Written Statements

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

Monday 24 February 2014

Flood Response and Recovery

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

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

I wish to update the House on the Government’s ongoing work on flood response and recovery.

Since the east coast surge in early December, over 6,480 properties have been flooded across England, but over the same period more than 1.3 million properties have been protected by flood protection measures. According to local Gold commanders, 2,600 homes have been flooded since the start of January, and a further 7,000 have been cut off by flood water or have lost access to services. COBR has been meeting to monitor the continuing threat of groundwater flooding and progress in Somerset. As weather patterns return to those more usual for the time of year, coastal and river flood risk is diminishing.

Locally, the transition to recovery is under way and most local areas have convened recovery meetings. The ministerial recovery group is co-ordinating Government support to local areas and infrastructure owners and operators to enable a return to normality as quickly as possible.

Government support for recovery

The Government are providing a range of funding packages to help the country recover from this severe weather, and over the last week, the full set of arrangements have been confirmed. Information can be found at: www. gov.uk/government/news/uk-floods-2014-government-response.

The package of support includes:

The £37 million severe weather recovery scheme to support communities and contribute to highway infrastructure repairs in affected areas;

The repair and renewal grant scheme for homes and business providing up to £5,000 to improve properties’ ability to withstand future flooding;

£4 million of central Government funding for council tax relief for flood-affected homes;

Central Government funding for 100% business rate relief for three months for flood-affected businesses;

The £10 million farming recovery fund to support farm businesses to restore flooded agricultural land and bring it back into production as quickly as possible.

The £10 million business support scheme providing hardship funding for small and medium businesses;

The £130 million DEFRA/Environment Agency scheme for repairs and rebuilding of flood defence assets; work has already commenced on those defences with the highest priorities;

The enhanced Bellwin scheme that I announced to the House on 13 February.

Private sector and voluntary sector support

We are also grateful to support offered by the private sector. Banks have offered financial support to businesses and personal customers, while other businesses have given practical help. There have also been numerous generous offers of support from community groups. Government have been working to make sure that these offers can reach the areas that need them. The National Farmers Union reported the fantastic response of the farming community after setting up a centre to redistribute fodder to farmers who have lost theirs due to flooding—it has been overwhelmed by offers of support.

Enhancing insurance cover

On 18 February, Ministers met with the insurance industry to hear how they intend to help people and businesses affected by the recent severe weather. They informed us that 2,000 loss adjusters stand ready to support those flooded and we will be holding regular meetings to review progress and to find solutions to any issues arising on the ground.

To ensure that we take a longer term view on this work the Prime Minister is now chairing the Cabinet Committee on Flooding to co-ordinate strategic long-term plans on flood recovery and flood resilience. More broadly, there will be further lessons to be learnt across government and its agencies. Gold commanders maintain a state of readiness to respond to future flooding should the risk increase again in coming weeks.

Ministers will continue to update the House on progress.

February Recess (Department's Work)

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

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

I would like to update hon. Members on the main items of business undertaken by my Department since the House rose for recess.

Our priority has been to continue to help those areas affected by the recent weather and flooding, and a separate statement has been made today to outline the range of action that the Government have been supporting and co-ordinating over recess.

Notwithstanding:

Increasing house building

On 20 February, official statistics confirmed that England is building again, with 122,590 new starts last year, up by 23% on the previous year, and the highest since 2007. Despite the poor weather conditions over the winter, work on new homes in the last quarter was also up by 23% compared to the same period in 2012.



Recent research by the National House Building Council reported housing registrations rose by 30% in England in 2013 and by 60% in London; registrations across the country are at their highest since 2007 and represent the highest annual total in London since their records began 26 years ago. Similarly, according to the Office for National Statistics, new orders in residential construction have risen to their highest level since 2007. House builders have directly linked the increase in house building with the increased confidence in the market from the Government’s Help to Buy schemes.

This is more to do to get Britain building. It is particularly notable that the National House Building Council figures show that house building is falling in Wales, thanks to the extra regulation on the housing market introduced by the Welsh Government and their lack of support for home buying.

The steady increase in house building in England is confirmation of the effectiveness of the coalition Government’s actions to fix the broken housing market that we inherited in 2010; cutting the deficit to keep interest rates low; prioritising resources to build new housing and helping buyers get on to and move up the housing ladder.

Selling surplus public sector property

On 20 February, my Department outlined the Government’s ongoing progress on disposals of surplus public sector land. We have now sold enough brownfield land to build 68,000 new homes. Some 430 sites have now been sold, and given that each new home supports up to two jobs, these land sales will sustain over 135,000 jobs as the homes are built.

The Government are on track to release enough land for 100,000 homes by 2015. We are making it easier for the public to see what land we own and challenge Government if it could be used better. We are encouraging councils to follow suit, to help them free up brownfield land for new homes and to deliver financial savings from better property asset management.

Helping people build their own home

Following the passage of the secondary legislation through Parliament, I can confirm that self-builders are now exempt from paying the community infrastructure levy. This will help up to 3,000 mothballed self-build homes get off the ground. This change is part of our determination to boost housing supply and help would-be self-builders realise their aspirations, to build their own home, an extension or family annex.

It is the latest in a range of measures to increase the number of people building their own home, including making it easier to get a self-build mortgage, freeing up more surplus public sector land for self-build projects, a £30 million custom-build homes fund, and planning guidance which makes it clear that councils should be supporting self-build in their area.

From April, householders will also benefit from a new council tax relief from family annexes, and we will be taking further steps to remove the unfair imposition of section 106 tariffs from self-builders, annexes and extensions.

Supporting a vibrant private rented sector

My Department has also set out plans to create a fairer and more flexible private rented sector, raising standards of property conditions and rooting out the small minority of rogue landlords. We have already provided £6.5 million to help councils tackle the likes of “beds in sheds”, but we are now exploring a range of measures which will tackle problems such as retaliatory eviction, illegal eviction and hazardous properties. These proposals are balanced with the need to ensure that the vast majority of good landlords and satisfied tenants are not overly burdened with red tape which would force up rents and reduce choice.

In a consultation, we are also reviewing the outdated laws which prevent London householders from renting out their property on short-term lets. Laws dating back to 1973 prevent people renting out their home for less than three months without seeking “change of use” planning permission (whereas, by contrast, long-term rentals do not need planning permission). This legal requirement is simply out of step with the rest of the country and arguably outdated in the light of the internet technologies fuelling both demand and supply for informal short-term letting.

Remembering the Holocaust

On 17 February, my Department announced details of a competition which will help ensure Britain has a permanent and fitting memorial to the holocaust. Six young people will be able to join a youth forum set up by the Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission, with one winner, chosen by holocaust survivor Professor Elie Wiesel sitting on the commission itself. Young people aged under-21 can enter by writing an essay which answers the question:

“Why is it so important that we remember the Holocaust and how can we make sure future generations never forget”.

Copies of the press notices and associated documents have been placed in the Library of the House.

Flood Relief Operations (Call-out Order)

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

[The Minister for the Armed Forces (Mr Mark Francois)]

A call-out order has been made under section 56(1) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to enable reservists to be called into permanent service to assist with flood relief operations in the United Kingdom. A number of high readiness reserves have already been mobilised in support of local authorities and Government agencies. This order will enable the call-out of additional reservists. Currently, we envisage calling out up to 500 reservists to fulfil a range of specialist and general roles. We plan to call out only willing and available reservists, who have the support of their employer. The order takes effect from 14 February 2014 and ceases to have effect on 13 February 2015.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Mr Edward Davey)]

I am pleased to inform Parliament that today, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I are signing a contract with Shell to take their world leading gas carbon capture and storage (CCS) project into the next stage of development.

The Government have agreed a multi-million pound contract for engineering, design and financial work on the Peterhead CCS project in Aberdeenshire. The world’s first-planned gas CCS project, Peterhead involves installing carbon capture technology on to Scottish and Southern Energy’s (SSE’s) existing Peterhead gas power plant, and transporting the CO₂ 100 km offshore for safe, permanent storage 2 km under the North sea in the old Goldeneye gas field. If built, the project could save 1 million tonnes CO₂ each year and provide clean electricity to over 500,000 homes.

The project also opens a potential new future for the North sea—turning old oil and gas fields into CO₂ stores, offering the possibility of using CO₂ for enhanced oil recovery and giving new opportunities for the UK’s world leading offshore and subsea industries.

Today’s announcement follows the award in December of a front end engineering design (FEED) contract to the White Rose project in Yorkshire, and marks a key milestone in the Government’s CCS competition. We are investing around £100 million from our £1 billion budget to take the Peterhead and White Rose CCS projects to the next stage of development—which together could support over 2,000 jobs during construction and provide clean electricity for over 1 million homes. In late 2015, the projects will take final investment decisions, with the Government taking decisions shortly after.

By bringing forward CCS, we could save more than £30 billion a year by 2050. Without it, achieving an affordable, low-carbon energy mix with renewable and nuclear energy alone will be much more difficult and more expensive.

UK Continental Shelf (Wood Review)

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Mr Edward Davey)]

Today Sir Ian Wood has published the final report from his review of how to maximise recovery of oil and gas in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). I am grateful to Sir Ian and his review team for the work they have done, and to all those who contributed. The report can be viewed at: www.woodreview.co.uk. I can inform the House of the Government’s initial response.

The UK oil and gas industry is of national importance; it makes a substantial contribution to the economy, supporting around 450,000 jobs, and had record capital expenditure in 2013 of around £14 billion. Oil and gas will continue to be a vital part of the energy mix as we transition to a low-carbon economy, with indigenous oil and gas production supplying the equivalent of about half of the UK’s primary energy demand. It is vital, therefore, that we continue to maximise economic recovery of our indigenous hydrocarbon reserves, thereby boosting growth, energy security, and jobs.

I commissioned the review in June 2013 because, while investment levels are rising and near-term prospects are strong, there are new challenges for exploration and production, and the environment is very different to when production peaked approximately15 years ago. Production and exploration levels have fallen, and production efficiency has declined. The review recognises the positive steps already taken by the Government to incentivise recovery, such as the allowances for brownfield and small fields. The report recommends that industry commit to working with Government to implement the UK oil and gas industrial strategy, and to develop new industry strategies in areas such as exploration and decommissioning cost reduction.

The Government accept Sir Ian’s key recommendation that Government should work with industry to adopt a cohesive tripartite approach between industry, HM Treasury and the UKCS stewardship body to a new shared strategy of maximising economic recovery for the UK (MER UK). Sir Ian Wood has identified some key recommendations for industry, including that industry commit to making the most of production facilities, does more to promote third party access to infrastructure, develops new infrastructure business models, improves collaboration, improves asset stewardship and reduces the legal and commercial burden of working in the UKCS.

The report also recommends that stewardship of the UKCS should be under a new arm’s-length body, funded by industry and better resourced. The review heard consistent praise for the staff working in the current stewardship unit within DECC, but the review concludes that it needs to be strengthened and focused around a new MER UK strategy if it is to support industry in successfully meeting the challenges in the UKCS.

Therefore, and subject to further detailed work to support the business case, we shall proceed with taking the stewardship of the UKCS into the next phase, with a new arm’s-length body, funded by industry, with new resources and any necessary statutory powers to meet that challenge. We will develop plans for a new arm’s-length body, and will introduce legislation in the Fourth Session to bring the new body into effect. The next step will be to appoint a chief executive officer, with the aim of having that person in post in the summer 2014, so that they can steer the work to design and build the new body, which could begin operating in shadow form in the autumn. Stakeholders are being invited to participate in an interim advisory panel on implementation, which Sir Ian Wood has agreed to chair. I will publish a formal response to the report—along with a more detailed road map for implementation—later in the spring.

Implementing the recommendations will require Government and industry to adopt a new, more collaborative, approach to stewardship of the UKCS. It is vital that we create the right environment for maximising economic recovery because the prize on offer is considerable. Sir Ian’s report estimates that full and rapid implementation will deliver at least 3 billion to 4 billion barrels of oil equivalent more than would otherwise be recovered over the next 20 years, bringing over £200 billion¹ of additional value to the UK economy.

¹At current prices and unadjusted for inflation.

UN Commission of Inquiry (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr Hugo Swire)]

On 17 February the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) published its final report. I would like to inform the House of the commission’s findings and to explain how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responding on behalf of the Government.

The Commission of Inquiry (COI) was established by a unanimous decision of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2013. Its mandate is to investigate independently the reports of systematic, widespread and grave violations of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. These include violations of the right to life, the right to food, freedom of expression and freedom of movement; violations associated with prison camps, torture and inhuman treatment, and arbitrary detention; and enforced disappearances, including in the form of abductions of nationals of other states. The commission was also tasked to conduct its investigation with a view to ensuring that those responsible for human rights violations will be held accountable for their crimes. The UK has actively supported the work of the commission. In October 2013, we arranged a visit by the Commissioners Justice Kirby and Sonja Biserko to the UK, where they took evidence from North Korean refugees and from NGOs. The Commissioners also met me as FCO Minister of State, as well as other parliamentarians.

The commission has systematically collected detailed and damning accounts of appalling human rights violations in a way that has never been done previously. Their findings are horrifying. They include: torture, rape, executions and disappearances; using deliberate starvation as a means of control and punishment in detention facilities; a virtually absolute ban on ordinary citizens travelling abroad; and severe punishments for practising Christianity. While the COI acknowledges it is neither a judicial body nor a prosecutor, it believes its findings constitute reasonable grounds to establish that crimes against humanity have been committed. The commissioners have found that the DPRK is a state where human rights violations and crimes against humanity are ingrained into the institutional framework, pursuant to policies established at the highest level of the state. These crimes against humanity are ongoing and occur as part of a systematic and widespread attack of the state against anyone who is considered to pose a threat to the political system and leadership of the DPRK. The report finds that the DPRK’s isolationist mindset, aversion to engagement with the international community, all-encompassing indoctrination policies, and brutal security institutions protected by impunity are without parallel in the contemporary world.

On behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office I have issued a statement welcoming the spotlight the commission has shone on these shocking human rights violations, which have gone on for far too long. I have urged the DPRK authorities to respond in detail to the contents of the report and to address the violations that it documents. UK officials have ensured the DPRK is aware of this statement.

We are now studying the recommendations of the report in detail. Although the commission has now concluded its work, the UK believes that this should be a beginning and not an end. The international community must respond to the report’s findings. On March 17 the commission will formally present its report to the UN Human Rights Council. As in previous years, the UK will be supporting a Human Rights Council resolution on the situation in the DPRK. We will work closely with the EU and other like-minded partners to ensure the Council sends a strong message to the DPRK that there can be no impunity for human rights violators.

G6 (Cracow)

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mrs Theresa May)]

The informal G6 group of Ministers of the Interior from the six largest European Union countries, including representatives of the United States of America, held its most recent meeting in Cracow on 5 and 6 February 2014.

The summit was chaired by the Polish Interior Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz and I represented the United Kingdom. The other participating states were represented by Thomas De Maizière (Germany), Angelino Alfano (Italy) and Jorge Fernández Diaz (Spain). France were represented at official level. Eric Holder (the US Attorney-General) and Jeh Johnson (US Secretary of Homeland Security) attended the second day.

The first formal session was on the development of EU justice and home affairs policy. There was general agreement on the need to focus on implementation of the existing agenda, rather than to develop new polices, concentrating on practical co-operation rather than new legislation. I said that it was important that member states drove the agenda. I stressed that tackling organised immigration crime remained an issue and highlighted the increasing problem of human trafficking, drawing attention to my intentions to bolster the UK approach through modern slavery legislation. I also raised the need for a renewed emphasis on effective measures against abuse of free movement and expressed concern at the emerging links between terrorism and organised crime.

The second formal session concerned Asian organised crime. Ministers exchanged their experiences and I set out action in the UK through the recent organised crime strategy and National Crime Agency. I further emphasised UK work to improve our intelligence picture of organised crime and to build capacity in Asian countries in order to tackle criminal activity upstream.

The third and fifth formal sessions related to the surveillance of EU citizens and protection of privacy. Ministers exchanged views on the need to find an effective balance between privacy and effective prevention of terrorism and crime. I called for a calm and measured approach and reiterated the importance of intelligence in the fight against terrorism. I welcomed the proposed additional protections proposed for non-US citizens in President Obama’s recent speech. The US set out its plans to tighten controls on access to bulk data, and provide enhanced Executive branch oversight. There would also be greater protection given to safeguarding the rights of non-US citizens. The US emphasised the benefits to the EU of US intelligence and co-operation.

The fourth formal session concerned the current challenges posed by terrorism. Ministers focused on the changing trends in terrorist activity and agreed on the need to intensify co-operation between member states in combating terrorism. I highlighted the dangers posed by foreign fighters in the Syria conflict and stressed the need for international co-operation to tackle this issue. I further set out the need to focus on co-operation with Turkey as a priority, given that it represents the key entry point for many European nationals travelling to fight in Syria. Finally, I stressed the importance of effective sharing of intra-EU passenger name records data in tackling the challenges posed by terrorists.

At the formal dinner on 5 February, I reminded Ministers of the need to seek improvements in the exchange of criminal records for child sex offenders. I also updated Ministers on the draft Modern Slavery Bill. The Polish Minister raised the issue of the situation in Ukraine.

The next G6 meeting will take place in Spain in June.

Visa Regulations

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

[The Minister for Security and Immigration (James Brokenshire)]

On 3 February 2014 my hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Immigration the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper) announced proposals to change the fees for immigration and nationality applications made to the Home Office and for services provided by the Department.

The announcement included a table setting out the proposals in detail and the Immigration and Nationality Fees Regulations (2014) were laid in Parliament on the same day. There were errors in the fees regulations and in the table accompanying the announcement. First, the fees for applications for entry clearance as a tier 4 student and tier 5 youth mobility and temporary worker were erroneously omitted from the regulations, though they were included in the explanatory memorandum and the fees table accompanying the announcement. Secondly, the fee for the User Pays Visa Application Centre service overseas should be £59 rather than the £53 set out in the regulations and the table. This is an optional service that allows overseas applicants to access visa services at a convenient location provided by contractors. The £59 fee represents the unit cost of providing the service.

These errors have now been corrected. I have laid corrected regulations. A new version of the fees table, which also includes various presentational improvements and corrections to minor typographical errors has been placed in the House Library.

Guide to Coroner Services

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Simon Hughes)]

The Government are today publishing the new “Guide to Coroner Services” and accompanying “Coroner investigations - a short guide”.

The guide explains to bereaved people, and others who come into contact with coroner services across England and Wales, what they can expect from a coroner’s investigation. It sets out the standards of service that they should receive and what they can do if they are not satisfied.

The guide is the final element in the Government’s package of coroner reforms under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 which we implemented in July last year. It is the product of our spring 2013 consultation which sought views on implementing those reforms. The guide replaces and updates the guide to coroners and inquests and charter for coroner services’ which applied to the coroner system under the previous coroner legislation, the Coroners Act 1988 and the Coroners Rules 1984.

The accompanying “Coroner investigations - a short guide” is a quick reference leaflet version of the guide which we have produced following suggestions made in the consultation.

Unlike the previous publication which it replaces, the new guide is statutory guidance. It is issued under section 42 of the 2009 Act, which allows the Lord Chancellor to issue guidance on how the coroner system is expected to operate in relation to bereaved people, including the way in which they can participate in coroner investigations.

I believe that the guide—together with the short guide—will help to make standards of service more transparent for coroners and bereaved people. It will also assist the Chief Coroner in discharging his responsibility under the 2009 Act for overseeing the coroner service.

We are distributing hard copies of the guide and short guide to all coroners’ offices across England and Wales, as well as publishing it on gov.uk. There is also a Welsh translation.

Copies of the guide and short guide are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses, in the Vote Office and in the Printed Paper Office.

Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern Franchise

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

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

On 18 February 2014 my Department announced the successful conclusion of negotiations for the direct award of a new, six-period franchise agreement to First Capital Connect that will see that company continue to provide services from the end of their current franchise on 31 March 2014¹ to the start of the new combined Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise later this year.

Through this contract I have guaranteed services for passengers and ensured that the transition to the new franchise will be as smooth as possible, maximising the value for the taxpayer. This short contract is a key step in ensuring the delivery of the significant £6 billion Thameslink programme, which will transform the lives of rail passengers in the south-east through the delivery of new trains and more capacity, allowing 24 trains per hour through some of the most congested routes in the country.

¹The current franchise expires at 01:59 on 1 April 2014, at the end of the previous day’s services.

Income Support Lone Parent Statistics (Correction)

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Esther McVey)]

I regret to inform the House that an error has been identified within the income support lone parent regime official statistic. This has caused an over-count in the number of income support lone parent sanctions reported within four releases of the statistic (February, May, August and November 2013). During this time, a number of parliamentary questions (PQs) were tabled requesting this data; a list of all such PQs and the Members who tabled them can be found below:

PQ UIN 144830 - Kerry McCarthy

PQ UIN 148374 - Fiona Mactaggart

PQ UIN 150516 - Dame Joan Ruddock

PQ UIN 159327 - Shaun Woodward

PQ UIN 161444 - Jessica Morden

PQ UIN 165640 - Frank Field

PQ UIN 174368 - Stephen Timms

PQ UIN 175527 - David Ward

PQ UIN 175730 - Mike Hancock

PQ UIN 177178 - Barbara Keeley

PQ UIN 180927 - John Healy

I apologise to the House for this inadvertent error. The erroneous data were corrected on 19 February 2014 and are available at the following URL:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/income-support-lone-parent-regime-figures-on-sanctions-and-work-focused-interviews--2.

The affected figures are provided in summary below:

Pensions

Monday 24th February 2014 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Steve Webb)]

I am pleased to announce the Government will be introducing new measures to require transparency for transaction charges in pension schemes. Later today we intend to table an amendment to the Pensions Bill 2013 to introduce this latest step in the Government’s wider plans to ensure consumers receive value for money from their pension savings.

Transparency of costs and charges is fundamental for good scheme governance and to enabling comparison between schemes. Our amendment, which is intended for debate at the Report stage of the Pensions Bill 2013 in the House of Lords this Wednesday, will place a duty on the Secretary of State to make regulations requiring greater transparency around the transaction costs incurred by work-based defined contribution schemes.

Requiring increased transparency is the latest step in the wider Government programme to see fair charges for people who are automatically enrolled into workplace pensions. Last year, we consulted on whether to cap charges in the default funds of schemes used for automatic enrolment, and the Government remain committed to seeing this policy through during the life of this Parliament. Accordingly, our response to the consultation on charges, and further proposals on quality and transparency in workplace pension schemes, will be published soon.