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To influence and deliver emergency response and recovery strategies and practical capability across the public sector, including ongoing assessment of supplier capability and capacity.
To consolidate the implementation of Fera, ensuring that stakeholders are fully informed of progress, and influence over and satisfaction levels for customers raised. To ensure that resources, including site accommodation and collaborative working, are maximised to best potential and meet benefits’ realisation and sustainability targets.
To recover the full economic costs of the agency’s services from government departments, agencies and external customers, ensuring delivery of efficiency targets.
Further details of Fera’s role and responsibilities are given in its corporate documents: the framework document, the strategic direction and corporate plan 2009-10 to 2011-12, and the business plan 2009-10. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House and will be published on the agency’s website at http://services.csl.gov.uk.
Highways Agency: Business Plan
Statement
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): The Highways Agency’s business plan for 2009-10 has been published today. It sets out the agency’s budgets for the financial year and how that funding will be spent. The plan contains 13 key performance targets against which the agency’s performance during the year will be measured. Copies of the business plan have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
NHS: Private Care
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
Following a 12-week consultation, which included hearing the views of a wide range of NHS and other stakeholders, I am today publishing final guidance on
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Patients and the public can be confident that together with the package I set out in my oral Statement on 4 November 2008 (Official Report, col. 131) these measures will mean greater fairness and faster access to a wider range of more expensive drugs, reducing the need for patients to seek private care in the first place.
The guidance and the response to the consultation has been placed in the Library and copies are available to honourable Members from the Vote Office.
Ports: Business Rates
Statement
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): My right honourable friend the Minister for Local Government (John Healey) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
Following the motion “to regret that the Non-Domestic Rating (Collection and Enforcement) (Local Lists) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/204), laid before the House on 10 February, will not prevent several port companies from becoming insolvent”, the Government are placing their response on record.
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A number of debates have taken place this year with reference to the occupiers of the properties affected by the ratings review of ports. The Government have listened carefully to the concerns put forward by the affected occupiers who, as a consequence of being separately assessed for rates from 1 April 2005, are in receipt of unexpected and significant backdated rate bills.
In the current economic conditions, the Government have constantly emphasised that they are concerned about the impact of significant and unexpected backdated rates liability on businesses. The ratings system has to be fair and equitable to all, and there is not a legislative solution for waiving tax liability which does not confer a disadvantage among other rate payers who have paid the rates that are legally established and due.
However, we believe, in the current economic circumstances that there is a general case to assist all businesses liable to receive large, unexpected backdated bills that have to be paid immediately, as is the case with a number of companies, including some port-based businesses across the UK.
Following the Chancellor's announcement in the Pre-Budget Report, therefore, the Government have put in place an unprecedented scheme to help all businesses, which may include some occupiers of ports, to pay significant and unexpected backdated rates liabilities over a period of eight years.
The Valuation Office Agency has also put in place special fast-track arrangements for rate payers with backdated bills who want to question or challenge their assessment following the ports review, and will give priority attention to these cases at all stages.
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