Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
This is a prudent and affordable rate of progress for our major strategic programme to renew our schools infrastructure, and which brings benefits for the wider community as well as children.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): My right honourable friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
On 2 April 2009 I announced that the Middlesex Guildhall had been handed over to the Ministry of Justice. I am pleased to be able to report further significant progress on the Supreme Court implementation programme-the programme remains on time and within budget.
First, I have received a written assurance from the noble and learned Lord, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, that the Law Lords are satisfied that the refurbished Middlesex Guildhall will meet the needs of the new Supreme Court. The refurbishment has been completed to the highest standards, respecting the heritage of this unique building. This is consistent with both the status of the court and the needs of the Supreme Court justices, court users and the public for modern accessible facilities. On this basis I have now signed the commencement order that will enable the court to come into being on 1 October 2009, as I am satisfied the court will be fully operational by that date.
Lord Phillips has made the rules that will underpin the workings of the court and these have been laid before Parliament. In making the rules Lord Phillips has taken into account his statutory duty to ensure that the rules are both simple and simply expressed and that they have a view to ensuring the court is accessible, fair and efficient. The rules have been widely supported on consultation.
In addition, the responses to public consultation on the fees payable in the court have been analysed. A summary of the responses to consultation and the Government's proposed way forward have now been published. Consultees were in general agreement with the course proposed, with the exception of fees for devolution cases. While consultees agreed that the fees for devolution cases should be brought into line with civil fees generally, they were concerned that to make this change in one step represented too steep an increase-we have therefore decided to implement this change in stages.
The fees order for the court will be laid on this basis.
I previously announced that the anticipated running costs for the UK Supreme Court would be £12.3 million. At present Her Majesty's Court Service pays £1.2 million pension and national insurance contributions with respect to the Law Lords. For transparency this will be transferred to the UK Supreme Court from 1 October. This does not represent any additional cost to the public purse. For the first year we have provided an additional £300,000 to cover transitional set-up costs, this is being met from within existing resources. The costs of some aspects of the court's operation, including security, remain to be finalised and so the anticipated running costs will continue to be refined and reviewed on an ongoing basis.
The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): My honourable friend the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The Government are strongly committed to tackling terrorist finance. Just as there should be no hiding place for those who perpetrate terrorism, so there should be no hiding place for those who finance terrorism.
Global measures to freeze the assets of those suspected of involvement in terrorism are an important tool in suppressing terrorist finance. The global framework for freezing terrorist assets was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373, adopted unanimously on 28 September 2001. It is also set out in Special Recommendation III of the Financial Action Task Force, the international standard setting body for anti-money laundering and counter terrorist finance.
The United Kingdom gives effect to its international obligations to freeze terrorist assets through Orders in Council under the United Nations Act 1946. The Government report quarterly to Parliament on the operation of the UK's terrorist asset-freezing regime.
Consistent with our international obligations, the Government have put in place a robust and effective terrorist asset-freezing regime. As set out in today's quarterly report to Parliament, as of the end of June 2009, a total of 237 accounts containing £607,661 of suspected terrorist funds were frozen in the UK. As our quarterly reports set out, the UK has an active approach to reviewing cases and to granting exemptions licences to ensure that the asset-freezing regime operates in a fair and proportionate way that is consistent with human rights.
The Financial Action Task Force reviewed the UK's terrorist asset-freezing regime in 2007 and concluded that the UK was fully compliant with international standards, the first country to be awarded the fully compliant rating.
The Government keep the asset-freezing regime under review to ensure that it remains operationally effective, fair and proportionate. Today the Treasury is
15 July 2009 : Column WS97
The overall objective of the changes is to tailor asset-freezing restrictions to ensure that the prohibitions are focused more closely on areas of genuine operational concern, in particular the access to, control and use of funds by designated persons; and to strengthen and make more explicit safeguards in how the regime is operated where this can be done without compromising its effectiveness.
The main changes set out in the new Order in Council are:
formally reflecting the Court of Appeal judgment in October last year which struck out the grounds for the Treasury to designate a person when the Treasury has reasonable grounds to suspect that they may be (as opposed to are) involved in terrorism;the introduction of a further safeguard that designations must be necessary for public protection; setting a renewable 12-month time limit on designations;modifying the prohibitions on making funds, economic resources and financial services available for the benefit of a designation person so that they only apply if the designated person obtains, or is able to obtain, a significant financial benefit. The prohibitions on making funds, economic resources and financial available directly to a designated person remain unchanged and are a blanket prohibition; modifying the prohibition on making economic resources available to a designated person by providing a defence for a person if they did not know and had no reasonable cause to suspect that economic resources which they provided to a designated person would be likely to be exchanged or used in exchange for funds, goods or services;modifying reporting provisions to bring obligations on money service businesses into line with other financial institutions; andclarifying and expanding information-gathering powers to ensure that the Treasury is able to request information from designated persons in all cases where this is necessary to ensure effective implementation of and compliance with the asset freeze.Overall, these changes will improve the operation of the asset-freezing regime, ensure that it remains fair and proportionate and help facilitate effective compliance by ensuring that prohibitions are more tailored and clearer in how they apply. The Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order will come into effect on 10 August 2009.
The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): My honourable friend the Exchequer
15 July 2009 : Column WS98
In a Written Ministerial Statement on 10 October 2006, the then Economic Secretary undertook to report to Parliament on a quarterly basis on the operation of the UK's counter terrorism asset freezing regime. This is the eleventh of these reports and covers the period April to June 2009.1
Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2009
The Treasury has amended the Terrorism (United Measures) Order and a new Order in Council is being laid before Parliament today. I have made a separate Written Ministerial Statement about the new order.
In the quarter April to June 2009, the Treasury gave no directions under the Al-Qaida and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order 2006.
The Treasury gave no new directions under the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2006. The Treasury revoked one direction given under this order during this period,
There were no financial sanctions designations made at the UN, or at the EU, in relation to terrorism, or Al-Qaida and the Taliban of persons with links to the UK.
As of 30 June 2009, a total of 237 accounts containing just over £607,6612 of suspected terrorist funds were frozen in the UK.
The Treasury keeps domestic asset-freezing cases under review and completed three formal reviews in this quarter.
In accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1452 (2002), the Treasury operates a licensing system whereby designated persons and others are able to apply to make or receive payments under specific and, if necessary, monitored conditions. In this quarter, the following licences were issued to listed persons:
four listed persons were granted basic expenses licences (including licences for benefits payments); one listed person was granted a licence allowing them to receive compensation payment into a frozen account following an European Court of Human Rights judgment.;no persons were granted legal expenses licences; andno licences were granted for extraordinary expenses.In this quarter two households of listed persons were granted benefits licences.
The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): I am announcing today the publication of Low Carbon Transport: A Greener Future (Cm 7682)-a carbon reduction strategy for transport. A key component of the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, also published later today, this document sets out the actions we are taking to deliver reductions in transport emissions in line with our obligations under the UK's carbon budgets to 2022.
It puts us on a path towards a low carbon transport system, giving people and business more low carbon choices about when, where and how to travel or to transport goods.
We have already begun-and will continue-a strong programme of activity to tackle the climate change impact of transport.
In December 2008, we agreed a demanding framework with our European partners for reducing CO2 emissions from new cars. This alone is expected to save 7 million tonnes of CO2 in the UK in 2020. In January 2009, alongside our Statement on Britain's transport infrastructure, we set a pioneering target to reduce CO2 emissions from UK aviation to below 2005 levels by 2050, in so doing, posing a challenge to the aviation industry to innovate and adopt better fuel efficiency. We have also made securing international agreement to reducing CO2 emissions from aviation and shipping a key priority for the UN talks in Copenhagen at the end of this year.
In April, we made clear our intent to create a flourishing market for ultra-low emissions vehicles in the UK for both consumers and industry. This will be achieved through a combination of support for research
15 July 2009 : Column WS100
In June and July, we announced a range of measures to promote new, greener technology on our roads. Up to 150 low emission and all-electric vans will be introduced to public sector fleets; over 340 ultra-low emissions cars are to be demonstrated around the UK through a £25 million programme delivered by the Technology Strategy Board; and we launched a £30 million scheme to encourage uptake of low emission buses. And on top of our existing commitment of £140 million to support cycling, to improve the integration of greener travel modes, we also announced plans to radically improve station cycle storage at up to 10 major railway stations nationwide.
Alongside today's document, we confirm our commitment to working with our European partners to develop an ambitious and realistic mechanism to reduce CO2 emissions from new vans. With the freight and logistics industry, we have also launched a working group to develop a consistent carbon measurement and reporting method and standard for the logistics transport supply chain.
Our efforts will not stop here. In the coming weeks we will emphasise the importance of addressing CO2 from transport in the guidance we give to our local and regional partners as they begin to develop new local transport plans and longer-term transport solutions. Finally, we are shortly to announce our plans for further electrification of the rail network.
The measures set out in strategy will save an additional 85 millions tonnes of CO2 over the third carbon budget period from 2018-22. This strategy is a signal of our determination to build a low-carbon future.
Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |