11 Sept 2003 : Column 29WS
Written Ministerial Statements Thursday 11 September 2003
HOME DEPARTMENT
Racially and Religiously Aggravated Crime
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Paul Goggins): I am pleased to announce that the Government is today laying an Order before Parliament which will extend the Attorney-General's powers in relation to unduly lenient sentences. This will enable certain racially and religiously aggravated offences to be referred to the Court of Appeal for review where it is felt that under-sentencing has occurred. The Order will come into effect on 13 October 2003 and will apply to any sentence imposed after that date.
This Order is being laid following a recommendation in the HM Crown Prosecution Service's Inspectorate Review of casework having a minority ethnic dimension that racially aggravated offences be included in the category of offences which can be referred under the unduly lenient sentencing provisions. The inclusion of religiously aggravated offences is necessary and logical to prevent anomalies in the protection offered to different groups. The Government will keep under review whether any further extensions should be made in future.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Draft Regional Planning Guidance (West Midlands)
The Minister for Housing and Planning (Keith Hill): My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is today publishing for public consultation Proposed Changes to the draft Regional Planning Guidance for the West Midlands (RPG11). They follow the Public Examination into draft RPG11 in June and July 2002.
The draft RPG was prepared and published by the Regional Planning Body (RPB). It provides a broad framework for the preparation of development plans and local development frameworks by the West Midlands local Planning authorities up to 2021. The overall strategy is to develop the major urban areas in such a way that they can increasingly meet their own economic and social needs in order to counter the unsustainable outward movement of people and jobs facilitated by previous strategies; address more effectively the major changes which are challenging the traditional roles of rural areas and the countryside; ensure that opportunities for growth are linked to meeting needs and that they help reduce social exclusion; and support the sustainable development of the region.
11 Sept 2003 : Column 30WS
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister support these aims, and as recommended by the panel, we are proposing changes to ensure the strategy is more clearly and succinctly expressed. It is important that the implications for development plans and other strategies are clear and unambiguous in order to make a real difference on the ground.
A key issue for the region is to bring about the urban renaissance of the major urban areas (MUAs) by creating a step change in urban regeneration processes and programmes. This is seen as essential to halt the drift of population to the surrounding shire areas. This objective, to encourage sustainable urban communities, is consistent with those of the communities plan (sustainable communities; building for the future).
The proposed changes support the draft RPG approach to housing provision. The major urban areas will increasingly meet their own housing needs, with reducing provision for migration to the surrounding shires and unitary areas. There is a transition from the former ratio of new housing development between the major urban areas and other areas of 1:2, through a position at 2007 where this is near 1:1, to 2011 where the ratio is in favour of the major urban areas.
The panel considered the need for the western bypasses for Wolverhampton and Stourbridge to support draft RPG's spatial strategy was not demonstrated, and recommended that they should be deleted. Instead of the Study proposed by the RPB, the Panel recommended a much wider sub-regional study to resolve issues within the Black Country, including housing capacity, employment, land, scope for environmental and town centre improvements, and improvements to access to regeneration sites particularly on its eastern side. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has supported this recommendation in his announcement on the West Midlands area multi-Modal Study and the Proposed Changes reflect this.
My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister supports the panel's recommendation that Brierley Hill should not be included in the list of strategic town and city centres. However, he does not agree with the panel's recommendations on further retail development at Merry Hill, and has made it clear that any decisions on this issue will need to be made in the light of the RPB having decided its regional priorities for focusing retail, leisure and office development. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister considers that the future of Brierley Hill/Merry Hill should also be considered as part of the Black Country study referred to above. Any expansion of Merry Hill would be subject to transport improvements.
In considering these proposed changes and carrying out any future review of RPG 11 it is important that account is taken of the principles set out in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill (published 4 December 2002), in particular the need to make RPG shorter and more strategic; more regionally specific; and more integrated and co-ordinated with other regional strategies; the increasing importance of introducing sub-regional policies within RPG's will also need to be addressed; and ensuring that the RPG process does not avoid making difficult decisions.
11 Sept 2003 : Column 31WS
I have today written to the RPB with the proposed changes and indicating areas where views are particularly sought from any interested parties. There will now be a public consultation period on the proposed changes, which will end on 12 December 2003.
Copies of the relevant documents are available in the Libraries of the House and have been provided for all of the region's MPs, MEPs, and local authorities.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Jury Research
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Mr. Christopher Leslie): In their report on the Criminal Justice Bill, the Home Affairs Select Committee invited the Government to consider the merits of repealing section 8 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 in order to permit meaningful research into how the jury system operates. This invitation followed from recommendations made by Lord Justice Auld in his Review of the criminal courts.
To fully consider this issue, the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, intends to publish a consultation paper towards the end of autumn to look at whether or not we should allow jury research to be conducted. The consultation paper will also consider the issue of jury impropriety, as recommended by Lord Justice Auld in his review.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
British Overseas Territories Act 2002
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Bill Rammell): My right hon. Friend the Baroness Amos undertook to inform the House of the number of British overseas territories citizens that have applied for British citizen passports; and the number of new applicants seeking British overseas territories citizenship in the first year of implementation of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002.
A total of 7,079 British citizen passports were issued to British overseas territories citizens in the period May to December 2002 and 5,174 in the period January to May 2003. That is a total of 12,250 since the citizenship provisions of the British Overseas Territories Act came into force on 21 May 2002.
A total of 1,359 new applicants applied for British overseas territories citizenship in the first year of implementation of the citizenship provisions of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002.
Diplomatic Missions: Serious Offences
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Jack Straw): From a community of around 20,000 in the United Kingdom entitled to immunity, 20 serious offences, allegedly committed by such persons, were drawn to the attention of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2002. Serious offences are defined in accordance with the 1985 White Paper on
11 Sept 2003 : Column 32WS
Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges, that is as offences that would in certain circumstances carry a penalty of 12 months or more imprisonment.
Diplomatic Missions: Unpaid Parking Fines
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Jack Straw): The figures recorded for the number of outstanding parking and other minor traffic violation fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in the United Kingdom during the year 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002 totalled 4,302 (£173,180.00). In April this year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wrote to all affected diplomatic missions and international organisations giving them the opportunity to either pay their outstanding fines or appeal against them if they considered that the fines had been issued incorrectly. As a result payments totalling £52,200.00 were received, leaving a total of 3,021 (£120,980.00) unpaid fines for 2002. The attached table details those diplomatic missions and international organisations that have 11 or more undisputed fines unpaid.
11 Sept 2003 : Column 33WS
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |