Written Statements
Monday 24 February 2014
Benefits: Income Support Lone Parent Statistics
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con): My honourable friend the Minister for Employment (Esther McVey MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I regret to inform the House that an error has been identified within the Income Support Lone Parent Regime official statistic. This has caused an overcount in the number of Income Support Lone Parent sanctions reported within four releases of the statistic (February, May, August and November 2013). During this time, a number of Parliamentary Questions (PQs) were tabled requesting this data, a list of all such PQs and the Members who tabled them can be found below:
PQ UIN 144830 – Kerry McCarthyPQ UIN 148374 – Fiona MacTaggartPQ UIN 150516 – Dame Joan RuddockPQ UIN 159327 – Shaun WoodwardPQ UIN 161444 – Jessica MordenPQ UIN 165640 – Frank FieldPQ UIN 174368 – Stephen TimmsPQ UIN 175527 – David WardPQ UIN 175730 – Mike HancockPQ UIN 177178 – Barbara KeelyPQ UIN 180927 – John Healy
I apologise to the House for this inadvertent error. The erroneous data was corrected on 19 February 2014 and is available at the following URL:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/income-support-lone-parent-regime-figures-on-sanctions-and-work-focused-interviews--2
The affected figures are provided in summary below:
| ISLP Sanctions | |||
| Number of sanctions | |||
| 12 month period | Publication | Incorrect | Correct |
Business Rates
Statement
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): My honourable friend the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (David Gauke) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Brandon Lewis) and I have today published the terms of reference for the government’s review of business rates administration. This follows the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Statement, where he announced a £1 billion package of business rates measures which benefits all 1.8 million ratepayers and means that around 360,000 small businesses pay no rates at all, and committed to discuss with business options for longer-term administrative reform of business rates post-2017. The terms of reference are set out below.
Business rates are a tax based on property values. In England they raise around £23 billion each year, which helps fund services provided by local government. The review will consider the way in which the business rates system in England is administered by the Valuation Office Agency and local authorities, with a view to strengthening its responsiveness to changes in property values and its simplicity and transparency to business ratepayers.
The review will include consideration of the:
administration of billing and collection by local authorities, including the application of reliefs and exemptions; and of valuation by the Valuation Office Agency, including the scope for improvements in communication and the exchange of information between ratepayers and public bodies;the circumstances under which liability can be backdated;changes to valuation methods, consistent with the principle that business rates are based on rental property values and that the rates retention system rewards local government for growth in values; andfrequency of revaluations to enable tax assessments to be based on up-to-date property values.
In considering possible changes to the business rates system to be made post-2017, the review will balance the need for any system to deliver fairness, stability and predictability to ratepayers. Any changes will need to maintain the aggregate tax yield from which to fund local services, preserve the same level of financial autonomy to authorities and the local incentives to promote growth that were delivered through the implementation of the business rates retention scheme introduced on 1 April 2013.
Coroner Services
Statement
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): My honourable friend the Minister of State for Justice (Simon Hughes) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
“The Government is today publishing the new ‘Guide to Coroner Services’ and accompanying ‘Coroner investigations – a short guide’.
The Guide explains to bereaved people, and others who come into contact with coroner services across England and Wales, what they can expect from a coroner’s investigation. It sets out the standards of service that they should receive and what they can do if they are not satisfied.
The Guide is the final element in the Government’s package of coroner reforms under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 which we implemented in July last year. It is the product of our spring 2013 consultation which sought views on implementing those reforms. The Guide replaces and updates the ‘Guide to coroners and inquests and Charter for coroner services’ which applied to the coroner system under the previous coroner legislation, the Coroners Act 1988 and the Coroners Rules 1984.
The accompanying ‘Coroner investigations – a short guide’ is a quick reference leaflet version of the Guide which we have produced following suggestions made in the consultation.
Unlike the previous publication which it replaces, the new Guide is statutory guidance. It is issued under Section 42 of the 2009 Act, which allows the Lord Chancellor to issue guidance on how the coroner system is expected to operate in relation to bereaved people, including the way in which they can participate in coroner investigations.
I believe that the Guide - together with the short guide - will help to make standards of service more transparent for coroners and bereaved people. It will also assist the Chief Coroner in discharging his responsibility under the 2009 Act for overseeing the coroner service.
We are distributing hard copies of the Guide and short guide to all coroners’ offices across England and Wales, as well as publishing it on gov.uk. There is also a Welsh translation.
Copies of the Guide and short guide are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses, in the Vote Office and in the Printed Paper Office.”
Cosmetic Interventions
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): My hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Health (Dr Dan Poulter) made the following written ministerial statement on 13 February.
On 24 April 2013, the independent Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions, chaired by Sir Bruce Keogh, was published. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
The review highlighted how the rapid growth of the cosmetic interventions sector is exposing people who undergo these procedures to a concerning lack of safeguards. It made recommendations to improve the quality of care, to inform and empower the public and to ensure resolution and redress when things go wrong.
We fully accept the principles of the Keogh Review and the overwhelming majority of the recommendations. Work is already underway on a number of them, in particular, to address the issue of ensuring proper training for cosmetic practitioners. The Royal College of Surgeons has set up an inter-specialty committee to ensure standards for cosmetic surgery and will work with the General Medical Council on a code of ethical conduct. Health Education England is leading on a review of training for providers of non-surgical interventions, such as botulinum toxin (commonly known as 'Botox') and dermal filler injections.
Work is also underway on a breast implant registry to reassure women that if problems arise they can be contacted, kept informed and called in for treatment if necessary.
There are examples of high quality surgical and non-surgical cosmetic interventions provided by trained staff to high standards of care and satisfaction. It is these high standards that must be universal. We must protect the public and ensure proper training and oversight of non-surgical as well as surgical cosmetic interventions. We shall legislate where required to achieve this.
Today I have pleasure in laying before Parliament Government Response to the Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions (Cm 8776). Copies are available in the Library.
Covert Surveillance and Covert Human Intelligence
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): My rt hon Friend the Minister of State for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims (Damian Green) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
I am today announcing the publication of the Government’s consultation on the Covert Surveillance and the Covert Human Intelligence Source Codes of Practice. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) contains a requirement for Codes of Practice to guide those who use the powers for which the Act provides.
The majority of the proposals to update the Codes of Practice are as a consequence of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Covert Human Intelligence Sources: Relevant Sources) Order 2013 which I laid on 31 October 2013 and came into force on 1 January 2014. In addition, there are a number technical or other amendments which provide greater clarity for those authorising and using covert techniques.
RIPA and its associated Codes of Practice have greatly improved control and oversight of the way public authorities use covert investigatory techniques, in order to protect our right to privacy. The proposed changes will promote the highest standards of professionalism and excellence in this most sensitive aspect of law enforcement.
The consultation will last for six weeks, during which time the Home Office will actively engage with partners. Copies of the consultation will be placed in the House Library. An online version of this consultation will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/covert-surveillance
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Statement
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): My Right Honourable Friend the Minister of State (Hugo Swire) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
On 17 February the United Nations (UN) Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) published its final report. I would like to inform the House of the Commission’s findings and to explain how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is responding on behalf of the Government.
The Commission of Inquiry (COI) was established by a unanimous decision of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2013. Its mandate is to investigate independently the reports of systematic, widespread and grave violations of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. These include violations of the right to life, the right to food, freedom of expression and freedom of movement; violations associated with prison camps, torture and inhuman treatment, and arbitrary detention; and enforced disappearances, including in the form of abductions of nationals of other States. The Commission was also tasked to conduct its investigation with a view to ensuring that those responsible for human rights violations will be held accountable for their crimes. The UK has actively supported the work of the Commission. In October 2013, we arranged a visit by the Commissioners Justice Kirby and Sonja Biserko to the UK, where they took evidence from North Korean refugees and from NGOs. The Commissioners also met me as FCO Minister of State, as well as other Parliamentarians.
The Commission have systematically collected detailed and damning accounts of appalling human rights violations in a way that has never been done previously. Their findings are horrifying. They include: torture, rape, executions and disappearances; using deliberate starvation as a means of control and punishment in detention facilities; a virtually absolute ban on ordinary citizens travelling abroad; and severe punishments for practising Christianity. While the COI acknowledges it is neither a judicial body nor a prosecutor, it believes its findings constitute reasonable grounds to establish that crimes against humanity have been committed. The Commissioners have found that the DPRK is a state where human rights violations and crimes against humanity are ingrained into the institutional framework, pursuant to policies established at the highest level of the state. These crimes against humanity are ongoing and occur as part of a systematic and widespread attack of the state against anyone who is considered to pose a threat to the political system and leadership of the DPRK. The report finds that the DPRK’s isolationist mindset, aversion to engagement with the international community, all-encompassing indoctrination policies, and brutal security institutions protected by impunity are without parallel in the contemporary world.
On behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office I have issued a statement welcoming the spotlight the Commission has shone on these shocking human rights violations, which have gone on for far too long. I have urged the DPRK authorities to respond in detail to the contents of the report and to address the violations that it documents. UK officials have ensured the DPRK is aware of this statement.
We are now studying the recommendations of the report in detail. Although the Commission has now concluded its work, the UK believes that this should
be a beginning and not an end. The international community must respond to the report’s findings. On March 17 the Commission will formally present its report to the UN Human Rights Council. As in previous years, the UK will be supporting a Human Rights Council resolution on the situation in the DPRK. We will work closely with the EU and other like-minded partners to ensure the Council sends a strong message to the DPRK that there can be no impunity for human rights violators.
Department for Communities and Local Government: Recess Business
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Stowell of Beeston) (Con): My right hon Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I would like to update Hon. Members on the main items of business undertaken by my Department since the House rose for recess.
Our priority has been to continue to help those areas affected by the recent weather and flooding, and a separate statement has been made today to outline the range of action that the Government has been supporting and co-ordinating over recess.
On 20 February, official statistics confirmed that England is building again, with 122,590 new starts last year, up by 23 per cent on the previous year, and the highest since 2007. Despite the poor weather conditions over the winter, work on new homes in the last quarter was also up by 23 per cent compared to the same period in 2012.
Recent research by the National House Building Council reported housing registrations rose by 30 per cent in England in 2013 and by 60 per cent in London; registrations across the country are at their highest since 2007 and represent the highest annual total in London since their records began 26 years ago. Similarly, according to the Office for National Statistics, new orders in residential construction have risen to their highest level since 2007. House builders have directly linked the increase in house building with the increased confidence in the market from the Government’s Help to Buy schemes.
This is more to do to get Britain building. It is particularly notable that the National House Building Council figures show that house building is falling in Wales, thanks to the extra regulation on the housing market introduced by the Welsh Government and their lack of support for home buying.
The steady increase in house building in England is confirmation of the effectiveness of the Coalition Government’s actions to fix the broken housing market that we inherited in 2010; cutting the deficit to keep interest rates low; prioritising resources to build new housing and helping buyers get onto and move up the housing ladder.
Selling surplus public sector property
On 20 February, my Department outlined the Government’s on-going progress on disposals of surplus public sector land. We have now sold enough brownfield land to build 68,000 new homes. 430 sites have now been sold, and given that each new home supports up to two jobs, these land sales will sustain over 135,000 jobs as the homes are built.
The Government is on track to release enough land for 100,000 homes by 2015. We are making it easier for the public to see what land we own and challenge Government if it could be used better. We are encouraging councils to follow suit, to help them free up brownfield land for new homes and to deliver financial savings from better property asset management.
Helping people build their own home
Following the passage of the secondary legislation through Parliament, I can confirm that self-builders are now exempt from paying the Community Infrastructure Levy. This will help up to 3,000 mothballed self-build homes get off the ground. This change is part of our determination to boost housing supply and help would-be self-builders realise their aspirations, to build their own home, an extension or family annex.
It is the latest in a range of measures to increase the number of people building their own home, including making it easier to get a self-build mortgage, freeing up more surplus public sector land for self-build projects, a £30 million Custom Build Homes Fund, and planning guidance which makes it clear that councils should be supporting self-build in their area.
From April, householders will also benefit from a new council tax relief from family annexes, and we will be taking further steps to remove the unfair imposition of Section 106 tariffs from self-builders, annexes and extensions.
Supporting a vibrant private rented sector
My Department has also set out plans to create a fairer and more flexible private rented sector, raising standards of property conditions and rooting out the small minority of rogue landlords. We have already provided £6.5 million to help councils tackle the likes of ‘beds in sheds’, but we are now exploring a range of measures which will tackle problems such as retaliatory eviction, illegal eviction and hazardous properties. These proposals are balanced with the need to ensure that the vast majority of good landlords and satisfied tenants are not overly burdened with red tape which would force up rents and reduce choice.
In a consultation, we are also reviewing the outdated laws which prevent London householders from renting out their property on short-term lets. Laws dating back to 1973 prevent people renting out their home for less than three months without seeking ‘change of use’ planning permission (whereas, by contrast, long-term rentals do not need planning permission). This legal requirement is simply out of step with the rest of the country and arguably outdated in light of the internet technologies fuelling both demand and supply for informal short-term letting.
On 17 February, my Department announced details of a competition which will help ensure Britain has a permanent and fitting memorial to the Holocaust.
Six young people will be able to join a youth forum set up by the Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission, with one winner, chosen by Holocaust survivor Professor Elie Wiesel sitting on the Commission itself. Young people aged under twenty-one can enter by writing an essay which answers the question: ‘Why is it so important that we remember the Holocaust and how can we make sure future generations never forget.’
Copies of the press notices and associated documents have been placed in the Library of the House.
Energy: Carbon Capture and Storage
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma) (Con): My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Edward Davey MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I am pleased to inform Parliament that today my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister and I are signing a contract with Shell to take their world leading gas carbon capture and storage (CCS) project into the next stage of development.
The Government has agreed a multi-million pound contract for engineering, design and financial work on the Peterhead CCS project in Aberdeenshire.
The world’s first planned gas CCS project, Peterhead involves installing carbon capture technology onto SSE’s existing Peterhead gas power plant, and transporting the CO2 100km offshore for safe, permanent storage 2km under the North Sea in the old Goldeneye gas field. If built, the project could save 1 million tonnes CO2 each year and provide clean electricity to over 500,000 homes.
The project also opens a potential new future for the North Sea - turning old oil and gas fields into CO2 stores, offering the possibility of using CO2 for Enhanced Oil Recovery and giving new opportunities for the UK’s world leading offshore and subsea industries.
Today’s announcement follows the award in December of a FEED contract to the White Rose project in Yorkshire, and marks a key milestone in the Government’s CCS Competition. We are investing around £100m from our £1bn budget to take the Peterhead and White Rose CCS projects to the next stage of development – which together could support over 2000 jobs during construction and provide clean electricity for over 1 million homes.
In late 2015, the projects will take final investment decisions, with the Government taking decisions shortly after.
By bringing forward CCS, we could save more than £30bn a year by 2050. Without it, achieving an affordable, low carbon energy mix with renewable and nuclear energy alone will be much more difficult and more expensive.
Energy: Fuel Markers
Statement
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): My honourable friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Nicky Morgan) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The Government is today announcing the introduction of a new product to mark rebated fuels. The new marker will be produced by the chemical company Dow, and will be mandated for use in off-road diesel, known as red diesel in the UK, and kerosene, primarily used for heating oil.
Today’s announcement represents a significant step forward in the battle against criminals who ‘launder’ rebated fuel and sell it on for road use at a profit. The new marker being introduced will be highly resistant to such laundering.
The UK and Ireland launched a joint search for a new marker in 2012, which concluded last autumn after rigorous evaluation. This unique co-operation recognises that the criminals responsible for fuel laundering do not respect borders, and it means that for the first time the UK and Ireland will share a significantly improved marker. The Government is confident that this will severely limit the supply of oils fraudsters can use.
This Government is clear that fuel laundering is not a victimless crime; it robs the government of tax revenue that could be used to fund vital public services; it puts all businesses that follow the rules at a commercial disadvantage, from retailers to haulage firms; and it can have a severe environmental impact, with considerable clean up costs.
The new marker will be introduced in consultation with the oil industry and other affected sectors and will be used alongside the current marker mix. It is anticipated that the new marker will be introduced within 12 to 18 months and the relevant legislation will be amended during this period.
Energy: Oil and Gas
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma) (Con): My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Edward Davey MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
Today Sir Ian Wood has published the final report from his review of how to maximize recovery of oil and gas in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). I am grateful to Sir Ian and his review team for the work they have done, and to all those who contributed. The report can be viewed at: www.woodreview.co.uk. I can inform the House of the Government’s initial response.
The UK oil and gas industry is of national importance; it makes a substantial contribution to the economy, supporting around 450,000 jobs, and had record capital expenditure in 2013 of around £14 billion. Oil and gas will continue to be a vital part of the energy mix as we transition to a low carbon economy, with indigenous oil and gas production supplying the equivalent of about half of the UK’s primary energy demand. It is vital, therefore, that we continue to maximise economic recovery of our indigenous hydrocarbon reserves, thereby boosting growth, energy security, and jobs.
I commissioned the review in June 2013 because, while investment levels are rising and near-term prospects are strong, there are new challenges for exploration and production, and the environment is very different
to when production peaked approximately 15 years ago. Production and exploration levels have fallen, and production efficiency has declined. The review recognises the positive steps already taken by the Government to incentivise recovery, such as the allowances for brownfield and small fields. The report recommends that industry commit to working with Government to implement the UK Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy, and to develop new industry strategies in areas such as exploration and decommissioning cost reduction.
The Government accepts Sir Ian’s key recommendation that Government should work with Industry to adopt a cohesive tripartite approach between industry, HM Treasury and the UKCS stewardship body to a new shared strategy of Maximising Economic Recovery for the UK (MER UK). Sir Ian Wood has identified some key recommendations for industry, including that industry commit to making the most of production facilities, does more to promote third party access to infrastructure, develops new infrastructure business models, improves collaboration, improves asset stewardship and reduces the legal and commercial burden of working in the UKCS.
The report also recommends that stewardship of the UKCS should be under a new arms-length body, funded by industry and better resourced. The Review heard consistent praise for the staff working in the current stewardship unit within DECC, but the Review concludes that it needs to be strengthened and focussed around a new MER UK strategy if it is to support industry in successfully meeting the challenges in the UKCS.
Therefore, and subject to further detailed work to support the business case, we shall proceed with taking the stewardship of the UKCS into the next phase, with a new arms-length body, funded by industry, with new resources and any necessary statutory powers to meet that challenge. We will develop plans for a new arms-length body, and will introduce legislation in the Fourth Session to bring the new body into effect. The next step will be to appoint a Chief Executive Officer, with the aim of having that person in post in the summer 2014, so that they can steer the work to design and build the new body, which could being operating in shadow form in the autumn. Stakeholders are being invited to participate in an interim Advisory Panel on implementation, which Sir Ian Wood has agreed to chair. I will publish a formal response to the Report – along with a more detailed roadmap for implementation - later in the spring.
Implementing the recommendations will require Government and industry to adopt a new, more collaborative, approach to stewardship of the UKCS. It is vital that we create the right environment for maximising economic recovery because the prize on offer is considerable. Sir Ian’s report estimates that full and rapid implementation will deliver at least 3-4 billion barrels of oil equivalent more than would otherwise be recovered over the next 20 years, bringing over £200bn1 of additional value to the UK economy.
1At current prices and unadjusted for inflation
Flooding
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Stowell of Beeston) (Con): My right hon Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I wish to update the House on the Government’s on-going work on flood response and recovery.
Since the East Coast surge in early December, over 6,480 properties have been flooded across England, but over the same period more than 1.3 million properties have been protected by flood protection measures. According to local Gold commanders, 2,600 homes have been flooded since the start of January, and a further 7,000 have been cut off by flood water or have lost access to services. COBR has been meeting to monitor the continuing threat of groundwater flooding and progress in Somerset. As weather patterns return to those more usual for the time of year, coastal and river flood risk is diminishing.
Locally, the transition to recovery is underway and most local areas have convened recovery meetings. The Ministerial Recovery Group is coordinating government support to local areas and infrastructure owners and operators to enable a return to normality as quickly as possible.
Government support for recovery
The Government is providing a range of funding packages to help the country recover from this severe weather, and over the last week, the full set of arrangements have been confirmed. Information can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-floods-2014-government-response.
The package of support includes:
• The £37 million Severe Weather Recovery Scheme to support communities and contribute to highway infrastructure repairs in affected areas;• The Repair and Renewal grant scheme for homes and business providing up to £5,000 to improve properties’ ability to withstand future flooding;• £4 million of central government funding for council tax relief for flood-affected homes;• Central government funding for 100 per cent business rate relief for three months for flood-affected businesses;• The £10 million Farming Recovery Fund to support farm businesses to restore flooded agricultural land and bring it back into production as quickly as possible.• The £10 million Business Support scheme providing hardship funding for small and medium businesses;• The £130 million Defra/Environment Agency Scheme for repairs and rebuilding of flood defence assets; work has already commenced on those defences with the highest priorities;• The enhanced Bellwin Scheme that I announced to the House on 13 February.
Private sector and voluntary sector support
We are also grateful to support offered by the private sector. Banks have offered financial support to businesses and personal customers, while other businesses have given practical help. There have also been numerous generous offers of support from community groups. Government has been working to make sure that these offers can reach the areas that need them. The National Farmers’ Union reported the fantastic response of the farming community after setting up a centre to redistribute fodder to farmers who have lost theirs due to flooding – it has been overwhelmed by offers of support.
On 18 February, Ministers met with the insurance industry to hear how they intend to help people and businesses affected by the recent severe weather. They informed us that 2,000 loss adjusters stand ready to support those flooded and we will be holding regular meetings to review progress and to find solutions to any issues arising on the ground.
To ensure that we take a longer term view on this work the Prime Minister is now chairing the Cabinet Committee on Flooding to coordinate strategic long-term plans on flood recovery and flood resilience. More broadly, there will be further lessons to be learnt across government and its agencies. Gold commanders maintain a state of readiness to respond to future flooding should the risk increase again in coming weeks.
Ministers will continue to update the House on progress.
Flooding: Reservists
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (The Rt Hon. Mark Francois) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
A call-out order has been made under Section 56(1) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to enable reservists to be called into permanent service to assist with flood relief operations in the United Kingdom. A number of High Readiness Reserves have already been mobilised in support of local authorities and government agencies. This order will enable the call out of additional reservists. Currently, we envisage calling out up to 500 reservists to fulfil a range of specialist and general roles. We plan to call out only willing and available reservists, who have the support of their employer. The order takes effect from 14 February 2014 and ceases to have effect on 13 February 2015.
G6
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Theresa May) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
The informal G6 group of Ministers of the Interior from the six largest European Union countries, including representatives of the United States of America, held its most recent meeting in Krakow on 5 and 6 February 2014.
The summit was chaired by the Polish Interior Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz and I represented the United Kingdom. The other participating States were represented by Thomas De Maizière (Germany), Angelino Alfano (Italy) and Jorge Fernández Diaz (Spain). France was represented at official level. Eric Holder (the US Attorney General) and Jeh Johnson (US Secretary of Homeland Security) attended the second day.
The first formal session was on the development of EU Justice and Home Affairs policy. There was general agreement on the need to focus on implementation of the existing agenda, rather than to develop new polices, concentrating on practical cooperation rather than new legislation. I said that it was important that Member States drove the agenda. I stressed that tackling organised immigration crime remained an issue and highlighted the increasing problem of human trafficking, drawing attention to my intentions to bolster the UK approach through modern slavery legislation. I also raised the need for a renewed emphasis on effective measures against abuse of free movement and expressed concern at the emerging links between terrorism and organised crime.
The second formal session concerned Asian organised crime. Ministers exchanged their experiences and I set out action in the UK through the recent Organised Crime Strategy and National Crime Agency. I further emphasised UK work to improve our intelligence picture of organised crime and to build capacity in Asian countries in order to tackle criminal activity upstream.
The third and fifth formal sessions related to the surveillance of EU citizens and protection of privacy. Ministers exchanged views on the need to find an effective balance between privacy and effective prevention of terrorism and crime. I called for a calm and measured approach and reiterated the importance of intelligence in the fight against terrorism. I welcomed the proposed additional protections proposed for non-US citizens in President Obama’s recent speech. The US set out its plans to tighten controls on access to bulk data, and provide enhanced Executive branch oversight. There would also be greater protection given to safeguarding the rights of non-US citizens. The US emphasised the benefits to the EU of US intelligence and cooperation.
The fourth formal session concerned the current challenges posed by terrorism. Ministers focused on the changing trends in terrorist activity and agreed on the need to intensify cooperation between Member States in combating terrorism. I highlighted the dangers posed by foreign fighters in the Syria conflict and stressed the need for international cooperation to tackle this issue. I further set out the need to focus on cooperation with Turkey as a priority, given that it represents the key entry point for many European nationals travelling to fight in Syria. Finally, I stressed the importance of effective sharing of intra-EU passenger name records data in tackling the challenges posed by terrorists.
At the formal dinner on 5 February, I reminded Ministers of the need to seek improvements in the exchange of criminal records for child sex offenders. I also updated Ministers on the draft Modern Slavery Bill. The Polish Minister raised the issue of the situation in Ukraine.
The next G6 meeting will take place in Spain in June.
Higher Education: Student Loans
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie) (Con): My Rt hon Friend the Minister of State for Universities and Science (David Willetts) has today made the following statement.
On 25th November 2013, I announced the completion of the sale of the remaining publicly owned Mortgage Style (MS) student loans under the Education (Student Loans) Act 1990 as amended by the Education (Student Loans) Act 1998.
Administration of the loans has remained the responsibility of the Student Loans Company (SLC) while work was being undertaken to prepare for migration of the sold accounts to the purchaser, Erudio Student Loans Ltd.
Migration of accounts is now commencing and borrowers will soon begin to receive letters informing them of this change and any actions they are required to take as a result. The terms and conditions of borrowers’ loans (including the interest rate charged, which will continue to be set annually by reference to published RPI figures) are not changing as a result of the sale, and borrowers will not need to take any action at this stage. Successful migration will trigger the payment to Government of the second and final instalment of ca. £43m out of the total purchase price of £160m.
Late on in the sale and migration process, a potential issue was identified with some of the arrears correspondence that had previously been issued by SLC to a proportion of MS loan borrowers. These letters could be interpreted as having not been fully compliant with the Consumer Credit Act (CCA) 1974 (as amended in 2008) and associated secondary legislation.
Although borrowers are not thought to have been disadvantaged as a result, the decision has been taken to adjust the balance of the affected loans. Erudio Student Loans Ltd. will remove any loan interest and/or charges paid by the affected borrowers from the time that they first received such a letter. Borrowers need take no action and all affected borrowers will be informed as part of migration.
Migration represented the first practical opportunity at which affected borrowers could be notified of their individual circumstances and at which their accounts could be updated. The agreed purchase price of £160m reflects the £6.25m cost of balance adjustments and associated administration.
Additionally, there are a small number of affected customers who paid off their loans prior to the sale (or had them cancelled under the loan terms), and whose loans were consequently not included in the sale. The SLC will separately be making contact with these customers to make arrangements for a refund. The cost of this is estimated at £0.75m.
Income contingent repayment (ICR) loans, offered to students after 1998, were not included in the 25th November sale and these loans continue to be owned by the Government and administered by the Student Loans Company. As ICR loans were not issued under the CCA, they are not affected by the
issue identified above. The Government is in the process of preparing for a first sale from the ICR loan book by the end of 2015/16.
Immigration
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): My hon Friend the Minister for Immigration (James Brokenshire) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
I am today announcing a further renewal of concessions to the Immigration Rules for Syrian nationals lawfully in the UK.
In light of the ongoing violent conflict in Syria it has been decided that the Home Office should continue to operate some discretion to enable Syrians legally in the UK to extend their stay here.
Syrians in the UK with valid leave (or leave which has expired within the last 28 days) in specified visa categories will continue to be able to apply to extend their stay in that visa category, or switch into a different specified category from within the UK (with some restrictions) rather than being required to return home first. Those applying will still need to meet the requirements of the relevant visa category, pay the appropriate fee, and adhere to the normal conditions of that category – no access to public funds, for example. If a required document is not accessible due to the civil unrest in Syria the Home Office may apply its discretion and the requirement to provide that document may be waived where appropriate.
These concessions will remain in force until 28 February 2015. The Government continues to monitor the situation in Syria closely in order to ensure our response is appropriate and that any emerging risks are addressed.
I am placing a copy of the authorisation for this concession in the Library of the House.
Licensing Act 2003
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): My hon Friend the Minister of State for Crime Prevention (Norman Baker) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
I am today informing Parliament of the publication of a public consultation on the move from centrally-set to locally-set fees under the Licensing Act 2003. The consultation will run for 8 weeks, from 13 February to 10 April. The consultation is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/locally-set-licensing-fees.
The Licensing Act 2003 (the 2003 Act) regulates the sale of alcohol, the provision of late night refreshment and regulated entertainment in England and Wales, and is primarily administered by local authorities, acting in their capacity as licensing authorities. Licensing fees are intended to recover the costs that licensing authorities incur in carrying out their licensing functions
under the 2003 Act, and are payable to licensing authorities by holders of licences and certificates, and those making applications or issuing notices.
Current fee levels were set in 2005 and apply nationally. They have not been adjusted since (other than for the introduction of new fees for new processes). The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 amended the 2003 Act to introduce a power for the Home Secretary to prescribe in regulations that in future fee levels should be set by individual licensing authorities on a cost recovery basis. We consider that this is the best way of enabling local government to recover their costs, as these vary significantly between areas.
The consultation proposals have been developed with the intention of avoiding cross-subsidisation between different classes (or types) of fee payer. The consultation seeks views on whether and how licensing authorities should be able to charge different classes of fee payer different amounts and what the cap on each fee should be. It also seeks views on how best to provide guidance to licensing authorities so as to ensure that unjustifiably high costs and “gold-plating” (exceeding the requirements of the 2003 Act) are avoided and efficiency encouraged.
Copies of the consultation document will be placed in the Library of the House.
Nuclear-powered Submarines
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): My hon Friend the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology (Mr Philip Dunne) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I am announcing today that the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP) has published the provisional shortlist of candidate sites for the storage of Intermediate Level radioactive Waste removed from nuclear-powered submarines after they have left Naval Service and been defuelled. The storage will be for an interim period until the UK’s Geological Deposit Facility is available some time after 2040.
I previously announced on 22 March 2013 (Official Report, column 61WS) that all nuclear licensed and authorised sites in the UK, including those owned by the MOD, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and industry, would be considered on an equal basis. This approach was based on the findings from an initial public consultation, which ran from October 2011 to February 2012, and was announced by the then Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology (Peter Luff) on 27 October 2011 (Official Report, column 16WS).
All such sites have now been considered and the five that have been provisionally shortlisted for the interim store are as follows:
• the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire, which are owned by the MOD and run by AWE Plc; • Sellafield in Cumbria and Chapelcross in Dumfriesshire, which are owned by the NDA; and • Capenhurst in Cheshire, which is run by Capenhurst Nuclear Services.
In line with good practice on public consultation, we will now enter a period of pre-engagement with local authorities, elected representatives and established site stakeholder groups at each of the candidate sites. This will provide these groups with an early opportunity to understand and comment on the criteria that should be considered during the main assessment of shortlisted sites. It will also help us to shape the formal public consultation that we will carry out before any decisions are made.
Following this period of pre-engagement, our aim is to publish the final shortlist of sites in summer 2014. These will then be taken forward as the basis for public consultation, which will be carried out locally, around each candidate site, and nationally. Our plan is for the public consultation to begin towards the end of this year and end early next year.
Further information on the SDP and a copy of the proposed Criteria and Screening Report, which contains more detail about why individual sites were chosen for the provisional shortlist, can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/submarine-dismantling-project-interim-storage-of-intermediate-level-radioactive-waste.
Copies of these reports will also be placed in the Library of the House.
Pensions
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con): My honourable friend the Minister for Pensions (Steve Webb MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I am pleased to announce the Government will be introducing new measures to require transparency for transaction charges in pension schemes. Later today we intend to table an amendment to the Pensions Bill 2013 to introduce this latest step in the Government’s wider plans to ensure consumers receive value for money from their pension savings.
Transparency of costs and charges is fundamental for good scheme governance and to enabling comparison between schemes. Our amendment, which is intended for debate at the Report Stage of the Pensions Bill 2013 in the House of Lords this Wednesday, will place a duty on the Secretary of State to make regulations requiring greater transparency around the transaction costs incurred by work-based defined contribution schemes.
Requiring increased transparency is the latest step in the wider Government programme to see fair charges for people who are automatically enrolled into workplace pensions. Last year, we consulted on whether to cap charges in the default funds of schemes used for automatic enrolment, and the Government remains committed to seeing this policy through during the life of this Parliament. Accordingly, our response to the consultation on charges, and further proposals on quality and transparency in workplace pension schemes, will be published soon.
Police: Remuneration
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Theresa May) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
This statement is about police pay and conditions. It provides the Government’s response to the Police Arbitration Tribunal’s findings on six recommendations in the Final Report of Tom Winsor’s Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Remuneration and Conditions.
On 15 January last year I laid a statement to respond to the Police Arbitration Tribunal’s findings on all recommendations in the Final Report of Tom Winsor’s Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Remuneration and Conditions. The Tribunal had not been able to reach a conclusion on measures to introduce compulsory severance, and I therefore referred the matter back to the Police Negotiating Board. The Police Negotiating Board was not able to reach agreement on compulsory severance, nor on the management of officers on restricted duties and these matters were referred to the Police Arbitration Tribunal in November 2013.
The Tribunal has now provided its recommendation and reasons, which I received on 20 December. The Tribunal considered six recommendations from the Winsor Review’s Final Report. The Tribunal rejected the three recommendations which relate to compulsory severance and accepted the three relating to restricted duties. I have today placed a copy of the Police Arbitration Tribunal report in the House Library.
I am grateful to the Tribunal for its consideration of these important issues. Having considered the Tribunal’s report thoroughly, I have decided to accept its recommendation on restricted duties and will implement the reforms it has put forward. I have decided to accept the Tribunal’s recommendation not to implement measures to introduce compulsory severance at this time. However, this remains a reform that I believe government and the police should continue to consider. I have written to the Police Negotiating Board to explain my decision in further detail.
These reforms build on the changes we have already implemented following the two reports of the Winsor Review. They continue our programme to modernise police pay and conditions so that they are fair to both officers and other taxpayers, to retarget pay to reward contribution, and increase local flexibility.
We remain committed to the Review’s principles and objectives, in particular linking pay and skills, and modernising management practices. These will be important considerations in further discussions in the Police Negotiating Board and in the related work that is being taken forward by the College of Policing.
The police must be able to make use of these reforms to the management of officers on restricted duty as soon as possible. I will therefore begin the process of amending the Police Regulations and determinations to implement the Tribunal’s award, including making any necessary consequential and ancillary changes.
Railways: Franchises
Statement
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): My Right Honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Patrick McLoughlin) has made the following Ministerial Statement:
On 18th February 2014 my Department announced the successful conclusion of negotiations for the direct award of a new, 6 period franchise agreement to First Capital Connect that will see that company continue to provide services from the end of their current franchise on 31 March 2014* to the start of the new combined Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise later this year.
Through this contract I have guaranteed services for passengers and ensured that the transition into the new franchise will be as smooth as possible; maximising the value for the taxpayer. This short contract is a key step in ensuring the delivery of the significant £6bn Thameslink programme, which will transform the lives of rail passengers in the South East through the delivery of new trains and more capacity; allowing 24 trains per hour through some of the most congested routes in the country.
*The current franchise expires at 01:59 on 1 April 2014, at the end of the previous day’s services.
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
Statement
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jeremy Wright) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement on 13 February.
“I am today announcing the Government plans to commence reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 on 10 March 2014. These reforms are important in supporting our wider agenda on transforming rehabilitation. We know that obtaining employment can be an important factor in reducing re-offending and these reforms will help more people who have shown that they have put their offending behaviour behind them to get back into productive work. The provisions will reduce the period of time during which some offenders may have to disclose their convictions to prospective employers (the rehabilitation period). I should emphasise, however, that public protection will not be compromised. It will remain the case that fuller disclosure of cautions and convictions will continue to apply to a range of sensitive occupations and activities. In addition, the most serious convictions will remain subject to disclosure for any job.
The measures being commenced are contained in sections 139 and 141 and Schedule 25 to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. These reforms shorten the rehabilitation periods for most convictions, after which they are considered to be ‘spent’ and need no longer be disclosed for most purposes. The changes also extend the scope of the 1974 Act as it applies in England and Wales so that custodial sentences of up to, and including, 48 months
may become spent. Previously the longest custodial sentence which could become spent was 30 months. The reforms will act retrospectively.
These amendments to the 1974 Act apply in England and Wales only and impact on criminal conviction certificates, which show an individual’s unspent convictions. Section 112 of the Police Act 1997 governs the issue of these certificates and it is also being commenced in England and Wales on 10 March to ensure that accurate criminal convictions certificates are available reflecting the revised rehabilitation periods in this jurisdiction.
The above reforms will also allow the Government to take steps to commence fully section 56 of the Data Protection Act 1998, the only provision in this Act not to be in force. Section 56 of the Data Protection Act 1998 will come into force shortly after the changes to the 1974 Act are commenced.”
School Teachers’ Review Body
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): My honourable Friend Secretary of State for Education (Rt Hon Michael Gove MP) made the following announcement: The 23rd Report of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) is being published today. Its recommendations cover the issues that were referred to it in April 2013 - leadership pay; allowances; provisions relating to safeguarding; and teachers’ non-pay terms and conditions. The recommendations seek to continue the process of reform that had begun with the STRB’s 21st Report on classroom teachers’ pay with a view to producing a framework of pay and conditions that will raise the status of the teaching profession, and support the recruitment and retention of high quality teachers and school leaders.
I am grateful for the consideration which the STRB has given to these important matters and fully support the guiding principle of increased flexibility for schools within a simplified and consistent national framework that it has used as the basis for its recommendations. Copies of the STRB’s 23rd Report are available in the Vote Office, the Printed Paper Office and the Libraries of the House, and online at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education.
The STRB has made recommendations that seek to build on the reforms to teachers’ pay and provide a framework for leadership pay that is consistent with that for classroom teachers. It proposes greater autonomy for schools to determine the appropriate level of pay depending on the circumstances of each post and additional flexibility within the national pay framework to reflect the changing nature of school leadership, including recognition of the most demanding roles. It also proposes greater freedom in setting the levels of allowances, the simplification of salary safeguarding provisions and the removal of unnecessary detailed guidance on non-pay conditions.
I am grateful to the STRB for these recommendations and, subject to the views of consultees, I intend to accept all the key recommendations.
My detailed response contains further information on these matters.
Annex to Written Ministerial Statement
School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB’s) recommendations and response from the Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove MP).
[The following sets out the full set of recommendations from the STRB as published in the 23rd Report (CM 8813) on 13 February 2014, together with the response from the Secretary of State for Education. The STRB’s recommendations are in bold.]
The Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove MP): The 23rd Report of the STRB is being published today. It covers matters referred to the STRB in April 2013. Copies are available in the Vote Office, the Printed Paper Office and in the Libraries of the House and online at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations /department-for-education.
In making its recommendations, the STRB was asked to consider
• how to provide a simplified and flexible framework for ensuring school leaders’ pay is appropriate to the challenge of the post and their contribution to their school or schools;• how the current detailed provisions for allowances, other pay flexibilities and safeguarding could be reformed to allow a simpler and more flexible STPCD; and• how the framework for teachers’ non-pay conditions of service could be reformed to raise the status of the profession and support the recruitment and retention of high quality teachers, and raise standards of education for all children.
I am grateful for the in-depth consideration which the STRB has given to these important matters. I am inviting comments on the STRB’s report and my response to its recommendations by 13 March 2014.
•
A simple three-stage process to guide governing bodies in setting pay for heads and wider leadership group, taking account of challenge of the role.
• Relevant allowances to be subsumed into the pay setting arrangements for base pay.
• The removal of unnecessary rigidities in form of spine points and differentials.
• Pay progression that better reflects individual performance, for the leadership group.
• Continuing scope for governing body discretion to set pay 25% above the broad bands, and exceptionally beyond if supported by a business case.
• Providing formal headroom above the current leadership range for the biggest leadership roles in large multiple schools.
• Scope for fixed term contracts in limited circumstances with provision for reward linked to delivery of specified outcomes.
• The existing broad framework of TLR payments be retained, with removal of the current provisions relating to differential levels of TLR payments within schools.
• The SEN allowance be retained unchanged.
• The Chartered London Teacher scheme be abolished with transitional arrangements for teachers already registered.
• The Unqualified teachers’ allowance, Acting allowance and Performance payments to seconded teachers and payments for Residential duties and Additional payments be retained, with amendment as necessary consequential on the changes to leadership pay.
• Recruitment and retention benefits and incentives to be retained as a separate allowance for teachers, but be limited to housing/relocation allowances for head teachers and other members of the leadership group where pay has been set under the new arrangements.
• A discretionary payment may only be made to head teachers for additional responsibilities undertaken on a temporary or irregular basis.
• The General Teaching Council for Wales’ fee allowance be retained.
• The Department consider simplification of the presentation of allowances in a revised STPCD.
• The Department should bring together the current safeguarding provisions into one simplified section of the STPCD.
• The core provisions in Section 2 be retained, but the list of 21 administrative and clerical tasks at Annex 3 to Section 2 be removed from the STPCD.
• The Section 4 guidance be removed from the STPCD.
• The existing statements of professional responsibilities for teachers be retained.
I am grateful to the STRB for its consideration of the issues and, subject to consultees’ views, I intend to accept all these recommendations. I regard them as providing the framework to move towards a more flexible and simpler system, where the emphasis is on less unnecessary detailed prescription and greater autonomy for schools in deciding how to reward their head teachers.
The recommendations to remove the list of 21 administrative and clerical tasks and the Section 4 guidance are particularly welcome. They will not only contribute towards the Government’s objective of reducing unnecessary guidance and of simplifying and shortening the overall STPCD, but they will also provide greater flexibility for teachers and school leaders to use their professional judgement in exercising their professional responsibilities and as such represent an important step in the reform of teachers’ conditions of employment.
In addition to its recommendations, the STRB has made a number of suggestions about the timing and handling of the implementation of changes to leadership pay and to TLRs, including that these changes should be applied by schools as and when appointments are
made or when responsibilities change. It has also made a number of observations about governance. I will want to ensure that alongside greater flexibilities there are sensible controls to avoid excessive payments and wage inflation.
I would welcome consultees’ views on all these points.
Finally I will want to ensure that we have had due regard to equalities considerations before confirming the Government’s response. I would welcome consultees’ views on these matters also.
Scotland Analysis
Statement
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): My right honourable friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Danny Alexander) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The Government have today presented to Parliament the eleventh paper in the Scotland analysis programme series to inform the debate on Scotland’s future within the United Kingdom.
“Scotland analysis: Assessment of a sterling currency union” [C8815] examines what independence would mean for Scotland’s economy and how this would impact on Scotland’s macroeconomic framework choices, including its choice of currency.
The analysis sets out that the UK is one of the most successful monetary, fiscal and political unions in history, and the current arrangements bring significant benefits to Scotland. Taxation, spending, monetary policy and financial stability policy are co-ordinated across the whole UK to the benefit of all parts of the UK. Risks are pooled and the UK has a common insurance against uncertainty.
Within a sterling currency union, an independent Scottish state would find it more difficult to adjust to the effects of economic challenges, such as a fall in the global price of oil, than Scotland is able to as part of the UK. In turn, the continuing UK would become exposed to much greater fiscal and financial risk from a separate state, creating risks for continuing UK taxpayers. The subsequent experience of the euro area in the financial crisis highlights the challenges of creating a durable currency union.
The analysis concludes that, in the event of a vote for independence, the Treasury would advise the UK Government against entering into a currency union.
The UK pound is one of the oldest and most successful currencies in the world. If people in Scotland vote to leave the UK they are also voting to leave the UK pound.
This paper builds on the analysis already published as part of the Scotland analysis programme including papers relating to currency and monetary policy, financial services and banking, business and microeconomic framework and macroeconomic and fiscal performance. It also draws on legal opinion published by the Government alongside its paper “Scotland analysis: Devolution and the implication of Scottish independence” published in February 2013.
Social Work: Children
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): My honourable Friend Secretary of State for Education (Rt Hon Michael Gove MP) made the following announcement: Children’s social work is one of the most demanding careers a person can pursue, with the power to transform the lives of deeply disadvantaged children. It requires a unique and highly complex set of skills and knowledge. When those skills and that knowledge are not present, lives which might have been transformed immeasurably for the better can be left damaged instead.
Today we publish an independent report, by former Barnardo’s chief executive Sir Martin Narey, which reveals a training system which in too many universities is not fit for purpose. He concludes that entry demands are not high enough, the system of endorsement of courses is insufficiently rigorous, and the content of those courses too generic. The result is a failure to protect the most vulnerable children in our society.
While Sir Martin stresses that some fine social work courses do exist, in too many universities and in many social work texts, social work training can be dominated by an emphasis on inequality, empowerment and anti-oppressive practice. As Sir Martin Narey says, “sometimes, parents and other carers neglect and harm children. In such circumstances, viewing those parents as victims, seeking to treat them non oppressively, empowering them or working in partnership with them can divert the practitioner’s focus from where it should be: on the child.”
Sir Martin argues that there is too much theory, not enough good practical experience. Training for children’s social work ought to include: recognition of the signs of abuse, understanding of the impact of child abuse and neglect in very early years and beyond, assessment and analytical skills, training in how to question and engage parents and children, a sound knowledge of the evidence base around parental capacity and effective intervention including how to prepare a child to move home, either in an emergency or to a new permanent family, management of risk, the legal framework, and child development. To learn how to apply this knowledge in practice, training must always include a placement in a statutory setting.
Sir Martin reveals there are some good undergraduate courses, and there are many better Masters-based entry routes – but too many social workers are leaving university today ill-prepared for their vital role working to protect at risk children.
Children’s social work requires a uniquely fine balance of moral, legal, practical and psychological considerations; challenge as well as support; a hard intellect as well as a generous heart.
Too many prospective social workers, as Sir Martin also reports, are entering university ill-equipped to meet those demands. Between 2003 and 2012, no fewer than 307 social work degree courses at 83 institutions were formally approved, with a rapid increase in the number of entrants and worryingly low entry standards: less than a third of those on undergraduate courses
had one or more A-levels. The failure rate on these courses was just 2.5 per cent. We want to see universities demand more of prospective social workers.
We accept Sir Martin’s recommendation to set out, in one place, what a newly qualified children’s social worker needs to understand, based first on a definition of what a children’s social worker is, work which is being led by the Chief Social Worker for Children, Isabelle Trowler. And we want to see university students committed to working with children specialise in children’s issues both academically and in their practice placements.
The Chief Social Worker is also developing plans for the introduction of a more rigorous testing regime for children’s social workers, including a license to practice examination, continuing professional development and compulsory revalidation; and I am personally supportive of this work.
The Frontline and Step Up to Social Work programmes are leading the way in increasing the ambition of children’s social work; more traditional entry routes must, at all universities, have similar aspiration. We want to do for social work what has been done so successfully for teaching: raise the status of the profession and the quality of those wishing to join it through higher quality entry routes and training.
The cluttered landscape of standards and university endorsement criteria should be cleared, and the criteria sharpened. We shall consider Sir Martin’s recommendations for a single body to approve and audit children’s social work training; and further consider how to strengthen regulation of the profession.
The fundamental reform of social work training recommended by Sir Martin sits alongside our existing reform programme in children’s social work: a swifter and surer adoption system, sharper intervention in inadequate authorities, diversification in delivery, and an innovation programme to encourage a wider range of partners, greater creativity, and more intelligent and supportive practice systems. What we would want for our own children, we should aim to deliver for all children.
Copies of Sir Martin’s report will be placed in both House libraries.
Sport: Legacies
Statement
Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con): My Hon friend, The Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities (Helen Grant MP) made the following statement on 13 February:
Our ambition is to be the first host nation to increase the number of people playing sport off the back of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The long term trends show we are on track and according to the “Active People Survey” data published in December 2013, 15.5 million people are playing sport at least once a week. That is 1.5 million more than when we won the bid to host the London 2012 Games. We are committed to building on that.
This shows a strong recovery on the last six months and a sustained growth a year after the Games. As we said in June, bad winter weather during 2012/2013 meant
that people lost the opportunity to play sport but not the motivation. We have also seen record numbers of disabled people playing sport (1.67 million people aged 16 years and over with a long term limiting illness or disability) and more people from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities participating than ever before (2.7m). The number of women playing sport has also increased (by 55,000) over the last six months.
In February, UK Sport will publish the results of the Annual Investment Reviews of summer Olympic and Paralympic sports. UK Sport continues to track their progress towards Rio 2016.
The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games take place in February and March. UK Sport has invested £14.1 million into eight winter sports and is targeting at least three medals at the Olympics and at least two at the Paralympics.
As part of the continued Government funding for elite sport to 2016, all funded athletes have been asked to give up to five days a year to inspire children and young people to get involved in sport. UK Sport’s most recent survey of this activity, completed in October 2013, revealed that athletes had given more than 6,000 days to community and school sport since London 2012.
Good progress continues to be made on the transformation of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. All eight of the retained park venues, including the five sporting venues, now have operators in place, to manage each of the facilities as the park reopens to the public between now and spring 2014.
The Copper Box Arena has welcomed over 100,000 visitors and played host to the Badminton Grand Prix, the International Handball Cup, boxing and Great Britain’s Men’s basketball and is home to the London Lions British basketball league team who are hosting 21 games for the 2013-14 season.
UK Sport’s Gold Event Series, the legacy programme for major events hosting within the UK, has secured 39 major events for the UK and is on track to secure 70 major international sporting events for the UK between 2013 and 2019.
This year will see another 10 major events staged in the UK as part of the series, with three London 2012 legacy venues hosting major international sports for the first time since the London 2012 Games. July will also see the UK hosting three stages of the Tour De France for the first time.
Sport England’s investment in grassroots sports facilities now stands at £71 million, with some 1,366 clubs already having benefitted from the ‘Inspired Facilities’ programme. The next round of applications for funding has been received, and awards for successful bids will be announced in the Spring.
Since the last update over 40,000 14 to 25-year-olds have completed the 6-8 week Sportivate coaching course, bringing the total number trying new sports to 297,232. Some 80% of these have continued to play regularly since completion of the course.
The community outreach sports programmes developed by the London Legacy Development Corporation with over twenty delivery partners and stakeholders including Take12, Barry McGuigan Boxing Academy, Active People Active Park (APAP) have already helped over 20,000 local people to get more active. The full APAP programme will be launched in Spring 2014.
There are now over 1,500 satellite clubs in secondary schools. 150 of these are for girls only.
Sport England’s £15m University Sport Activation Fund was launched in November 2013. This is a revenue fund aimed at universities, to challenge themselves continue to enhance their sport offer to appeal to more Higher Education (HE) students, and demonstrate the value that sport plays within wider university objectives. We hope that by doing this we will start to create a sporting habit for life amongst more HE students.
The Volunteering legacy remains a key priority for the Government. Join In had a target of supporting 10,000 events across the UK and, in December 2013, published their evaluation of the summer campaign which showed they supported over 11,000 events, helping clubs and community organisations to recruit over 100,000 new volunteers.
More information on the Join In evaluation and the plans for 2014 can be found on the Join In website. This includes their local leaders network of volunteers which launched in January 2014 and will continue to grow over the coming year.
16,491, or nearly 70% of all schools, are fully engaged in the programme. This is an increase of 7%. 2,343 schools have gained a School Games kitemark (with 260 of these achieving the highest “gold” award—an increase from 69 schools the previous year). Over 100 county festivals of sport took place during the summer and winter of 2013, involving more than 100,000 young participants.
The hugely successful School Games National Finals took place in Sheffield in September, with Manchester recently being announced as this year’s host city. Once again a delegation of young athletes from Brazil took part in three sports, winning 15 medals. In return, the UK sent some of our best young disabled athletes to compete at Brazil’s school Paralympic-style games in November, finishing 10th overall in the medal table with an impressive haul of 21 gold medals, 3 silver and 1 bronze.
Some £150 million per year of ring-fenced funding will now go directly to primary school head teachers to spend solely on PE and sporting provision. An extra
year’s funding was announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement bringing the total to £450m over the next three years.
In addition, £18m of Lottery money will be used to help around 600 schools improve their outdoor sporting facilities.
A record number of disabled people now play sport each week. This has increased by 62,000 over the last year, bringing the total number to its highest recorded figure of 1.67 million.
Awards for the next round of the Inclusive Sport Fund and the new “Get Equipped” Fund will be announced in the spring.
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has continued to deliver its Paralympic legacy programme, and has now agreed a Business Case to invest £1.7m over the coming three years, to be matched by a £3m funding from external partners. Led by LLDC in partnership with Sport England, ‘Motivate East’ is an inclusive sports participation project for disabled people living in the Host Boroughs, inspired by the Paralympic Games. Launched in early 2013, it is on track to deliver 26,000 opportunities to participate in inclusive sports and physical activity by 2015/16, meeting initial targets relating to throughput, supported by the appointment of Para-legacy agents to promote the programme.
The date for National Paralympic Day 2014 has been agreed (to be held on the 30th August), which will also feature the Mayor of London’s Liberty Festival as well as elite sport in two or three venues on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The International Inspiration programme is (or has been) active in 20 countries. The vision was to reach 12 million young people. At present more than 15.6m have been reached with more than 230,000 trainers, coaches and teachers receiving funding.
I will continue to provide quarterly updates to the House on progress with delivery of this plan.
Surveillance Camera Commissioner
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): I am today announcing arrangements for the appointment of the Surveillance Camera Commissioner under Section 34 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Following an open competition overseen by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, this Ministerial appointment will be filled by Mr Antony Porter. Mr Porter’s three-year term of appointment will commence on 10 March 2014.
The Surveillance Camera Commissioner appointment has been filled by Mr Andrew Rennison who has now completed his term of office. I should like to record the Government’s appreciation of Mr Rennison’s contribution in laying the foundations for regulation of surveillance camera systems.
Mr Rennison also holds the non-statutory appointment of Forensic Science Regulator. Arrangements for the recruitment of a new Forensic Science Regulator are in hand, and Mr Rennison will continue to fulfil that role on a part-time basis until a new appointment is made.
Visas
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): My hon Friend the Minister for Immigration and Security (James Brokenshire) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
On 3 February 2014 my hon Friend the then Minister of State for Immigration (Mark Harper) announced proposals to change the fees for immigration and nationality applications made to the Home Office and for services provided by the department.
The announcement included a table setting out the proposals in detail and the Immigration and Nationality Fees Regulations (2014) were laid in Parliament on the same day. There were errors in the Fees Regulations and in the table accompanying the announcement. Firstly, the fees for applications for entry clearance as a Tier 4 student and Tier 5 youth mobility and temporary worker were erroneously omitted from the Regulations, though they were included in the Explanatory Memorandum and the fees table accompanying the announcement. Secondly, the fee for the User Pays Visa Application Centre service overseas should be £59 rather than the £53 set out in the Regulations and the table. This is an optional service that allows overseas applicants to access visa services at a convenient location provided by contractors. The £59 fee represents the unit cost of providing the service.
These errors have now been corrected. I have laid corrected Regulations and attach a new version of the fees table, which also includes various presentational improvements and corrections to minor typographical errors. A copy of the revised table has also been placed in the House Library.
| Applications Made Outside The UK | ||||
| Entry Clearance Visas – Non PBS | Unit Costs April 2014 | Current Fees | New Fees 6th April 2014 | % Increase |
|
International contact centre service – Live chat (flat rate) (NEW) | ||||
|
International contact centre service – Helpline (per minute) (NEW) |
Reduction in line with 2014 unit cost.
2Optional service, fees payable in addition to the relevant visa fee.
|
Tier 5 Temporary Work & Youth Mobility – main applicant² and all dependants |
¹ The Exceptional Talent application fee is payable in 2 parts.
² Council of Europe Social Charter (CESC) fee reduction applies (£55 reduction per eligible applicant).
ICT: Intra-Company Transfer
MOR: Minister of Religion
|
European Residence Document – (Document certifying permanent residence)4 | ||||
|
European Residence Document – (Residence Card and Derivative Residence Card)4 | ||||
Includes £80 per applicant to cover the citizenship ceremony fee.
2Additional £80 per applicant is required to cover the ceremony fee should the minor turn 18 during the application process. This will be requested at point of decision.
3Reduction in line with 2014 unit cost.
4Residence Documents issued under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations are not mandatory.
| Applications Made Within The UK | ||||
| In-UK Non PBS | Unit Costs April 2014 | Current Fees | New Fees 6th April 2014 | % Increase |
|
Application in Person (AIP) – main applicant and all dependants2 | ||||
|
Super Premium service (mobile case working) – (payable in addition to Application in Person fee) |
Reduction in line with 2014 unit cost.
2For applications made in person (e.g. at a Premium Services Centre) the total fee is the relevant standard fee plus £400 per person (this includes the £100 appointment booking fee, which may be retained should the applicant fail to attend their appointment without good reason).
ILR = Indefinite Leave to Remain
IED = Immigration Employment Document
LTR = Leave to Remain
FLR = Further Leave to Remain
Standard = Postal or online applications where online applications are available.
|
Super Premium service (mobile case working) – (payable in addition to Application in Person fee) |
Council of Europe Social Charter (CESC) fee reduction applies (£55 reduction per eligible applicant).
2The Exceptional Talent application fee is payable in 2 parts.
3Only for migrants that applied to UK Border Agency for permission to study from 31 March 2009 to 4 October 2009.
4For applications made in person (e.g. at a Premium Services Centre) the total fee is the relevant standard fee plus £400 per person (this includes the £100 appointment booking fee, which may be retained should the applicant fail to attend their appointment without good reason).
5Optional service, the total fee is the relevant standard fee plus £300 per person.
Standard = Postal or online applications where online applications are available
ICT = Intra-Company Transfer
MOR = Minister of Religion