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Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions; and
Cultural Property (Armed Conflict);
Marine Navigation and Port Safety.
Child Maintenance and Other Payments; and
Criminal Justice and Immigration.
Government: Legislative Programme for Northern Ireland
Lord Rooker: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Shaun Woodward) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
The third Session UK legislative programme unveiled in the Queen’s Speech on 6 November contains measures of relevance to the people of Northern Ireland.
The following is a summary of the legislation announced in the Queen’s Speech and its impact in Northern Ireland. This does not include draft Bills. The Bills listed in section 1 are not likely to contain
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The list also identifies the lead government department.
The following Bills extend to Northern Ireland, in whole or in part, and deal mainly with excepted or reserved matters:
Banking (HM Treasury);Counter Terrorism (Home Office);Criminal Justice and Immigration (Ministry of Justice);European Communities (Finance) (HM Treasury);Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Department of Health);National Insurance Contributions (HM Treasury); andRegulatory Enforcement and Sanctions (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform).It is intended that the following Bills will extend to Northern Ireland to varying degrees. They will require the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly in relation to those provisions in the devolved field:
Child Maintenance and Other Payments (Department for Work and Pensions);Climate Change (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs);Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts (HM Treasury);Education and Skills (Department for Children, Schools and Families);Energy (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform);Health and Social Care (Department of Health);Pensions (Department for Work and Pensions); andPlanning Reform (Department for Communities and Local Government).Discussions will continue between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on Bills that might include provisions that require the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The following Bills will have limited or no impact in Northern Ireland:
Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Supplementary Provisions) (Department for Transport);Coroners (Ministry of Justice);Crossrail (Department for Transport);Employment (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform);Housing and Regeneration (Department for Communities and Local Government);Local Transport (Department for Transport); andSale of Student Loans (HM Treasury).7 Nov 2007 : Column WS9
Government: Legislative Programme for Scotland
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland (Des Browne) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The third Session UK legislative programme unveiled in the Queen's Speech on 6 November contains significant measures of relevance and benefit to the people of Scotland.
The Government are committed to continuing to deliver improvements to the lives of people across Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
The following is a summary of the legislation announced in the Queen's Speech and its impact in Scotland. This does not include draft Bills. The Bills listed in section 1 are not likely to contain provisions requiring the consent of the Scottish Parliament as the legislation is predominantly or wholly within a reserved area. Section 2 details Bills that are likely to contain provisions that require the consent of the Scottish Parliament in line with the Sewel convention. A brief description is provided of the provisions likely to require consent. Section 3 details Bills that predominantly apply to England and Wales only while also containing some significant reserved provisions which will have an impact in Scotland. The Bills listed in section 4 predominantly apply to England and Wales only and will have limited impact in Scotland.
The list also identifies the lead government department:
UK legislation in a wholly or predominantly reserved area, unlikely to contain provisions requiring the consent of the Scottish Parliament at introduction:
The Bills in this section which deal with predominantly or wholly reserved matters are detailed below. Discussions will continue between the Government and the Scottish Executive to ensure that if provisions relating to matters which trigger the Sewel convention are included, the consent of the Scottish Parliament will be sought for them:
Banking (HMT);Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Supplementary Provisions) (Department for Transport);Child Maintenance and Other Payments (Department for Work and Pensions);Counter Terrorism (Home Office);Crossrail (Department for Transport);Employment (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform); Energy (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform); European Communities (Finance) (HMT);European Union Reform Treaty (Foreign and Commonwealth Office);Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Department of Health); National Insurance Contributions (HMT);7 Nov 2007 : Column WS10
Legislation likely to contain provisions requiring the consent of the Scottish Parliament at introduction:
Discussions will continue between the Government and the Scottish Executive on Bills that might include provisions that trigger the Sewel convention. The Bills identified within the Queen's Speech in this section are as follows:
Climate Change (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)—Legislation relating to climate change is likely to include provisions in devolved areas to meet the new emissions target. The environment is a devolved matter in Scotland.Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts (HMT)—Scottish Ministers will be provided with a power in this Bill to distribute funds drawn from dormant bank accounts—Welsh and Northern Irish Ministers will also have similar powers. This will enable Scottish Ministers to direct spending priorities for their share of these assets in Scotland.Education and Skills (Department for Children, Schools and Families)—Education is a devolved matter but the Bill is likely to include provisions relating to data sharing that extend to Scotland to allow access to longitudinal surveys. This will enable assessments to be made on wage impact of education and training provisions.Health and Social Care Bill (Department of Health)—Health is a predominantly devolved matter, but the Bill will contain provisions relating to the regulation of health care professions; where the regulation of particular professions is devolved, the consent of the Scottish Parliament is required in order to produce a consistent and fair system across the UK for healthcare professionals.Legislation that predominantly applies to England and Wales only while also containing some significant reserved provisions which will have an impact in Scotland:
Criminal Justice and Immigration (Ministry of Justice) Local Transport (Department for Transport)Planning Reform (Department for Communities and Local Government)Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform)Legislation that predominantly applies to England and Wales only or which will have a limited impact in Scotland:
Children and Young Persons (Department for Children, Schools and Families)Housing and Regeneration (Department for Communities and Local Government)7 Nov 2007 : Column WS11
Government: Legislative Programme for Wales
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: My right honourable friend the Secretary of Sate for Wales has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I am pleased to inform the House that the Queen's Speech on Tuesday 6 November unveiled the Government's third Session legislative programme which contains 11 Bills with Welsh provisions.
There will be three Bills with framework provisions for Wales:
Further information on these provisions will be made available as they are introduced.
There are currently a further eight Bills in the programme which may contain specific provisions for Wales, which will generally be provisions to confer the same powers on Welsh Ministers, in devolved areas of responsibility, as are being conferred on UK Ministers in those areas in relation to England. These are:
Health and Social Care Bill;Sale of Student Loans Bill;Children and Young Persons Bill; Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill;Climate Change Bill;Energy Bill;Housing and Regeneration Bill; andDormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill.The Government are committed to delivering devolution and this Session, the first since the Government of Wales Act 2006 has come into effect, will see a record number of proposals for legislative competence to be transferred from Westminster to the National Assembly for Wales, both through framework powers, and by using the new Order in Council process. This marks a coming of age of devolution in Wales, with the Assembly being given the law-making power it needs to properly implement its own policies for the benefit of the people of Wales.
Houses of Parliament: Deposited Papers
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): I am pleased to announce that from today all documents deposited in the Library of the House by Ministers will be done so electronically. Members and Peers will still be able to request a hard copy document from the Library as well as an electronic version which, whenever possible, will be available online at http://deposits.parliament.uk/ in a single series containing both House of Commons and House of Lords Library deposited papers.
The Library document Rules for Depositing Papers in the Libraries of the House of Commons and Lords is available on the Parliament website.
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I am grateful to government departments for their co-operation and the Libraries for their work in improving access to information for Members of Parliament, Peers and the public.
Northern Ireland: Independent Monitoring Commission
Lord Rooker: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Shaun Woodward) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
I have received the 17th report of the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC). This report has been made under Articles 4 and 7 of the international agreement that established the commission and it reports on levels of paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. I have considered the content of the report and I am today bringing it before Parliament. I have placed copies in the Library of the House.
The report confirms the IMC’s previous assessments that the IRA is fully committed to pursuing the political path and that it will not be diverted from it. Paragraph 2.2 of the report notes that, “Sinn Fein’s entry into the Northern Ireland Executive has meant that the provisional movement as a whole has been more closely engaged in the democratic process” and that, against this background, the IMC, “strongly believe that this position is now stable”.
On loyalism, I welcome the IMC’s assessment that the UVF’s 3 May 2007 statement, renouncing violence and committing to transform itself from a military to a civilian organisation, represents “a major turning point” for the organisation. The report notes that the position is not yet entirely transformed and there are some pockets of resistance but does not doubt that the leadership is clear on the direction in which it is taking the organisation, has briefed the message in the statement down to the grass roots and has started to take steps to reduce the organisation’s size.
I share, however, the concern of the IMC that the pace of real change within the UDA remains far too slow. The IMC recognises that internal turbulence within the UDA has been a key factor in this in the six months under review, giving rise to continuing incidents of violence. The report also notes the very recent progress there has been by way of contact between the UDA and the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning. But the violent scenes in Carrickfergus and Bangor were a stark reminder of Northern Ireland’s troubled past. We must see an end to violence and criminality of this kind.
The IMC also calls on both the UVF and the UDA to decommission as a test by which any paramilitary organisation must ultimately expect to be judged. The report notes that in respect of PIRA the IMC did not consider it had embarked on a political path until after it had decommissioned arms in September 2005 and that it takes no different approach to the UVF or UDA.
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In relation to dissident republican groups, the IMC makes it clear that these groups still pose a threat. Three paramilitary murders were reported, the first since February 2006. All three have been attributed to dissidents. These groups are ruthless and dangerous, and their intent to cause harm and destruction is undiminished, but they will not deter us from achieving long-term political stability.
Once again, I am grateful to the IMC for its submission of this report and for its careful analysis. As ever, this report offers a clear picture of the challenges ahead to secure an end to paramilitarism in Northern Ireland.
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Taxation: Double Taxation
Lord Davies of Oldham: My right honourable friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Jane Kennedy) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
A new double taxation convention with Saudi Arabia was signed on 31 October 2007. After signature, the text of the convention was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and made available on HM Revenue and Customs’ website. The text of the convention will be scheduled to a draft Order in Council and laid before the House of Commons in due course.
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