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These measures are complemented by the Government consultation, published by the Treasury-Investing in the UK Private Rented Sector-also published today, which considers whether there are any substantive barriers to investment in the sector by individuals and institutions. Taken together, steps to raise quality and identify any barriers to investment should reinforce each other and create a better private rented sector that can become the tenure of choice for a wider range of people.

Legal Aid

Statement

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): Between 16 July and 8 October 2009 the Ministry of Justice consulted on changes to legal aid funding rules. Legal Aid: Refocusing on Priority Cases set out a range of proposals to tighten the civil and criminal legal aid funding rules to target resources more effectively.

On 14 December the department published its response on the proposal to remove advice to prisoners on treatment matters from the scope of criminal legal aid. In that response we set out that we would retain funding for serious treatment issues, but that this would be subject to approval from the Legal Services Commission on a case-by-case basis.

Today the department has published its response on the civil legal aid proposals set out in Legal Aid: Refocusing on Priority Cases. Having taken into account the strong representations we received from interested parties, we will no longer be proceeding with some of the changes proposed, and others have been modified in response to stakeholder concerns. We intend to make a number of changes to civil legal aid to:

improve the way that cases involving human rights or public interest are handled by transferring cases that depend on these issues to receive funding to a new committee for advice on their merits. This will help to ensure that legal aid is awarded to meritorious cases; ensure that cases granted legal aid on the basis that the proceedings will bring benefits to others have a realistic prospect of delivering such wider benefits;detect fraudulent legal aid applications earlier, by checking with the unfunded opponent to ensure that the applicant is financially eligible for legal aid, with safeguards for domestic violence or urgent cases;tighten the funding rules for granting legal aid for judicial review cases to ensure that funding is directed towards meritorious cases;restrict funding for low-value damages claims brought as part of a multi-party action. This will help to ensure that limited resources are available for higher-value cases, or cases brought by individuals;

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tighten access to civil legal aid in England and Wales for those who do not reside in the UK or associated territories, with safeguards for important human rights cases. Non-residents who are present will still have access to funding for asylum, immigration, domestic violence, child protection, mental health or capacity detention, and emergency housing cases; andensure that where legal aid funds a community action, the legal aid contribution mirrors the proportion of the affected population who are actually eligible for legal aid.

We intend to implement these changes in April, following parliamentary consideration of the changes to the funding code and regulations. I have placed a copy of the consultation response in the Libraries of both Houses.

Marine Science

Statement

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Davies of Oldham): My honourable friend the Minister for Marine and Natural Environment (Huw Irranca-Davies) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The UK marine science strategy has been published today by the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee. The strategy is the first of its kind for the UK and will help shape, support, co-ordinate and enable the delivery of world-class marine science for the UK. Copies of the strategy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

National Policy Statements

Statement

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): On 2 February 2010 the Procedure Committee agreed the following arrangements for recording proposed national policy statements (NPSs) in House of Lords Business.

Under Section 9 of the Planning Act 2008, proposed NPSs are subject to parliamentary scrutiny during a designated period specified by the Secretary of State. The means by which the Secretary of State specifies this period is not set out in the 2008 Act, but departments have agreed that in future the relevant Minister in the Lords will always make a Written Ministerial Statement when a proposed NPS is laid, specifying when the period of parliamentary scrutiny expires.

The laying of a proposed NPS will be recorded in the "papers laid" section of House of Lords Business, under the heading "National Policy Statements". The Secretary of State's response to any resolutions of either House or recommendations from committees of either House will also be recorded under this heading, as will the laying of the final text of the NPS, following completion of parliamentary scrutiny.

The progress of parliamentary scrutiny of proposed NPSs will be recorded in a table in House of Lords Business, similar to those charting the progress of Bills and delegated legislation. The table will indicate when the designated period of parliamentary scrutiny

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expires, and give the date of any debate (whether in Grand Committee or on the Floor of the House). Proposed NPSs will remain in the table as long as they remain subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

These changes will take effect immediately.

Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 (Renewal of Temporary Provisions) Order 2010

Statement

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Northern Ireland (Paul Goggins) has made the following Ministerial Statement.

Today I am laying before Parliament the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 (Renewal of Temporary Provisions) Order 2010. This order will continue in force the temporary provisions regarding the appointment of police officers and police support staff for a further, final year to 28 March 2011.

A further one-year renewal will enable the Government to reach their target of 30 per cent Catholic representation in PSNI by March 2011. This is in line with the commitment made in the St Andrews agreement that the 50:50 recruitment arrangements to the PSNI will lapse when the Patten target for Catholic officers has been achieved. It is our intention, if the 30 per cent target is reached before March 2011, to return to Parliament to lapse the provisions.

Before deciding to renew the provisions, we have carefully considered the responses we received to a full 12-week review of the effectiveness of the temporary provisions. This review formed part of the Secretary of State's statutory duty to have regard to progress made towards ensuring that membership of the police and police support staff is representative of the community in Northern Ireland, and to consult the Policing Board. The consultation ended on 22 January 2010.

Since the introduction of the temporary provisions in 2001, Catholic composition has risen from 8.3 per cent to 27.68 per cent. This represents substantial progress towards a more representative police service. There is, however, still a short distance to go before the target of 30 per cent Catholic representation is achieved. For these reasons, and after looking carefully at the responses to the consultation, the Secretary of State has decided that the temporary provisions should be renewed for a further year to 28 March 2011.

There will be an opportunity to debate the order in both Houses of Parliament.

Terrorism: Finance

Statement

The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): My honourable friend the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Following the Supreme Court's decision in relation to the Government's asset-freezing powers, I announced the Treasury's intention to consider fast-track legislation to reinstate the asset-freezing regime.

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It is our intention to introduce legislation that effectively reinstates the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2009, which the Government have in the past used in good faith. It is our belief that the fast-track legislation would be a proper response to the ongoing significant threat from international terrorism.

In order for the House to give adequate scrutiny to the proposed legislation, copies of the 2009 order are available in the Vote Office and have been deposited in the Library. Copies of the legislation itself will be available immediately on the introduction of the Bill. Our ambition is to mirror the 2009 order in the legislation we present to the House.

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The Government also intend to bring forward affirmative procedure regulations under Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 to ensure that enforcement provisions are in place to implement fully EC Regulation 881/2002 in respect of measures against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Taken together, the Government believe that these measures will help maintain an effective, proportionate and fair terrorist asset-freezing regime that meets our United Nations obligations, protects national security by disrupting flows of terrorist finance, and safeguards human rights.

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