at Moreton in Marsh due to the non-availability of appliances. The scope for re-arranging these courses will be reviewed in the new year in consultation with the fire brigades.
Local fire authorities who have provided reserve training red engines, have reported no significant disruption to their training schedules.
Local Authority Housing (Sheffield)
16. Mr. Allan : To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received since May concerning the future of local authority housing in Sheffield. [86334]
Mr. McNulty: Since May 2002, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received representations from the Leader, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Executive of Sheffield city council, from Jean Gleadall, Chair of Sheffield Tenants and Residents Together, and from an individual tenant and from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam.
Homelessness
17. Mike Gapes : To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policies are for tackling homelessness. [86335]
Mrs. Roche: The March 2002 report, XMore than a Roof", sets out our new approach to tackling homelessness. This includes stronger homelessness legislation, #125 million investment this year, and action to sustain reductions in rough sleeping and to ensure that homeless families with children are not forced to live in B&B hotels.
XMore than a roof" and the Government's response to it set out a challenging new approach to tackling homelessness. One that focuses as much on the problems homeless people face as the places they live.
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- #125 million investment to tackle homelessness (2002–03);
a commitment that by March 2004 local authorities will ensure that no homeless family with children has to live in a B&B hotel, except in an emergency—and in these cases use should not be for longer than 6 weeks;
changes to housing benefit rules worth around #10 million, to boost incentives for private sector leasing by local authorities. This change increases the housing benefit subsidy levels for self-contained private sector leasing which makes it more financially viable, especially when compared to B&B subsidy rates.
Planning
18. Andrew Mackinlay : To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his plans to reform the planning system. [86336]
Mr. McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, South (Mr. Clarke) on 18 December 2002.
New Towns
19. Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with representatives of the New Towns since the Government's reply to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's report on the Future of the New Towns. [86337]
Mr. McNulty: Officials at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have been in touch with the New Town Special Interest Group to discuss the way forward in the context of my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's sustainable communities agenda.
Transport and Social Exclusion
20. Mr. Miller: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Social Exclusion Unit report, XTransport and Social Exclusion". [86338]
Mrs. Roche: The Social Exclusion Unit published interim findings from its transport and social exclusion project on its website in May 2002. Copies of the report are available in the Library of the House.
The Unit's final report, which builds on the interim report and examines the links between transport provision, the location of services, and social exclusion, will be published shortly.
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