| Lawrie Quinn | In the House... |
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In the House...Recent speeches and parliamentary questions in the House of CommonsWhile speaking in the chamber of the House is a high profile activity for an MP, much other work is done elsewhere, such as Lawrie's work as a PPS, as well as a large casework load for constituents. |
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Current Session
Early Day Motions Front Page |
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Andrew Smith): My hon. Friend makes an important point. We are working closely with local authorities. The total number of cases in which action is taken - including prosecution, and the imposition of administrative sanctions and other penalties deployed in combating fraud - is more than double the number in 1997-98. A significant proportion of the increase is accounted for by extra cases and prosecutions brought by local authorities. As well as giving them extra resources, we are keeping in close touch with them on their progress, because the effort has to be a united one involving central Government, local government and all agencies working together to combat an illegal menace that deprives the budget areas that should have priority claim to resources of money that wrongly goes to fraudsters. We have been cracking down jointly with local authorities, and we shall certainly continue to do so.
Mr. Brown: I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who has taken a huge interest in these matters. I met many African Finance Ministers only a few weeks ago under the chairmanship of the French Finance Minister, Mr. Mer. There will also be a meeting of African Finance Ministers in Paris in February to discuss the international finance facility. The priority attached to primary education is shown by the fact that 65 per cent. of the money released from debt relief is going into education and health. Uganda, for example, has made primary education free, which has increased enrolment by more than 50 per cent. in recent years. There are 120 million children around the world who do not go to school, but that problem can be overcome with an investment of about $10 billion a year, which is not a huge sum if the international community acts together. I believe that we should be prepared to make that finance available.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Jack Straw): On 24 October, I agreed changes to Foreign Office travel advice to Saudi Arabia to say that we believe that
"terrorists may be in the final phases of planning attacks".Tragically, the abhorrent attack that took place last weekend showed how important it is for Foreign Office travel advice clearly to warn British nationals of the threats that they face overseas. I would like to take this opportunity to repeat my utter condemnation of the hideous barbarity of the terrorist action that took place in Riyadh over the weekend. These murderers have shown absolute contempt for Islam and for peoples of all nations. This was indiscriminate murder of men, women and children of various nationalities, but overwhelmingly those of the Islamic faith.
I have sent heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims, and a message to that effect to Prince al-Saud, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister. The British ambassador in Riyadh, Sherard Cowper-Coles, to whom I spoke yesterday, and his staff, will remain in close contact with the Saudi authorities about this.
Lawrie Quinn : I am sure that all hon. Members want to associate themselves with the actions taken by the Foreign Secretary following the deplorable attack at the weekend. Given the travel advice to British nationals, can he update the House on the effectiveness of that advice? How will it impinge on commercial activities between the two kingdoms?
Mr. Straw: Terrorist attacks are designed to disrupt the economies and ordinary life of the countries in which they take place. That is an inevitable consequence of the recent attacks in Saudi Arabia. That said, the Saudi authorities are doing everything they can to detect and deter those terrorists. There is a large expatriate British population in Saudi Arabia, as well as a great number of visitors. Our travel advice is constantly updated. We take it very seriously indeed. It can only be as good as the intelligence we receive, and all the time we have to set a balance between ensuring that, above all, proper warning is given, as we were able to give on 24 October in respect of the information that we had received, while, at the same time, not doing the terrorists' job for them, which is to bring normal life completely to a halt.
Mr. Darling: I shall break my daily habit and read the early-day motion to see what it has to say. My hon. Friend has a great deal of experience in the railway industry and he devotes a considerable amount of time to promoting the railways in his work in the House. He is right, of course: the key to a successful railway is money and management. Both must be right. In relation to money, the Opposition's problem is that their tax-and-spend policies do not add up, as they well know. That is why they cannot give commitments on investment in the railways.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Paul Goggins): The Prison Service is investing £14.5 million a year in its custody to work initiative. A growing partnership with Jobcentre Plus has led to a number of initiatives, including the extension of employment and benefits surgeries across the prison estate.
Lawrie Quinn: I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Does he agree that often it is the probation service that is at the front end in terms of rehabilitating former offenders and getting them back into proper employment, and that the problem that they often face is that the key skills, the literacy and numeracy skills, that they need to undertake a profitable existence in society are lacking? Has the Home Office any plans to talk to learning and skills councils to try to generate local partnerships with organisations such as the probation service in Scarborough and Whitby, which is doing very well and could do even better with a stronger partnership in that respect?
Paul Goggins: I can confirm that the probation service is seeking to develop partnerships of that kind, as is the Prison Service. Last year, 40,000 literacy and numeracy qualifications were gained in prison. Indeed, last year, one in 10 of every basic skills qualification gained anywhere in the country was gained in a prison. Better qualified people coming out of prison stand a better chance of getting a job and staying out of trouble.
Mr. Bradshaw: Yes, I remember with great fondness my visit to my hon. Friend's constituency, in particular a very smoky kipper that I had for breakfast, and I will endeavour to return as soon as possible. I feel that it would be just to other hon. Members, however, if I managed to visit their constituencies before I returned to one I had already visited.
On enforcement, my hon. Friend is right. The common fisheries policy makes no sense unless we can have some faith that there is a level playing field in enforcement throughout the European Union. That is something about which the Commission is very exercised. Indeed, it has an action plan to rectify it.
The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ruth Kelly): I am aware that increases in insurance premiums in the past few years have had an impact on many sectors of the economy, including the service sector.
Lawrie Quinn : My hon. Friend knows that three quarters of the British work force work in the service sector. Does she share my concern that employers liability insurance is due for much needed reform? Given that the relevant legislation was enacted in 1969, is not it time that she encouraged her colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions to consider the important subject of insurance?
Ruth Kelly: I know that my hon. Friend takes a great interest in employers liability insurance. Indeed, he tabled a ten-minute Bill on the matter. Surveys show the importance of developing enforcement procedures to ensure that everybody has compulsory employers liability insurance in place. We are therefore determined, as part of our review of employers liability insurance, to develop a comprehensive database to ensure that we have full records of firms' procedures. We are also reviewing the current fines system to ascertain whether legislation or regulation is needed.
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt): I know that my hon. Friend will understand that I cannot comment on the proposed merger or the report from the Competition Commission, which I shall publish. However, the whole issue of maintaining excellent quality production in the United Kingdom is an important theme in the Communications Act 2003, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and I have recently piloted through the House. I know that my hon. Friend will support us in putting the Act into effect.
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): I thank my hon. Friend for that contribution. I shall expand on his points later.
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Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Does my hon. Friend agree that the migration or absence of high-skills jobs in seaside community economies compounds the spiral of decline, because the very best young people who go away to get degrees elsewhere in the country simply do not return to the coast? That compounds the stress that many people who work in the social services and health services find themselves under. Does he agree that our towns have ageing populations because of the economic decline that he describes?
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): I concur with everything that my hon. Friend says.
Margaret Beckett: My hon. Friend makes a powerful case on behalf of his constituents, as ever. I am mindful of the concerns that he and others raise. It was very much part of our approach to the reform negotiations that we should have the capacity to deal with some of the problems and issues that reform will throw up, and we were mindful, as were many other member states, of the impact on those who farm marginal land. My hon. Friend and his constituents will like to know that we are about to launch a consultation exercise in England on the options available to us under the reform agreement, and we expect to follow that up with a more detailed consultation later in the year, when the legal texts are in place and there is more detail on the implications. One of the reasons for seeking, successfully, to negotiate a national envelope was to give us room for manoeuvre to deal with the kind of issue that my hon. Friend raised.
Mr. Pond: We are committed to driving up standards of Housing Benefit administration across all local authorities. We have already taken significant steps by giving authorities practical and financial help with initiatives like the new Performance Standards and the Help Team, and we are continuing to build on the measures already in place. Furthermore, we will shortly be announcing the first awards from the Performance Standards Fund.
We are now starting to see improvement in the performance of many authorities.
This improvement was reflected in the report of the Local Government Ombudsmen for England published last week which showed that the number of complaints about Housing Benefit administration has halved over the last two years.
The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend's point about seaside towns is obviously true because many parts of seaside towns suffer from high levels of unemployment and poor housing. That is why it is important that through elements such as the new deal, the working families tax credit and the new children's tax credit, we continue to invest in those communities and others. As a result of that additional investment, we have at least managed to reduce unemployment in his constituency and many others, which is why it would be so unfortunate if the Conservative party were able to scrap those measures.
Mr. Richard Caborn: Occasionally, missionaries have to be sent out of Yorkshire to other parts of the UK. Last weekend, I had a fantastic time in the Lake district. The sun shone all the time. It is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world, but as my hon. Friend said Yorkshire is a fantastic region.
Mr. Luff: It is a county.
Mr. Caborn: I call it a region, if the hon. Gentleman does not mind. Scarborough is a wonderful place to visit, too. It has had fantastic success over the past two or three years in attracting visitors.
Mr. Bradshaw: I do not promise to perform miracles where my predecessor did not manage to, but I am critically aware of the potential pitfalls of leaving anywhere out when I make my tour of the country to visit fishermen.
Mr. O'Brien: I have looked at that. I have not had the Treasury model to play with, but I have been fairly persuaded by the evidence that I have seen. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman would want me to refrain from going through the body of that evidence - much of it is flagged among my notes - but I am convinced that concerns on these matters are shared by all hon. Members. They may approach the matter from a variety of angles, but there is a broad health concern. If the Government had the vision and courage to go down the sort of route proposed by the amendment, I think that there could be a net gain for the Revenue.
So much hand-rolling tobacco that is non-UK duty paid now comes into the country that reducing the price differential would have a beneficial effect. I do not propose that the Government should be braver, and reduce the differential still further. That would not necessarily be a responsible action, but the amendment offers us the opportunity to find out whether the approach would have some effect.
It is possible that those with whom what I propose might not necessarily find favour will say that it would increase UK tobacco consumption. I suspect that overall tobacco consumption is, in fact, set by other factors. It has to do with the price at which one acquires tobacco, but also the ease with which one acquires it and the incentive of a massive differential. There is becoming almost a culture of cross-border shopping, and there is something quite attractive to young people in acquiring cigarettes and tobacco products in marketplaces in which they are non-UK duty paid. There has been some interesting talk in the pub from time to time about that.
2 p.m.
Lawrie Quinn: Following the line of my argument, I am sure that the hon. Gentleman would not want to leave the House in the dark on why he feels there might be a net gain. Approximately how much gain does he think the Revenue and the Exchequer would receive from his experiment?
Mr. O'Brien: I am tempted to try to satisfy the hon. Gentleman's request, but I do not think that that would be responsible since I would be taking a stab at it. The effect is more likely to be neutral than to be a small net gain, but one need only examine the data to see where the graph lines cross. I cannot be sure; there might be a small net loss. What we should really focus on is the influence that the rates will have on those behaviours that we think are in the best interests of our constituents, so far as access is concerned to products that some people believe have health considerations attached to them.
There might be some challenge to Treasury receipts; I cannot be 100 per cent. sure about that. The bigger issue is the direction in which we are going. Is it right automatically to assume that there should be an escalator each and every year, or should we reflect on underlying factors, such as the massive rise in smuggling? We know that the Government are concerned about that. They have brought forward measures - somewhat late in the day in our view - to try to address it. They know about cross-border shopping, and it seems that nothing will persuade them to see that as something that they would necessarily want to stop.
Mr. Boateng: The consultation document on equity finance that we published should assist small businesses in my hon. Friend's constituency, as should the development of enterprise areas and the advantages accrued by small businesses that start up and purchase commercial properties in such areas. It is important to recognise and understand clearly the problems faced in seaside and coastal towns. My hon. Friend has been a champion of that cause. It is largely as a result of work carried out by him and other Labour Members who represent seaside constituencies -
Mr. Bellingham: And Conservative Members.
Mr. Boateng: I hear the hon. Gentleman. There is no doubt that his constituency has a coast, but I do not think of it as a seaside town constituency -
(Mr. Boateng was then further interrupted by Conservative members and did not continue to reply directly to Mr Quinn's question.)
Dr. Reid: I entirely agree. The construction industry is regarded as rather old fashioned in some quarters, but it is anything but that. It is at the forefront of British industrial practice, and I hope that all the work done by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is widely recognised by hon. Members. The United Kingdom construction industry is experiencing the strongest growth of such an industry in Europe and, in 2001, it secured £4.7 billion-worth of new work in other countries. It does not operate only at home, but in the international sphere. I regret that some Opposition Members have attempted to decry the Government's efforts to assist the construction industry, especially with regard to Iraq. I was pleased that prominent members of the industry, such as AMEC, wrote to the Opposition Front Bench to ask them to desist from so doing because the Government have been extremely effective at bringing what the British construction industry could offer to the attention of the relevant United States authorities, as well as making other international efforts. I hope that we can all pull together in support of our industry rather than dividing and trying to undermine efforts that have been made.
Ms Hewitt: My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I am delighted to take this opportunity to congratulate the company and all those who are helping to make Scarborough an excellent location for inward investment. That underlines the fact that under the Chancellor's stewardship the UK remains one of the best places in the world in which to set up and grow a business. It is also one of the most attractive countries in the world, second only to the United States, for foreign direct investment.
The Minister for Sport (Mr. Richard Caborn) : Working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, we changed PPG17, which had been a real problem. It had not been revised for 10 or 15 years, but we changed it last year from a reactive to a proactive piece of planning guidance. It asks every local authority to examine its sporting needs in terms of open spaces and planning and to report to the Government.
If my hon. Friend remembers, the Government inherited a problem when they came to office in 1997. The previous Administration allowed 40 playing fields to be sold off each month. We curtailed that and now have a proactive piece of legislation that ensures that every local authority carries out a needs assessment. The stick is that the Secretary of State will reject any planning application to close any playing field or other sporting venue until the needs assessment is done. The ODPM and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have worked together creatively to ensure that the two things come together for sports facilities. We have also taken a view on greenfield sites and sports facilities. Again, it is proactive. I hope that it will lead to a much more sensible approach to sports facilities, which are badly needed throughout the country.
We are dealing with tourism through the regional development agencies. We have given them the powers and resources to address that very important industry, which has been the subject of under-investment and for which there has not been a strategic approach in the recent past. There are major economic drivers in relation to tourism and, in that sense, the RDAs are making it a major part of their plans for the economic renewal of many regions.
Dr. Reid: I am aware that my hon. Friend is promoting a private Member's Bill on health and safety at work, and I have a great deal of sympathy with and support for that, as do the Government. I know that he will raise this issue for debate at every opportunity, and rightly so. It should be a matter of concern for all of us, and perhaps he might like to apply for an Adjournment debate on it as well.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Mr. Ivan Lewis): It would be a pleasure to visit Scarborough on any occasion, particularly to meet my hon. Friend and his constituents. We tend to talk about skills in the context of young people doing better and of post-16 staying-on rates. We also talk about work force development in terms of adults who are already in employment. We should not forget those adults who are close to the labour market but who continue to be unemployed and find it difficult to access employment, often because of their lack of basic skills. We intend to focus our strategy in June equally on the needs of those individuals. We have record levels of employment, but we cannot be complacent about those who remain outside the labour market.
Mr. Blizzard: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing attention to that. I am sure that the wonderful beaches of Scarborough are marred by litter and dog fouling, as is the beach at Lowestoft, officially the best beach in England.
The problem is that we have not tackled the issue and have made no progress on it. The central contention of the Bill is that only enforcement will work; that is the essence of the Bill. Education, campaigns and saying, "Let's have more bins" will not work. By allowing local authorities to retain the revenue from fixed-penalty fines, we will provide an income stream for enforcement.
The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. David Blunkett): We accept that communities have a major role to play in tackling drug-related crime and antisocial behaviour. The communities against drugs programme has been successful but we have decided to target those areas most affected with a £46 million programme for the 30 basic crime units that face the greatest difficulty from the expansion of drug treatment and testing orders, and the expansion of after-care work for those coming out of treatment - including those coming out of prison.
Lawrie Quinn: My right hon. Friend will know that market towns and rural areas in my part of North Yorkshire suffer from the scourge of drugs activity. The North Yorkshire police force has done an excellent job in building relationships with communities to fight that evil. Would my right hon. Friend or one of his colleagues be prepared to visit north Yorkshire soon to hear about the excellent initiatives in the fight against drugs in rural areas and to support the sterling efforts of the North Yorkshire police force to protect the many sensitive military bases in the county?
Mr. Blunkett: I was pleased to come to North Yorkshire about 15 months ago to see the work that was being done; and I would be happy, as would my hon. and right hon. Friends, to enjoy the spring sunshine in Scarborough, which would do us the world of good. When we were there, we acknowledged the major challenges in dealing with drug taking, particularly in coastal towns such as those that my hon. Friend represents
Mr. Caborn: My hon. Friend makes a good point. An investment of about £780 million is going into public libraries. The "Framework for the Future" document says that integration is necessary, and I believe that the RDAs should develop libraries in their areas to ensure that greater use can be made of them, especially by small and medium-sized businesses and for learning.
Margaret Beckett: I entirely accept my hon. Friend's concern and I know that he speaks for his constituents in such areas in expressing that anxiety. I assure him that a great deal of work is going on all the time to assess the shifting proposals that are being made, as they are developed and expanded, to assess their impact on all areas. In general terms, we believe that the proposals would be beneficial to the farming community, including less favoured areas, as a result of the combined impact of the different measures. I assure my hon. Friend that we keep that under close review.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Paul Murphy): I would refer my hon. Friend to the response I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Anniesland (John Robertson).
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Northern Ireland Assembly
John Robertson (Glasgow, Anniesland): If he will make a statement on the recent discussions he has held with Northern Ireland political parties on re-establishing the Northern Ireland Assembly. [94820] The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Paul Murphy): Intensive discussions are in progress, aimed at restoring the full operation of the devolved institutions and at the continuing implementation of the Belfast agreement. They involve the political parties in Northern Ireland and both Governments, including the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, who will visit Northern Ireland on 12 February. It is essential that we restore the institutions on a stable basis, founded on the use of exclusively peaceful means. John Robertson: I am sure that my right hon. Friend will agree that the breakdown in trust and confidence that led to the suspension of the Assembly needs to be repaired to ensure that devolution is re-established. Does he also agree that Northern Ireland wants devolution to be restored? How will he ensure that all the political parties can be consulted during the process and achieve devolution? Mr. Murphy: My hon. Friend is entirely right. I do believe that people in Northern Ireland want the institutions to be restored. I believe that devolution has been a success there, and the sooner I can ensure that my responsibilities for health, education and all the other matters that were devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive are returned, the better. My hon. Friend is also right that it is important for everyone in Northern Ireland, nationalist or Unionist, to have trust and confidence in each other and in the institutions.
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Margaret Beckett): It depends a little on what my hon. Friend was being urged to advocate. If people are anxious that we might need to increase the six-day period in a more difficult situation because of the implications of a disease, I assure him that the Government would review the matter at an appropriate time. However, if some people in the industry advocate a return to the days of no movement restrictions, I find that hard to contemplate. No Government would be keen to risk that, not least because of the huge consequences of the recent outbreak for the industry and a range of other economic interests in rural areas.
Mr. Morley: Yes, I can confirm that both under-10 m boats involved in recreational fishery and larger boats that are not carrying fishing gear but are involved in recreational fishery are exempt from the restrictions.
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Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): The Minister is detailing the empathy that he feels for the short-term pain of people at the quayside, and many people in my constituency are fearful of bankruptcy in the short term. Can he tell the House what efforts he has made to hold discussions with banking institutions or regional development agencies in England? Can he also say a little about the real concerns of the safety implications of the measures that he has outlined?
Mr. Morley: On the safety implications and the days-at-sea regime, we recognise that there are potential problems. They have been addressed via pressure from the UK, in that there is 20 per cent. flexibility in terms of the months during which one can bank and borrow, to reflect bad weather, for example. In an extreme case whereby someone was tied up in port for the whole of February because of bad weather, under the arrangements the total number of February days can be added to the March days over a two-month period. In that way, the days can be accumulated. That gives people the flexibility to cope with weather conditions, and it takes some pressure off them.
I cannot give details of the financial package today, because it is still being worked on. I spoke to my colleagues in the Department of Trade and Industry this afternoon, and we are also talking to the regional development agencies. Of course, the Prime Minister is taking a personal interest in this issue, and he will meet industry leaders towards the end of the month. That work is therefore ongoing, and similar work is under way in parallel in the Scottish Parliament, in terms of the support package required by the Scottish industry.
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Mr. Morley: ..... various agencies and other bodies are provided with funds to help communities affected by restructuring, and the fishing industry has as much as a claim to support as, say, a large factory that has had to close. Funds are already available to deal with such eventualities; it is a question of the best support that can be given to the industry.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): There is a history of such funds not reaching communities at the quayside. That is regrettable, and offensive to those affected by restructuring. Will the Minister try hard to persuade his colleagues in other Departments that fishing communities must be targeted?
Mr. Morley: I appreciate that necessity. In the last round of English decommissioning, funds to help fishing communities were made available through what was then the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions. Some of my hon. Friends felt at the time that the funds were spread too thinly and were not aimed at the appropriate targets as effectively as they should have been, but I assure the hon. Gentleman of my determination that that will not happen this time. I will discuss the application of the funds with the regional development agencies: I have already given them written warning that I shall want to do so.
My right hon. Friend knows of my engineer's scepticism about whether the system will work in the long run. He heard the views of the people who spoke to him at the Inn on the Moor in Goathland, which is two and a half miles away from the RAF station. They clearly expressed concerns, not so much about a ballistic attack on the base and the area but about a terrorist attack. Can my right hon. Friend say today whether, as well as giving help and information to North Yorkshire police, he will review the status of installations such as the mothballed station at RAF Staxton, for the protection of the area?
Mr. Hoon: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for organising several excellent meetings in North Yorkshire that produced useful and lively discussions which greatly assisted to clarify my thinking and the Government's decision.
As I hope I have made clear, the system that the United States is developing is evolving. Part of the reason for its request is to ensure the development of a comprehensive system. That will not be in place for several years. However, I have no reason to doubt the determination of the United States to make the system fully comprehensive and effective.
I have received no request from the United States about any other installations in this country.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to provide for increased penalties for offences under that Act and under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.
As a trainee civil engineer more than 30 years ago, I quickly recognised the importance of health and safety at work, especially the contribution of the 1974 Act. The workplace in which I was employed before I entered Parliament in May 1997 was indeed very dangerous, combining, as it did, work in the construction and transport industries. That unlikely combination magnified the risks that I and my fellow workers faced in our environment. Any study of health and safety statistics will show that the combination of construction and transport work can be lethal. Without a doubt, that experience cultivated my personal and political interest in matters of safety in the workplace.
Sadly, in the 19 years that I worked before I entered this House, I encountered far too many accidents on site. On several occasions, I also encountered the tragedy of fatalities.
Subsequently, I had to attend funerals and present evidence to inquiries. I also met the families and friends of the deceased, long after the death in the workplace had occurred, and there were questions that simply could not be answered - questions that always started with the short word "why". Therefore, the House will recognise why I - along with, I hope, everyone in the Chamber - am passionate about safety in the workplace. The reasons are self-evident.
I believe that the 1974 legislation has served not only working people but the wider community with great success. Over the past three decades, Parliament has sat back and let the Act do its proper job, but it needs to re-engage on this important subject by revisiting the legislation and revitalising a workhorse that has served the nation and working people well for 30 years. So, through the first ten-minute Bill of the new year, I hope to ask Parliament in 2003 to help to celebrate the Act's great achievements by bringing key sections up to date to reflect the realities of today's workplaces and by strengthening the penalties for those persons who are responsible for taking unnecessary risks with safety on sites and throughout the workplaces of this nation.
My Bill would remove the cap on fines for breaches of health and safety laws, which is set at £20,000, for a range of so-called less serious offences. In my view, each offence is serious. The Bill would extend the possibility of making prison the punishment for all breaches of health and safety law, whereas currently only breaches of a few sections of the Act are punishable by imprisonment. It would also significantly increase the fine for not having employer liability insurance, as required by the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.
What would the Bill do to improve health and safety? I believe that these measures, which were first identified in the consultation on the revitalising health and safety strategy, launched in June 2000 by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and the Health and Safety Commission, would take the debate forward and enable Parliament to consider it.
Without doubt, the reason for proposing the changes is a prevailing concern that is shared by the TUC, the nation's insurance industry and many Members of the House - that such health and safety offences are treated less seriously than they ought to be by employers, the courts and, ultimately, the wider public, which means that there is an incentive to ignore the law. That law is not strong enough, and we must ensure that we do not simply allow a plateau to develop due to the success achieved in improving health and safety throughout British workplaces over three decades levelling off.
Indeed, statistics for 2000-01 pulled together by the Health and Safety Executive show that more than 28,000 major injuries occurred in workplaces around our nation, as did some 300 fatalities. The House should be very concerned about those statistics and I hope that this ten-minute Bill will lead to action against the terrible scandal that faces our nation.
In particular, the measures on imprisonment that I propose would bring health and safety in line with more modern legislation such as that on the environment and food safety. For example, the 1974 Act was introduced well before the development of current thinking on corporate accountability and was based on the supposition, which was correct way back in the 1970s, that employers would improve health and safety standards because of the new law. Such a message from Parliament would spur employers on to taking real measures to achieve a safer working environment for our people.
Why do I focus especially on the need to improve the situation as regards employers' liability insurance? It is because, like many Members, I am being presented with an increasing body of evidence, which has been rehearsed many times in the House during the past year, that recent rises in employers' liability insurance have persuaded some small firms that they would be far better off not taking out insurance at all.
In my constituency work, I have been concerned to find that small companies were refused insurance cover or that they faced demands for excessive increased premiums from their insurance brokers despite excellent safety records over several decades of profitable trading. If such high-quality companies were even tempted to break the law in the fashion that I described, the effect on employees would be catastrophic because if there was a serious accident the company would have no insurance cover to pay compensation. If the damages were large, the victim could be left with nothing.
Bills for damages of millions of pounds would have an impact on the wider community and the public interest. Parliament cannot sit back and wait for such accidents to happen.
I firmly believe that Parliament wants to ensure that good employers are supported and helped and that they are not undermined. The so-called cowboy employer mentality should belong in the last century - if not in the one before that. It is extremely important that bad employers are deterred from such practices and encouraged to take proper measures in their workplaces.
From my own workplace experiences, I know that, if the conditions were right, most employers would adopt good health and safety practices and their firms would become better. They would become more profitable and would make a better contribution to the prosperity of our nation. However, unless we have a legal framework that supports and encourages good behaviour, and punishes bad behaviour, Parliament will be neglecting its obvious responsibilities.
Many Members have done much to contribute to the health and safety at work agenda. I single out my hon. Friends the Members for Barnsley, West and Penistone (Mr. Clapham) and for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Savidge) for their work in the all-party occupational safety and health group, but many Members also recognise the importance of that agenda.
I hope that the House will allow me to take my Bill forward as it will make an important contribution to improving the framework for safety at work.
Question put and agreed to.
Bill ordered to be brought in by Lawrie Quinn, Mr. Tony Lloyd, Mr. Michael Clapham, Mr. Roy Beggs, Mr. Frank Doran, Mr. Richard Allan, Mr. Bob Laxton, Ian Stewart, Mr. Malcolm Savidge and Rob Marris.
Health and Safety at Work (Amendment)
Lawrie Quinn accordingly presented a Bill to amend the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to provide for increased penalties for offences under that Act and under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969: And the same was read the First time; and ordered to be read a Second time on Friday 31 January, and to be printed [Bill 37].
Alun Michael: Where it applies, Directive 92/65 sets out the animal health requirements for trade in and imports into the Community of bees. Its main effect has been to help control the spread of American foulbrood, a notifiable disease of bees throughout the European Community.
Mr. Cook: Before I respond to my hon. Friend's question, may I apologise for not responding to the suggestion made by the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (Sir Michael Spicer) that I should write to hon. Members? I shall reflect on that, and it may indeed be helpful for hon. Members to have that explanation in writing.
I understand the importance to my hon. Friend and his constituents not only of the fisheries negotiations but of an authoritative statement before the House resumes. I shall pass on his point to the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley), who may wish to consider writing to him and the other hon. Members most closely involved, but that is ultimately a decision for him.
In fairness, I would say that the Government made provision for fisheries debates before the current negotiations began, and we have taken care to do so again as soon as the House resumes. I know that it is a difficult time for those communities and that my hon. Friend will want a clear statement as soon as possible, but within the constraints of our sitting weeks we have provided good opportunity for him and his colleagues to discuss the matter with the Minister.
Sir Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield): Further to that last question, is the Leader of the House aware that if there is a failure to reach an agreement on fisheries, responsibility falls immediately to the Commission? The current Commission proposals mean the total destruction of the UK fishing industry. He may not be aware of that, but that is the reality, the truth and the fact. Will he respond more positively to the House and to the hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Lawrie Quinn)? DEFRA should provide all Members with a statement on what is agreed and what the Government are prepared to do to safeguard the United Kingdom fishing industry, which is about to be destroyed?
Mr. Cook: In fairness, the Minister of State and the Secretary of State have repeatedly made statements on their position. We are fully aware of the severe demands that the proposals will make on fishing communities in Britain. The Minister of State is engaged in very tough negotiations to find the best possible way forward that balances the needs of fishing communities with the unavoidable fact that we need to take action to preserve future cod stocks. Although it is absolutely right that we should seek to find ways in which we can maintain sustainable fishing communities, that will not be possible unless we also find ways of maintaining sustainable fishing stocks.
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 17 December 2002]: In October 2001 we published a consultation document on measures to remove abandoned and untaxed vehicles from the streets more quickly and, for the longer term, bring forward changes to vehicle registration and licensing procedures to ensure greater accuracy of DVLA's vehicle record.
Regulations reducing the statutory notice periods after which local authorities can remove abandoned vehicles from the highway and the storage periods for unlicensed vehicles came into force on 9 April. Local authorities can now remove those vehicles that they consider merit destruction from the highway after the expiry of a 24 hour notice placed on them.
We have supported pilot schemes in the London boroughs of Newham and Lewisham in which the local authority was given DVLA's powers to wheelclamp and remove unlicensed vehicles after 24 hours. Following the success of the Newham pilot on 10 April, we announced that all councils who wished could operate in the same way.
In addition, councils have targeted over 6,000 abandoned unlicensed vehicles in multi-agency "Operation Cubits" with over 4,000 vehicles crushed and more operations are planned. To date we estimate that the operations have induced more than 15,700 motorists to relicence their vehicles voluntarily bringing in over £2.3 million in additional revenue.
The Government are currently developing proposals for the reform and modernisation of vehicle registration and licensing, to reduce evasion and to bear down on vehicle crime. In response to the recommendations of a report commissioned by the Department for Transport from the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science, that Department has established a Modernising Vehicle Registration Implementation Board (MVRIB). This includes representatives of motorists' organisations, the motor trade, the police and the insurance industry to advise on and develop those proposals.
The 2002 Finance Act contained provisions under which the responsibility for licensing and taxing vehicles will be placed on the registered keeper, who will remain liable for doing so until such time that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has properly been notified of a change of keeper. These proposals will also mean that it is not necessary for a vehicle to be detected on the road for effective enforcement action to take place. The implementation of these new powers is at the heart of MVRIB's agenda.
The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Dr. Kim Howells): The English Tourism Council research shows clear benefits in terms of higher occupancy levels for those establishments that participate in the national quality assurance schemes. We want to improve their impact further and will shortly commission a review of accommodation quality as part of our tourism reform programme.
Lawrie Quinn : Does my hon. Friend agree that the work that Scarborough borough council has done to establish its own scheme which feeds into the national scheme is should be regarded as an exemplar by many people around the country? If they met the high standards that exist on the Yorkshire coast, it would do the UK's tourism and hospitality industry an awful lot of good and would put us where we should be as a world leader.
Dr. Howells: My hon. Friend can justifiably be proud of Scarborough's achievement. It won the 2002 England for Excellence award as the most improved resort. It has faced great difficulties over the past 30 years and has succeeded to a significant degree in reinventing itself as a first-class resort and as a great tourist attraction.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Bill Rammell): Before I specifically answer the question, I am sure that the whole House would want to join me in expressing our concern and sadness at the news that 36 people have been killed overnight by a mudslide in Brazil.
We congratulate President Lula on his convincing victory in Brazil's fully democratic elections, and we look forward to working closely with him and his Administration to deepen further our excellent relations with Brazil.
Lawrie Quinn: Given the important trading relationship between the United Kingdom and Brazil - I think that we are the eighth largest exporter to Brazil - will the Minister outline to the House what he will do to encourage that relationship, make sure that we increase the trade opportunities for British companies, and assist in the continuing development of Brazil, the fifth largest economy in the world?
Mr. Rammell: I thank my hon. Friend for that question and for his keen interest in our relationship with Brazil. We certainly believe that Brazil is a good place to do business. It is the UK's largest export market in Latin America, and, so far this year, our exports are up by some 16 per cent. Indeed, over the last year, more than 100 British companies have invested in Brazil, indicating strongly that they regard Brazil as a good place to do business. We will continue to support those efforts.
Mr. Hoon: I have had the opportunity of visiting both RAF Fylingdales and my hon. Friend's constituency, and I look forward to the opportunity of doing so again.
Mr. Hoon: The Government understands the role that missile defences could play as part of a comprehensive strategy to respond to the potential threat from ballistic missiles. We are currently examining whether the range of responses we have now would be enhanced by participation in active missile defence. I have today placed further analytical and discussion material in the Library of the House which I hope will contribute to the debate on the issues involved.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made in analysing the implications for the UK of missile defence; and if he will make a statement. [83990]
Mr. Hoon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin)
The Minister for Work (Mr. Nicholas Brown): Where there have been large numbers of redundancies in the fishing sector - and in other sectors - local jobcentres and Jobcentre Plus, where it is rolled out, stand ready to help. If a rapid response is required, it will be there.
Mr. Morley: I agree with Mr. Locker that it is important that effective enforcement measures apply to all member states consistently across Europe. We will argue for the inclusion of that objective in a package of measures on cod recovery and common fisheries policy reform. There have been cases of rule breaking that are not unique to any one country or sector of the industry. Anyone who has been involved in that undermines scientific analysis and attempts at genuine conservation.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Tony McNulty): Parish and town councils will continue to have an important role under our proposals for reform of the planning system. Where proposals or policies in a draft local development framework document affect a parish or town, we expect the council to be consulted and its views to be taken into account. Similarly, we shall continue to require local planning authorities to notify town and parish councils of any relevant planning application if requested to do so.
Lawrie Quinn : Does my hon. Friend accept that the type of skills and training that might be needed for parish and town councils to give planning work full consideration might demand extra resources? Will the proposals allow for such training and additional resources to be made available to those authorities?
Mr. McNulty: We are aware that the skills base in the planning profession has been denuded over successive years. We are keen to ensure that parish and town councils remain engaged in local planning and UDP - unitary development plan - processes. Yesterday my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced, for the first year, £50 million for the planning development grant, aimed principally at local planning authorities. Clearly, however, if the skills increase in the local planning authorities, their interface and interaction with the parish and town councils will be all the more efficient, and that is what we want to encourage.
The Deputy Prime Minister: We are concerned about the position at parish council level. I have always argued that parish councils could do a lot more about some of their own facilities: village hall developments and things like that. There is more to be done on that. There are pilot proposals on how that may operate and work. The more chance people have to make a decision that affects their communities and their lives, whether at parish or at urban level, the better. We are actively developing pilot proposals to achieve that.
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Lawrie Quinn: The hon. Gentleman suggests decoupling of the issues. [regional question and local government restructuring] Would he ask areas that already have unitary authorities whether they want secondary or tertiary levels?
Mr. Davey: We shall certainly not propose that they be given the choice to revert. Most unitary authorities have had that debate and have made their choice in the very recent past.
Will the Deputy Prime Minister say when he expects the local government Bill to be published? A lot of work has already been done: a draft Bill was prepared, and the Select Committee published a report to which the Government responded. I hope that the Bill is not too far away from publication.
The Deputy Prime Minister : It will happen soon.
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Lawrie Quinn: The right hon. Gentleman, who is my constituency neighbour up in the top corner, mentions rural district councils. He will know of the bitterness felt in Whitby, in my constituency, about what happened in 1974, and of the bitterness still felt throughout our county of North Yorkshire about the Banham review. How does he think such issues affect our locality?
Mr. Hague: It is nice to wave to my neighbour across the Chamber and to agree with him. Obviously, we cannot go back to the 1960s structure of local government, but if we had never embarked on those changes the country would have been much better off. The same is true of more recent local government reorganisations.
The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Dr. Kim Howells): The reforms of the support given by the Government to tourism, with a new focus on domestic marketing, e-tourism, and greater involvement of regional development agencies and the private sector, will help to revive seaside resorts.
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Lawrie Quinn: My hon. Friend will remember my constituency's unique selling points from his visit in the summer - Captain Cook in Whitby and Alan Ayckbourn in Scarborough. Should we not be focusing on the branding of seaside resorts, in terms of both international and domestic visitors?
Dr. Howells: It is true that the visitors who come here from abroad tend to spend a lot more than visitors from inside Britain, generally because they stay longer at their destinations. The figures are sometimes quite startling. When the Endeavour came to Whitby, it had such an effect on the number of visitors to the town that it has actually driven house prices up in the area, because so many people want to go and live there. If that is not the best example imaginable of a link between a successful tourism project and the general well-being and health of a town, I do not know what is.
Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO
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