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Rateable Values
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on linking rateable value of property to changing house prices. [21281]
Mr. Clappison: I take it that the hon. Member is referring to the banding of dwellings for council tax. The bandings reflect the relativities between the values of dwellings, based on 1991 property values. These relativities are not necessarily affected by subsequent changes in absolute house prices, and the Government have no current plans to review the bandings.
Water Bills
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from individuals and organisations on the payment of water bills by pensioners and low-income households. [21282]
Mr. Clappison: Over the past 18 months my right hon. Friend has received representations on the payment of water bills by pensioners and low-income families from individuals, consumer groups, charities, pensioners' associations and local authorities.
Severn Trent Water (Salaries)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from residents in Conventry concerning Severn Trent Water and the salaries paid to the company directors. [21283]
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Mr. Clappison: My right hon. Friend has not received any representations from residents of Coventry about the salaries paid to directors of Severn Trent Water.
Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with Severn Trent Water regarding the level of salaries of the company's directors. [21284]
Mr. Clappison: My right hon. Friend has not held any discussions with Severn Trent Water about the salary levels of its directors. This is a matter for the company and its shareholders.
Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give figures for the highest paid employee of Severn Trent Water from 1979 until privatisation (a) in real terms and (b) percentage change from the previous year. [21285]
Mr. Clappison: Information about the salary levels of Severn Trent water authority's board members for the years 1984 to 1989 is given in the annual editions of "Public Bodies", published by the Cabinet Office (Office of Public Service and Science). Salary levels of the authority's chairmen only are given in the 1982 and 1983 editions of this report. Copies of these publications are available in the Library. Comparable information for the period 1979 to 1981 is not available.
Leicester City Council (Home Improvements)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much Leicester city council has received towards home improvements for each year since 1986; and how much its bid for each year was since 1986.[22068]
Mr. Clappison: Since 1986-87, Leicester city has received the following housing investment programme allocations to spend on the whole of its housing programme, a substantial amount of which would have been spent on improvements to both the public and private sector stock. These allocations have been supplemented by expenditure from the council's capital receipts.
| HIP received | HIP bid | |
|---|---|---|
| 1986-87 | 13.375 | 47.735 |
| 1987-88 | 12.909 | 52.091 |
| 1988-89 | 12.407 | 57.369 |
| 1989-90 | 9.165 | 62.037 |
| 1990-91 | 18.320 | 54.392 |
| 1991-92 | 18.300 | 54.035 |
| 1992-93 | 19.830 | 49.416 |
| 1993-94 | 21.545 | 29.393 |
| 1994-95 | 14.998 | 22.500 |
| 1995-96 | 9.345 | 17.400 |
In addition, the city has benefited from the following additional resources to improve housing stock under the following three programmes:
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Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what schemes for home improvements have been in receipt of housing grant in the City of Leicester since 1986. [22067]
Mr. Clappison:
It is primarily for the city council to determine what schemes grant resources are spent on and the council should be able to provide full information. In the main, these resources will have funded the repurchase of defective dwellings, enveloping, group repair, homes insulation, environmental and other general improvements to the private sector stock in five housing action areas, 10 general improvement areas, and six renewal areas.
Ms Armstrong:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff in his Department earn salaries in each band of £10,000 above £40,000 per annum where salary is defined on the same basis as the draft accounts and audit regulations require of local authorities; and if that definition when applied to his Department's staff includes an element for the non-contributory civil service pension. [21880]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The number of staff in my Department--excluding Ordnance Survey, PSA Services and the Health and Safety Executive--in each salary band above £40,00 is as follows:
The estate action programme
1986-87: £0.226 million
1987-88: £0.650 million
1988-89: £1.979 million
1989-90: £2.549 million
1990-91: £1.773 million
1991-92: £3.455 million
1992-93: £2.779 million
Information on how these resources relate to the bids for each of the three programmes is not readily available.
1993-94: £1.257 million
1994-95: £2.599 million
1995-96: £5.309 million.
City challenge
1993-94: £1.608 million
1994-95: £0.836 million
1995-96: £0.897 million.
Housing association grant for new rehab units
1986-87: not available
1987-88: £6.062 million
1988-89: £5.809 million
1989-90: £2.713 million
1990-91: £1.512 million
1991-92: £2.348 million
1992-93: £4.362 million
1993-94: £5.078 million
1994-95: £4.051 million
1995-96: £2.051 million.
| Salary band | Number of staff |
|---|---|
| £40,000 to £50,000 | 252 |
| £50,000 to £60,000 | 90 |
| £60,000 to £70,000 | 22 |
| £70,000 to £80,000 | 5 |
| £80,000 to £90,000 | 1 |
| £90,000 to £100,000 | 1 |
Salaries do not include sums due by way of expense allowances, nor any element for the non-contributory civil service pension.
21 Mar 1996 : Column: 273
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amounts of housing grant were received by Leicester city council in each year since 1986 as (a) in cash terms, and (b) in 1986. [22066]
Mr. Clappison:
In the four years from 1986-87 to 1989-90 the following housing grant was given at the rates of 75 per cent. or 90 per cent. against loan charges for improvements to private sector dwellings in Leicester:
| (a) In cash terms | (b) In 1986 terms | |
|---|---|---|
| 1986-87 | 6.782 | 6.782 |
| 1987-88 | 7.938 | 7.536 |
| 1988-89 | 8.954 | 7.968 |
| 1989-90 | 11.284 | 9.386 |
| (a) In cash terms | (b) In 1986 Terms | |
|---|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 4.502 | 3,466 |
| 1991-92 | 3.198 | 2.318 |
| 1992-93 | 4.732 | 3.296 |
| 1993-94 | 4.300 | 2.910 |
| 1994-95 | 3.089 | 2.052 |
| 1995-96 | 2.325 | 1.503 |
| (a) In cash terms | (b) In 1986 terms | |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 0.328 | 0.221 |
| 1994-95 | 0.376 | 0.250 |
| 1995-96 | 0.300 | 0.193 |
Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which (a) the Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) the Government are required to publish their response to advice supplied by them. [21856]
Sir Paul Beresford: A list of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department can be found in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1995". A copy is available in the House of Commons Library.
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