You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Ministerial Statements

10 Feb 2004 : Column 65WS

Written Ministerial Statements

Tuesday 10 February 2004

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Community Radio

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell): I have today published a draft Community Radio Order, associated "Keeling Schedule" and explanatory memorandum for public consultation. Copies of these documents have been deposited in the House Libraries, and are available on the Department's website. The Department welcomes comments and the consultation period will last until 20 April 2004.

This Order proposes to introduce a new tier of very local, not-for-profit (or not profit distributing) radio. Community radio should be different from, and complementary to, existing independent local radio. Community radio offers potential benefits in terms of social inclusion, local education, training and experience, and wider access for communities to broadcasting opportunities.

The Communications Act provides for the possible establishment of a fund to support community radio.

OFCOM will shortly be publishing their own draft guidance on how to apply for community radio licences.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Fire and Rescue Authorities

The Minister for Local Government, Regional Governance and Fire (Mr. Nick Raynsford): I have today made available copies of a consultation document on charging for services by Fire and Rescue Authorities in the Libraries of the House.

Authorities already have a power under the Fire Services Act 1947 to charge for services other than fighting fires. The White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service" gave a commitment to continue to provide such a power and to consult on any proposals to extend the charging regime.

Clause 19 of the Fire and Rescue Services Bill currently before this House provides for the Secretary of State to specify by Order the services for which an authority may levy a charge.

The consultation document contains details of the services for which authorities in England and Wales currently levy a charge and these form the basis of our proposals. Comments are welcome on any part of our proposals. In particular, we welcome responses on the direction of travel in respect of the provision by authorities of detailed advice or consultancy.

The consultation period will close on 7 May 2004.

10 Feb 2004 : Column 66WS

Housing and Employment Mobility Service Contract

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Yvette Cooper): The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is today announcing to the House that we are letting a contract to provide housing and employment mobility services.

The principal objective for HEMS is to facilitate mobility—especially labour mobility for social housing tenants who want to move to other areas.

HEMS will have three main service components. One—facilitated mobility services to social landlords and their tenants and applicants to help tenants and applicants to find new homes. This will continue and enhance the provision of the grant funded mobility services currently provided by Housing Mobility and Exchange Services (HOMES) and LAWN (the Association of London Government scheme that helps tenants who want to, move out of London to areas with excess housing). Two—web-based information about available housing, neighbourhoods and job vacancies. Three—web access to information on vacancies in social housing.

TREASURY

Tax Avoidance

The Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo): Legislation to prevent tax avoidance through manipulation of partnership losses is to be included in the Finance Bill 2004. The legislation will apply to individuals who do not spend a significant amount of time in the partnership trade. For trading losses which arise in any of the first four years that a partner carries on a trade, relief for set-off against other income will be limited to the partner's financial contribution to the business. It will also ensure that where a partner claims trading losses against other income and then disposes of rights to future income, a charge to income tax arises on the disposal. The changes will have effect from today.

A copy of today's Inland Revenue News Release giving the relevant background to this measure is being deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and is also accessible on the Inland Revenue website: http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Common Agricultural Policy Reform

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Ian Pearson): The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland launched a major consultation exercise in September 2003 covering the choice of the main implementation options arising out of the CAP reform agreement reached in Luxembourg on 26 June 2003. The consultation ended on 16 January 2004 and after having considered stakeholder responses and the relative merits of the available choices, I have decided deploy the following options in Northern Ireland.



10 Feb 2004 : Column 67WS




TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Union Modernisation

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Mr. Gerry Sutcliffe): Today, I tabled an amendment to the Employment Relations Bill concerning the provision of a new funding scheme. The amendment inserts a new section into the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 which would create a power for the Secretary of State to make funds available to independent trade unions and federations of trade unions to modernise their operations.

I envisage that the size of the fund would be in the region of £5 million—10 million in total, with expenditure spread over several years, probably beginning in 2005–06. The funding scheme would be used to support innovative projects in such areas as:





The case for establishing a Fund is compelling. Unions—just like businesses—need targeted support to speed their adaptation to changing labour market trends and to new ways of working. Unions have done much to modernise themselves and several, often supported by the TUC, have made significant progress in that direction. However, as a number of representations from unions have confirmed, without assistance the pace of change will be slow. By encouraging unions to adapt more quickly, we will ensure that they play their full and considerable part in building productive relations at work that will benefit union members, other workers, their employers and the economy more generally.

The fund will not therefore be used to support the day-to-day work of unions, and it will not impact directly on collective bargaining. It will not be used to support projects which could be funded from other Government programmes.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of this new provision, the Government will publish for full public consultation the draft rules and procedures of the fund after Royal Assent. It is likely these rules and procedures will draw on the example of the partnership at work fund, involving an independent advisory board who will

10 Feb 2004 : Column 68WS

make recommendations to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on the acceptability of union bids for fund money.

TRANSPORT

Air Transport White Paper

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Tony McNulty): I am announcing the publication of the supporting documents for the "Future of Air Transport" White Paper which was published on 16 December 2003. These reports provide some of the background to decisions taken in the White Paper.

A list of all 27 supporting documents has been placed on the Department's website with details for obtaining hard copies. All the documents, listed below, are available in the Libraries of the House.