Written Statements

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

Thursday 11 July 2013

Higher Education Regulatory Reforms

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister for Universities and Science (Mr David Willetts)]

Today I am announcing reforms to how higher education in England is regulated.

The White Paper “Students at the Heart of the System”, published in 2011, set out a plan to transform higher education, to ensure it was placed on a sustainable footing, to deliver a better student experience, to promote social mobility and widen participation, and to create a more responsive higher education sector in which funding follows the decisions of learners and where successful institutions will thrive. The funding reforms, which rebalanced funding from grants to tuition fees, came into effect in the 2012-13 academic year. The regulation of higher education needs to be adjusted to reflect these reforms.

The reformed regulatory system for higher education I am announcing today has been developed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Student Loans Company through the Regulatory Partnership Group, working with the Government. The reformed regulatory system ensures accountability for public funding, protects the collective student interest, gives priority to quality improvement, safeguards institutional autonomy, and sustains the reputation of English higher education.

The higher education sector has a long tradition of successful independent regulation and also regulation shared between Government and the sector. The funding council’s statutory independence is a key feature of this system. The funding council’s independence has helped to sustain academic freedom and institutional autonomy, features that are critical to the continued success and international standing of English higher education. In adjusting the regulatory framework this successful independent regulation has been protected as a vital national asset.

The funding council and the loan company do not work alone and have developed effective relationships with other bodies including the Quality Assurance Agency, the Office for Fair Access, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, the Higher Education Statistics Agency, and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

As part of the reforms, the working of the regulatory system will be set out in an operating framework which the funding council will be publishing shortly. The framework will be instantly recognisable to many in the sector as much remains largely unchanged. It affirms the value of institutional autonomy and sets out transparently the accountability and regulatory requirements that protect the student interest and public investment.

HEFCE will consult the sector on a new financial memorandum that will support the operating framework incorporating necessary changes that the reforms and new priorities demand. The framework incorporates changes which have been a result of separate consultations by Government, the funding council, and the Quality Assurance Agency.

Flowing from the White Paper “Students at the Heart of the System” and the funding reforms, there are a number of new or reformed elements. These reforms are:

Placing the funding council in an oversight and co-ordination role;

Establishing a register of higher education provision;

Introducing a statement of higher education institutions (HEI) designation conditions;

Updating the financial memorandum;

Reforming student number controls;

A new designation system for alternative providers;

A student number control system for alternative providers; and,

A designation resolution process.

The first reform is placing the funding council in an oversight and co-ordination role. This is a complex, but highly necessary function that will ensure proportionate regulation across all higher education providers and co-ordinate the regulatory activity of a number of bodies that are variously constituted as Government agencies and independent bodies. It will involve the funding council:

Acting as registrar;

Working with higher education providers, agencies, representative bodies and the NUS, to monitor systematically observance of the conditions associated with operating in the system, with a focus on protecting the collective student interest;

Taking a lead in working with partners to identify and address issues within higher education providers and take appropriate remedial action; and,

Monitoring the ongoing appropriateness of the regulatory system, changes in the broader context, and new risks as they emerge.

Next, I have asked the funding council to establish a register of higher education provision. Good, high-quality, timely, and reliable information is key to enabling students to make the right decisions on their education. It is also important that those institutions that fulfil requirements that provide confidence to students and the public are appropriately recognised.

The register of higher education provision will therefore act as a consumer safeguard. The register will give information on:

The constitutional/organisational status of each higher education provider;

How the higher education provider is funded; and,

What the provider is committed to do—this might include, but not be limited to, provision of information, quality requirements, financial management, governance, complaints handling, and fair access.

The third reform is introducing a statement of HEI designation conditions. Regulatory requirements on higher education institutions are currently primarily applied through the funding council’s financial memorandum which applies conditions to grant funding and establishes clear accountability for such funding. This arrangement will continue. From academic year 2014-15 onwards it is my intention that similar conditions will also apply to HEI automatic course designation for student support. This ensures that the rebalancing of funding from grants to tuition fees does not diminish the effectiveness of the current regulatory regime and the confidence this provides to students and the public. It also means the regulatory burden is minimised as no further requirements are placed on institutions than currently exist.

To make this change I will be updating the education (student support) regulations. BIS will discuss the details of the amendment and its implementation in practice with representatives of the higher education sector. Importantly, once the regulations have been made, BIS intends to delegate to the funding council the function of designation of courses at higher education institutions for student support purposes. This continues the existing protections that institutions enjoy through the funding council being at arm’s length from Government.

Over the next academic year the funding council will be consulting on an updated version of the financial memorandum, informed by extensive discussions the council has already held with higher education representatives and other interested bodies. I understand that the proposed changes are limited, with the most significant issue for consultation being new arrangements to manage the risks around financial commitments. These arrangements are important for sustaining confidence in universities in the capital markets.

The funding council is already consulting on reforming the student number control system for HEI. While continuing to exercise prudent control of the overall higher education budget, student choice is being increased through our tariff policy and the consultation on a flexibility margin for 2014-15. The tariff threshold has been reduced to ABB or equivalent from 2013-14 which frees around one third of places from number controls. These policies will allow more students to study at their first choice institution.

Alternative providers are an important part of increasing choice for students. The sixth reform is to the designation system for alternative providers. Specific course designation at alternative providers allows eligible English-domiciled students on designated courses to access loans and grants from the Student Loans Company—with the maximum fee loan being £6,000 per annum. This widens student choice and strengthens the forces that drive innovation.

At the same time the Government are committed to ensuring that there are robust processes in place to protect the interest of students, the reputation of UK higher education, and the public investment. Following a Government consultation, existing and new alternative providers will now have to meet stronger requirements on quality assurance, financial sustainability, and good governance. We will also expect that the collective student interest is served through this process.

To accompany the strengthening of specific course designation for alternative providers we are also planning to introduce a system of student number controls for alternative providers. This will be introduced from academic year 2014-15.

Finally in the highly unlikely event that a higher education institution or alternative provider does not meet the conditions of course designation in respect of student support funding there is a risk that the course will no longer remain designated. To protect the students at an institution where this occurs I have asked the funding council working with Government and the wider sector to look at options for developing a designation resolution process. This should place the interests of students at the centre of the process.

Taken as a whole these eight higher education regulatory reforms constitute a package of measures, alongside the previous rebalancing of funding, to ensure higher education is placed on a sustainable footing, that students have a better experience, to promote social mobility and widen participation, and to create a more responsive higher education sector in which funding follows the decisions of learners and where successful institutions will thrive.

I am today placing copies of my letter to the funding council in the Libraries of both Houses. I am also placing copies of the operating framework in the Libraries of both Houses.

Professional and Business Services Industrial Strategy

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable)]

The Government have today published “Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services”.

Last September I set out our new industrial strategy, and how we would work with business to stimulate economic growth and create jobs. Today’s strategy for tradable, knowledge-intensive professional and business services (PBS) is the latest in a series which focuses on key parts of our economy. It has been produced by Government in partnership with the Professional and Business Services Council and with others from across the sector.

The UK’s PBS sector comprises a range of high-skilled services, such as accountancy, legal, marketing/corporate communications, management and engineering consultancy services, it is significant in scale. It generated 11% of UK gross value added in 2011 and provided nearly 12% of UK employment¹. It supports change and innovation right across our economy. The sector is also a global success story. Its exports represented £47 billion in 2011², with a trade surplus of £19 billion—a third of the UK’s total services sector surplus³.

This strategy identifies several areas for action, including two that are key to ensuring the future success of the sector. These are, first, increasing access to the high-level skills demanded by client-focused professional firms and, secondly, increasing PBS exports to emerging markets. The strategy sets out plans for both these priorities:

The industry will partner with Government to work towards trebling within five years the numbers of high apprenticeships across PBS. We aim to create new non-graduate routes into the sector. PBS firms will also work with schools to highlight the opportunities available.

Government and industry will also partner on a new trade and investment strategy. A new network of senior PBS business representatives will be set up to champion UK capabilities overseas.

I will be placing copies of the strategy document in the Libraries of both Houses.

¹ ONS national accounts data and BIS calculations

² ONS Pink Book

³ OECD trade in services data

Regional Growth Fund

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Michael Fallon)]

Today my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will announce that 102 projects and programmes have been awarded a total of £506 million in round 4 of the regional growth fund (RGF). This additional support for the private sector in England will help ensure that RGF money is now helping an increasing number of companies to invest in long-term job creation schemes in communities that need private investment. I am publishing a list of all 102 projects and programmes that have been selected for support in round 4, at annex A.

In autumn statement 2012 the Government announced that £350 million would be made available for round 4 of the RGF, including £140 million of recycled funds from previous rounds. Such was the high quality of the bids received that Ministers have decided to use an additional £156 million of recycled funds in order to bring the total amount of RGF awarded in round 4 up to £506 million.

In round 4, £314 million will go directly to the private sector, comprising 60 awards to companies and 12 private sector-run RGF programmes. A total of £192 million has been awarded to 30 other programme beneficiaries such as local authorities and local enterprise partnerships to support local growth priorities in their areas.

This means that since the start of the RGF over £1 billion has been made available to SMEs in England through RGF-supported programmes. Further details on how the RGF helps support SMEs can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/regional-growth-fund-a-guide-for-small-and-medium-enterprises-smes.

The £2.6 billion of support awarded across the first four rounds of the RGF will help to lever an additional £14.7 billion of private sector money, ensuring a sizeable combined investment by the Government and companies in communities throughout England between 2011 and 2024. This investment will create and safeguard 550,000 jobs across England. The announcement on 26 June 2013 by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer of a further £600 million for the RGF is testament that the RGF will continue to help secure private sector investment and job creation plans for many years to come.

RGF Annual Monitoring Report 2013

In addition, today the Government will publish the first RGF annual monitoring report. The report details the progress made by the 239 projects and programmes selected in RGF rounds 1 and 2 from the day they were chosen for support through to 31 March 2013.

The report shows that progress on directly monitored job delivery in rounds 1 and 2 to date is on target, with 32,000 directly monitored jobs created and safeguarded up to 31 March 2013. The total employment impact, both directly monitored and advised jobs, is estimated at 58,600 jobs—20% of the overall job total committed to by the 197 round 1 and 2 beneficiaries that are progressing.

The combined RGF and private sector investment was £1.2 billion at 31 March 2013, including support to over 1,700 SMEs.

Copies of the RGF annual monitoring report 2013 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Annex A—List of Selected Bidders in Round 4

East Midlands

UK Stem Cell Provision (Anthony Nolan)

Bifrangi UK Ltd

Chinook Sciences Ltd

“Global Derbyshire” Small Business Support Programme (Derbyshire County Council—Programme)

Dynex Semiconductor Ltd

Fairline Boats Ltd

Frontier Agriculture Ltd (Programme)

Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership Accelerating Prosperity Programme (Leicester City Council—Programme)

Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (Programme)

Oclaro Technology Ltd

Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd

The Lincoln Growth Fund (University of Lincoln—Programme)

VF Northern Europe Ltd

East of England, South East

Eastern England Agri-Tech Growth Initiative (Cambridgeshire County Council—Programme)

Coast to Capital City High Growth and Innovation Fund (Coast to Capital LEP—Programme)

Cummins Power Generation Ltd (CPG)

e2v Technologies (UK) Ltd

East Sussex Invest (East Sussex County Council—Programme)

Element Six Ltd

Fianium Ltd

GE Aviation Systems

Harwell Science and Innovation Campus GP

SUCCESS—Southeast Urban Coast Creative Enterprise Support Scheme (Hastings Borough Council—Programme)

Escalate—the Innovation and Growth Fund (Kent County Council—Programme)

Portsmouth/Southampton (Programme)

STRUCTeam Ltd

New Anglia Growing Business Fund (Suffolk County Council—Programme)

TAG Farnborough Airport Ltd

The Oxford Trust/Science Oxford

SPI Lasers UK Ltd

North East

Air Fuel Synthesis Ltd/Crane Services (UK) Ltd

JDR Cable Systems Ltd

JDR Enterprises Ltd

Molplex Ltd

NET Power Europe

Tees Valley Innovation and Skills Growth Hub (Stockton Borough Council—Programme)

Sunderland City Deal Infrastructure Development (Sunderland City Council—Programme)

Bringing Finance to Businesses in the North East (Sunderland City Council—Programme)

Thomas Swan and Co. Ltd

Tinsley Special Products Ltd

North West

Accelerating Business Growth PLUS (Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council—Programme)

Bright Future Software Ltd

Unleashing Cumbria’s Potential (Cumbria County Council—Programme)

Cygnet Group Ltd

EA Technology Ltd

Turning Discovery Science and Knowledge into Jobs and Growth (GM Local Enterprise Partnership—Programme)

Helical Technology Ltd

Liverpool City Region Small Business Support Fund (Liverpool City Region LEP—Programme)

N Brown Group Plc (Programme)

Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Ltd

Patterson and Rothwell Ltd

Redx Pharma Ltd

Sidcot Investments Ltd

St Helens Jobs and Growth Fund (St Helens Chamber—Programme)

Tratos Ltd

Unilever UK Central Resources Ltd

Catalyst for Growth (University of Chester—Programme)

Vix Technology (UK) Ltd

South West

AgustaWestland Ltd

Atlantic Inertial Systems Ltd

Avanti Communications Group plc

Cooper Tire and Rubber Company Europe Ltd

Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells Ltd (JMFC)

Marine Current Turbines Ltd

GAIN Growth Fund Plus (Plymouth City Council—Programme)

Trackwise Designs Ltd

Innovation for Growth Programme (University of the West of England—Programme)

West Midlands

GBS Mezzanine Funding Programme (Birmingham City Council—Programme)

Coventry and Warwickshire Business Finance (Coventry and Warwickshire LEP—Programme)

The Marches and Worcestershire Redundant Building Grant Programme (Herefordshire Council—Programme)

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

King Automotive Systems Ltd

Malvern Instruments Ltd

NVC Lighting Ltd

Robinson Brothers Ltd

Growing Priority Sectors in the Black Country (Sandwell MBC—Programme)

Innovative Growth in Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire (Stoke on Trent City Council—Programme)

Tata Steel UK Ltd

TRW Automotive—College Road

Wade Ceramics Ltd

Worcestershire Expansion Fund (Worcestershire County Council—Programme)

Yorkshire and the Humber

Beatson Clark Ltd

Paull Strategic Employment Site: Capturing Siemens Tier 1 Suppliers (East Riding of Yorkshire Council)

Harrison Spinks Beds Ltd

The enhanced Business Growth Programme (Leeds City Region LEP—Programme)

Developing the UK’s Leading Food Manufacturing Cluster in Greater Lincolnshire (North East Lincolnshire Council—Programme)

Optare Plc

Really Useful Products Ltd

Unlocking (more) Business Investment (Sheffield Council—Programme)

Silkstone Finance Ltd

Centre for Innovation in Rail (University of Huddersfield)

York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Business Grant Programme

Nationwide

Tooling Loan Fund (Birmingham)

Community Development Finance Association

Creative England

Deutsche Leasing UK Ltd

Five Arrows Leasing Group Ltd (FALG)

HSBC

Wave 2 City Deals Growth Hubs

RBS

Remembering Srebrenica

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles)]

My noble Friend the Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Minister for Faith and Communities at the Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Warsi) has made the following written ministerial statement:

I wish to inform the House that the Department for Communities and Local Government is funding “Remembering Srebrenica” (http://www.srebrenica.org.uk), an initiative dedicated to commemorating and honouring the victims of Srebrenica and teaching future generations about the consequences of hatred.

In July 1995, the Bosnian town of Srebrenica was overrun and captured by Bosnian Serb forces and Serbian paramilitaries commanded by General Ratko Mladic, despite having been declared a UN safe area. More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered and buried in mass graves in actions that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and International Court of Justice have determined constitute genocide.

In recognition of this, the Government are providing £170,000 to the community-led “Remembering Srebrenica” initiative in its first year of operation. This will fund an online educational archive, a commemoration event on 11 July 2013 and a series of visits from local communities to Srebrenica.

I wish to express my thanks to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr William Hague), for the support and co-operation that his Department has provided.

Srebrenica represents a catastrophic collective international failure to protect civilians. Commemorating the event will teach future generations about the devastating consequences of hatred on our doorstep.

Recruitment

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr Mark Francois)]

There has been a long tradition of Commonwealth citizens serving in the British armed forces and most recently on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We continue to value their service which provides an important contribution in defending the UK at home and abroad.

In order to deliver the future structure of the armed forces under the requirements of the strategic defence and security review, we are already reducing their size by adjusting our recruit intake and making some redundancies. The long-standing five-year UK residency requirement for Commonwealth citizens to join the armed forces was waived in 1998. We have reviewed the Commonwealth recruitment rules and, with effect from 11 July, we will reintroduce the five-years’ residency requirement in the UK for future new recruits from Commonwealth countries. In addition, non-British recruits to the reserves will be required to have indefinite leave to remain in the UK in order to fulfil their reservist commitment. This will also create consistency in the recruitment practices of all three services.

This will not affect personnel already serving, or on recruitment, from the Republic of Ireland or for the Brigade of Gurkhas. We are confident that we will still be able to meet our recruitment targets. We will honour our commitments to those Commonwealth recruits in the pipeline who have already been offered a job or a training place and we will also continue to process the applications for those who have already been offered a place at an assessment centre by the Army or a psychometric test by the Navy or the RAF.

Service Complaints Commissioner's Fifth Annual Report

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr Mark Francois)]

I am pleased to lay before Parliament today the Ministry of Defence (MOD) response to the Service Complaints Commissioner’s (SCC) fifth annual report on the fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of the service complaints system.

The response sets out how the MOD proposes to address the recommendations made in the commissioner’s report, against the background of the progress made by the services in 2012, and the further changes to the complaints system that were introduced in January 2013. The MOD remains committed to ensuring that the service complaints process is as fair, effective and efficient as it can be.

In that context, I am pleased to inform the House that discussions with the Service Complaints Commissioner, regarding reform of the service complaints system, are proceeding well. We hope to have more to say on this subject in the autumn.

Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Gregory Barker)]

The Government are today publishing their proposals for an energy savings opportunity scheme (ESOS) for public consultation.

The new scheme will enable companies to identify opportunities to save money on energy bills through improved energy efficiency and could benefit the UK by £1.9 billion.

Under the scheme, which is being developed as part of the UK’s implementation of the EU energy efficiency directive, large enterprises will be required to undertake ESOS assessments to identify cost-effective ways to invest in energy efficiency, helping reduce energy bills and increase competitiveness.

This scheme is intended to promote the uptake of cost-effective energy efficiency measures by requiring all large enterprises in the UK to undertake energy efficiency audits by December 2015 and every four years thereafter.

The scheme is the Government’s approach to meeting the requirements of article 8 of the EU energy efficiency directive (2012/27/EU).

In developing this consultation document, officials in my Department have worked closely with colleagues across Government and with industry experts. Our proposals aim to provide for a proportionate and better regulation approach, with the objective of yielding net benefits for the UK as a result of additional energy saving.

I will place copies of the consultation in the Libraries of both Houses. Copies are also available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/energy-savings-opportunity-scheme.

The consultation will close on 3 October 2013. The Government intend to bring forward secondary legislation in spring 2014 setting out the legal framework for the operation of the scheme, so that the UK can meet the 5 June 2014 EU deadline for transposition of the energy efficiency directive.

Alleged Offences (Diplomatic Immunity)

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr William Hague)]

In 2012, a total of 12 serious offences allegedly committed by people entitled to diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom were drawn to the attention of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by Diplomatic Protection Group of the Metropolitan Police. Ten of these were driving-related. This is one serious offence less than 2011. We define serious offences as those which could, in certain circumstances, carry a penalty of 12 months imprisonment or more. Also included are drink-driving and driving without insurance.

Some 22,500 people are entitled to diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom and the majority of diplomats abide by UK law. The number of alleged serious crimes committed by members of the diplomatic community is proportionately low.

Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, those entitled to immunity are expected to obey the law. The FCO does not tolerate foreign diplomats breaking the law.

We take all allegations of illegal activity seriously. When instances of alleged criminal conduct are brought to our attention by the police, we ask the relevant foreign Government to waive diplomatic immunity where appropriate. For the most serious offences, we seek the immediate withdrawal of the diplomat.

Alleged offences reported to the FCO in 2012 are listed below.

Government Wine Cellar

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mark Simmonds)]

I have today placed in the Libraries of both Houses a copy of the annual statement on the Government wine cellar for the financial year 2012-13.

Following the outcome of the review of the Government hospitality wine cellar, this second annual statement meets our commitment that there would be annual statements to Parliament on the use of the wine cellar, covering consumption, stock purchases, costs, and value for money. The wine cellar is now self-funding through the sale of some high-value stock and payments made by other Government Departments to Government hospitality.

The report notes that:

Sales of stock at auction amounted to £63,300, an increase in revenue from sales of nearly 50% from 11-12;

Further funds from other Government Departments added £22,129 to the overall receipts (over 100% increase cf. 11-12);

Purchases amounted to £45,866 (cf. £48,955 in 11-12);

For the first time ever the highest consumption level by volume was of English wine, at 49% of the total.

Diplomatic Missions/International Organisations (Congestion Charge/Fines)

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr William Hague)]

The value of unpaid congestion charge debt incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in London since its introduction in February 2003 until 31 December 2012 as advised by Transport for London was £67,597,055. The table below shows those diplomatic missions and international organisations with outstanding fines of £100,000 or more.

Diplomatic Missions/International Organisations (Unpaid Parking Fines)

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr William Hague)]

In 2012 there were 6,154 parking fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in the United Kingdom which were brought to our attention by local councils. These totalled £584,772.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has held meetings with a number of missions about outstanding parking fine debt. In addition, in April this year we wrote to the diplomatic missions and international organisations concerned giving them the opportunity to either pay their outstanding fines or to appeal against them if they considered that the fines had been issued incorrectly.

Subsequent payments as advised by councils—including amounts waived by them—totalled £240,035. There remains a total of £344,737 in unpaid fines for 2012.

The table below details those diplomatic missions and international organisations which have outstanding fines of £1000 or more, as of 27 June 2013.

Diplomatic Missions (National Non-domestic Rates)

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr William Hague)]

The majority of diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom pay the national non-domestic rates (NNDR) requested from them. Diplomatic missions are obliged to pay only 6% of the total NNDR value of their offices. This represents payment for specific services such as street cleaning and street lighting.

Representations by protocol directorate to missions in 2013 led to the settlement of outstanding debts by Kuwait, Namibia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Slovak Republic, Zambia and Zimbabwe—among others.

As at 14 June 2013, the total amount of outstanding NNDR payments as advised by the Valuation Office Agency is £674,110, an increase of almost 20% from the 2011 figure (£566,009). A total of £45,219 of this outstanding debt is owed by Iran and Syria which are not currently represented in the UK. We are therefore unable to pursue these debts. Six missions are responsible for almost two thirds of the remainder. We shall continue to urge those with NNDR debt to pay their dues.

Missions listed below owed over £10,000 in respect of NNDR.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice (Damian Green)]

I am pleased to announce that today my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and my hon. Friend the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury are publishing the annual report of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Copies of the report have been laid before the House and will be available in the Vote Office.

This is the ninth annual report from the IPCC. The report covers the work of the IPCC during 2012-13 and includes a section on the discharge of its responsibilities in respect of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Home Department (Mr Jeremy Browne)]

The 2012-13 annual report and accounts for the Independent Safeguarding Authority for the eight-month period up to 30 November 2012 is being laid before the House today and published on: www.gov.uk. Copies will be available in the Vote Office.

Firearms (England and Wales)

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice (Damian Green)]

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is today publishing the statistics on police use of firearms in England and Wales for the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012. These show that:

The number of police operations in which firearms were authorised was 12,550 - a decrease of 946 (7.5%) on the previous year.

The number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) was 6,756—an increase of 103 (1.5%) officers overall on the previous year.

The number of operations involving armed response vehicles was 14,261—a decrease of 2,513 (17.6%) on the previous year.

The police discharged a conventional firearm in five incidents (up from four incidents in 2010-11).

Full details are set out in the following tables:

Determinate and Indeterminate Sentences and Recalled Prisoners

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Chris Grayling)]

I have written to Sir David Calvert-Smith, chairman of the Parole Board for England and Wales, advising him that it is our intention to withdraw the Secretary of State’s directions to the Parole Board in respect of the release of determinate sentence, indeterminate sentence and recalled prisoners. The directions in respect of Parole Board recommendations on the transfer of indeterminate sentence prisoners to open conditions will remain in force.

The Parole Board has the important responsibility of determining whether some of the most dangerous prisoners in the criminal justice system can be safely released back into the community. We have recently enacted legislation in the form of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012 which contains a clear and consistent statutory release test that the board must apply in making those decisions—that is, the board must not direct a prisoner’s release unless their detention is no longer necessary for the protection of the public. The LASPO Act applies this “public protection” test to all cases which come before the board and also provides a power for the Secretary of State to amend the test by order. In view of this, I consider that it is no longer necessary or appropriate for the directions to remain in place.

In its original incarnation, the board was an advisory body which made recommendations to the Secretary of State who was responsible for the final decisions on release. It was in this context that the power for the Secretary of State to issue directions to the board was established. Since then, however, the board has evolved into an independent decision-making body. I believe that it is more appropriate, therefore, for the board to set its own guidance in relation to the application of the statutory release test that Parliament has put in place.

We are, therefore, withdrawing the existing directions in favour of the Parole Board applying its own guidance. The board issued guidance for its members in November 2012 which sets out how the statutory release test in the LASPO Act is to be applied. In addition, the board has produced guidance which lists the factors to be taken into account by panels when considering whether to release different categories of prisoner. This list largely reflects the same factors set out in the Secretary of State’s directions, so in practical terms the withdrawal of the directions will not materially change how the board approaches its release decisions. I should like to emphasise that the protection of the public will remain at the heart of every release decision made by the board.

Copies of the Parole Board’s guidance have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Dartford/Thurrock River Crossing (Fees)

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Stephen Hammond)]

On 5 November 2012 the Highways Agency published detailed proposals to introduce post-payment and enforcement measures that would support the introduction of “free-flow” charging at the crossing. To support this change simultaneously the Department published detailed proposals to provide fair and effective enforcement of free-flow road user charging in accordance with the Transport Act 2000. Both consultations ran for a period of 12 weeks, and closed on 28 January 2013.

The Dartford crossing is vital to the local and national economy and introducing a free-flow charging arrangement will reduce congestion and improve journeys for the thousands of motorists and businesses who use the crossing every day. Following careful consideration of all the points made during both consultations I am today announcing the Department’s and Highways Agency’s conclusions and the intended actions.

The majority of respondents were supportive of the proposals to enable enforcement against drivers who do not pay a road-user charge. We are now able to take forward the legislation to make sure charges will be able to be effectively enforced when free-flow charging is introduced at the crossing next year.

Subject to the completion of the necessary parliamentary processes, the Department intends to implement the road-user charging scheme regulations and the agency will implement the new Dartford/Thurrock river crossing charging scheme order.

The full response to the agency’s charging scheme order consultation can be found on the Highways Agency’s website, and the Department’s response to the enforcement regulations consultation can be found on the Department for Transport’s pages of the Gov.uk website. Both these documents have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Motoring Services Strategy

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Stephen Hammond)]

I am pleased to announce today the next phase of the project to explore establishing a new commercial model for the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).

Departments have been challenged to think about how they commission and deliver services with a view to looking at innovative options. We have looked at the VCA business model and have tested a range of options that would enable the business to grow and contribute to the wider UK economy while continuing to deliver its statutory functions, providing high-quality and valued services to its customers. We set out this proposition for consultation in the motoring services strategy late last year. The new commercial model should also seek to offer new opportunities to VCA staff, who will be essential to the continued success of the business going forward.

The Department for Transport is now going to start a market engagement exercise to further test the preferred option of a joint venture with a private sector partner. We expect to make a decision in the autumn on whether to proceed with a formal procurement.

Rail Franchising

Thursday 11th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr Patrick McLoughlin)]

I am today laying before the House the Government’s response to the Brown review of the rail franchising programme.

Richard Brown’s review was one of two independent reviews I commissioned following my decision in October last year to cancel the inter-city west coast (ICWC) franchise competition and put the wider franchising programme on hold. His review considered the wider implications for the rail franchising programme of the position reached on the ICWC competition, taking into account the findings and recommendations of the Laidlaw inquiry which had focused on establishing what had gone wrong with the ICWC procurement. The report of the Brown review was laid before the House on 10 January this year.

The review was a thorough examination of the issues led by a highly respected industry figure. I welcomed its publication and its conclusion that franchising is a fundamentally sound approach to securing the provision of passenger rail services on which so many people rely.

The review made a number of important detailed recommendations for improving the way franchises are specified, competed for and managed. The Government’s response broadly accepts those recommendations. It records the significant progress we have made over the last six months in implementing them—including restarting the franchise programme, publishing a full revised franchising programme and prior information notice on 26 March and a franchise competition guide on 25 June, and strengthening the capability and governance of the Department’s franchising organisation. We have set out a high-level response to each of the many specific recommendations made—indicating where relevant when and where more detailed information will be provided.

I am confident that this response and the actions we have already taken provide the industry with the clarity and confidence it needs about the way forward for rail franchising, which remains an integral part of our plans to deliver a better and more efficient railway for passengers and the taxpayer.