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Written Ministerial Statements
Monday 20 June 2005
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Legal Aid Asylum Appeals
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Bridget Prentice): The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, has made the following written ministerial statement in the other place today:
"On Friday, 17 June I published the Government's response to the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee report on Legal Aid Asylum Appeals. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It is also available on the Department for Constitutional Affairs website".
Special Immigrant Appeal Commission
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Bridget Prentice): The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, has made the following written ministerial statement in the other place today:
"On Friday 17 June the Government published their response to the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee's report on the operation of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) and the use of special advocates. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The response is also available on the Department for Constitutional Affairs website."
HEALTH
Health Improvement and Protection Bill (Smoking)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Caroline Flint): The Queen's Speech announced that legislation to restrict smoking in enclosed public places will be introduced as part of the Health Improvement and Protection Bill during this parliamentary session.
A consultation paper is to be published today on the smoke-free elements of the Health Improvement and Protection Bill.
This will begin a public consultation, which will run until 5 September.
This is an England and Wales Bill, but the provisions described in detail in the consultation document apply to England only. In relation to Wales, it is proposed that the Welsh Assembly should be enabled under the terms of the Bill to make provision for smoke-free public places in accordance with the policy that they may determine in relation to this issue.
Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Library.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Departmental Report and Corporate Plan
The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Charles Clarke): We have today published the Home Office's 2005 annual report, its 2005–06 corporate plan and its departmental investment strategy. Copies are available in the House Library and on the Home Office website. The first two of these describe how the Home Office builds a safe, just and tolerant society as reflected in our strategic objectives and key targets. These set out how, in turn, delivery depends on the Department's three key pillars of responsibility, dealing with, policing security, community safety and active communities; ensuring that our new National Offender Management Service is implemented and that we work effectively with our partners across the criminal justice system (CJS); and establishing a clearly robust and fair approach to immigration, citizenship and nationality.
The report is primarily focused on 2004–05, setting out our performance against key targets and describing how our activities contributed towards them. The plan is focused on the present financial year, explaining how we will deliver better public services and how the Department is organising itself to deliver these.
We are also placing on our website www.homeoffice.gov.uk the Department's investment strategy. This sets out at greater length the critical role that capital investment plays in improving our key public services.
Charity Commission
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Paul Goggins): I am today announcing that the Charity Commission will be publishing its departmental report for 2005 on 20 June. Copies of that report will be available in the Library.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Empirical Economics of Standards
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Barry Gardiner): I am pleased to announce that the benefits of standards to UK business, innovation and the wider economy can be quantified for the first time. A programme of studies commissioned by the National Standardisation Strategic Framework (NSSF), have brought together the analysis of findings fro the University of Surrey, Nottingham University Business School and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research in Germany. The principal findings of the report show that:
Formal standards contribute £2.5 billion to the growth of the UK economy annually as a means of spreading knowledge and technology;
http://www.dti.gov.uk/iese/ The–Empirical–Economics–of–Standards.pdf and hard copies will be made available in the parliamentary Library.
The National Standardisation Strategic Framework (NSSF) was developed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to provide a platform for increasing the awareness use and understanding of standards and standardisation in the UK.
This research quantifies the impact of standards on the success of UK business of all types.
As the national standards body for the UK, the British Standards Institution plays an important role in enabling innovation and technology transfer within national and international markets. This creation of synergies is found to accelerate the speed to market of products and services which allows businesses to keep ahead of the game in an ever-changing marketplace.
For many years business opinion has tended to divide regarding the genuine impact of standards. While many firms have embraced standards as a valuable tool for strategic management, others argue that their presence has acted as a halt on business freedom and competitiveness.
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For that reason I commend to Parliament this research and urge UK industry to make business standards a boardroom issue in order to provide tangible assurances of progress across all aspects of commerce.
TRANSPORT
Departmental Report
The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Alistair Darling): I have today published my Department's annual report for 2005. Copies have been laid before Parliament and placed in the Library of both Houses.
The report sets out the Department's activities and achievements over the last year. It also describes the Department's future expenditure plans for the period of the spending review 2004.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Departmental Report
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. David Blunkett): I am today able to announce the publication of the Department for Work and Pensions departmental report (Cm 6539). The report provides details of the Department's performance in 2004–05 against its public service agreement targets and sets out the Department's expenditure plans for 2005–06 to 2007–08. The report has been placed in the Library.