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8 Feb 2007 : Column WS43
Written Statements
Thursday 8 February 2007
Animal Welfare: Seal Hunting
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): My right honourable friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Mr Ian McCartney, has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The Government are deeply concerned about the reported cruelty during the Canadian seal hunt. They have undertaken a review of policy on this issue and have concluded that the UK should press the European Commission to propose EU-wide measures to ban the import of listed harp and hooded seal products. This would establish a harmonised EU approach.
It is the Government’s view that action taken at EU level would be more effective than national measures alone, avoiding distortions in the operation of the single market and allowing for effective enforcement by customs authorities. The UK is committed to pursuing EU action and ensuring that any resulting EU Commission proposal will be effective. We are writing to Commissioner Dimas requesting urgent action.
Meanwhile, the EU proposal for an EU-wide ban on the domestic cat and dog fur trade is under active discussion within the Council of the European Union and European Parliament and we hope to be able to agree this proposal as quickly as possible.
Driving Standards Agency
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My honourable friend the Minister of State, Department for Transport, Dr Stephen Ladyman, has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I have today published Response to Consultation reporting on the results of the consultation on a package of measures which proposed changes to the way in which the Driving Standards Agency conducts its business to deliver a better service and improve the quality of the assessments they offer, and to ensure that the costs of the services provided are recovered in a fair and efficient manner.
The changes are grouped into four areas:
service improvements;safety-related measures;general fee increases; and driver certificate of professional competence issues.Copies of the Response to Consultation have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The documents are also available from the DSA website or by telephone on 0115 901 5921/minicom 0115 9015922.
Many of the changes will be introduced with effect from 2 April 2007.
ECOFIN
My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I represented the UK at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) on 30 January 2007. The German Finance Minister, Peer Steinbrueck, chaired the Council.
German Presidency Work Programme
Ministers took note of a presentation by the German presidency on its ECOFIN work programme for the next six months. The presidency noted that Europe continued to face major challenges, for example from globalisation. ECOFIN's work under the German presidency would reflect this, including through further integration of the internal market.
The UK added its support and stressed the importance of promoting an open and flexible single market, as set out in the HMT/DTI paper on single market reform published on the same day. This paper stresses the need for a single market that allows European businesses to compete in global markets, while fostering innovation and market dynamism. A revised strategy should therefore focus on driving up competition, take prioritised action where the potential economic benefits are greatest, based on clear evidence, and use a wider range of policy tools to achieve a well functioning single market. The UK also said that enhancing EU-US economic relations and tackling unfair tax competition had a part to play.
Implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact
Commissioner Almunia outlined the Commission's recommendation to abrogate France's excessive deficit procedure, as the deficit was now sustainably below 3 per cent. Member states welcomed this recommendation and adopted a decision under Article 104(12) of the treaty abrogating Decision 2003/487/EC on the existence of an excessive deficit in France.
Convergence Reports by the Commission and the European Central Bank
Ministers took note of a brief presentation by the Commission and the European Central Bank on the December 2006 convergence report on the member states, excluding Lithuania, Slovenia and Sweden, with a derogation from euro membership. The report concluded that the nine member states assessed did not fulfil all the convergence criteria, but the Commission noted that significant progress was being made on inflation, fiscal stability and exchange rates.
Current status of Slovenia's adoption of the euro
The Council was briefed by the Slovenian Finance Minister, Andrej Bajuk, the Commission and the European Central Bank on the introduction of the euro in Slovenia. The Commission applauded Slovenia's handling of the introduction of the euro.
Preparation of the Spring European Council
Ministers held an orientation debate on matters to feed into the spring European Council. This included the Commission annual progress report, the proposed update to the Integrated Guidelines with Country Specific Recommendations and the draft ECOFIN key issues paper. Discussion centred on the ECOFIN priorities for the key issues paper, ahead of its formal adoption at the February ECOFIN.
The UK stressed the importance of opening up product and capital markets, especially financial services, utilities and energy, and reducing regulation in line with the HMT/DTI paper on single market reform mentioned earlier. The UK also added that, in the field of tax, tackling unfair tax competition was important in improving economic performance. The German presidency agreed to reflect on the discussion and will subsequently return to this topic at the February ECOFIN.
The Commission presented a communication and an action plan on efforts to reduce administrative burdens on businesses, which includes setting a target for reducing administrative burdens in the EU. The UK expressed the view that this was a key issue for the EU economic framework. Conclusions are expected to be adopted at the next ECOFIN meeting and will contribute to the spring European Council.
Elections: CORE Response Paper
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): My honourable friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Bridget Prentice, has made the following Ministerial Statement.
Today, I am pleased to announce to the House the publication of my department’s response to the consultations on the co-ordinated online record of electors. CORE will provide a national source of locally collected and maintained electoral registration data.
CORE will, in addition to reducing the administrative burden on users, assist political parties and the Electoral Commission to meet their obligations under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 to ensure that donations to parties are from registered electors. It will also provide an important first step to systematically detecting any potential instances of absent voter fraud.
The Electoral Administration Act 2006 makes provision for the establishment of one or more co-ordinated online record of electors (CORE) schemes. The scheme will shortly be established by a secondary legislation order, a draft of which would first need to be actively approved by both Houses of Parliament.
The paper sets a clear vision for the operation of the CORE scheme and highlights the importance of improving the quality of elector information held on local registers to ensure that it is complete and correct.
Copies of the consultation response document are available in the Libraries of both Houses and will also be made available on the website of the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
Energy: Electricity Generation
My honourable friend the Minister of State for Science and Innovation (Malcolm Wicks) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has granted consents under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for the construction and operation of the gas generating station and wind farm that comprise the Ormonde project.
The consents are being granted to Eclipse Energy Company Limited (EECL) and Ormonde Energy Limited (a majority-owned subsidiary of EECL). This innovative hybrid project will be sited around 10 kilometres from Walney Island and has the potential to generate a total of up to 200MW of electricity, with around half coming from the wind farm.
The decision to grant the consents was taken after a thorough consideration of the possible impacts of the project on a range of environmental and other issues and interests and of the advice received from a range of stakeholders, including statutory consultees on navigation and nature conservation issues. The Secretary of State concluded that the impacts envisaged by those making representations will either be of low significance or can be mitigated or avoided by the use of suitable conditions in the Electricity Act consents or in the licence for the project that is to be issued by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985.
The Secretary of State will, in due course, announce the outcome of an application for the grant of approval for the proposed Ormonde gas field development under the separate Petroleum Act 1998 regime, relating to the extraction of gas from the sea bed. Today's announcement does not prejudge the outcome of that application.
EU: General Affairs and External Relations Council
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): My right honourable friend the Minister for Europe, Mr Geoff Hoon, has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) will be held on 12 February in Brussels. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mrs Margaret Beckett, will represent the UK.
The agenda items are as follows:
Preparation of the European Council on 8 and 9 March
The Council is expected to approve the draft annotated agenda for the spring European Council including the Lisbon economic reform process, better regulation and climate/energy. External issues will be covered as appropriate.
The Commission is expected to update the Council, following the Davos world economic forum and the restarting of formal Doha development agenda negotiations at the end of January.
Discussion is likely to focus on Kosovo. We hope that the Council will give its full support to UN Status Envoy Martti Ahtisaari and his draft proposals and urges engagement by the parties. The Council is expected to adopt conclusions on Serbia and Kosovo.
The Council is likely to adopt conclusions on Sudan keeping up the pressure on the parties to commit to a political process and to co-operate with the UN and African Union in enhancing the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and deploying a hybrid AU-UN force. The Council is likely to condemn the continued violence on the ground, particularly attacks on AMIS and humanitarian personnel and the Government of Sudan airforce bombing in north Darfur and reiterate its readiness to consider further measures.
The Council is expected to adopt conclusions welcoming the transitional Federal Government's commitment to launch an inter-Somali dialogue and reaffirming willingness to assist the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and reconstruction efforts in Somalia.
High Representative for Common and Foreign Security Policy Javier Solana is expected to outline plans for a civilian policing mission under the European security and defence policy (ESDP). The presidency will brief the Council on the foreign ministerial troika with Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta on 29 January. The Council is also expected to adopt conclusions approving a concept for a possible ESDP mission to Afghanistan in the field of policing with links to the wider rule of law. Ministers will also welcome the renewed international expressions of support for the Afghan Government's reconstruction work which emerged from a series of meetings in Berlin on 30 and 31 January 2006.
The presidency is planning a discussion of EU policy on Iran, covering the nuclear issue, efforts to support reform and Iran's role in the region. Ministers will also be updated on progress with work to implement the sanctions in UN Security Council Resolution 1737.
The Council is expected to welcome the 2 February Quartet statement. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs may also brief partners on her recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (5 to 7 February).
On Lebanon, the Council is expected to adopt conclusions welcoming the success of the Paris III conference, including the EU's contribution to it, and supporting mediation efforts to resolve the political crisis in Lebanon.
Fire and Rescue Service
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): My right honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The fire and rescue service has been undergoing a significant change programme over the past few years so that it is better equipped to meet the challenges of today’s world. The way in which the Government engage with the service has also been subject to review. As a consequence, the role and function of Her Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectorate has changed, and it no longer undertakes its original core role of inspecting all fire and rescue services in England. We have, therefore, decided that it is no longer appropriate to retain the inspectorate in its current form and that a new professional advisory unit would be better placed to provide independent support to Ministers and officials.
The unit, which for normal day-to-day working purposes will be called the chief fire and rescue adviser’s unit, will be headed by a chief fire and rescue adviser. The primary responsibility for the unit will be to provide Ministers and officials with direct access to a source of authoritative independent professional advice on matters of structure, organisation, performance and future development of fire and rescue business. The unit will also have a number of other duties, including advising Ministers, senior officials, COBR and other government departments during a major emergency and providing professional advice on fire and rescue service matters to local authorities, professional bodies and other interested organisations on FRS matters.
We will be advertising for the position of chief fire and rescue adviser commencing on Sunday 11 February 2007 and expect the new unit to be formally established by summer 2007.
The chief fire and rescue adviser will be a high profile position. We will be seeking to attract a candidate with proven experience and well developed skills who can demonstrate a strong record of performance across a broad range of criteria, given the key role that the chief fire and rescue adviser will be expected to play.
Sir Graham Meldrum, HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services, retired on 31 January 2007 after many years of distinguished service as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services. We have established, from 1 February 2007, a transition team within the fire and resilience directorate, with a clear brief to manage the interim period and prepare for the formation of the new advisory unit.
House of Lords: Appointments Commission
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has made the following Statement.
I am today announcing the reappointment of the House of Lords Appointments Commission for a further 18 months, as from the beginning of this year, pending further discussions on House of Lords reform.
The commission's membership is unchanged. The chairman is Lord Stevenson of Coddenham CBE, the chairman of HBOS plc and a Cross-Bench Peer in the House of Lords.
The independent members are: Ms Angela Sarkis CBE, National Secretary of the YMCA England; and Mrs Felicity Huston, Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland and a tax consultant.
In addition, there are three party-political members who are each nominated by one of the three main political parties: the Labour Party member is the right honourable Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde; the Conservative Party member is the right honourable Lord Hurd of Westwell CH CBE; the Liberal Democrat member is the Lord Dholakia OBE DL.
Intelligence and Security Committee
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has made the following Statement.
Following appropriate consultation and in accordance with Section 10 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994, I have appointed the right honourable Lord Foulkes of Cumnock as a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee in place of Baroness Ramsey of Cartvale.
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