11 Jun 2003 : Column 47WS
Written Ministerial Statements
Wednesday 11 June 2003
HOME DEPARTMENT
Family Visitor Appeals
The Minister for Citizenship and Immigration (Beverley Hughes): In January 2001, we announced a review of the family visitor appeal system introduced under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The review was undertaken by officials from UK visas, the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Home Office, HM Treasury and the Legal Services Commission. A discussion exercise was held towards the end of 2001 and research was commissioned from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate to inform the review.
I am pleased to announce that the final report of the review team is published today, and has been placed in the Library of the House.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Planning Inspectorate
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Tony McNulty): I am pleased to announce today the targets I have set this year for the Planning Inspectorate Executive Agency.
We are reforming the planning system to make it faster, fairer and more efficient. I need to ensure that the Planning Inspectorate is well placed to respond robustly to the increasing demands for its services and to the changes we are introducing. We have set in hand a business process "end to end" review* of the Planning Inspectorate which will be completed by the Autumn and there are implications for the Inspectorate in the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill which is currently before Parliament.
Against this background I have decided to maintain most of the existing targets in place for this year. These are set out below. The exceptions are the targets for the completion of Inspectors' reports on called-in planning applications and recovered appeals and for appeals going to hearings.
In line with the Office's PSA6 target, by March 2004 80 per cent. of Planning Inspectors' reports to the Secretary of State on called-in and recovered appeal cases must be delivered within seven weeks of the close of the inquiry.
The only other change involves the timeliness target for planning appeals going to hearings, which, in order to deal with a backlog of cases, is now the same as for planning appeals going to inquiry.
11 Jun 2003 : Column 48WS
These targets are not just about speed, they are about reaching the right decision and providing the community with a quality service. The Planning Inspectorate is responding well to the challenge this presents.
- Eighty per cent. of all planning appeals decided by written representations to be determined within 16 weeks.
Eighty per cent. of all planning appeals decided by hearings to be determined within 30 weeks.
Eighty per cent. of all planning appeals decided by inquiries to be determined within 30 weeks.
- Eighty per cent. of all enforcement appeals decided by written representation to be determined within 32 weeks.
Eighty per cent. of all enforcement appeals decided by hearings to be determined within 33 weeks.
Eighty per cent. of all enforcement appeals to be decided by inquiries to be determined within 43 weeks.
- By March 2004, 80 per cent. of Inspectors' reports to the Secretary of State on called-in and recovered appeal cases to be delivered within seven weeks of the close of the inquiry.
Development Plan inquiries
To provide an Inspector for development plan inquiries in 90 per cent. of cases on the date requested by the local authority, provided that the objection period has ended and at least six months' notice has been given.
To deliver 90 per cent. of Inspectors' reports on development plan inquiries to local authorities according to timescales agreed under service agreements.
Quality
To undertake a time series customer satisfaction survey of the Inspectorate's performance and to act upon the results.
- * This review, whose conclusions will feed into the 2004 spending review round, was announced in Parliament by Mr Tony McNulty, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, on 4 February, 2003, Official Report, column 9WS.
Aggregates
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Tony McNulty): The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has today published the following revised regional guidelines for the amount of rock and sand and gravel to be produced for use in construction to 2016. These replace guidelines contained Minerals Planning Guidance Note 6 (MPG6), 'Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England', published in April 1994. The policy sections
11 Jun 2003 : Column 49WS
of MPG6 remain in force pending the outcome of public consultation on a revised text, which will take place later this year.
The new figures are about 19 per cent. lower nationally than the previous guidelines, published in 1994, although there may be regional and local variations from that average. They reflect up-to-date information in the patterns of supply and demand, the extent of use of recycled and alternative materials, and projections of the requirements of the construction industries. A new target of 60 million tonnes per annum is set for the use of recycled materials and industrial by-products in place of natural aggregates by 2011, building on a 63 per cent. increase in the use of these materials since the 1994 guidelines were issued.
Over the next six months, the Regional Planning Bodies, in association with the Mineral Planning Authorities, will consider how the guidelines should be broken down to local level, taking environmental implications into account, and then applied in regional and local plans.
The Government will regularly monitor the operation of these new guidelines.
Copies of the guidelines are available in the Library of the House.
| Guidelines for land-won production | Assumptions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Regions | Land-won Sand & Gravel | Land-won Crushed Rock | Marine Sand & Gravel | Alternative Materials | Net Imports to England |
| South East England | 212 | 35 | 120 | 118 | 85 |
| London | 19 | 0 | 53 | 82 | 6 |
| East of England | 256 | 8 | 32 | 110 | 8 |
| East Midlands | 165 | 523 | 0 | 95 | 0 |
| West Midlands | 162 | 93 | 0 | 88 | 16 |
| South West | 106 | 453 | 9 | 121 | 4 |
| North West | 55 | 167 | 4 | 101 | 50 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 73 | 220 | 3 | 128 | 0 |
| North East | 20 | 119 | 9 | 76 | 0 |
| England | 1068 | 1618 | 230 | 919 | 169 |
DEFENCE
Met Office
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Dr. Lewis Moonie): The Chief Executive of the Met Office is responsible for providing meteorological and related environmental services, including climate change prediction, to a wide range of customers, including the armed forces, Government, civil aviation, shipping, emergency services, media, commerce, industry and the general public. The Met Office also undertakes research related to meteorology and climate.
The next 12 months will be one of considerable challenge for the Met Office as it completes its relocation from its present home in Bracknell to a brand new,
11 Jun 2003 : Column 50WS
purpose built headquarters and operations centre in Exeter. The move is believed to be one of the largest IT relocation projects ever undertaken in Europe. It is the Met Office's intention that the transition will be as seamless as possible from the perspective of its customers, but nevertheless it represents a significant upheaval for the staff and their families and its ultimate success will require the utmost dedication of all concerned. It is in the context of prioritising the maintenance of its service delivery to customers through relocation, and thereby establishing a solid base from which to improve future efficiency and profitability, that the Met Office has been set the following challenging targets for 2003–04:
- To achieve a value for the Numerical Weather Prediction Index of at least 111.8 on 31 March 2004, from a baseline of 100.0 on 31 March 2000.
- To achieve a value for the Service Quality Index of at least 120.1 on 31 March 2004, from a baseline of 100.0 on 31 March 1997, in line with customer requirements.
Key Target 3:
To achieve a value for the Efficiency Index at 31 March 2004 of at least 120.1.
- To deliver an operating profit before strategic investments of at least £14 million in FY 2003–04. This is in support of a long term target to achieve a return on capital employed, averaged over the period from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2007, of at least 4 per cent.
Key Target 5:
To transfer our Bracknell-based weather forecasting operations to our new operations centre in Exeter by 30 September 2003.
Key Target 6:
To achieve a total contribution from commercial activities in FY 2003–04 of at least £4.0 million.
Key Target 7:
To achieve a value for the Staff Skills Index of at least 107.5 by 31 March 2004, from a baseline of 100.0 as at 31 March 2001.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |