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Right to Buy
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of increasing the maximum cash incentive scheme grant available in London to a level (a) equal to the maximum right to buy discount available in London and (b) 25 per cent. higher than the maximum right to buy discount in London. [44465]
Ms Keeble: No recent assessment has been made of the impact of increasing the limits on maximum Cash Incentive Scheme grants.
Rate Relief Scheme
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how increased charges to those businesses that will not qualify for assistance under the proposed rate relief scheme in the Government's Strong Local Leadership-Quality Public Services White Paper, will be implemented; and if he will make a statement. [46193]
Dr. Whitehead: The White Paper proposed a rate relief scheme for small businesses, funded through a small supplement of no more than 2.5 per cent. on the bills of ratepayers not receiving the relief. The scheme will require primary legislation to allow for the relief and to allow for the small upward adjustment in the national rate poundage that will apply to those not receiving relief. The timing of this legislation depends on the availability of parliamentary time.
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Homelessness
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many families were living in bed and breakfast accommodation, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) local authority. [44715]
Ms Keeble [holding answer 21 March 2002]: Available information reported by local authorities in England on the number of households accommodated in bed and breakfast hotels under statutory homelessness provisions on 31 December 2001, has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Information is collected at local authority level only.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced a new commitment to ensure that by March 2004 no family with children will be placed in bed and breakfast other than in an emergency. This was accompanied by changes in housing benefit subsidies to make leasing self-contained temporary accommodation more cost effective, and an additional £35 million from DTLR to help local authorities find alternatives to bed and breakfast.
Rough Sleepers
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the number of rough sleepers in (a) Leeds and (b) West Yorkshire at the latest available date. [45371]
Ms Keeble: Tables showing the local authority HIP estimates and results of street counts for 1998, 1999, 2000 and the latest figures for 2001 were placed in House Libraries on 11 December 2001, Official Report, columns 797–98W. Local authorities not listed in the tables for those years submitted either an estimate of 0–10 or no estimate in their HIP returns.
Queen's Jubilee
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much the Department has spent on the Queen's Jubilee in each of the past three years; how the money was allocated; and if he will make a statement. [44602]
Dr. Whitehead: Over the past year the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has been fully involved in the preparations for the Golden Jubilee. As these costs have been absorbed in the general running of the Department, it is not possible to state what these costs have been.
Staff (Locally Elected Representatives)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many members of staff at his Department are locally elected democratic representatives; and if he has a strategy for his Department to encourage members of staff to become locally elected democratic representatives. [44560]
Dr. Whitehead: The DTLR does not keep a centralised record of those members of staff who are locally elected democratic representatives.
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My Department supports members of staff who wish to take part in all local democratic processes, although some staff are precluded from certain activities due to the nature of their positions.
Abandoned Cars
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to make a statement on the outcome of the consultation on abandoned cars. [45189]
Mr. Jamieson: My right hon. Friend expects to make an announcement shortly.
Neighbourhood Management Programme
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the Government plans to announce a further round of funding under the Neighbourhood Management Programme; and if he will make a statement. [44791]
Ms Keeble: The Government do intend to announce a further round of funding under the Neighbourhood Management programme. We are keen to learn early lessons from the first round of Pathfinders to help shape our approach in a second round. My Department is developing options for taking this forward, and I hope to be able to announce details of a further round by late spring/early summer.
Marine and Port Safety
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on changes to the safety bodies responsible for (a) marine and (b) port safety issues since June 2001. [45650]
Mr. Jamieson: There have been no such changes.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with (a) Humber pilots and (b) Associated British Ports since 12 December 2001 regarding pilotage on the River Humber. [45647]
Mr. Jamieson: Officials have maintained regular contact with ABP in order to confirm the assurances which they have given us that the safe operation of the Humber ports will not be affected by a dispute with their former pilots. Officials last met representatives of the former pilots at the end of January when the former Chairman and Secretary of Humber Pilots Ltd. called shortly before giving up these positions. The Department has since had two exchanges of correspondence with the acting Chairman.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions by what mechanism his Department (a) implements and (b) monitors marine organisations and companies against the Port Marine Safety Code. [45649]
Mr. Jamieson: The Port Marine Safety Code applies to statutory harbour authorities, some of which are companies—others are trusts and local authorities. The code required participating authorities to complete
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implementation by the end of 2001, and the Department has commenced a review of this work which will run to the end of 2002.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of changes to the nature of pilotage since 12 December 2001. [45648]
Mr. Jamieson: A new pilotage service was introduced on the Humber on 12 December when the former pilots went on strike. My Department has closely monitored the new arrangements and I hope to be in a position to place in the Library a copy of a report of that work.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received since 12 December 2001 from (a) Humber pilots and (b) Associated British Ports regarding (i) pilotage on the River Humber and (ii) other issues. [45646]
Mr. Jamieson: Associated British Ports have provided regular reports to confirm the assurances which they have given us that the safe operation of the Humber ports will not be affected by a dispute with their former pilots. Former Humber pilots and others—mainly pilots in other ports—have made various representations.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what role his Department has played in negotiations between the Humber pilots and the Associated British Ports regarding the Humber pilots dispute. [45645]
Research
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether reports published by his Department from research conducted for his Department may be (a) materially altered and (b) edited from the original documentation supplied to the Department before publication. [45658]
Mr. Jamieson: Amendments may be made to the format and content of draft reports in so far as these relate to the presentation of the results of the research and interpretation of relevant policy. Once final draft reports are agreed, they are published, or otherwise made available, without alteration.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2002, Official Report, column 915W, on research documents, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Department's research management policies and practices and the handling of research and/or contractor information as referred to in Annex A of the DTLR(C) Reseach Overview. [45672]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House. It should be noted that this is internal guidance and subject to regular update and revision.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2002, Official Report, column 915W, on research documents, who is preparing the specification for further work to present the
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information in a form suitable for access through the DTLR website; what timetable has been agreed for this specification to be completed; what form this specification is likely to take; and what timetable for completion of work to enable access to be available is expected. [45674]
Mr. Jamieson: My officials are developing the specification to provide a basis for further work within the Department (to ensure consistency of information and compatability with other information available on the website) and for commissioning further software development (to facilitate access to the data). No firm timetable has yet been agreed.
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