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Terms of Reference

“To develop the Government’s strategy for countering radicalisation and to drive forward its delivery, and to report to the Ministerial Committee on Security and Terrorism.”

Ministerial Committee On Security And Terrorism Sub-Committee On Protection And Resilience (ST)(PR))

Composition

Secretary of State for the Home Department (Chair)

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Deputy Chair)

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Secretary of State for Health

Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion (and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster)

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Secretary of State for Wales

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and Minister for Women

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Secretary of State for Defence

Secretary of State for Transport, and Secretary of State for Scotland

Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Minister for Security, Counter Terrorism and Police

Other Ministers, the Heads of the Security and Intelligence Agencies, the Permanent Secretary, Intelligence, Security and Resilience and the President of the Association of the Chief Police Officers will be invited to attend as necessary.

Terms of Reference

“To develop the Government’s strategy:

(i) for reducing the vulnerability of the United Kingdom and to British interests overseas; and

(ii) for improving our capabilities for managing the consequences of major terrorist or other disruptive incidents in the United Kingdom;

and to drive forward the delivery of these strategies and report to the Ministerial Committee on Security and Terrorism.”

Trade and Industry

National Minimum Wage/Employment Agency Standards (Enforcement)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Jim Fitzpatrick): Since 1997, our approach to the UK labour market has been based on combining social justice with economic prosperity so that businesses grow and employment expands, delivering opportunity for all. Last year’s “Success at Work” strategy paper set out the next stage of our approach. In particular, it emphasised the need for a stable and proportionate regulatory framework: one in
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which complying with the law is simple and straightforward and where individuals get the rights to which they are entitled, supported by an effective enforcement and penalties regime.

We are today announcing a consultation about two key elements of the regulatory framework—the national minimum wage (NMW) and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate—focusing on measures to promote compliance and improve fairness both for workers and compliant businesses.

We are proposing a new strategy to deal with cases of underpayment of the NMW, based on a fairer way of dealing with arrears, and a simpler, more effective penalty regime to deter non-compliance.

We are also consulting on strengthening the penalties regime for offences committed against employment agency legislation and clearer investigative powers for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate. By making it more difficult for the small minority of rogue agencies to cut corners at the expense of the reputable side of the industry, these changes should benefit both workers and most agencies.


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From today, copies of the consultation are available at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/consultations/

Work and Pensions

Departmental Report

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. John Hutton): I am today able to announce the publication of the Department for Work and Pensions departmental report. The report provides details of the Department’s performance in 2006-07 against its public service agreement targets and sets out the Department’s expenditure plans for 2007-08.

Copies of the report are available from the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.


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