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Written Ministerial Statements
Thursday 13 February 2003
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Licensing Bill
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell): As part of its consideration of the Licensing Bill, the House of Lords Select Committee on Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform recommended that a mechanism be devised to enable Parliament to debate the Guidance which it is intended would be issued to licensing authorities under Clause 177 of the Licensing Bill. The Guidance is a crucial mechanism for enabling the Government to promote consistency and best practice and to respond to developments which may arise from time to time in connection with the sale of alcohol or the provision of regulated entertainment and late night refreshment. The Bill is scheduled to begin its Report Stage in the House of Lords on 24 February.
At Committee Stage in the House of Lords, the Government undertook to provide an opportunity for an early draft of the Guidance to be available in time for the Bill's Report Stage in the House of Lords. To meet our undertaking, I am today publishing a rough draft of the Guidance, which has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This has involved advancing the timetable for producing the draft Guidance considerably and the production of a rough draft in quicker time than we would have preferred.
I wish to make it clear that the draft's current form is subject to change and further development following continuing consultation with stakeholders and other Government Departments and agencies; to take account of any further undertakings given by Ministers during the Bill's forthcoming Parliamentary stages; and of course, to reflect any amendments made to the Bill itself. There will also be a further opportunity for each House to debate the Guidance when it is in its completed form later this year.
The text of the Guidance document can also be found at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/new_ responsibilities/guidance_section177_licensing.pdf
TREASURY
2001 Census
The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ruth Kelly): A report on the 2001 Census Key Statistics for Local Authorities for England and Wales is being laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses and are accessible on the National Statistics website.
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The report will provide a compact and self-contained reference, providing key results covering a wide range of Census topics. Figures for local authority areas, presented generally as percentage distributions, can be readily compared with those for other areas and with the national averages.
The report comprises a set of 24 tables covering all 376 local authority districts in England and Wales, the 11 National Parks, the 40 shire and metropolitan counties, and the 9 Government Office Regions as well as comparable national figures for the UK, England and Wales, England, and Wales as appropriate.
SOLICITOR GENERAL
Crown Prosecution Service
The Solicitor-General (Ms Harriet Harman): The Crown Prosecution Service Targets Delivery Report 2002–03 to 2005–06 has today been published and laid before Parliament. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud
The Minister for Citizenship and Immigration (Beverley Hughes): The Information Commissioner has today published his response to the Government's consultation paper on Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud and copies have been placed in the Library.
We particularly welcome and value the detailed and thorough response from the Information Commissioner which we will be studying carefully.
Police Performance Monitors
The Minister for Policing, Crime Reduction and Community Safety (Mr. John Denham): Next week I shall be publishing the first police performance monitors for individual forces in England and Wales. The monitors are intended to enable the performance of each force, over a series of indicators, to be compared with similar forces.
The publication of these monitors is the first stage in publishing accessible information on police performance. They will evolve to reflect the Policing Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) currently under development. This is intended to capture the breadth and scope of police activity. The development of PPAF has the support of the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities.
The initial monitors omit some key areas of activity such as serious crime and some violent crime and so provide a limited basis on which to compare the overall performance of forces. Nonetheless, they represent a significant improvement in the accessibility of police performance data. They will enable the public to
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compare the performance of their force with that of those forces most similar to it. The monitors cannot, however, be used to construct national league tables.
Home Office Targets Delivery
The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. David Blunkett): The Home Office Targets Delivery Report has been published today by Command of Her Majesty. Copies of the Report are available in the Vote Office and in the Library. The Report is also available online at http://www.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm57/5754/5754.htm
The Report contains the Service Delivery Agreement for Spending Review 2002 (SR2002), which shows how the Home Office will deliver its new Public Service Agreement targets. The Report also reports the latest performance against the old, SR2000 targets, updating the description of performance which was provided in the Home Office Annual Report 2001–02.
Successful outcomes include a 27 per cent. fall in crime, as reported in the British Crime Survey, continued delivery of the pledge to deal swiftly with persistent young offenders, and achievement of interim targets for rapidity in considering initial claims for asylum. The Report highlights ways in which the Department will build upon these successes in order to underpin the prosperity of our country and the cohesiveness of our communities.
DEFENCE
Modified Sting Ray Lightweight Torpedo
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): A £441 million contract has been placed with BAE Systems Electronics Ltd, Underwater Systems Division, for the manufacture of the modified Sting Ray lightweight torpedo, which will enhance the capability provided by the existing weapon system. The in-service variant of Sting Ray has been the main antisubmarine weapon carried by our surface ships and aircraft since 1983. Whilst it continues to meet its design aims, the threat of a new generation of more advanced submarines, operating in both deep and coastal waters with ever more sophisticated counter-measures, requires an enhanced capability.
The modified Sting Ray torpedo will make best use of advancing technologies, and will significantly enhance the capability and maintainability of the weapon system. It will combine the essential attributes of high speed and manoeuvrability, deep diving, low radiated noise, advance computer based intelligence and high warhead lethality. It will provide the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force with the world's most advanced lightweight torpedo from its planned in service date of 2006.
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The award of this contract to BAE Systems is excellent news for both our Armed Forces and the defence industry. It will sustain approximately 300 jobs across the UK. This is the culmination of work conducted by both the MOD and Industry, and is a good example of the principles of Smart Acquisition being put into practice to give our Armed Forces the equipment they need at an affordable price.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Cayman Islands: Constitutional Review
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Mike O'Brien): We invited representatives of both Government and Opposition parties in the Cayman Islands to informal talks in Lancaster House on 9–11 December to discuss the report of the Cayman Islands Constitutional Review Commission and associated documents. At the conclusion of that meeting, we undertook to prepare a revised draft Constitution for further public consultation and discussion in the Cayman Islands. This has now been done and papers forwarded to the Governor.
Copies of the proposed draft Constitution and related draft Orders in Council together with the text of the Governor's press release have been placed in the Library of the House.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Police Oversight Commission
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Paul Murphy): Under section 67(5) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, the office of the Police Oversight Commissioner ceases to exist on 31 May 2003, unless before that date an order is made extending the period.
After discussion with the current Commissioner, Mr Tom Constantine, I am today announcing that I will bring forward an order to extend the period to 31 May 2005. I take this opportunity to pay sincere tribute to the tremendous commitment of Mr Tom Constantine, as the Oversight Commissioner, and his team. They have undoubtedly made a major contribution to the development of policing in Northern Ireland.
Mr Constantine has kindly agreed to extend his original three-year commitment until December 2003. Mr Constantine highlighted his continuing belief in the importance of the Northern Ireland policing reform to the peace process, and his willingness to continue the independent oversight reporting of progress to ensure a successful transition. However, after a 43-year career in law enforcement and a three-and-a-half year commitment to Northern Ireland, his family commitments will then take priority. I am delighted to announce that Mr Al Hutchinson, who is the present Chief of Staff for the Office of the Oversight Commissioner, will succeed Mr Constantine at that point.
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Emergency Fire Cover
The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. John Prescott): Intensive talks between the Fire Service employers and the Fire Brigades Union started on 12 February. The talks are expected to last for four weeks. The FBU
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announced on 4 February that its Executive Council has decided unanimously not to set any further strike dates at this stage.
In the light of these developments, I am pleased to announce that the Armed Forces personnel deployed on firefighting duties have been stood down for this period of intensive negotiations. At the end of negotiating period, military personnel will be put back on stand-by to provide emergency fire cover if necessary.