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A further option emerged in the wake of the consultation which is for a 27 seat authority. This is made possible because two local authorities have stated they wish to share a seat. This would reduce the minimum number of local authority seats from 15 to 14. As I have previously confirmed my view that local authorities should have an absolute majority, this would require the Government to respond to the reduction in local authority members by reducing the number of national members from eight to seven. So the overall composition could be 14 local authority, seven national and six parish seats.

Having considered each of the above options carefully, and being satisfied that it would be appropriate for Worthing and Adur councils to share a seat, I have decided to opt for a 27 seat authority. In order to ensure that the national park authority keeps in close touch with communities and is able to respond to their concerns, I expect the authority to place a big emphasis on community and stakeholder engagement. I shall now include the 27 member authority in the statutory instrument which I shall lay before Parliament around the turn of the year. With Parliament's consent, this will allow the national park authority to be established from 1 April 2010 and to become operational from 1 April 2011.

A summary of the responses, plus a list of all respondents, can be found on the Defra website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/south-downs-membership/index.htm.

NHS

Statement

Baroness Thornton: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health (Andy Burnham) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

I have today laid before Parliament The NHS 2010-2015: from good to great. Preventative, people-centred, productive (Cm 7775). The paper is in the Library and copies are available for honourable Members from the Vote Office.

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The NHS 2010-15 maps out how we will build on the achievements of the past decade to create a more preventive and people-centred NHS-a service that is better for patients, but also more productive. It is intended to give the NHS time to plan for the challenges of a new era.

In the past, a tougher financial environment has meant that patients have paid the price through longer waits. But this will not happen this time. We will not back away from the NHS. The Pre-Budget Report confirms that we can lock in the achievements of the past decade, while protecting staff and the service as a whole.

The document also sets out how we will continue to improve the NHS, according to the principles set out in the Next Stage Review. It outlines the following key steps:

a new payment system which puts patients first, and ensures they get the high quality care they deserve. A growing proportion of hospitals' income will be linked to patient satisfaction, rising to 10 per cent of their payments over time. Poor or unsafe care will not be tolerated-payments will be withdrawn if care does not meet minimum standards; more choice for patients-giving them the right to register with a GP wherever they choose, a guarantee of seeing a doctor in the evenings and weekends in every area, and more access to services-like chemotherapy and dialysis-at home or in the community; dedicated carers for patients with cancer or serious long-term conditions who can benefit from a more personal approach to nursing. We expect all parts of the NHS to review continually the way long-term conditions are managed and to seek out and adopt best practice. Where appropriate this should include the provision of personalised one-to-one support by a health professional, particularly for the more complex conditions. We will consider and cost the possibility of a patient entitlement in this area. This will benefit millions of people;new rights to high quality care-including the right for patients to die at home. Enshrining the right to a good death is the mark of a civilised health system. The NHS will ensure a dying patient can choose where they wish to spend their final days; more freedom for hospitals. The best NHS foundation trusts will be free to work across a wider area. We will encourage high-performing foundation trusts based in one area to provide both acute and community services in other areas, if the PCTs in those areas want to commission from them; andgreater emphasis on prevention-we want the NHS to intervene earlier and prevent more disease. We will provide access to personal care plans and health-checks for anyone suffering with a long-term condition. Patients will be invited to discuss and agree their care plan with their clinician, giving them a greater say in their care.

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Under this plan services will be reshaped around the needs of patients more radically than ever before. The NHS and its staff will need to adapt as they strive to make the changes necessary, but they will be supported in doing so. The results will be better patient safety, better health outcomes, more satisfied patients-and, ultimately, a stronger NHS.

Palestine: Food Labelling

Statement

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

Defra has today issued advice to retailers and importers who wish to respond to consumer demand for information about the origin of food that has been produced in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).

Importers, retailers, NGOs and consumers have asked the Government for clarity over the precise origin of products from the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The label "West Bank" does not allow consumers to distinguish between goods originating from Palestinian producers and goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements.

Rules on the labelling of produce are set by the European Union and require that the place of origin or provenance should be supplied on foodstuffs where omission of such information might materially mislead the consumer about true origin or provenance of the foodstuff.

Since the "West Bank" is a recognised geographical area within the OPTs, labelling produce with the "West Bank" does not infringe EU labelling rules. However, retailers have informed us of consumer demand for more detailed information.

Therefore, in March, the Government arranged a roundtable discussion between interested parties to look at how retailers could make labelling clearer for consumers.

We have taken these views into account, and have today issued advice to retailers and importers. This will help them consider how best to respond to consumer demand for information about the origin of food that has been produced in the OPT.

The Government will keep their policy on labelling food imports from the OPTs under review, in conjunction with the European Commission and other EU member states, and in the light of developments in the Middle East peace process. The Government believe that the existence, and continued growth, of Israeli settlements poses a significant obstacle to peace in the Middle East. At the same time, the clear position of the Government is that we are opposed to boycotts of Israel or Israeli goods. We do not believe that boycotts help engage or influence Israel, or lead to progress in the Middle East peace process.

Copies of the advice will be placed in the House Library and on the Defra website.

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Schools: Admissions

Statement

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools and Learners has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Today I have presented to Parliament a revised school admissions code (the code). Subject to the usual parliamentary procedure, this revised code will come into force in February 2010.

This Statement follows on from previous Statements I have made accepting recommendations made by Sir Jim Rose from his primary curriculum review in April 2009, in particular those designed to help improve outcomes for summer-born children, by enabling them to start school from the September following their fourth birthday.

Sir Jim Rose recommended that, subject to parents taking into account their child's maturity and readiness to enter reception class, summer-born children should be entitled to start part school in the September after their fourth birthday. This could be at part-time basis if parents prefer.

A study for the primary curriculum review by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that admissions policies do matter and that, in general, summer-born children are slightly better off in terms of cognitive outcomes at key stages 1-3 if they start school in the September following their fourth birthday. The IFS study also reported that summer-born children risk being treated as immature in comparison with their older classmates, giving rise to lack of confidence and low self-regard that may limit expectations of them and their expectations of themselves. Furthermore, a literature review by the National Foundation for Educational Research concluded that children who start school later will spend less time in reception class prior to entering year 1 of primary school, and therefore they may lose some of the educational experience that will develop and prepare them for their school careers.

The majority of local authority areas already operate an entry point in September following a child's fourth birthday so summer-born children do not have the same education opportunities across the country. Implementing this proposal will therefore provide a fair system for parents, which also gives them more choice to meet their own child's needs. Research conducted by Sir Jim Rose found that 61 per cent of parents of children currently in part-time maintained provision and 63 per cent of parents with summer-born children would move to a full-time provision once offered.

The aim of the policy change is to enable parents to choose between school or other early learning provision for their four year-olds. Some parents have a strong preference for their child's early years experience to take place outside a school setting. I am therefore also making arrangements to enable all children to receive full and part-time provision in private, voluntary, independent and maintained nurseries from the September after their fourth birthday up until compulsory school age.

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Parents who prefer to delay their child's starting school would be able to defer a school place until compulsory school age-as they can already do now. But it is right that all children should be in school-playing and learning and developing-from age five.

The four year-olds proposal is just one of many recommendations made by the primary curriculum review aimed at giving greater parental choice and improving transition and outcomes for all children, particular summer-born children and vulnerable groups such as those with SEN, who Sir Jim felt would benefit most from starting school early. We are already reforming the primary curriculum to encourage a smoother transition from early years foundation stage (EYFS) into school by arranging the curriculum in six areas of learning (similar to EYFS areas of learning and development) and free it up for teachers. This supports my proposal by creating an appropriate school environment for all four year-olds.

Continuing play-based learning into primary schools and ensuring children receive learning experiences appropriate to their age and circumstances and a key feature of the new primary curriculum. Whether in reception classes, or in nurseries, four year-olds will benefit from receiving the early years foundation stage full-time.

Also in line with my earlier Statement, over the next few months, we will provide information to parents and local authorities about the optimum conditions, flexibilities and benefits to children of entering reception class in the September immediately after their fourth birthday.

Following a consultation on relevant changes, this revised code will require all admission authorities to provide for the admission of children following their fourth birthday, from September 2011 onwards.

Schools: Funding

Statement

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families (Dawn Primarolo) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

This Government have transformed the provision of early years education and childcare in this country, increasing investment sevenfold since 1997 and creating a universal free offer for three and four year-olds.

As a result there is now nearly universal take-up of the 121/2 hours of free early learning and childcare available to three and four year-olds, and we remain on course to extend the provision to 15 hours per week from September 2010. The commitment and endeavour of early years providers across the country have been crucial to this success.

In 2007 we announced plans to introduce a single local early years single funding formula (EYSFF).

This aims to provide greater consistency and transparency in local decision-making concerning the funding of the free entitlement for three and four year-olds.

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The necessary paving legislation for the EYSFF was included in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, which has recently completed its passage through Parliament. The introduction of the EYSFF was welcomed by members on all sides of both Houses.

Our intention has been that every local authority should implement the EYSFF from April 2010. In anticipation of this, many local authorities have been working hard to prepare for this and have engaged positively with local providers.

However, during the summer it became clear that a significant number of local authorities were experiencing difficulty in developing their EYSFF. More recently, parents and providers, from both the maintained and the PVI sectors, have expressed concerns about the potential adverse impact on provision if the EYSFF is introduced now.

In response to these concerns the department acted quickly to survey all local authorities to establish how much progress they had made. This was completed towards the end of November and found considerable variation in terms of their readiness.

The data and information we have collected now suggest that less than a third of local authorities will be in a secure position to implement their EYSFF from April 2010. While it is difficult to generalise about the underlying reasons it seems clear that some local authorities have experienced serious difficulties in obtaining accurate data from their providers, while others have simply found the task extremely challenging.

I have therefore decided to postpone the formal implementation date for the EYSFF by one year until April 2011.

I have asked my officials to invite all local authorities that are confident they are ready to implement their new formulae in April 2010 and who wish to do so to continue as planned. These local authorities will be able to apply to join a pathfinder programme, which currently involves nine local authorities but which we will now expand.

This expansion will increase the capacity of the pathfinder programme to develop practice from which other local authorities can learn.

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The Government remain strongly committed to the introduction of the EYSFF in all areas from April 2011. We believe that it is only through the effective implementation of the EYSFF that all providers across the sector can have confidence in local decisions about funding. This 12-month delay should provide sufficient time for concerns to be addressed, without incurring a risk of drift. It will also allow time for more dedicated support to be offered to those local authorities that need it in order to complete the development of their formula.

UK Border Agency

Statement

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): My honourable friend the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration (Phil Woolas) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

A revised version of the framework agreement for the UK Border Agency is being published today. The framework has been updated following the passage of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009. The new document reflects, in particular, the transfer of customs functions and staff to the Home Office from HM Revenue and Customs. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Vehicles: HGV Testing

Statement

The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Paul Clark) has made the following Ministerial Statement.

The Department for Transport has today issued a consultation document on our proposals to remove or modify some of the exemptions from the statutory annual roadworthiness testing scheme which currently apply to certain categories of heavy goods vehicles.

I have placed copies of the document in the House Library.

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