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Discretionary Social Fund
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Desmond Browne): I am pleased to announce that the Northern Ireland Discretionary Social Fund budget for 2003–04 will be £56.60 million; £11.7 million will be allocated to grants; £44.80 million to loans and £0.1 million will be held as a contingency reserve. The new allocations represent an increase of £5.6 million over the initial gross budget set at April 2002. This increase will be funded through higher loan recoveries, plus an increase in net treasury funding of £1.88 million for this year. The £1.88 million is the first of three annual increases from a £8.2 million boost for the discretionary Social Fund announced in the Autumn 2002 pre-budget Report.
The Community Care Grant budget has been increased by £0.94 million to £11.7 million. This will provide more help to customers, in particular families with children and the disabled.
The loans budget has been increased to £44.8 million, an increase of £4.66 million on the initial 2002–03 loans budget. To improve the fairness of the scheme, budgets will be allocated in a way that will over time achieve greater consistency of outcome for customers wherever they live.
Details of the individual District budget allocations, together with a note explaining the basis on which they
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have been made, have been placed in the House of Commons Library today.
TREASURY
Debt and Reserves Management Report
The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ruth Kelly): I am pleased to announce that the Debt and Reserves Management Report 2003–04 is being published today.
Copies are available in the Library of the House.
LORD CHANCELLOR
Children and Family Court
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Ms Rosie Winterton): I am pleased to announce that the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) has published its Corporate Plan for 2003 to 2006. The Plan contains details of CAFCASS's Key Performance targets set by my Right Honourable and Noble Friend, the Lord Chancellor. These targets are set out below:
- In public law no less than 80 per cent. of cases should be allocated within 7 days.
In private law cases at least 95 per cent. of requests in the month should be allocated 10 weeks before the filing date.
Carry out during 2003–04 a customer satisfaction survey to inform the development of a service improvement action plan.
All new recruits to have received induction training within 16 weeks of joining.
Sickness absence rate of no higher than 5 per cent. (equivalent to 12 days per person per annum).
Manage our funding to live within, subject to a 1 per cent. tolerance limit, our resource allocation.
During 2003–04 develop a demonstrably robust methodology for calculating unit costs and assess the baseline position, to inform specific key performance indicators from 2004–05.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Rehabilitation Offenders
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Hilary Benn): The report of the review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, Breaking the Circle, was published in July 2002. The comments of consultees have now been fully considered and the Government's response is published today. Copies of the response have been placed in the Library.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Dual-Use Exports (Zimbabwe)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Bill Rammell):
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The Government have approved the export to Zimbabwe of a Travelling Wave Tube (TWT) which has been repaired in the UK. A TWT is radar equipment used for air traffic control.
The export licence was initially rejected because the TWT appeared on the military list. Its export would therefore have contravened the EU Arms Embargo on Zimbabwe.
The TWT has since been modified so that it is no longer suitable for military use. As a result, DTI Technologies Unit re-rated the TWT making it now a dual-use good.
The decision to overturn the original rejection was made after discussion with Export Control section of Defence Intelligence Service. They have established that the equipment is for use at Bulawayo and Harare airports. There is no Zimbabwe air force facility at Bulawayo. There is one near the civil airport in Harare, but the military have their own radar. We are therefore satisfied that the TWT is for civilian use only.
This decision underlines our policy that targeted sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe should not affect the lives of ordinary people unconnected with the Mugabe regime.
DEFENCE
Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Dr. Lewis Moonie): The Key Targets have been set for the Chief Executive of the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency (AFPAA) for the Financial Year 2003–04. The Targets build upon progress made by the Agency since it formed on 1 April 1997, and are set against the following groupings.
Service Enhancement—Joint Personnel Administration (JPA)
The delivery of a procurement strategy for JPA by February 2004 to enable the submission of a Main Gate Business Case to the Defence Investment Approvals Board during Financial Year 2004–05.
In total 96 per cent. of all change projects (Major change) to be delivered within agreed project tolerances; 95 per cent. of all other change to be delivered in accordance with the AFPAA Change Control Steering Group (CCSG) approved plans.
To make 99.9 per cent. of all pay payments by the due date (excluding late payments caused by events determined to be outside the control of the Agency).
Error rate of accuracy to be kept within 0.1 per cent. per volume of payments. To make 99 per cent. of all
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pension payments (including new awards) by the due date (excluding late payments caused by events determined to be outside the control of the Agency).
Error rate of accuracy to be kept within 0.1 per cent. per volume of payments.
To determine, implement and maintain a responsive and flexible Business Improvement Plan endorsed by
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DCDS(Pers) and have recorded baselines for all areas of improvement contained within the plan by 31 March 2004.
To reduce the unit cost by 0.5 per cent. in 2003–04 which will contribute to a 12 per cent. reduction, over a four-year period, from 2002–03 for delivery of core Pay and Personnel Administration.