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Charities Bill

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Fiona Mactaggart): The Charities Bill has today been published in draft for pre-legislative scrutiny by a specially constituted joint Committee of both Houses. The remit of the Committee is to consider the draft Bill, and to report to both Houses by the end of September 2004.

Charities are active in every area of national endeavour, helping to transform people's lives and to build strong communities. They are a strong force for good in society. The Government believe that a vibrant and diverse charitable sector, independent of Government, is essential for the health of our democracy. The Government support the charitable sector in many different ways. One of the most important things we can do for the sector is to create a legal framework which will enable established and new charities to thrive and to achieve their full potential and which will sustain high levels of public confidence in charities through effective regulation.

The draft Charities Bill will deliver significant benefits both to the public and to the charitable sector itself. For the first time there will be a clear definition of charity containing all the purposes that are, or ought to be, recognised as charitable, with the requirement of public benefit. It introduces a range of law reforms designed to enable charities to be administered more efficiently and to be more effective in their work. It provides for better regulation of public collections by charities. It will put in the public domain an improved range and quality of information about charities and it will introduce improvements to the Charity Commission's objectives, functions and accountability to enable it to be an even more effective regulator.

Copies of the draft Bill have been placed in the Library and are available from the Stationery Office and from the Home Office website at:

www.homeoffice.gov.uk/comrace/active/charitylaw/ index.html/

WORK AND PENSIONS

      

Pension Service

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Smith): I am today able to announce the 2004–05 annual performance standards for The Pension Service, an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions. The standards I have agreed are set out below.

Further information on The Pension Service's plans for 2004–05 is contained in the annual business plan that has been published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.
 
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The Pension Service in-year standards for 2004–05 are:

Ensure that 90 per cent. of telephone calls to The Pension Service Centres are answered by Customer Agents and that no more than 1 per cent. of attempted telephone calls receive the engaged tone or message;

Clear 95 per cent. of State Pension claims in 60 days;

Achieve a State Pension claims accuracy rate of 98 per cent.

Achieve a Pension Credit accuracy rate of 94 per cent;

Issue Winter Fuel Payments for 2004–05 (all automatic payments, and successful claims received before 25 September 2004) by Christmas 2004;

Deal with State Pension Forecast requests in an average of 20 days;

Reduce the losses as a result of fraud and error to no more than 4 per cent. of benefit paid;

85 per cent. of customers to have their entitlements made by Direct Payments;

Reduce sick absence rates to 8.5 days per capita.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Patricia Hewitt): The Energy Bill currently before this House will enable radical changes to current arrangements for nuclear clean-up funded by the taxpayer. The Bill provides for the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority—the NDA—to deal with the nuclear "legacy" represented by the 20 nuclear sites currently operated by BNFL and the UKAEA and which were developed in the 1940s, 50s and 60s to support Government nuclear research programmes. The aim of the NDA will be to ensure those sites are cleaned-up and decommissioned more safely, securely, and cost-effectively, and in an environmentally-friendly manner. The NDA is to be fully operational from 1 April 2005. The total cost of the programme is some £50 billion over the next century and initially some £2 billion a year. US experience has shown that effective programmes can save of the order of 20 per cent. The Government want to make savings of a similar magnitude through the introduction of competitive practices in the nuclear clean up industry and by better management of nuclear sites. The NDA's headquarters will be in West Cumbria.

In order to establish the NDA on schedule, my Department proposes to undertake necessary preparatory work. Treasury approval has been given to this. This work relates principally to recruiting—subject to Royal Assent—the NDA Board and other personnel, to activities relating to IT and finance systems, to property searches, and to a definitive salary and benefits survey. My Department considers that making this expenditure prior to Royal Assent will provide a net benefit to the taxpayer, through savings to the public purse to be achieved by the early establishment of the NDA.

Parliamentary approval for additional resources for this new service will be sought in a Supplementary Estimate for the DTI. Pending that approval urgent expenditure estimated at £500,000 will be met by repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.
 
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DEFENCE

D-Day (60th Anniversary)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans (Mr. Ivor Caplin): I am pleased to update the House on the events planned, both in France and in the United Kingdom, to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of D-Day.

The main events in Normandy on 5 June are the Normandy Veterans Association Parade and Homage to Field Marshal-Montgomery in Colleville-Montgomery; a Service held by the 3rd Parachute Brigade at Bavent-le-Mesnil; a Tree-Planting Ceremony at the Royal Naval and Royal Marine Memorial in Ouistreham organised by the RN/RM Landing Craft Association; the inauguration by HRH the Prince of Wales at the Pegasus Museum of a HORSA Replica Glider; a Parachute Drop by soldiers of 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment; the inauguration of the British Garden of Remembrance at Caen; a Poppy Drop to The Royal British Legion's chartered vessel the MV Van Gogh; and a symbolic crossing of ships from Portsmouth to Ouistreham. Also travelling with veterans will be the winning school from our nationwide competition who will be collecting experiences from veterans before and after the events.

On 6 June, there will be a Service at Bayeux Cathedral organised by the Calvados Branch of The Royal British Legion; a Bi-National Ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Bayeux, attended by HM The Queen and President Chirac, a Landing Craft Exhibition on GOLD Beach at Asnelles; the International Event on the cliff top above Arromanches, attended by 17 Heads of State, including a Naval Review, March Past and Fly Past; the Normandy Veterans' Association Final Parade and March Past in Arromanches, attended by HM the Queen, the Duke of Gloucester, the Prime Minister, the Defence Secretary and myself; and a Commemorative Concert at the Abbaye Aux Hommes in Caen.

Several commemorative events will take place in the United Kingdom, including a full programme organised by the City of Portsmouth during the weekend, and on 6 June a Service at the National Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield reflecting the event being held at Bayeux Cemetery.

The Government recognise the huge significance of this anniversary to the D-Day veterans, around 8,000 of whom plan to travel to Normandy to play their part once again. We have experienced very constructive co-operation with the French authorities and the Normandy Veterans Association. There is extremely high level of interest in these events and limited space, especially in Arromanches Town Centre and Bayeux. We are working with the French authorities to alleviate any problems that may occur. Veterans, of course, will be given first priority.

There are several schemes in place to assist those veterans who wish to return to the areas where they saw active service during the Second World War. As I announced to the House on 9 February, the New Opportunities Fund has made available £10 million of
 
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national lottery funding to help with travel costs. The Home Office has provided free one-year passports to veterans travelling for the 60th anniversary commemorations scheme. P&O Ferries have generously offered a 50 per cent. reduction in ferry fares to Normandy.

The role of other Government departments, the Imperial War Museum and the National Lottery means that this important commemoration offers a real opportunity to pass on the baton of remembrance to future generations. A commemorative booklet (the third in a series) is being produced and will be sent to all members of the House early next week.

Despite heavy commitments in Iraq and elsewhere around 1,000 troops will be in Normandy. Our Armed Forces today are proud to be able to offer support to the Veterans and their associations of yesterday as they commemorate this important anniversary.

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