Written Statement of 26 October 2004

  Probation Board for Northern Ireland: Annual Report 2003–04
  The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos)
  My honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Ministerial Statement.

  I have today received copies of the annual report of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland for the financial year 2003–04. The report outlines the board's performance against targets during that year.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-regional Strategy
  The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker)
  My right honourable friend the Minister for Housing and Planning has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

  My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister is today publishing the revised consultation draft Milton Keynes and South Midlands sub-regional strategy. The Milton Keynes and South Midlands growth area is one of the four growth areas set out in the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan published in February 2003. The plan was not simply about housing; it was about creating sustainable communities in all parts of the country. One of the key objectives of the plan is to tackle the longterm shortage of housing and particularly affordable housing. The revised consultation draft sub-regional strategy, being published today, is the next stage in the testing and examination through the regional spatial strategy (RSS) process.

  The Milton Keynes and South Midlands sub-region includes the area from Corby in the north to Aylesbury in the south and from Daventry in the west to Bedford in the east. Its largest urban centres are Milton Keynes, Northampton, Luton-Dunstable-Houghton Regis and Bedford-Kempston. The sub-regional strategy sets out the scale and form of development in Milton Keynes and South Midlands to 2031.

  This document incorporates the proposed changes to the consultation draft published by the regional assemblies for the east of England, the east Midlands and the south-east in July 2003. The proposed changes published today build on the July 2003 strategy and take full account of the recommendations contained in the report of the independent panel, published in
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  August 2004, which proposed approximately 170,000 new homes by 2021. The panel published its report following the five-week public examination held in March and April 2004.

  Copies of the revised consultation draft sub-regional strategy, together with the explanatory table of proposed changes, have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Under national guidance, the proposed changes will be subject to public consultation over an eight-week period, commencing today. Details of the consultation process are provided in the foreword to the revised consultation draft sub-regional strategy published today.

  Once the final version of the sub-regional strategy is published, as a revision to the regional spatial strategies for the south-east, east of England, and east Midlands, it will form part of the regional policy basis for the preparation of statutory local development documents by the local planning authorities within the sub-region. It is at this stage that detailed site specific and locational proposals will be brought forward to implement the sub-regional strategy. This process provides further requirements for public consultation and stakeholder involvement.

  Increasing the number of homes and affordable homes in the wider south-east is essential if we are to have sustainable communities, and we recognise that it is critical that this growth is itself sustainable. This means that we will ensure that new communities have the infrastructure that they need such as schools, transport and health facilities. We will also continue to ensure that brownfield land is used first, improve the environmental efficiency of homes, and create new green spaces and places that will stand the test of time.

  Court Service: Business Plan 2004–05
  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Baroness Ashton of Upholland)
  My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Christopher Leslie) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

  The following table sets out the targets that have been set for the Court Service for 2004–05. Copies of the Court Service business plan for 2004–05 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Headline Targets

  Target 2004–05

  To support local criminal justice boards in meeting their targets, including:

  Reducing proportion of Crown Court ineffective trials;

  From 24 per cent to 17 per cent by March 2006

  Ensuring cases are disposed of promptly (measured as a percentage of Crown Court defendants and appellants whose cases are heard within target time);

  78 per cent

  Reducing period from charge to sentence for persistent young offenders; and

  71 days

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  Headline Targets

  Target 2004–05

  Increasing sitting days in the Crown Court, (in line with increase in number of crimes for which an offender is brought to justice) to 1.2 million by 2005–06.

  104,200 sitting days

  (Contributes to PSA 1 and 2)

  Increasing year on year the level of satisfaction in four key areas of service delivery

  To increase: Knowledge of court staff at the public counter

  Knowledge of court staff on the telephone

  Speed of resolution of complaints

  Helpfulness of written replies

  (Contributes to PSA 4)

  Reducing issue of non-family claims in the civil courts

  From a baseline of 1,790k in 2002–03 to 1,580k by March 2006

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  Headline Targets

  Target 2004–05

  Reducing proportion of non-family cases allocated for hearing and resolved by a hearing

  From a baseline of 48.9 per cent in 2003 to 47 per cent by March 2006

  Reducing the number of non-family hearings

  From a baseline of 71,300 in 2003 to 64,700 by March 2006

  Increasing the proportion of contact and ancillary relief orders made by consent

  From a baseline of 70.6 per cent in 2003 to 73.4 per cent by March 2006

  Public Guardianship Office: Annual Report and Accounts 2003–04
  Baroness Ashton of Upholland
  The Public Guardianship Office's annual report and accounts for 2003–04 have been laid before Parliament today. This document gives full details of the agency's performance and expenditure for that year. Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.