| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
3 Feb 2003 : Column 11W—continued
Green Belt
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to give further protection to the green belt against developers purchasing agricultural land and selling it on in plots without planning permission; and if he will make a statement. [95128]
Mr. McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Wilkinson) on 28 January 2003, Official Report, column 789W.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if his Department will revise the 6 per cent. reduction in the Government's social services formula for the London Borough of Brent. [94633]
3 Feb 2003 : Column 12W
Mr. Raynsford: The figures the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published for consultation show Brent's Formula Spending Share for social services for 2003–04 increasing by 5.1 per cent. over the comparable figure for 2002–03. This is above the average for all outer London boroughs. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will publish the Government's final proposals for the 2003–04 local government finance settlement on 3 February, and will then be debated in the House on 5 February. In reaching our conclusions we have very carefully considered all the representations made to us during the consultation period, including those from the London Borough of Brent.
New Developments (Thames Gateway)
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport with regard to planned developments in the Thames Gateway. [94218]
Mr. McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has met the Secretary of State for Transport on a number of occasions to discuss a wide range of issues of common interest.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies affiliated to his Department are responsible for providing advice or services in London, indicating in each case the (i) overall budget and (ii) estimated running costs for each year from 1996–97 to 2002–03; [91633]
- (2) if he will list (a) the non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies affiliated to his Department, broken down by region, indicating in each case the (i) overall budget and (ii) estimated running costs in each year from 1996–97 to 2002–03. [91634]
Mr. Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for sponsoring six executive non-departmental public bodies who either operate solely in, or have headquarters in, London. These are the Audit Commission, English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation, the Standards Board for England, Stonebridge Housing Action Trust and Tower Hamlets Housing Action Trust. In addition, Castle Vale Housing Action Trust operates solely in the West Midlands and Liverpool Housing Action Trust operates solely in the North West.
There are five executive agencies which are the responsibility of Ministers within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre operates solely in London. The Rent Service has their headquarters in London and has a network of offices throughout England. The Fire Service College is based in the South West and the Planning Inspectorate's headquarters are also in this region. The Ordnance Survey's headquarters are in the South East.
All these non-departmental public bodies and agencies publish annual reports and accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
3 Feb 2003 : Column 13W
Pathfinder Report
Mr. Watts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who commissioned the Pathways reports; for what reason the Government commissioned the Pathways review; when he expects to publish its findings; how the draft Pathways recommendations differ from the Bain report's findings; and if he will place a copy of the draft Pathways report in the Library. [93418]
Mr. Raynsford: I assume that my hon. friend is referring to the report of the Fire Cover Review Task Group of the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council (CFBAC), also known as the Pathfinder report.
The report was commissioned by the Council in order to assess the practical issues that would have to be addressed if risk-based fire cover were introduced, as had been recommended by the Audit Commission in its report In the Line of Fire (1995).
The Pathfinder report was placed in the Library of the House and was also published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister web site on 23 December 2002.
The report made general recommendations about the implementation of Fire Service Emergency Cover and the way forward, including ways in which some of its numerical findings could be made more accurate. None of the quantitative findings reported in the Pathfinder report were endorsed by the Fire Cover Review Task Group. They recommended that the calculations which these findings were based on should be improved in various ways to make them more reliable. Bearing this in mind the Pathfinder recommendations are not at variance with those of Sir George Bain's Independent Review of the Fire Service.
The Fire Cover Review Task Group's report suggests that substantial improvements in Fire Service efficiency and effectiveness are achievable, especially if greater attention is given to fire prevention. Sir George Bain's report endorsed these findings.
Pensioners (Free Travel)
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make resources available for local authorities to introduce free travel for pensioners on public transport. [94870]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
I refer my hon. Friend to my reply of 23 January 2003 to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Rosindell) Official Report, columns 508–09W.
School Uniforms (Clothing Grants)
Ian Lucas : To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities pay a clothing grant to low-income families to assist in the purchase of school uniform. [94784]
Mr. Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Education and Skills does not collect data on the number of local authorities that currently provide clothing grants to assist in the purchase of school uniform.
3 Feb 2003 : Column 14W
South West Region
Mr. Flook : To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people are employed by the (a) South West Regional Development Agency, (b) Government Office for South West and (c) South West Regional Assembly. [92181]
Mr. Leslie: There are currently 214 staff in the South West Regional Development Agency, 327 in the Government Office for the South West and 50 in the South West Regional Assembly.
Mr. Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what has been the annual budget of the (a) South West Regional Development Agency, (b) Government Office for South West and (c) South West Regional Assembly since their inception. [92182]
Mr. Leslie: The annual budgets, since inception, are tabled:
South West Regional Development Agency:
| Year | Budget |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 62 |
| 2000–01 | 93 |
| 2001–02 | 114 |
| 2002–03 | (1)119 |
(1) Estimate
Government office for the south West:
| Year | Budget |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 7,138,000 |
| 1997–98 | 6,896,241 |
| 1998–99 | 7,006,070 |
| 1999–2000 | 7,864,940 |
| 2000–01 | 8,711,897 |
| 2001–02 | 10,755,110 |
| 2002–03 | 11,854,390 |
The information for 94–95 (first year of the GO) or 95–96 is not available. The figure for 02–03 is the current figure and may change.
| Year | Budget |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 567,574 |
| 2001–02 | 1,056,378 |
| 2002–03 | 1,534,910 |
PRIME MINISTER
Downing Street
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister how much has been allocated in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 for (i) improvements to and (ii) maintenance of Downing Street. [95026]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 31 January 2003]: Refurbishment and maintenance across numbers 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street is part of a continuing programme of work. The buildings are maintained to
3 Feb 2003 : Column 15W
standards appropriate to their listed status in consultation with English Heritage and other experts as appropriate. The buildings also fulfil an important representational role.
For the financial year 2002–03, the Cabinet Office Resource Account is still at the estimate stage and will require final adjustments and audit after the end of the financial year. Estimates for the financial year 2003–04 have not yet been agreed.
Fraud
Mr. Laws: To ask the Prime Minister how much money has been lost by his Departments and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies through (a) fraud and (b) theft in each year since 1996–97. [92425]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 31 January 2003, Official Report.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |