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Written Ministerial Statements
Wednesday 27 October 2004
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Margaret Beckett): The Government today announced proposals on the total number of greenhouse gas emission allowances to be allocated to UK industry as part of the first phase of the EU emissions trading scheme.
The UK published its national allocation plan in May, setting out provisional allocation levels for the first phase of EU emissions trading (which runs from 2005–07). These were based on interim projections of emissions over the period. The allocations have now been reviewed in the light of ongoing work on the projections and the new climate change agreement targets agreed with industry.
Emissions by UK installations covered by the EU emissions trading scheme for the period 2005–07 are now estimated to be 56.1 million tonnes CO 2 (or 7.6 per cent.) higher than was the case in April. The Government have considered how to reflect in their plan this increase in emissions from the interim April projections.
The Government are planning to propose to the Commission an amendment to the national allocation plan increasing the total number of UK allowances for the period 2005–07 by 19.8 million allowances. This is an increase of less than 3 per cent. from the number in the April plan.
The proposal would set out the overall number of allowances for UK industry at a challenging but achievable 1evel. This balances the need to protect the competitive position of UK industry while moving us beyond our Kyoto Protocol commitment towards our tougher national goal.
The EU emissions trading scheme is a vital part of our drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across Europe. The proposed approach moves us further towards our climate change objectives, while taking account of the changes to the underlying projections.
HEALTH
Adult Social Care
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr. Stephen Ladyman):
We have made a commitment to review the national minimum standards for social care, made under the Care Standards Act 2000, within three years of their introduction. The Government are now beginning the review of the standards and the associated legislative framework for
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adult social care. Following the review, we will carefully consider the case for change. We intend to implement any changes to the adult social care standards in 2006.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Forced Marriage
The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. David Blunkett): A forced marriage is one where one or both of the spouses do not consent to the marriage or where consent is extracted through duress. Duress includes both physical and emotional pressure. Forced marriage is an abuse of human rights and a form of domestic violence that the Government are determined to tackle. It cannot be justified on any religious or cultural basis. With this in mind the Government are today announcing a package of new measures designed to combat the abuse. These are:
A joint Home Office—Foreign Office forced marriage unit (FMU), to be operational by the end of the year. This will be the government's central unit dealing with forced marriage casework, policy and projects. It will provide information and assistance both to potential victims and to concerned professionals;
A consultation later this year on whether to create a specific criminal offence of forcing someone into marriage. This will fully engage with victims of forced marriage, women's groups and non governmental organisations to consider how best the law can be used to support victims;
Forced marriage will be targeted as a specific abuse that the Government are determined to tackle in the revision of the key inter-agency guidance on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This guidance will have statutory backing. This will help to ensure best practice guidance for social workers (issued in March of this year) and education professionals (to be issued in December of this year) on how to tackle forced marriage will be implemented across the country, with many more cases being successfully identified and dealt with;
The minimum age for marriage entry clearance will be raised from 16 to 18. This is to give those who face forced marriage extra time in which to mature and resist familial pressure for them to enter a marriage that they do not want. In support of this an extra entry clearance officer will be posted in Islamabad to help these reluctant spouses. This officer will also assist those who have been abandoned in Pakistan by their partners and who have the right to return to the UK. This will increase our ability to support victims and stop further abuse in the wake of forced marriage.
Forced marriage is, of course, very different from arranged marriage, where the families of both spouses take a leading role in arranging the marriage but the choice whether or not to accept the arrangement remains with the prospective couple.
Identity Cards
The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. David Blunkett):
I am today publishing the Government's response to the Home Affairs Committee's report on identity cards and a summary of the findings of consultation and research based on the draft Identity Cards Bill which was published on 26 April 2004 (CM 6178).
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The Home Affairs Committee has carried out an inquiry into identity cards. This was announced in November 2003 with the following terms of reference:
"The Committee will inquire into all aspects of identity cards, including the practical aspects of the Government's proposals and of any future schemes, and will examine the Government's draft Bill. Among the questions they will consider are:
the practical issues involved in the ID database and biometric identifiers;
the security and integrity of the proposed system;
the operational use of ID cards in establishing identity, accessing public services, and tackling illegal migration, crime, and terrorism;
issues to be addressed in the longer-term, including compulsion; and
the estimated cost of the system."
The Committee's report, which covered both their inquiry and their pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill, was published in July this year.
The Government welcome the contribution made by the Committee. Its comments have been carefully considered and many of them are reflected in revisions to the draft Bill or will be taken up later at the implementation stage. We hope that legislation to build a base for a compulsory national identity cards scheme will be introduced as soon as feasible.
Copies of the Government's response and the summary of findings are available in the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office and have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. They can also be viewed on the identity cards website: www.identitycards.gov.uk.
TRANSPORT
Highways Agency Development Control Policy
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Mr. Tony McNulty): This statement supplements Roads Circular 4/2001: "Control of Development Affecting Trunk Roads and Agreements with Developers under Section 278 of the Highways Act 1980".
The Department for Transport, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Highways Agency have been carrying out a review of the existing development control policy to see if there are any measures that could be introduced to speed up development where possible. As a result of this work the Highways Agency proposes to implement the measures outlined below.
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Development in Advance of Completion of Road Improvement
The Highways Agency has considered and agreed to allow, where possible and at the request of the developer, all development to go ahead in parallel with any road infrastructure improvements being carried out under an s278 agreement. This will be subject to safety considerations and on the understanding that the Highways Agency cannot be held accountable for any delays to the road works or resulting delays for the developer.
This change would mean that developers could access sites earlier, start work and have, for example, houses ready for immediate occupation as soon as the road infrastructure was completed.
Increased use of Trigger Points
In addition, the Highways Agency has agreed to consider the use of "trigger points" so that where there is any surplus capacity in an existing network developers could utilise that capacity in their proposals. This means that developers will be allowed to proceed with their development up to an agreed point, a point where the traffic generation matches the reserve capacity. This point will usually be assessed on a given floor area for an industrial development or a specified number and size of houses for a housing development.
This change means that, where there is any surplus capacity in an existing network, developers will be able to complete and have occupied specified parts of a proposed development in advance of any network improvements required under an s278 agreement.
These changes to the existing development control policy will be implemented with immediate effect.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance
The Minister for Work (Jane Kennedy): Further to the written statement on 4 December by my hon. Friend the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration I am pleased to announce the publication today of the "Framework for Vocational Rehabilitation" and its associated annex.
Vocational rehabilitation can form an essential component of best health and safety practice. Good rehabilitation programmes enable employers to retain experienced staff who add value to their business. Equally it enables workers who would otherwise be retired as medically unfit to continue in their chosen employment.
The discussion paper has been placed in the Library.