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Written Ministerial Statements

Tuesday 12 October 2004

DEFENCE

Missile Defence

The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon): The Ministry of Defence has signed an agreement setting out mechanisms for co-operation with the US in research, development, test and evaluation activities related to missile defence. This agreement is made under the framework memorandum
 
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of understanding on missile defence that I announced to the House on 12 June 2003, Official Report, column 57WS, and comes into immediate effect. I am placing in the Library of the House of Commons a copy of this agreement, although parts of the text relating to the handling of classified and export-controlled information have been withheld at the request of the US. This agreement replaces the 1985 strategic defence initiative memorandum of understanding as the vehicle for co-operation between the UK and US in the field of missile defence. It is intended that the new agreement will improve co-operation by providing information transfer and contracting mechanisms in keeping with current US and UK practices and the current state of development of the US missile defence capability.

Warship Support Agency

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Key targets have been set for the chief executive of the WSA for financial year 2004–05 as follows:

Title	Details	Target
KT 1a—Provision of available force element days	The measurement of the number of days when the material condition of a vessel enables it to perform its scheduled task on that day.	To provide Commander-In-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) with the target level of available force element days agreed in the CINCFLEET/Defence logistics organisation (DLO) customer supplier agreement (CSA).
KT 1b—Provision of ready force element days	The measurement of the number of days when the material state of a vessel enables it to meet its required readiness category.	To provide CINCFLEET with the target level of the ready force element days agreed in the CINCFLEET/DLO customer supplier agreement (CSA).
KT 2—Timely completion of upkeep periods.	The measurement of the amount by which the upkeep periods overrun.	To meet the planned delivery dates for vessels undergoing deep maintenance and repair within the agreed upkeep factor tolerance.
KT 3—Timely completion of thehigh priority capability improvement programme	The measurement of the number of high priority upgrades implemented in accordance with the agreed and published installation plan.	To fit 87 per cent. of the high priority, type A capability improvements (alterations and Additions—A and A) selected by the equipment capability customer (ECC).
KT 4—Provision of single living accommodation	The measurement of the increase in available single living accommodation (SLA).	To provide CINCFLEET, 2SL/CNH and naval base lodger units with the required quantity and quality of single living accommodation for their entitled personnel as articulated in DLO CSA.
KT 5—Provision of operational support services at the naval bases.	The measurement of the delivery of operational support services to a satisfactory standard.	To provide CINCFLEET with the operational support services articulated in DLO customer supplier agreements (CSA) at the agreed ISO 9000 quality management standard.
KT 6—Maintenance of WSA capacity to support the naval force generation plan	The assurance that the agency has the capacity to contribute to the naval force generation plan.	To achieve a satisfactory assessment against all elements of the agency's contribution to the naval force generation plan.
KT 7—Delivering planned efficiencies	The measurement of the delivery of planned efficiencies.	To ensure delivery of 90 per cent. of the planned efficiency savings in the DLO benefits tracking tool that are scheduled to be achieved this financial year.

Support Vehicle

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Following extensive work to identify the best way forward, the Ministry of Defence will appoint MAN ERF UK Ltd. as the preferred bidder for the support vehicle contract.

The support vehicle project is a tri-service procurement to replace the current cargo and recovery vehicle fleets. The new vehicles will bring the UK's armed forces a much-improved capability for transporting vital supplies to the front line while on deployed and expeditionary operations, together with a much enhanced recovery capability to deal with a greater range of damaged or immobilised vehicles.
 
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Bids from MAN ERF UK Ltd., Mercedes-Benz UK Defence, the Oshkosh Truck Corporation and Stewart & Stevenson TVS UK Ltd. were considered. Following detailed consideration of the proposals, MAN ERF UK Ltd. have been selected as the preferred bidder for the demonstration and manufacturing phase. The MAN ERF UK Ltd. bid offered the most compliant proposal, demonstrated the best value for money and is consistent with the UK's defence industrial policy. The project team will undertake detailed contractual negotiations prior to letting a contract. The intention is to bring the new vehicles into service as soon as possible with deliveries commencing in 2007.

This will give our forces one of the most advanced support vehicle fleets in the world, whilst ensuring the British taxpayer gets the best possible value for money.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Bellwin Scheme (North Cornwall)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Phil Hope): North Cornwall district council experienced exceptional flooding and consequential damage on 16 August 2004. Given these circumstances I am satisfied that financial assistance under the Bellwin scheme is justified. A scheme will therefore be established under section 155 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Grant will be paid to the authority to cover 85 per cent. of the eligible costs above a threshold, which it has incurred in dealing with the flooding.

Council Tax Revaluation

The Minister for Local and Regional Government (Mr. Nick Raynsford): The Local Government Act 2003 requires the council tax revaluation in England to take effect on 1 April 2007. As part of the preparatory work, the Government has considered what property information should be published as part of the new council tax lists to help taxpayers take a view on whether the basis of their council tax band is correct.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is today publishing a consultation paper seeking views on whether the council tax list should contain information about individual properties, whether the list should be published in draft by the Valuation Office Agency (as well as local authorities) and whether the Valuation Office Agency should issue a notice to each council tax payer showing the sales evidence on which the banding has been based.

Copies of the consultation paper have been made available in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the ODPM website www.odpm.gov.uk.

The consultation period ends on 4 January 2005.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Private Sewers

The Minister for the Environment and Agri-environment (Mr. Elliot Morley): I have today put forward for consideration findings from the consultation on existing private sewers in England and
 
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Wales. The Government paper summarises responses to that consultation and sets out the shared views of central government and the Welsh Assembly Government. I have placed a copy in the House Library.

Many householders are often unaware that their property is connected to a private sewer or that they are responsible for its maintenance and repair, sometimes jointly with others, until a problem occurs.

The problems associated with private sewers and drains include:

difficulties of establishing the ownership of and responsibilities for maintaining shared private sewers;

the unwillingness of some owners or occupiers to accept their responsibilities and the difficulty of requiring them to contribute towards the cost of repair to shared private sewers;

the owners and occupiers are unable to afford the high costs of repair to private sewers and drains;

the difficulty of getting private sewers adopted by the sewerage undertaker;

sewage flooding from private sewers.

The Government have already taken action to tackle these problems. This has been done in two stages: the first stage, now in place, prevents the proliferation of the problems by introducing a protocol for the construction of new sewers. This requires all sewers to be built to a standard that would not preclude their adoption by the sewerage undertaker. New legislation will allow sewerage undertakers to adopt laterals, that part of the drain situated outside a property boundary and running from the boundary to the sewer, if they are built to an adoptable standard.

The second stage looked at existing private sewers. A consultation paper entitled "Review of Existing Private Sewers in England and Wales" was published on 1 July 2003 and sought views on a number of possible solutions, including the adoption of private sewers by sewerage undertakers.

Respondents to the consultation included local authorities, sewerage undertakers, Ofwat, WaterVoice, and a number of other groups and individuals. We have studied all responses carefully, and I am grateful for the efforts respondents have made.

Ninety-five per cent. of respondents stated that current arrangements are unsatisfactory and that changes are needed to address the problems associated with private sewers. I therefore believe that there is a clear case for action to be taken to resolve the problems created by private sewers.

Respondents supported a number of general legislative changes and the introduction of guidance. However, it was acknowledged that these measures alone may only provide partial solutions to the problems caused by private sewers.

Eighty one per cent. of respondents—including 81 per cent. of responding local authorities, and seven out of ten sewerage undertakers—favour a change of ownership. A transfer of ownership to sewerage undertakers may provide a comprehensive solution to the problem of private sewers. However, this option would result in far-reaching changes and I consider that further work needs to be done before any decisions are taken on this matter.
 
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Before a decision can be made, a number of issues and practicalities need to be resolved, including the scope of any transfer, the form it might take, the costs, funding, impact on the private drain and sewer repair business, impact on the insurance industry and customer reaction.

This is an important issue that impacts on many householders and I am keen to find an effective solution. My Department chairs a steering group that will continue to consider the issues set out in this paper, in consultation with stakeholders as necessary, with a view to informing a final decision.

As part of the consultation process I propose to invite interested stakeholders to a seminar. This will provide an opportunity to further discuss the issues raised in this paper.

I hope to be able to publish a decision paper early in the new year.

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