Written Ministerial Statements
Thursday 9 July 2009
Business, Innovation and Skills
RDA Board Chairs
The Minister for Regional Economic Development and Co-ordination (Ms Rosie Winterton): My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Lord Mandelson) has made the following statement.
I have approved the appointments for the new RDA Board Chairs listed below.
Robert Hough - North West Regional development Agency (NWRDA).
Rob Douglas CBE - South East England Regional Development Agency (SEEDA).
Robert Hough will commence as Chair on 17 August 2009.
Rob Douglas will commence as Chair designate, to ensure continuity from 1 September 2009 and take up post as Chair from 2 November 2009.
The new appointments will be initially until 13 December 2012.
The appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice.
I have placed further details of the appointments in the Library of both Houses. They were all made in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Treasury
Budget ECOFIN (July 2009)
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Ian Pearson): I will attend the Budget ECOFIN to be held on 10 July in Brussels. The Preliminary Draft Budget for the European Communities for 2010 will be discussed, with Council looking to agree its first reading position in preparation for a conciliation meeting with the European Parliament, which will be held directly after budget ECOFIN.
Items on the agenda are as follows:
Preparation of the conciliation meeting with the European Parliament;
Establishment by the Council of the draft budget for the European Communities for 2010.
Children, Schools and Families
Schools Teachers' Review Body Recommendations
The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls):
Part two of the 18th report of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) is being published today, which reviews the appropriateness of the pay award for September 2009 and 2010 which was referred in June 2008. I am grateful for the careful consideration which the STRB has given to this matter. Copies of the
report have been laid before Parliament today and my detailed response to it are available in the Vote Office, the Printed Paper Office, the Libraries of both Houses and at: www.teachernet.gov.uk/pay.
The STRB has recommended that teachers’ pay be increased by 2.3 per cent. from September 2009 and September 2010 with adjustments to the inner London pay scales from September 2009 and September 2010.
I am grateful to the STRB for these recommendations which, subject to the statutory consultation process, I intend to accept and implement in full. These recommendations represent the second and third year of a three-year pay award and confirm recommendations first made by the STRB in January 2008.
I also note the STRB’s recommendations for regular diversity and equality data collection; encouraging schools to use existing recruitment and retention flexibilities in shortage subjects; and consideration to be given to the introduction of new measures to improve the supply of mathematics teachers. My detailed response contains further information on all of these recommendations.
(The following sets out the full set of recommendations from the School Teachers’ Review Body and published in the 18th Report part two (Cm 7652) on 9 July 2009, together with the response from the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. The STRB’s recommendations below are in bold.)
The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls): Part two of the 18th report of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) is being published today. It covers the review of teachers’ pay which was referred to the STRB in June 2008. Copies of the report are available in the Vote Office, the Printed Paper Office and in the Libraries of both Houses and at: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/pay.
In making its recommendations, the STRB was required to have regard to considerations as set out in the remit letter of 25 June 2008. This report reviews the appropriateness of the teachers’ pay award for September 2009 and September 2010. It also makes recommendations about regular diversity and equality data collection; encouraging schools to use existing recruitment and retention flexibilities in shortage subjects; and consideration to be given to the introduction of new measures to improve the supply of mathematics teachers. I am grateful for the careful and detailed attention the STRB has given to these matters. I am inviting comments on the STRB’s report and my response to its recommendations by 5 August 2009.
an increase of 2.3 per cent. from September 2009 and 2.3 per cent. from September 2010 in the values of the pay scales and allowances;
that there be an adjustment to the main and upper pay scale for inner London as proposed in STRB’s 17th report part one: a minimum starting salary of £26,000 for teachers in inner London from September 2009 and £27,000 from September 2010 and consequential adjustments to the main pay scale; and further enhancement in the value of the upper pay scale in inner London from September 2009 and September 2010.
I am grateful to the STRB for conducting its review of teachers’ pay and, subject to the statutory consultation process, I intend to accept and implement
its recommendations in full. These recommendations represent the second and third year of a three-year pay award and confirm recommendations first made by the STRB in January 2008.
Other matters arising from the STRB’s review
The STRB has further recommended that the Department:
undertake regular data collection and analysis to monitor developments in the teacher workforce related to issues of diversity and equality. This should include an ongoing review of matters relating to equal pay and of the extent to which the teaching profession reflects the diversity of the population it serves;
should review and strengthen the ways it encourages schools to use existing recruitment and retention flexibilities to address local teacher shortages in mathematics and other priority subjects; and
should consider the introduction of new financial and other incentives and measures to improve the quantity and quality of the supply of mathematics teachers. If asked to do so, the STRB would welcome the opportunity to explore the form these might take in a future remit.
I agree with the STRB’s recommendation about data collection and analysis. That is why my Department is developing the new School Workforce Census which will provide comprehensive data on an annual basis about the individual characteristics, contract details and pay of school teachers. The development is being piloted with a view to full live roll-out in 2010. The data collected from schools and local authorities in England will include age, gender, ethnicity, disability and qualifications—all at individual teacher level—to allow detailed analysis related to diversity and equality issues.
I note that the STRB recommends that my Department should take steps to encourage schools to use existing recruitment and retention flexibilities to address teacher shortages in mathematics and other priority subjects at a local level. Following an earlier consultation on how best to encourage increased use of existing pay flexibilities, there was no appetite for any action plans or guidance or other communications. However, a note was added to the 2008 model pay policy, which states “Schools should consider making use of existing pay flexibilities within the school teachers’ pay and conditions document—particularly to help with the recruitment of teachers of shortage subjects such as mathematics, science and, in Wales, Welsh. Schools will be expected to meet the costs of any payments from within the budgets they have available”. I would like to invite consultees’ views on whether any other strategies might usefully be adopted.
I note that the STRB has also said that consideration should be given to the introduction of new measures to attract high quality mathematics teachers in the required numbers. While there is some evidence that the measures we have taken to increase recruitment to shortage subjects such as mathematics and science are working, I would prefer to return to this recommendation once I have further evidence of their impact. Meanwhile I would welcome consultees’ ideas, in the context of the recently published 21st century schools White Paper, as to what might be acceptable forms of any such incentives or measures to improve the quality and quantity of mathematics teachers.
Communities and Local Government
Migration Impacts Fund
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr. John Denham): Today I am announcing the successful proposals for England to receive a share of the migration impacts fund. The fund provides £35 million across the UK for 2009-10 financed by a levy on migrants and, subject to a review in the autumn, a similar amount in 2010-11. This money will be used to tackle illegal working practices and reduce local pressure on public services.
This funding works alongside the Government’s points based system which means only those migrants the country needs can come here. The money will be made available quickly and directly to local services across the country, including police, schools and hospitals.
These front-line services, police, councils, the NHS and voluntary organisations have identified projects in their area that will make the biggest difference to insulating them and local people against the impact of migration.
Every region of England will benefit, with the amount each receives being weighted towards the areas where international migration has had the greatest short-term impact.
Projects receiving funding include those introducing tougher measures to crack down on rogue employers, those creating more teachers in schools to ensure good results for all and those increasing GP registration to cut pressures on emergency services and A and E.
The vast majority of employers are responsible but a small minority attempt to flout the law, undercut minimum wages and exploit low paid workers, many of whom are migrants. We are funding projects that will protect existing workers through enforcing the minimum wage and by increasing awareness of health and safety regulations ensuring all employees meet their obligations to all workers.
There is no evidence of unfair access to migrants in social housing. However, in some areas local authorities report concerns that the housing used by migrants can be overcrowded or in poor condition. This can lead to local tensions and cohesion issues. Funding is being targeted to this by cracking down on rogue landlords that will improve the quality of neighbourhoods for all residents.
Funding will be targeted at those schools dealing with a sudden influx of pupils whose first language is not English. This will support extra multilingual teachers freeing up teaching time for the benefit of all the class and helping new arrivals to settle in quickly.
More English language lessons:
Being able to speak English is vital in order to find work and play a full role in the community. Funding provision through the MIF will mean that migrants will be paying for their own classes and ensure that they can
access local services properly, reducing the pressure on services and the cost to public services from translation and interpretation.
Migrants to this country should understand our laws and sign up to our shared values. Funding will be provided for projects that tackle anti-social behaviour and will support extra police community support officers.
Local services report that migrants often do not understand how to access local healthcare in the most appropriate and therefore cheapest way. Funding will be targeted to increase GP registration relieving pressures on A and E.
Every project has been assessed on the basis that it will help migrants integrate into local communities and in doing so benefit the settled community. The agreed grant allocation for this year will be paid in one instalment.
Defence
RAF Force Protection Wing
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Bill Rammell): The RAF Regiment provides essential protection to our air assets and armed forces serving on operations in Afghanistan. They are structured, equipped and trained for this specialist role. Their RAF Force Protection Wing Headquarters and RAF Regiment Field Squadrons allow air operations to continue despite hostile action, by protecting the base assets, personnel, and particularly aircraft on flight paths approaching and departing the base. They are currently delivering in this role on operations at a number of air, joint-service and international operating bases in Afghanistan and, until recently, in Iraq.
I should like to inform the House that in order to increase the RAF Regiment’s capability I have decided to establish an additional RAF Force Protection Wing Headquarters and RAF Regiment Field Squadron.
The new RAF Force Protection Wing Headquarters and Regiment Field Squadron will increase the time that their personnel spend between operational deployments, will bring harmony levels more into line with guidelines and will have a positive effect on retention of skilled personnel.
Recruitment and training are underway to meet the additional 12 personnel required for the RAF Force Protection Wing Headquarters and 172 personnel for the RAF Regiment Field Squadron. Both units will be formed in October 2009, and are scheduled to deploy on Op Herrick in April 2011.
An ongoing basing study has determined that the optimum basing solution for the new RAF Regiment Field Squadron will be either RAF Shawbury or RAF Leuchars. The basing work for the headquarters is at an earlier stage and the options have yet to be refined.
The final outcome of the studies are expected by autumn 2009.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Campaign for the Farmed Environment
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn): I wish to inform the House of changes to cross-compliance and of an agreement that has been reached on the approach to recapture the environmental benefits of set-aside. This follows public consultation earlier this year.
To meet the requirements of the common agricultural policy health check for the protection of water resources, new standards will be introduced to cross-compliance. These will require farmers to comply with the existing domestic abstraction licensing regime for irrigation activities and to restrict the spreading of inorganic fertiliser and manure where it is likely to adversely impact on water quality. In addition farmers will be encouraged to implement buffer strips as a voluntary measure to further protect water resources, and the success of this approach will be monitored. We will also consolidate four existing standards relating to soil into one, providing farmers with increased flexibility and clarity and removing the need for derogations to access waterlogged soils. Further simplification will come from clarification of the existing standard protecting hedgerows which will encourage traditional hedgebank management. Lastly, on land not in agricultural production, greater flexibility will be allowed by confirming that a range of non-agricultural activities can be undertaken.
The Government have agreed with the National Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association, and other partners, to set targets to help farmland birds, biodiversity and water quality, through an industry-led voluntary approach to recapturing the environmental benefits of set-aside. This campaign for the farmed environment will be led by the farming industry and is an opportunity to create a successful model for future voluntary partnerships between Government and farmers. The voluntary approach is aimed at the three key beneficiaries of set-aside—farmland birds, other biodiversity and resource protection—through voluntary action and encouraging the uptake of the most valuable options within environmental stewardship.
Under the new agreement, by June 2012 farmers will:
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