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This service will help local planning authorities to build a case for prosecution within their own administrative areas. It will also help authorities have an idea of a company’s history and assist them in tracking down persistent offenders. It could assist the courts when awarding costs and ensuring that the fine imposed reflects the seriousness of the offence and takes into account whether the person found guilty is a first-time or persistent offender. This in turn should help to reduce the number of unlawful advertisements displayed alongside motorways and trunk roads and reduce the incidence of fly-posting.
Prison Service: Business Plan 2006-07
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Gerry Sutcliffe) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The Prison Service Corporate and Business Plan for 2006-2007 (including the previously agreed key performance indicator targets) has been published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.
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Regional Development Agencies: East of England
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Truscott): My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Industry and the Regions (Margaret Hodge) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I have decided to appoint the new board member listed at Annexe A for a period of two years and eight months.
The appointment will begin on 19 March 2007 and will expire on 13 December 2009. This appointment was made in accordance with the code of practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
I attach biographical details of the new appointee at Annexe B.
Appointment will commence on 19 March 2007
| RDA | Name |
Edward Iveagh has been chairman of Elveden Farms Ltd since 1992 and has transformed the 22,500 -acre Suffolk estate into a multi-faceted, diverse and profitable business. He is a non-executive director of Burhill Estates, a golfing and land management company that has developed the concept of quality pay-and-play golf courses across England. He is a non-executive director of Adventure Forest, a high-wire forest adventure operator.
He was deputy chairman of Iveagh Trustees for 10 years and is now director of Arundel Iveagh, a London-based hedge fund and wealth management operation, and is a founding partner of Capital I, an asset finance vehicle.
He is chair of the Brecks Tourism Partnership and has been involved in a broad range of charitable initiatives including chair of Chadacre Agricultural Trust, patron of the West Suffolk Macmillan Cancer Appeal, and trustee and chairman of the investment committee of East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Between 1996 and 1999 he was an active Cross-Bench Member of the House of Lords.
He is married and has two young sons.
Schools: Revenue Balances
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lord Adonis): My honourable friend the Minister of State for Schools and 14-19 Learners (Jim Knight) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
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The Department for Education and Skills has today published information on the end-of-financial-year revenue balances of all local-authority maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools for the years for which information is available: 1999-2000 to 2005-06.
The information is taken from local authorities' published Section 52 outturn statements for the years in question, but presents this in summary form. Copies of the information have been placed in the Libraries and will be available on the department's website at www.dfes.gov.uk/localauthorities/section52/subPage.cfm?action=section52.default&;ID=58.
The department is publishing this information to inform debate on the effective management of school resources to ensure the best outcomes for the taxpayers’ considerable investment in schools.
Serious Fraud Office
The Attorney-General (Lord Goldsmith): When I announced the re-appointment of Robert Wardle as director of the Serious Fraud Office in January, I indicated that we had agreed we would take the opportunity jointly to commission a thorough external review of the SFO's approach to the investigation and prosecution of the cases with which it deals.
I am today announcing the terms of reference of that review, which are:
in the light of the Government's overall strategy for tackling fraud, and taking into account the relevant recommendations from the Fraud Review:to consider the most effective methods for the SFO to use in investigating and prosecuting the serious and complex cases which fall within its remit, with particular reference to practice in overseas jurisdictions; and any related internal organisational or structural issues;and to make recommendations.The review will be led by Jessica de Grazia, a former New York city prosecutor who now resides in the UK, and who has handled many complex cases, both as an investigator and trial advocate.
Terrorism
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): My honourable friend the Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety (Tony McNulty) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I am pleased to say that Lord Carlile of Berriew QC has completed his report on the definition of terrorism and this is being published today. Copies are available in the House Libraries.
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Terrorism: Rail and Underground Passenger Screening
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Douglas Alexander) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
Throughout 2006, the Department for Transport undertook a number of trials at stations on London's surface and underground rail networks to study the effectiveness of both existing and new security-related technologies.
These trials were part of a broad package of work being carried out by both the department and other stakeholders to improve our understanding of operational environments and identify potential practical and pragmatic solutions for improving the protection of the public at our rail stations.
The first trial of passenger screening technology took place at Paddington station in January 2006 and was followed by further trials at Canary Wharf and Greenford London Underground stations. Trials also took place in August to test the practicalities of deploying portable vehicle access control barriers at major entry points at Waterloo and Victoria stations. All the data and feedback gathered during these trials are now being analysed to inform future judgments.
The next element of work is to conduct a short study of airflow patterns and an assessment of the performance of air monitoring machines within the London Underground environment. This is to increase our knowledge of how potentially toxic substances could be dispersed in such an environment.
The purpose of the study is to gather data within a genuine rail environment. It is not a reaction to any threat increase or a measure to enhance security at this or any other station. All the data and feedback gained will merely help to inform future decisions.
Following consultation with London Underground, St John’s Wood station has been chosen as an appropriate location for the research, with studies commencing in March. Two dates, Sunday 25 March and Sunday 1 April, have been identified for the air flow studies. The station will remain open as normal and train services at the station will not be affected. Passengers will not be required to take part and there are no associated health and safety risks.
As is routine in air flow studies, small amounts of sulphur hexafluoride will be used to help monitor the movement of air within the station during operational hours. Sulphur hexafluoride is a non-toxic, odourless gas typically used in tennis balls and for monitoring ventilation systems in buildings.
The UK's surface railway system is a network made up of 2,500 stations and 11,000 miles of track that carries 1 billion passengers a year. London Underground itself has 255 stations, 253 miles of track and carries 976 million passengers every year. The British public understand that providing a “closed” security system on the rail network is unworkable and that no single security measure is either foolproof or capable of mitigating every threat.
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However it is important that we continue to study the operational environment of our networks and both existing and emerging technologies to see whether
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