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Statement

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): My right honourable friend the Minister of State (David Hanson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

In my Written Ministerial Statement of 14 May 2008 (Official Report, col. 61WS), I informed the House that the Youth Justice Board had decided to issue rectification notices to STC Milton Keynes Ltd., the contractor responsible for the delivery of services at Oakhill secure training centre.

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families (Beverley Hughes) and I wish to inform the House that the Youth Justice Board has decided to withdraw the rectification notices imposed on STC Milton Keynes Ltd. The contractor has addressed all of the deficiencies which had been identified and the centre is now able to operate at full capacity.

Ofsted carried out an inspection of the centre in December 2008 and its report which was published yesterday gave the centre an overall quality rating of satisfactory.

The next step is for the contractor to consolidate the positive changes and build on the improvements made to date. The Youth Justice Board will continue to monitor the service being delivered at the centre and will take the necessary actions to resolve any problems identified and drive forward improvements.

Waste Management

Statement

The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change & Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

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Following a review of the department’s delivery bodies which support business, consumers and the public sector in resource efficiency, Defra has decided that from April 2010 WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) will lead in the provision of such advice and support. This will provide a streamlined, more efficient service and better value for money to the taxpayer.

The review covered the following organisations:

Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP);National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP);Envirowise;Construction Resources and Waste Platform (CRWP);Centre for Reuse and Remanufacture (CRR);Action Sustainability (AS); andBREW Centre for Local Authorities

All were involved and consulted throughout the review process. The review also considered the role of regional development agencies (RDAs) in supporting business resource efficiency, including through Business Link as the primary access for business support.

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Over the past three years, Defra has invested £650 million in a range of programmes that help organisations and the public use resources more efficiently. With this funding our delivery partners have delivered environmental benefits and cost savings for business. They should be rightly proud of their achievements.

The review identified that a single delivery body was the most efficient way of providing resource efficiency services to businesses, the public sector and households; and that such a single point of contact would also ensure greater ease of access for customers. WRAP was identified as the natural focus for this effort, providing the widest range of relevant services, and having the necessary management capability.

This change will support the “Improving Your Resource Efficiency” product provided by RDAs through Business Link under the Government’s Business Support Simplification Programme (BSSP).

Over the coming year, WRAP will work with Defra and the other delivery bodies to determine how best to implement this fully integrated service from April 2010.

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