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22 May 2003 : Column 978W—continued
Council Tax
Mr. Hendry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was raised in council tax in East Sussex in (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03; and how much is expected to be raised in 2003–04. [115473]
Mr. Leslie: Tabled is the figures for budgeted gross council tax income in East Sussex for each financial year. Gross council tax income includes council tax collectable by local authorities and council tax funded through Council Tax Benefit.
| 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 6.1 |
| Hastings | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 5.2 |
| Lewes | 5.4 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 6.9 |
| Rother | 3.8 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.5 |
| Wealden | 9.2 | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.3 |
| East Sussex county council | 128.5 | 142.5 | 150.9 | 181.7 |
| Sussex Police Authority(8) | 10.6 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 19.1 |
| Total | 165.3 | 181.6 | 195.4 | 235.8 |
(8) Amounts payable by council tax payers in the East Sussex area only.The above figures are the amounts expected to be collected in respect of each financial year. They are not the amounts actually collected within the financial year. Some of the council tax due for a particular year is not collected within that year. This means that the amount actually collected in any particular year is made up of income in respect of that year plus amounts collected from earlier and/or later years
Energy Efficiency
Mr. David Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what conditions building regulations impose on the builders of new homes for owner occupation in respect of energy efficiency; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the conditions on energy efficiency. [113782]
Mr. Leslie: The Building Regulations require that all new dwellings, regardless of intended occupancy, must comply with the energy efficiency requirements in Part LI. The person carrying out the work must also provide an Energy Rating calculated using the Government's Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP).
In the Regulatory Impact Assessment supporting the amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations that came into effect last year, it was estimated that the changes would improve the energy performance of new dwellings by around 25 per cent. and contribute an overall carbon saving of around 0.3 Mtonnes per year in 2010.
Faith Advisers
Mr. Battle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authorities employ faith advisers; and if he will list them. [114363]
Mr. Leslie: This information is not currently available. However the Inter Faith Network of the UK has been commissioned by the Home Office, and is
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working with the Local Government Association, to conduct a survey of inter-faith activity in all local authority areas in England and Wales. This includes relevant work by local authorities themselves. The results will be available in a report to be published before the autumn by the Inter Faith Network.
Fire Service College
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who the chief executive officer of the Fire Service College is. [112705]
Mr. Raynsford: The chief executive of the Fire Service College is Robin Currie OBE QFSM FIFire E.
Hazardous Substances
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he will bring forward to ensure that Council Directive 96/82/EC relating to hazardous substances and land use policies will be complied with under the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill. [114350]
Mr. McNulty: The land use planning requirements of Council Directive 96/82/EC on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances are implemented through the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Act 1990 and associated Regulations, the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 1992 and the Planning (Control of Major-Accident Hazards) Regulations 1999. These will all remain in force after the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill receives the Royal Assent. Additional measures will not be necessary.
Home Owners
Mr. Byers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of the adult population were home owners in (a) 1973, (b) 1983, (c) 1993 and (d) 2000. [115111]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is tabled below. Where the year shown is not that specified, the year given is the closest for which figures are available.
| 1977 | 54 |
| 1984 | 61 |
| 1993 | 68 |
| 2000 | 70 |
Source:
The figure shown for 1977 comes from the National Dwelling and Housing Survey carried out in 1977–78; the figure shown for 1984 comes from the Housing Trailer t the 1984 Labour Force Survey. The figures for 1993 and 2000 come from the Survey of English Housing.
Housing
Mr. Andrew Lansley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether, pursuant to his Answer of 16 May 2003, Official Report, column 492W, on housing, he will respond to the Cambridgeshire county council's proposed modifications to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan; and whether he will object to the inclusion of any further consideration of development of land west of Trumpington Road in Cambridge on grounds of (a) the contribution which
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that land makes to the Cambridgeshire Green Belt and (b) the effect upon the environment of the Grantchester Meadows. [115309]
Mr. McNulty: The Government Office for the East of England is currently considering the proposed modifications to the structure plan. It would not be appropriate for me to inform the House of my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's intended response to that consultation in advance of representations being submitted to the strategic planning authorities.
Housing Associations
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what role housing associations have in (a) the provision of voluntary and community services and (b) the development and delivery of policies to tackle social exclusion. [114351]
Mr. McNulty: Many housing associations deliver and manage housing in some of the most deprived areas of the country. They often provide or organise additional services for the community, such as neighbourhood wardens or community and youth facilities. They work closely with local authorities and other partners to tackle social exclusion in deprived areas and to deliver thriving communities. In addition the Housing Corporation's Community and Training Enabling programme empowers housing association tenants to take an active part in community initiatives.
Housing Benefit
Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average weekly housing benefit payment to (a) a council tenant and (b) a housing association is in each region of England. [115266]
Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
The information, is in the table.
Average weekly amount of Housing Benefit paid to local authority tenants and registered social landlord tenants in November 2002 by English Government Office Region.
| Government Office Region | Local authority tenants | Registered social landlord tenants |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 39.10 | 52.50 |
| North West | 45.10 | 57.80 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 39.30 | 65.60 |
| East Midlands | 41 .60 | 60.20 |
| West Midlands | 44.10 | 54.60 |
| East | 47.40 | 63.20 |
| London | 67.20 | 90.10 |
| South East | 51.50 | 67.80 |
| South West | 45.40 | 60.40 |
| England | 48.60 | 66.00 |
Source:
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in November 2002.
Joint Control Room
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the (a) practicality and (b) benefits of providing a joint
22 May 2003 : Column 981W
control room for (i) social services, (ii) fire, (iii) ambulance and (iv) other emergency services on the Isle of Wight. [114365]
Mr. Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made no such assessment. This is a matter for the relevant authorities to consider.
Local Government Ombudsman
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who investigates complaints about the Local Government Ombudsman; and by what means that body is accountable to Parliament. [113675]
Mr. Leslie: The Commission for Local Administration in England (the Local Government Ombudsman) is an independent statutory body with powers, set out in the Local Government Act 1974, to investigate complaints made by members of the public about maladministration by local authorities. Sections 28–32 of the Act set out the procedures which the Ombudsman must follow in carrying out his investigations. If an ombudsman fails to carry out his investigations in accordance with the provisions of the Act he may be challenged in the courts.
Funding for the Commission is provided through a deduction from Revenue Support Grant, which is approved by the House of Commons. The National Audit Office has access to the accounts of the Commission.
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