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Parliamentary Ombudsman

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many complaints concerning his Department have been received by the Parliamentary Ombudsman since May 2002; and how many complaints were upheld. [121788]

Yvette Cooper: Since May 2002, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has received a total of 47 cases concerning the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. At present, four cases are still in progress, and 43 have been resolved, none of which were upheld.

Planning

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the length of time was between local inquiries being completed and the decision from the inspector and the determination by his Department in each case of called-in application since May 2002. [121790]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's target in relation to called-in cases and recovered appeals for which the inquiry closed after 1 April 2002 was to decide 80 per cent. of cases within 24 weeks by March 2003. In the year to March 2003, 142 cases (95.3 per cent.) were decided within 24 weeks.

Of these cases, 37 were in relation to called in applications, 32 of these were made within 24 weeks. The average time taken was 19 weeks.

Five decisions took longer than 24 weeks:

Two decisions in relation to a community care home, The Ridge, Mansfield, Nottingham, one of which was a conservation area consent application (26.8 weeks). Inspector's report received 14.6 weeks after the inquiry closed.

Mixed use development detail and residential, Wolverhampton (24.6 weeks). Inspector's report received 11.4 weeks after the inquiry closed.

Housing development, land to the North of Weetwood Road, Weedon, Northumberland (call in planning application) 37.6 weeks. Inspector's report received 24.2 weeks after the inquiry closed.

Class Al foodstore, non food retail units, petrol filling station. Former Celcon Blockworks Site, Power Station Road, Rugeley, Staffordshire (29.8 weeks). Inspector's report received 17.6 weeks after the inquiry closed.

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Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether there is a requirement on a local authority to offer to the original owner (a) land and (b) property it has acquired for a development project which is subsequently not proceeded with. [121881]

Keith Hill: There is no statutory requirement for local authorities to offer surplus land or property back to the original owner when a project is cancelled. They are, however, commended to follow the Crichel Down Rules which are non-statutory guidance primarily addressed to Government Departments, which specify that land that has been acquired compulsorily or under threat of compulsion and is no longer needed by the acquiring body should be offered back to the original owner at its current market value.

Public Sector Contracts

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent developments there have been in the negotiations over the introduction of alternative dispute resolution methods into public sector contracts let by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [122227]

Mr. Raynsford: The Local Government Association, Employers' Organisation for Local Government, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) recently submitted a joint proposal for resolving disputes which might arise from the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters in Local Authority Service Contracts. The Code was published as part of statutory guidance to local authorities on 13 March. The proposal appears to meet the requirements set and the parties have been asked to develop it into a full scheme.

Race Relations

Angela Eagle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made in his Department and non-departmental public bodies on implementing the requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; and if he will publish the results of the monitoring required by the Act. [117476]

Yvette Cooper: As a listed public body subject to the General and Specific Duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published its Race Equality Scheme on 31 May 2003. This document provides a strategy and action plan for promoting race equality over the next two years covering the functions of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, its Agencies and the Government Offices.

In terms of publishing the results of required monitoring, we will use a variety of media—electronic and print—to communicate our progress on implementing the scheme, and specifically how we are meeting the requirements of the Act.

Those non-departmental bodies associated with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that are listed as subject to the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 are responsible for producing their own Race Equality Schemes.

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Referendums

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to commission a study into the use of referendums on government policies. [121784]

Mr. Raynsford: None.

Past studies of local government issues have, among other things, looked at referendums for elected mayors and on council tax. Evaluation of policy on regional governance will similarly cover a range of matters, including regional and local referendums.

Regional Assemblies

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the costs of running an elected regional assembly will come out of the existing regional budget. [121473]

Mr. Raynsford: The White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions", sets out the funding arrangements for elected regional assemblies.

The costs of running an elected regional assembly will not come out of the budget for regional programmes. Assemblies will receive general grant to meet most of their direct running costs in addition to their programme grant. But people in the region with an assembly will make some contribution to its running costs.

Retail Outlets (Planning Consents)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to propose amendments to planning law to prevent retail outlets constructing mezzanine floors without planning permission; and if he will make a statement. [122303]

Keith Hill: Additional internal retail floorspace does not normally require planning permission as it is not regarded as development. Where a maximum floorspace is specified in a planning permission, the provision of additional floorspace, even as a mezzanine floor, is likely to require consent, and, if built without consent, could result in enforcement action for its removal. The forthcoming revised PPG6 ("Town Centres and Retail Developments") will provide advice to local planning authorities on this matter. There are no plans to amend planning law to this effect.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research he has commissioned into the effect on the local economy and infrastructure of large retail outlets which have increased their floorspace through the installation of mezzanine floors without the need for planning permission; and if he will make a statement. [122304]

Keith Hill: No such research has been commissioned.

Right to Buy

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what factors underlay his decision to extend the right to buy discount repayment period to five years. [122326]

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Keith Hill: The Government's draft Housing Bill, published on 31 March 2003, proposes that the period during which people who have bought their homes under the Right to Buy scheme may be required to repay their discount if they choose to resell should be extended from three years to five years, and that the amount to be repaid should be linked to the resale value of the property less the value of any improvements made by the owner after exercising his Right to Buy.

The Government are concerned that the Right to Buy rules are being exploited by companies seeking to redirect public subsidy for their own profit, and that this is adversely affecting the availability of affordable housing in some areas. There is strong evidence that some companies offer tenants financial help to buy their homes on condition that they resell them to the company after the three-year discount repayment period has ended ('deferred resale' arrangements). The companies thus acquire former social homes at substantially less than their market value, and rent them out. This means that homes formerly available at subsidised social rents then command substantially higher market rents, reducing the availability of affordable housing. Research by Heriot-Watt University, published in May 2003, has demonstrated that such exploitation is prevalent in Inner London, where around 2,000 ex-council homes are now privately rented. The aim of the measures in the Housing Bill is therefore to make deferred resale arrangements less financially attractive.

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