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15 Jul 2003 : Column 297W—continued
Regulatory Impact Assessments
Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department over the last year. [120864]
Yvette Cooper: A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals that have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. It includes details of the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating policy proposals and their impact.
From this year the National Audit Office (NAO) has a new role in independently evaluating a selection of RIAs. In their Annual Report, published in February 2003, the Better Regulation Task Force put forward suggestions of RIAs for the NAO to review.
The NAO review will focus on the quality of analysis in the RIAs and the thoroughness with which the RIAs have been undertaken. The findings and recommendations of best practice will be fed back to departments. It will play a valuable part in driving up standards of RIAs.
Sexual Dysfunction
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will commission a study by the Social Exclusion Unit into the impact of sexual dysfunction on social exclusion, with particular reference to those on low incomes with erectile dysfunction who are denied treatment on the NHS and cannot afford a private prescription. [123433]
Yvette Cooper: No. The SEU currently has a full work programme and is working on three major projects:
- Improving the educational attainment of children in care;
Tackling social exclusion among adults with mental health problems; and
Removing barriers to jobs and enterprise in deprived areas.
In addition the SEU is also carrying out work on Impact and Trends in social exclusion to develop a clearer understanding of how Government policies work together to tackle social exclusion for particular groups and to provide a comprehensive evidence base to inform current and future policy-making.
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The SEU's projects were chosen by my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister following consultation with other Ministers and suggestions from interested groups. Potential new projects are fully tested against a set of objective criteria which include assessing whether a potential new project area has a strong preventative focus; covers an issue currently falling between Government Departments, and will not duplicate work being done elsewhere.
Social Exclusion and Urban Policy Units
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many conferences staff of the (a) Social Exclusion Unit and (b) Urban Policy Unit attended in each year since the Unit was established; what the (i) cost and (ii) purpose was in each case; and how many were overseas conferences. [113551]
Yvette Cooper: In the financial year 2002–03 the Social Exclusion Unit attended 27 conferences at a total cost of £8,942.99. In the financial year 2001–02 the SEU attended 35 conferences at a total cost of £10,511.10.
Similar information for the SEU and the Urban Policy Unit for 1997–2001 is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost
All conferences attended are associated with the work of the Units.
Staff Drug Testing
Mr. Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will authorise drug testing of staff within his Department. [122136]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister currently has no plans to introduce drug testing of staff.
Staff Relocation
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have been relocated out of London since May 2002. [121783]
Staff Working Hours
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many persons in his Department worked in excess of 48 hours per week in any of the last 52 weeks; and what percentage of staff employed this represents. [121785]
Yvette Cooper: 160 staff in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, including its Executive Agencies, worked in excess of 48 hours per week in any one of the
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last 52 weeks. This figure represents 4 per cent. of staff. These figures do not include the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister staff working in the Government Offices where this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Towns and Cities (Regeneration)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps the Government has taken to regenerate the UK's towns and cities. [124199]
Yvette Cooper: The Government's policies for delivering an urban renaissance were set out in theUrban White Paper "Our Towns and our Cities: the Future" published in November 2000. This provides the framework within which Government policies and programmes affecting urban areas in England are co-ordinated.
In February 2003, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister launched "Sustainable Communities: building for the future"—a £22 billion action programme to improve housing and communities, including over £5 billion to regenerate deprived areas. This programme builds on the policies and actions in the Urban White Paper and the Rural White Paper "Our Countryside: the future."
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The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has established a £2 billion Single Regeneration Budget to provide resources to support regeneration activity carried out by local regeneration partnerships. Managed at regional level by the RDAs, this programme promotes sustainable economic growth, enterprise and major regeneration projects in nine English regions (including London), with a focus on urban areas. 14 Urban Regeneration Companies have been set up to regenerate some of the most neglected areas in our towns and cities.
English Partnerships (EP) are involved in wide range of regeneration and development projects across the country. EP is focusing on identifying and delivering more brownfield land for housing and sustainable urban development. Already an initial list of 42 sites have been announced for EP to concentrate on.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also investing over £4 billion through the Neighbourhood Renewal National Strategy Action Plan to tackle deprivation, and extend prosperity and opportunity to the poorest neighbourhoods in the country. This money is used to encourage the better targeting of services and mainstream public funds to the most deprived areas and to provide evidence of best practice through pathfinder programmes.