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Written Ministerial Statements

Thursday 22 May 2003

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Empty Homes

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Tony McNulty): I have today published for consultation proposals that, if enacted, would allow local authorities, in defined circumstances, to take temporary management control of some private sector empty homes.

The consultation paper "Empty Homes: temporary management, lasting solutions" follows on from the announcement in the Sustainable Communities Plan published earlier this year and builds on a recommendation of the Transport, Local Government and Regions Select Committee in a report published last year.

We believe that it is vital to tackle the pernicious effects of empty homes. They blight our communities, are a magnet for vandals and criminals and tie up the resources of local authorities and the emergency services. Bringing empty homes back into use reduces the need to develop land for new homes on urban fringes and in the countryside.

The objective of our proposals is to provide an effective back-up to voluntary leasing schemes that does not unduly penalise owners. The principle would not be to deprive owners of their property, but to allow local authorities to control their use on a temporary basis in order get homes re-occupied.

Copies of the consultation paper are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

DEFENCE

Naval Manning Agency

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Dr. Lewis Moonie): Key Targets have been set for the Chief Executive of the Naval Manning Agency for the financial year 2003–04 and are shown below. The targets build upon and are consistent with those demanded of the NMA since its vesting in July 1996 and encompass the full range of primary outputs demanded of the Agency:

Deployment of Naval Service Personnel:

The percentage of filled officer billets to be: 93 per cent. or greater


The percentage of filled rating billets to be: 88 per cent. or greater


The percentage of filled RM other rank billets to be: 86 per cent. or greater

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Naval Service Career Management:


The percentage of officers receiving the required Notice of Change to be 60 per cent. or greater.


The percentage of ratings and RM other ranks receiving the required Notice of Change to be 98 per cent. or greater. The number of occurrences where Minimum Time Ashore criteria are met to be: 99 per cent. or greater. Financial Resource Management:


To operate the NMA within zero to minus 1 per cent. of its 2003–04 Net Cash Allocation for Operating Activities.

Manpower Requirements Management:

The variation of strength to be: Between +1 per cent. and –2 per cent.

Business Performance Management:

To achieve strict control of NMA manpower overheads to within plus or minus 2 per cent. of the baseline established for manpower overheads as at 1 October 2002. Customer Relations Management:


To achieve a Customer Confidence Score of 65.

Gulf Veterans' Illnesses

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Dr. Lewis Moonie): The Ministry of Defence welcomes publication of the Medical Research Council's Review of Research into Gulf Veterans' Illnesses. We are grateful for the work that has gone into the Review, which was conducted following a request from the MOD. We have taken particular note of the Review's conclusions and recommendations for further research and will study these further in detail. The MOD notes that a number of the recommendations are scientifically complex and will approach the Medical Research Council with a view to holding detailed discussions about how they may be taken forward, the data they are expected to yield and the priorities that should be attached to them. Once this has taken place we will consult veterans and other stakeholders about the way ahead.

Iraq—Update on Requirements for Reserves

The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon): In my written statement of 30 April 2003, Official Report, columns 15–16WS, I announced the call-out of up to 1,200 additional Reservists to support continuing operations within Iraq. This process is currently underway. I also acknowledged that there would be a further need for Reservists. A requirement for a further 1,500 Reservists has now been confirmed. I have authorised the issue of appropriate call-out notices. These will primarily be deployed, either as formed units or as individual reinforcements to regular units, in support of the Divisional Headquarters and its Logistic Brigade.

In parallel, the process to demobilise those Reservists called up for the first phase of operations continues. To date, we have demobilised around 1,100 reservists who have completed their required tasks. Further Reservists have returned from operations in Iraq and are currently taking the post-operational tour leave to which they are entitled, following which they will also be demobilised.

There will be a continuing role for our Reserve forces in Iraq, but we expect overall numbers of Reservists required to reduce over time. This further call-out demonstrates our continuing commitment to Iraq and

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to the Iraqi people. In addition, we continue to plan in detail the withdrawal of forces that have completed their operational tour, and the deployment of further replacement forces to continue to fulfil our responsibilities in Iraq. I will inform the House as soon as these plans become firm. We remain determined to help the Iraqis to set the conditions for Iraq's re-emergence as a country that is both politically secure and economically stable.

TRANSPORT

Vehicle Licensing

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. David Jamieson): The Department of Transport is today announcing action to modernise the vehicle registration system, so as to attack the related problems of abandoned cars, vehicle crime, unlicensed vehicles, and those for whom the person responsible cannot be traced.

We intend to bring forward secondary legislation to implement powers taken in the 2002 Finance Act to ensure that from 1 January 2004 the registered keeper of a vehicle will be liable for licensing the vehicle until it is notified as sold, scrapped, stolen or exported or unless a current Statutory Off Road Notification has been declared to the Driver and vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Under the same powers we will bring forward secondary legislation to provide for a new automatic fixed penalty for those who fail to re-license (tax) on time.

The new measures aim to provide greater protection to honest motorists.

Vehicle crime is an expensive burden on the honest citizen. It is estimated that there are about a million unlicensed vehicles on the road. These vehicles are frequently abandoned and often uninsured—adding an estimated £500 million to the overall cost of uninsured driving. This adds around £30 a year to the honest UK motorist's insurance premium. Vehicle crime is estimated to cost the economy £3 billion each year and accounts for more than a quarter of all reported crime. By ensuring vehicles do not fall out of the registration system, we can reduce the number of unlicensed and often uninsured vehicles on the road—tackling car abandonment and bringing dishonest motorists to book.

Starting in January 2004,

Motorists will be legally responsible at all times for re-licensing (taxing) their vehicle.


Those who fail to re-license on time will be liable for a standard penalty of £80. Determined offenders could face a severe fine if taken to court. If the vehicle remains unlicensed, then following the provisions of the 2002 Finance Act, DVLA may prosecute and a court may fine the registered keeper of an unlicensed vehicle a minimum of £1000.


Offenders will be penalised automatically when their tax-disc expires or Statutory Off Road Notification lapses—there will no longer be any need to see the unlicensed vehicle on the road.

The level of the standard penalty will be subject to public consultation later this year

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To support these measures:

The DVLA will increase and re-focus its enforcement activities. It will give particular attention to enforcement from the record and increased cooperation with the police.


Already, from 1 February this year, vehicles can only be licensed (taxed) with a valid logbook or DVLA reminder, to ensure that every vehicle has a traceable keeper.


Motorists already have a legal obligation to ensure that their registration details are kept up to date. The DVLA will be issuing new-format vehicle registration documents (logbooks) to all law-abiding and by definition traceable vehicle keepers from January 2004. All previous logbooks will be invalid from 31 March 2005.

To help safeguard honest motorists, the Government is also advising motorists who sell their car to keep a record of the identity of the person to whom they sell it. For example the number of the buyer's driving licence.

The new measures form part of the Government's programme of initiatives to tackle vehicle crime. They follow recommendations agreed by the Modernising Vehicle Registration Implementation Board, which includes representation from motoring organisations, the motor trade, the insurance industry and the police. They also reflect recommendations put forward by the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science.

These new measures will protect the majority of honest and responsible motorists and make the offenders pay.

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