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Tony Lloyd (Manchester, Central) (Lab): May I refer the Leader of the House to early-day motion 1706, about trade union recognition and the attempts by Asda Wal-Mart to break the trade unions in that company?

[That this House notes that Asda Wal-Mart has been fined £850,000 in the United Kingdom for offering employees a pay rise to give up union rights at their depot in Washington Tyne and Wear; congratulates the GMB union on its successful campaign on the legal right to maintain union recognition which is fundamental to society; expresses concern over the role of the Portland public relations company in its attempts to discredit the GMB; and further notes that trade unions play a constructive role in the United Kingdom for employees and employers.]

Will my right hon. Friend advise me how we can use the mechanisms of the House to best get across the message that although American investors are welcome, those who come here with union-busting tactics will be resisted both by the trade unions and by society more generally?

Mr. Hoon: I accept the importance of the rules relating to recognition. The Government have improved those for trade unions. It is right that those who want to join them and achieve appropriate thresholds should be recognised in negotiations with their employer. It is equally important that all employers recognise the law and the relevant rules.

Mr. Graham Stuart (Beverley and Holderness) (Con): Last week, a farmer constituent of mine received a letter from the Rural Payments Agency detailing his single farm payment entitlement. It was accompanied by a 12-page booklet, which explained the terms of the entitlement. He was told that it may or may not be correct, but that contacting the RPA would be a waste of time because it was too busy. Meanwhile, he continues to wait for his entitlement, but has no idea when it will arrive. It has been three years since agriculture was debated in the House in Government time. It is a scandal how farmers are treated in this country. Will the Leader of the House hold a debate on agriculture as soon as possible?

Mr. Hoon: I do not accept the description that the hon. Gentleman uses of the process, not least because for 10 years I represented farmers in Derbyshire. I had regular meetings with them and know how complex the payment system was in those days. I also know how much they complained about the complexity of the arrangements. The purpose of the single farm payment system is to simplify the arrangements. It obviously faced some difficulties in its introduction, but I am confident that the system is better than the one that it replaced.

Mr. David Chaytor (Bury, North) (Lab): May we find time for a debate on the future of maternity services? The Leader of the House might be aware of the plans by the Greater Manchester strategic health authority to rationalise the number of maternity units. He will not
 
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yet be aware of the petition of 30,000 signatures that I have received, objecting to any proposal to close the maternity unit at Fairfield hospital in my constituency. Given the high priority given to patient choice in last year's election manifesto, does he agree that it would be utterly illogical to deny to thousands of women in my constituency the right to attend the hospital of their choice to give birth to their children? Fairfield hospital is that choice. May we debate that?

Mr. Hoon: My hon. Friend has made his point and he is right to the extent that I am not familiar with the particular circumstances of the situation that he describes. I am not going to argue with him about it, but I will ensure that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health writes to him setting out in some detail what is happening.

Mr. Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): Yesterday, the Prime Minister stated that nobody has to wait more than six months for their NHS operation, yet at the same time, the Department of Health website showed that many people are still waiting more than six months. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate on the huge difference between the Prime Minister's statements on the NHS and the reality? And by the way, will—

Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. We can do without the "by the way".

Mr. Hoon: The hon. Gentleman has made precisely this point already; indeed, I happened to be in the Chamber yesterday when he made it during a point of order. I recognise that he is entitled to repeat it, but I would have appreciated his observations more if he had recognised at the same time that there are 1,500 more nurses, 670 more doctors and 250 more consultants serving his constituents. That is the result of the remarkable extra investment in his constituency and right across the country.

Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab): My right hon. Friend will probably not be aware that
 
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Liberal Democrat-controlled Stockport council is increasing its council tax by almost 5 per cent., at the same time as making £10 million-worth of cuts in local services, despite having had a year-on-year increase in Government grant. Given that Stockport council has failed to collect more than £7 million in tax since the Liberal Democrats took control, does my right hon. Friend not think it perhaps time to find an opportunity to debate in the House the poor record of some councils in collecting council tax?

Mr. Hoon: My hon. Friend has made his point very well and I am sure that there will be opportunities on the Adjournment or in Westminster Hall for a debate on the difference between what the Liberal Democrats say in the House and what they do in the country.

Dr. Vincent Cable (Twickenham) (LD): Is the Leader of the House aware that in many of our constituencies, shopping centres are being decimated by very high rent inflation, precipitated by upward-only rent agreements enforced by commercial landlords? Will he approach the Government Departments concerned and ask them to produce a statement on the various policy options available to alleviate this problem?

Mr. Hoon: This is an issue of great concern to high streets throughout the country and I am aware of its impact—I see it for myself in my constituency. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is looking at it carefully, but equally, the hon. Gentleman should recognise that such locations are subject to market forces. If he makes some submissions on how the Liberal Democrats would deal with this issue, I am sure that they will be looked at with great interest.

Several hon. Members rose—

Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. We must move on.
 
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Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service)

12.13 pm

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Mr. Deputy Speaker, I want today to announce the settlement package for the Royal Irish (Home Service) personnel being discharged as a result of the Northern Ireland normalisation process. I want also to mention that we have completed work on a related issue—the reduction in the number of Royal Armoured Corps and infantry bands within the Army, as part of the overall work on the future Army structure. As a further part of that work, the band of the Royal Irish Regiment will be disbanded by 31 March 2008, and the Territorial Army band in Northern Ireland will be renamed the Royal Irish Regiment Band (TA). Full details have been provided to the House in a written ministerial statement today.

The House will recall that on 1 August 2005, the start of the security normalisation process in Northern Ireland was declared. We said then that, should the security situation remain satisfactory, Operation Banner, under which the military provide support to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, will end on 1 August 2007, and that after that there will be no requirement for the three Royal Irish (Home Service) battalions. However, they will be required to support the police in the 2006 marching season.

I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to these dedicated and brave men and women, who have contributed so much in bringing us to where we are today. We will never forget that more than 200 Royal Irish (Home Service) and Ulster Defence Regiment personnel made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Northern Ireland. I know that the day of disbandment will be a sad one for the battalions and for each and every member of the Home Service, but we should take the opportunity to look at how far we have come. They should all be rightly proud of the crucial role that they have played in creating the environment for normalisation to begin, and I offer my thanks for their sacrifice and fortitude.

My Department has been working hard to draw up a settlement package for the military personnel in question, and I am now in a position to provide details of it. In addition to the normal armed forces occupational redundancy and resettlement package, full-time personnel will receive a tax-free, flat-rate ex gratia payment of £28,000. Part-time military personnel will receive a tax-free, flat-rate ex gratia payment of £14,000. These payments are in recognition of the impact that disbandment will have on those serving in the Home Service, and are an acknowledgement of the pressures that they will face on re-integrating into the community.

All full-time soldiers will be offered normal redundancy terms, which include a lump sum, tax-free compensation payment and, for many, early payment of pension. They will also have access to a full resettlement service, including training and a job-finding service. Part-time Home Service personnel will benefit from a job-finding resettlement service. There will be a bespoke Royal Irish after-care service to provide continuing
 
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support; it will be accessible by all former members of the Ulster Defence Regiment and of the Royal Irish (Home Service), as well as their dependants. Exact details of the after-care service are, however, still being worked on.

I cannot over-emphasise how eager we are for as many Home Service personnel as possible to take the opportunity to continue their career in the armed forces, where they can carry on making a valuable contribution to defence. Consequently, we are offering an alternative taxable engagement bounty of £10,000 to eligible Royal Irish (Home Service) personnel who wish to transfer into, and are accepted into, the general service Army.

The settlement package will be offered to all Royal Irish (Home Service) officers and soldiers still in service on 31 August 2006. The package has been designed to take into account three factors collectively: first, the pressures and restrictions that members of the Royal Irish (Home Service) faced while serving in their local community, and which are likely to continue to affect them in the immediate aftermath of the regiment's disbandment; secondly, the importance of assisting more than 3,000 of our people as they return to civilian life; and finally, the socio-economic difficulties that they may experience as a result of the regiment's disbandment and their former membership of it.

Resettlement will commence from 1 January 2007. Full-time soldiers will finish their service in tranches spread over a longer period. The majority will leave between 1 January and 31 July 2007, although a very small number of personnel will be required until 31 March 2008, by which time the process will be complete.

The package, which goes well beyond statutory entitlements, is well deserved and we hope that it will be well received by Home Service personnel. To put it in context, I give three typical examples. A 22-year-old full-time Home Service private with four years' service would receive a tax-free lump sum payment of about £38,000. A 34-year-old full-time Home Service corporal with 16 years' service would receive a tax-free lump sum payment of about £85,500 and an immediate pension for life. A 43-year-old full-time major with 22 years' service would receive £152,000 and an immediate pension. Overall, the cost of this package to the Ministry of Defence is in the region of £250 million. Everyone will regard this as a very generous package for a unique set of individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the achievement of normalisation in Northern Ireland. Regimental traditions will be preserved by the 1st Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment and by the Territorial Army element, the Royal Irish Rangers, which will remain an integral part of our defence capability.

The normalisation process will also impact on civilian personnel, and a process of consultation will take place with the trade unions on the civilian redundancies, in accordance with our duties under section 188 of the Trades Unions and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. Affected civilian staff will be kept informed of progress, but we will not be in a position to make an announcement until later this year.

Consideration is also being given to the formal recognition that should be given to mark the unique circumstances faced by the Royal Irish (Home Service)
 
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and its antecedents in providing continuous support to the police in Northern Ireland throughout the counter-terrorism campaign. The regiment has been consulted on that, and its views will be given due weight. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement on the matter later in the year.

I hope that the House will welcome the resettlement package outlined in this statement, and agree with me that it treats the men and women of the Royal Irish (Home Service) fairly and with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

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