Written Ministerial Statements
Wednesday 16 May 2007
Education and Skills
Age Regulations
The Minister for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning (Bill Rammell): Guidance on the vocational training aspects of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations is available on the DTI website. It is aimed at, amongst others, providers of further and adult education. The guidance makes it clear that age related practices, such as age related fee concessions, may be objectively justified where they are a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. It is for providers to produce evidence of such objective justification if called upon to do so, or to take their own legal advice if necessary. Guidance on objective justification is also available on page 30 of the ACAS guidance on the Age regulations.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Health (Performance Targets)
The Minister for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare (Mr. Ben Bradshaw): I have set Animal Health the following Performance Targets for 2007-08 split between Strategic targets in eight areas and Operational targets in four areas.
Leadership and our ability to manage change
1. To implement a new Operations Management Structure and keep management capacity under review
2. To implement succession planning and talent management schemes
3. To develop and state values and behaviours fit for the future
Professional skills and veterinary capacity
4. To implement plans for professional and technical training in specific skill areas
5. To implement the Veterinary and Technical Development Pathway
6. Implement phase one of the Official Veterinarians Reform Programme; begin pilots in April 2007 and (subject to meeting success criteria) extend pilots in year
Transforming delivery capacity
7. Complete solution confirmation and design stages of the Business Reform Programme
8. Complete the design, development, planning and implementation stages of the Contact Management module and the planning and pre- implementation preparatory stages of the TB and Brucella module of the programme
Maintaining and improving readiness and resilience
9. Conduct a rigorous assessment of current response capability, including immediate mobilisation capability, identify current gaps in field readiness and develop and implement an Action Plan for improvement
Developing an Operations Strategy
10. Develop the organisation's Operations Strategy by:
Establishing a Guidance Programme
Establishing an Investigations Programme
Document the enforcement hierarchy and review enforcement policy and efficacy
11. Agree and implement collaborative working with the Rural Payments Agency
12. Collaborate with others to develop the e-portal Whole Farm Approach
13. To actively engage in the development of policy with policy customers
14. Develop and implement quality assurance arrangements for report case work and bovine TB testing
15. Pilot the development of private practice quality assurance schemes in the Official Veterinarians Reform Programme
Implementing the animal health and welfare strategy for Great Britain
16. We will review and refresh working relationships with local authorities
17. To ensure that at least 97 per cent. of blood samples submitted in the year for gamma-interferon tests are of a satisfactory condition. Where submitted samples are rejected by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), to work with them to investigate the reasons for failure. During the year, to develop and implement refinements to any stages in the collection, storage and transport process under our direct control that have a limiting influence on the proportion of successfully completed tests, and to issue instructions to ensure that consistent standards are followed throughout the agency
18. Ensure that blood samples are collected for no less than 95 per cent. of herds/ animals for which application of the gamma-interferon test is compulsory
19. Ensure that 65 per cent. of at risk TB herds are traced and tested within nine weeks of confirmation of the original test result. Within this timeframe, to prioritise the testing and tracing of cattle moved to three and four year parishes. Separately, we will lead discussions with TB Policy colleagues to identify and test other options for prioritising tracings work, for future implementation and monitoring
20. Issue movement restrictions on 98 per cent. of high-risk herds within two working days of confirmation of the TB test result (reactors). Where TB is suspected from lesions identified at slaughter, to ensure restriction notices are placed on 98 per cent. high-risk animals and herds within two working days of receipt of notification from the Meat Hygiene Service
Exotic disease outbreaks: Readiness and Resilience
21. Enhance emergency preparedness by planning and delivering a large- scale exercise on classical swine fever by the end of March 2008 involving Animal Health, DEFRA, the Devolved Administrations, the industry and operational partners. Plan, prepare and deliver a programme of local exotic disease exercises in Animal Health Divisional Offices, involving operational partners
22. Undertake an assessment of the readiness and resilience of the organisation's corporate centre through the application of the management assurance scheme, ERMAS
23. Develop and implement plans for professional and technical training to support those tasks critical to operational readiness and resilience
Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain
24. Building on the 2006-07 objectives, strengthen engagement with the Government Office Regions and key regional stakeholders to facilitate the development of preliminary regional Action Plans for the implementation of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain in the regions
25. Continue to work with Policy colleagues to implement the cumulative £4.2 million Gershon efficiency savings agreed with the Department for the 2004 Comprehensive Spending Review period.
Further details are given in the Animal Health Business Plan for 2007-08, a copy of which will be provided to the Library of the House.
Home Department
Asylum Seekers (Language Testing)
The Minister for Immigration and Asylum (Mr. Liam Byrne): I have made an authorisation under section 19D of the Race Relations Act 1976 as amended, to enable the Secretary of State to request that asylum applicants claiming to be of specific nationalities submit to language analysis. This replaces the Race Relations (Immigration and Asylum) (No. 3) Authorisation 2001, which is revoked.
The condition for making such a request is that the person claims to be a Somali or an Eritrean. The Secretary of State may take a refusal to submit to testing into account when determining whether an applicant has assisted in establishing the facts of his case.
It is known that some applicants for asylum claim to be of a nationality or from a region or grouping that is not their own for the purpose of gaining residence in this country on an unfounded basis. The authorisation will assist the Secretary of State to ascertain the extent of this abuse, as well as to make decisions in individual cases.
This authorisation will be of four months duration. I will review the continued need for the authorisation before its expiry.
I am placing copies of the authorisation in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
Prime Minister
Cabinet Committees
The Prime Minister (Mr. Tony Blair):
On 29 March 2007, Official Report, columns 133-35WS, I announced details of machinery of Government changes to the Home Office and the then Department for Constitutional Affairs. Alongside this, I announced the creation of new Cabinet Committees on Crime and the Criminal
Justice System and on Security and Terrorism. I am now announcing the membership and terms of reference of the new Committees.
Responsibility for the National Offender Management Service, and for criminal law and sentencing policy, moved from the Home Office to the new Ministry of Justice on 9 May. Public protection and crime reduction will continue to be the core focus of Government policy. The new Ministerial Committee on Crime and the Criminal Justice System (CJS) will take this forward.
The role of the Home Secretary and the capabilities of the Home Office in facing the terrorist threat have been strengthened and a new Office of Security and Counter Terrorism has been established in the Home Office. The Committee on Security and Terrorism (ST) will oversee this work, including international terrorism and counter radicalisation. It will be supported by two sub-Committees: Counter Radicalisation (ST(CR)); and, Protection and Resilience (ST(PR)). The existing sub-Committees on International Terrorism (DOP(IT)) and Protective Security and Resilience (DOP(IT)(PSR)) will therefore no longer operate.
The list of Cabinet Committees, which is available in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Cabinet Office website, will be updated in due course to reflect these changes.
Ministerial Committee On Crime And The Criminal Justice System (Cjs)
Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State (Deputy Chair)
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion (and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster)
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and Minister for Women
Chief Whip (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury)
The Secretaries of State for Wales, for Northern Ireland, and for Scotland, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council, and Lords Chief Whip and Captain of the Gentleman-at-Arms receive papers. Other Ministers may be invited to attend as necessary.
“To set and oversee the delivery of the Government’s strategy for reducing crime and reoffending, for reforming the Criminal Justice System, and for policing.”
Ministerial Committee On Security And Terrorism (ST)
Secretary of State for the Home Department (Deputy Chair(1))
Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and Minister for Women
Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Transport
Other Ministers will be invited to attend as necessary. The Heads of the Security and Intelligence Agencies, Chair of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee) and the Permanent Secretary, Intelligence, Security and Resilience will attend as required.
(1)Other ministers such as the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government may deputise as appropriate.
“To develop the Government’s strategy for reducing the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from terrorism, and to drive forward its delivery; and to consider related security issues as appropriate.”
Ministerial Committee On Security And Terrorism Ministerial Sub-Committee On Counter Radicalisation (ST(CR))
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and Minister for Women
Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion (and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster)
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Secretary of State for International Development
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Other Ministers will be invited to attend as necessary. The Heads of the Security and Intelligence Agencies; the Permanent Secretary, Intelligence, Security and Resilience; the Permanent Secretary Communities and Local Government; and the President of the Association of Chief Police Officers will attend as required.
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