In the House... Questions in the House of Commons

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What proposals she has to develop a cross-departmental policy for the countryside.

The Minister for the Cabinet Office (Marjorie Mowlam): My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced today that I am to chair a new Cabinet Committee to co-ordinate the Government's policies affecting rural areas, although my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will take the lead on the rural White Paper.

Mr. Quinn: I congratulate my right hon. Friend on her new place on the Front Bench and on being appointed to chair that important Committee. Many of my rural constituents believe that we need to move forward from joined-up thinking to the joined-up action that I am confident that my right hon. Friend will promote on her vital new Committee.

Marjorie Mowlam: I thank my hon. Friend for those comments. The Committee had its first meeting this morning. Joined-up government is beginning to work well. I assure him that we shall reverse the legacy left to us by the Tory Government. To see how they destroyed rural communities we only have to look at bus services. Before we came to power, only one parish in four had any bus services. With the money that we have put into local bus services, that situation is beginning to change. As our integrated transport policy moves forward in January, there will be further change. We have given incentives to many of the post offices and small shops that would have closed, like many before them under the previous Administration, to protect the sense of community in rural areas that focuses on local post offices.
Those are two good examples of Tory neglect. One final difference between us and the previous Administration is shown by the fact that between 1983 and 1997 they closed 30 small schools a year. We have given help so that small schools in rural areas not only survive, but have their standards protected.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What steps the Government have taken to ensure that magistrates are representative of the communities they serve.

The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Jane Kennedy): My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor requires his advisory committees to make strenuous efforts to ensure that benches broadly reflect the communities that they serve in terms of gender, ethnic origin, geographical spread, occupation and political affiliation.

Mr. Quinn: May I, too, congratulate my hon. Friend on her new position? I very much welcome the answer given some time ago. What representations has she made to employers' organisations to ensure that people who are in full-time work are given the opportunity to participate in this important part of our society?

Jane Kennedy: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that issue and allowing me to explain the work that is going on in the area. It is an increasing problem, which my noble and learned Friend takes very seriously. In literature and seminars, employers are shown that the training that magistrates receive, and the experience that they gain on the bench, can be a positive advantage for the individual and an asset to the employer. The Lord Chancellor is considering what else he may need to do, in partnership with the Magistrates Association, to encourage more employers to allow their staff time off to become magistrates.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, when it is proposed to review the Pastoral Measure 1983; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Stuart Bell: A motion from the Wakefield Diocesan Synod seeking a review of the redundancy provisions of the Pastoral Measure is likely to be debated by the General Synod next year.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What programmes he has developed to assist people running small businesses in acquiring new skills.

The Minister for Small Business and E-Commerce (Ms Patricia Hewitt): My Department helps managers of small businesses to develop their skills through the network of Business Links, which provide companies with information and advice on management development and other training issues. The new Small Business Service that we are establishing will strengthen that work on skills by ensuring that we have first-class business support centres in every part of the United Kingdom. In particular, they will give very high priority to developing skills in e-commerce, so that all our small businesses are able to exploit fully the potential of the new information and communication technology.

Mr. Quinn: May I echo the congratulations to my hon. Friend on her new position? As she will know, the composition of many seaside economies is built on the bedrock of small businesses. May I have some assurances that constituencies such as my own will benefit from the regeneration opportunities available from developing the ideas that she has been describing?

Ms Hewitt: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. There is no doubt at all that small businesses, self-employment and small and growing enterprises play an enormously important part in regenerating disadvantaged areas. Two days ago, my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary and I published the report of the social exclusion unit's policy action team on enterprise in disadvantaged areas. I can assure my hon. Friend that the new Small Business Service, through the new franchised network of Business Links, will ensure that business support services are available to entrepreneurs and self-employed people in every part of the country, including disadvantaged areas such as his own.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance has been provided by British troops to those responsible for arresting people indicted for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. [90222]

Mr. George Robertson: In Bosnia, SFOR has detained 14 persons indicted by the ICTY. Nine of these detentions have taken place in the British-commanded sector and involved British forces, either directly or in support. Most recently, Radislav Brdjanin was detained by British SFOR forces on 6 July.
In Kosovo, British troops have helped to secure sites which may contain evidence of crimes, and British military personnel have assisted in obtaining witness statements and in supporting the ICTY's forensic investigations.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance Her Majesty's Government have given to assist in water distribution in those areas of the world suffering from drought and rationing of water supplies. [89781]

Clare Short: DFID provides support in a number of ways to assist in addressing drought. Good management of water resources and drought preparedness planning are essential to mitigate the impact of drought. We are currently funding projects in a number of countries, including Zimbabwe and South Africa, to assist governments in such planning. DFID also actively supports the work of the UN agencies and the Global Water Partnership in long-term sustainable use of freshwater resources at country and regional levels. We provide direct assistance in the provision of water supplies in situations of drought. Recent examples of support include projects implemented by non government organisations such as Save the Children Fund (UK) and International Committee of the Red Cross in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Guyana, and Bolivia.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress has been made with the Trailblazer Round of the Sure Start programme. [90595]

Ms Jowell: Today, my right hon. Friends the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Education and Employment announced a further 30 Sure Start trailblazers. They are part of the first round of a £450m investment over 3 years in 250 local programmes across England. Sure Start will combine health care, good quality early learning and family support services to improve life chances of under fours in areas of disadvantage, so that children are ready to thrive at school.

The 30 trailblazers announced today are based in:

Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bradford, Copeland, Derby, Doncaster, Enfield, Fenland, Great Yarmouth, Greenwich, Halton, Hastings, Knowsley, Mansfield, Newham, North East Lincolnshire, Norwich, Oldham, Penwith, Plymouth, Redcar and Cleveland, Sandwell, Sedgemoor, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wolverhampton.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to promote and safeguard national health service dentistry in Scarborough and Whitby; and if he will make a statement. [85032]

Mr. Denham: Three Investing in Dentistry proposals from Scarborough were approved to enable 9,700 new National Health Service patients to register. North Yorkshire Health Authority also has approval to employ a salaried dentist in Scarborough. The Personal Dental Services scheme, and our forthcoming strategy for NHS dentistry, will provide the framework for future improvements in NHS dental services.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement about the value for money provided by Motability cars. [84022]

Mr. Bayley: The Motability contract hire scheme, which covers about 95 per cent. of the vehicles provided, represents substantial value for money for disabled people. Lease costs cover maintenance, comprehensive insurance and roadside assistance. Over 25 per cent. of the over 300 model variants supplied under the scheme by 23 manufacturers are available for less than the weekly higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance of £37 week, and the cheapest vehicle available under the scheme can now be had for less than £24 per week.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the responses to the consultation on "Rural England"; and if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the proposals in the document. [82808]

Mr. Meacher: We have had a very encouraging response to the consultation document "Rural England", with close to 700 written submissions. We will be taking the views and ideas expressed into account as we proceed with work on the Rural White Paper.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What steps his Department has taken to assist farmers to diversify their businesses. [80348]

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Elliot Morley): Funding to encourage a wide range of agricultural activities, including farm diversification, is available in the six areas designated under the English objective 5b structural fund programmes. The Ministry has also produced a series of advisory booklets on diversification.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. The work done under objective 5b is very welcome, especially in my area. However, changes in structural funding are on the way. I urge my hon. Friend to do everything in his power, when he talks to colleagues in both Whitehall and Europe, to make sure that the rural communities that rely so much on that help to diversify their business continue to get the assistance in the future. When objective 2 and the rural strand are under consideration, will he ensure that agricultural communities get their fair share of the money that is available?

Mr. Morley: I agree with my hon. Friend. Objective 5b has been a great success in supporting the rural economy, and in fostering partnership between the public and the private sector and between various rural organisations. I assure my hon. Friend that we are well aware of the need to take account of the needs of rural areas in the forthcoming changes to objective 2 funding.

In addition, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister obtained a very good settlement in relation to the Rome agreement. It included objective 1 status for parts of this country, and safety nets for areas that, because of the changes, may lose their assisted area status. Regardless of the type of structural fund regime that is introduced, we want to ensure that it benefits as wide a rural area as possible.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the tourism strategy will help Scarborough and Whitby to develop affordable family holidays. [77387]

Janet Anderson: As our new tourism strategy, "Tomorrow's Tourism", says, the future of our seaside resorts depends on all those involved in both private and public sectors working together to develop the sort of products now needed, with the quality and value for money which visitors expect. The strategy suggests an eight stage regeneration plan for resorts and also identifies further action which should help increase access to tourism for those with low incomes, for families, elderly people and people with disabilities.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What measures she is taking to support enterprise in Northern Ireland. [76679]

The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Mr. Adam Ingram): Government support for promoting enterprise in Northern Ireland was enhanced by the innovative measures worth £100 million announced in my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's initiative of last May. The Budget provided a further boost for enterprise, with a reduction in corporation tax for small businesses, tax credit for research and development, and new corporate venturing measures. All that is good news for Northern Ireland.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Does my right hon. Friend agree that the opportunities provided for business in Northern Ireland by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's Budget can be built upon so that we not only build peace in Northern Ireland but build lasting prosperity for that community, and so that we get the correct frameworks across the community in which everyone can prosper?

Mr. Ingram: I agree wholeheartedly with those sentiments. Yesterday, I launched a major economic strategy review document entitled "Strategy 2010", which was part of the Good Friday agreement requirements placed on the Government. It is a comprehensive study on how we can ensure that peace and prosperity can go hand in hand into the new millennium.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): How many young people in (a) Scarborough and Whitby, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) the United Kingdom have obtained employment through the new deal to date. [75582]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Ms Margaret Hodge): New deal has made an encouraging start and in the North Yorkshire unit of delivery, which covers Scarborough and Whitby, 385 young people have found employment. In Great Britain, 58,500 have found employment.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): My constituents and everyone in the country will be pleased to know that 385 people in the North Yorkshire delivery unit have found work. However, may I gently ask the Department whether, in an area like my constituency, where there is a discrete travel-to-work area and where unemployment is more than 40 per cent. higher than the national average, it would be possible to focus on the actual area where there is most concern? A needs-driven agenda would enable us to do more work not only to give more help to the youngsters who have benefited from the new deal but to extend that to people over 55 who could benefit from it. We welcome the progress that will be made for those people. Many people in my constituency are looking to the Government to deliver in this area. I believe that we can, and I should like to have the statistics to prove it.

Ms Hodge: I congratulate my hon. Friend on the work that he is doing on behalf of his constituents and I know of the work that he is doing with my colleagues on linking educational standards with employment opportunities. He is right to point out that there are concentrations of unemployment in large units. I know that unemployment is 6.6 per cent. in Scarborough and Whitby, whereas it is 3.3 per cent. in the whole North Yorkshire unit of delivery. Obviously, the programme is designed to meet the needs of people who find themselves unemployed, and the purpose of the new deals, for the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed and--when it comes into being--for those over 50 is to focus on areas of greatest need.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What measures he is taking to ensure that education standard spending assessment fund increases for 1999-2000 are implemented by North Yorkshire county council education services. [68883]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mr. Charles Clarke): My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to North Yorkshire county council to make it clear that all the increase in the education standard spending assessment should be used to support education services, and especially the drive to raise school standards.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating the children and parents of Scarborough and Whitby and the rest of North Yorkshire on persuading the county council's corporate affairs committee to heed the Secretary of State's letter? Will he accept an invitation to visit my constituency so that he can see the desperate need to increase standards and so that we may, in future, not only passport increases of 6.6 per cent. for school services in the county, but have regard for the special needs of the urban areas of North Yorkshire?

Mr. Clarke: Yes, I am happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating all the children and parents and the rest of the community who have persuaded the county council to carry the money through to education, as we intended. I would also be happy to visit my hon. Friend's constituency sometime in the future to see what has been done there.

I hope that we shall secure all-party support for the idea that money allocated to education should go to education. Perhaps Opposition Members will try to encourage their Conservative colleagues in Wiltshire, for example, to ensure that money intended for that purpose is spent on education. They should heed the example set by North Yorkshire.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What progress he has made towards establishing the shadow strategic rail authority. [68268]

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Mr. John Prescott): We are making good progress towards establishing the Strategic Rail Authority. I hope that there will be time in the current Session to introduce a Bill to create the Strategic Rail Authority. In the meantime, we are establishing a shadow SRA which will be operational by the spring. I will announce its chairman soon.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Many in the House know of my interest in railways, but my main interest concerns my constituents who want to travel by rail. Can my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister tell the House whether progress will be made towards formulating the Strategic Rail Authority so that it can play a full part in the rail summit on 25 February?

Mr. Prescott: Yes. I hope that the shadow Strategic Rail Authority will be established on 1 April with the new chairman of the British Railways Board and the new franchising director in place. The shadow Strategic Rail Authority will take early action to ensure that the train operators deliver a better performance. It will also provide a strategic plan for the railway industry which will put the passenger to the fore.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Will my hon. Friend reassure those on low and modest incomes that the Government's proposals for modernising pensions will target them, and afford them the same support that the vast majority of people in this country get at the moment?

Mr. Timms: My hon. Friend is right. The state second pension will provide modernised support for people on low incomes, and will double the accrual rate on the state pension for people on £9,000 a year. It will treat people on incomes below that level as if they had been earning £9,000 a year throughout their working lives. That will be done on the basis of the existing 4.6 per cent. state earnings-related pension scheme contribution, without any addition. That is a very important step forward for people on low earnings--those about whom my hon. Friend is rightly concerned.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): If she will make a statement on the state of readiness of the national infrastructure for coping with the millennium bug. [66801]

The President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mrs. Margaret Beckett): It was under this Government that the major utility providers and users were brought together for the first time at the national infrastructure forum, which is being led by Action 2000.

The results of the first round of independent assessments for five key sectors--electricity, oil and gas fuel, telecoms, water and finance--were announced at their meeting on 21 January by the regulators responsible. The results were encouraging, and the regulators confirmed that each of the sectors appear to be well on the way to being fully prepared.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. Will she join me in condemning certain sectors of the press and certain Opposition Members who are trying to pursue alarmist propaganda about what will happen at the end of this year? What can all Members of the House do to promote the good work that is being done, and the good start that has been made, to make sure that our infrastructure is ready to face the challenges of the millennium period?

Mrs. Beckett: My hon. Friend is entirely right to say that, although it would not be correct to be complacent, a great deal of very good work is being done. I urge hon. Members on both sides of the House to make sure that their constituents are aware of that, lest they fall into the trap of believing some of the more exaggerated stories that appear.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Will my hon. Friend confirm that the planned rail summit in February will include representations from the roscos, so that constituents such as mine can look forward to an enhanced performance and an improved quality of rolling stock in the short term, rather than the long term?

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Ms Glenda Jackson): I can confirm that the rolling stock companies will be present at the rail summit on 25 February. My hon. Friend touches on yet another example of the lamentable failure of the previous Administration who, during rail privatisation, ensured that the rolling stock was sold off at a fraction of its actual worth, and ensured also that the rolling stock companies were totally outside the regulatory system. That was another example of their failure to exercise competent stewardship of the national infrastructure.

Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO