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Departmental Events

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in each of the last four years, giving the title, purpose, date and cost of each. [34182]

Dr. Whitehead: The information is not available in the form requested.

Telecommunications

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the costs of telecommunications services within public sector agencies in the south west region were in the last five years broken down by county. [33727]

Dr. Whitehead: The information requested is not held by my Department.

Ship Safety Standards

Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps the Government plan to take to enforce and improve safety and working conditions onboard ships using British port and waters. [32127]

Mr. Jamieson: Ships using British ports and waters are subject to a rigorous regime of inspection to check that they comply with minimum international safety standards and relevant working conditions. This is an on-going process.

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Ships that are found on inspection to fall short of international safety standards are detained until the defects leading to detention are put right. Ships failing to comply with the terms of release are refused access to British and European ports until the safety standards are met.

The details of ships detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) are published on national and European websites and the ships are targeted for further inspection. Significant breaches of regulations are investigated and followed up by prosecution where appropriate. Details of prosecutions are also published.

Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in relation to the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh, what the profits were in the last five years for which figures are available; what the estimated profit this year is; what the current surplus or deficit was (a) five and (b) three years ago and what it is today; how much has been invested in the college in each of the last five years, including this year's estimate; what recent orders the college has won and how many residential students weeks have resulted; and how many student weeks were provided in the each of the last five years, including an estimate for this year. [34471]

Dr. Whitehead: Information on profits, surpluses, deficits and investment is set out in the annual reports and accounts of the Fire Service College which are presented to Parliament and published. The college estimates that investment in 2000–02 will total £4 million and profits will be between £2 million and £2.5 million.

The college reports that it has recently won orders in respect of National Police Training totalling 14,500 student weeks over an 18 month period in 2001–03, firefighter recruit training totalling 780 student weeks and a number of foreign contracts totalling 1,260 weeks.

Estimates of student weeks in each of the last five years are set out in the table.

	Weeks
1996–97	15,192
1997–98	15,008
1998–99	15,283
1999–2000	14,822
2000–01	14,087

The estimate of student weeks for 2001–02 is: 17,435.

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Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in respect of the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh, how much foreign contracts were worth in each of the last five years, including an estimate for this year; what consultations and working parties are in progress on the framework document on the future of the college and when they are due to report; what the mechanism is for revising the framework document; when last year's audited accounts are due to be presented to Parliament; and who will write the summary of the annual report. [34473]

Dr. Whitehead: Information provided by the Fire Service College for foreign contracts is set out in the table. The information is drawn from the college's course booking system. The figure for 2001–02 is an estimate.

	£000
1996–97	1,108
1997–98	927
1998–99	736
1999–2000	885
2000–01	1,149
2001–02	1,870

Work on the future training requirements of the fire service in England and Wales, and the role of the college in delivering those requirements, are being taken forward in consultation with the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council. A report will go to that council in the summer.

A revision of the Framework Document is being taken forward separately through the Fire Service College's Advisory Board. A new document will be submitted to me in due course.

The annual report and accounts for 2000–01 were presented to Parliament in July 2001. The annual report and accounts for 2001–02 are expected to be presented in July this year. The foreword to the annual report will be written by the chief executive in charge of the college at the time.

Private Medical Insurance

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many employees in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's agencies

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and non-departmental public bodies have had private medical insurance provided for them in each year since 1997–98; what the total cost is; and if he will make a statement. [32328]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 6 February 2002]: Paragraph 7.1.7 of the Civil Service Management Code prohibits departments and agencies from providing staff with private medical insurance.

NDPBs are not bound by the conditions in the Management Code—remuneration for staff in NDPBs is a matter for the sponsoring department and the individual NDPB.

Planning

Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with (a) the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, (b) Sport England, and (c) the appropriate devolved institutions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the revised draft of PPG17. [34506]

Ms Keeble: I will consult other Government Departments before the final version of PPG17 is issued. I have met Sport England regarding PPG17, and my officials will be consulting further with Sport England in drafting the final version. The final guidance, like the draft that preceded it, will be for England only.

Standard Spending Assessment (Elderly Care)

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how the SSA for elderly clients is calculated in each area; and if he will make a statement. [34601]

Dr. Whitehead: There are two formulae for elderly social services—one for residential care and one for domiciliary care. The starting point for both formulae is the number of elderly people in each area. In the case of residential care it is the number of people in households; for domiciliary care it is the total resident population (which includes people in institutions as well as in households). In both formulae the number of people over 85 are given most weight, followed by those aged 75–84, with those aged 65–74 given least weight.

In addition to age, the formulae include deprivation and other indicators associated with the likelihood of being in need of care. These indicators are shown in the table:

Elderly residential SSA	Elderly domiciliary SSA
Elderly people on income support Elderly people on attendance allowance or disability living allowance Pensioners in rented accommodation Elderly people with a limiting long-term illness Pensioners not in a couple and not a head of household Pensioners living alone	Pensioners in rented accommodation Pensioners living alone Elderly people on income support Elderly people with a limiting long-term illness

The domiciliary formula also includes a measure of sparsity, and both formulae include an adjustment for ability to raise income from charges. Finally, an area cost adjustment is applied.Full details of the formulae are available in "The Local Government Finance Report (England) 2002/2003" which is available in the House of Commons Library. The social services formulae are currently under review together with the other grant distribution formulae. A new grant distribution system will be introduced in 2003–04.

Green Belt

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will

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introduce new legislation giving local authorities powers for the immediate removal of those illegally in occupation of green belt land; and if he will make a statement. [34596]

Ms Keeble [holding answer 8 February 2002]: Local authorities already have at their disposal a range of planning enforcement powers if they consider that an unacceptable breach of planning control has occurred. These powers include the ability to seek a planning injunction in the High Court or county court, to restrain any actual or expected breach of planning control. The exercise of enforcement powers is at the local authority's discretion. The powers apply irrespective of whether the land benefits from any special designation such as green belt.

Entering on to land without the owner's consent constitutes trespass. The owner of the land may bring a civil action for trespass before the courts and seek recovery of the land. Clearly where a local authority owns the land concerned, it is open to that authority to pursue

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recovery through this route. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provides a further route through which local authorities (and the police) can seek eviction.

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