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Departmental Energy Use

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much (a) electricity and (b) other energy his Department has used in each year since 1997 (i) in total and (ii) per square metre; what the projected use is for each of the following years for which forecasts are made; what plans he has to reduce usage; and if he will make a statement. [135045]

Yvette Cooper: For parts (a) and (b) of the answer I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 3 November 2003, Official Report, column 404W.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created in May 2002 and published its Greening Operations Policy Statement in October 2002. In this it states an objective to meet the cross-Government target of an on-going 1 per cent. per annum reduction in greenhouse gas emissions against 1999–2000 levels (expressed in terms of carbon equivalent emissions).

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Greening Operations Policy Statement also identifies plans to reduce energy usage that include best practice advice to managers and staff, purchase of energy efficient equipment, introduction of more energy-efficient technologies and where possible increasing the proportion of energy obtained from embedded sources.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) staff expressed as a full-time equivalent and (b) press and public affairs staff were employed (i) in his Ministerial office, (ii) in other ministerial offices within his Department, (iii) by non-departmental bodies, (iv) by executive agencies and (v) by his Department in (A) 1996–97, (B) 1997–98 and (C) on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [138127]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002.

Data on staffing levels in the Civil Service is collected from departments and agencies twice yearly, in April and October. The latest figures, for 1 April 2003, were published on 16 October 2003. These are available on the World Wide Web at www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics. Copies of these documents are also available in the Libraries of the House.

Cabinet Office publishes information on non-departmental public bodies in its annual publication 'Public Bodies'. The information includes details of the number of staff employed by each Non Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) at 31 March each year. "Public Bodies 2003" is available on the Cabinet Office website at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/agencies-publicbodies

At 1 April 2003, six full-time equivalent staff were employed in the ministerial office of the Deputy Prime Minister. A further 22 staff were employed in other Office of the Deputy Prime Minister ministerial offices. The

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press office provides a centralised media service on behalf of the Office as a whole. As at 1 April there were 21.8 full-time equivalent press officers. Information requested on the number of press office staff employed in the NDPBs and executive agencies is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Disabled Children (Play Areas)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps his Department is taking to promote good practice on making play areas more accessible for disabled children. [139674]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published Developing "Accessible Play Space"—"A Good Practice Guide" on 12 November 2003. Copies of these are available in the Libraries of the House. "Developing Accessible Play Space"—"A Good Practice Guide" gives practical advice to play space providers on how to make outdoor play areas more accessible for disabled children. It will help play space providers to understand the issues that disabled children and their families face when using play spaces, and provides good practice examples of how to improve existing space as well as issues to consider when creating new ones.

Copies of the guide have been sent to all local authorities in England, as well as to housing associations and other play space providers. The guide is also available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website www.odpm.gov.uk

Emergency Night Shelters

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many people in each local authority were turned away from emergency night shelter accommodation in each year since 1997. [138885]

Yvette Cooper: This information is not collected centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Energy Performance

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement in respect of his policy on the labelling of buildings open to the public in terms of their energy performance. [139147]

Phil Hope: By January 2006, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive requires the United Kingdom to oblige owners of larger buildings occupied by certain types of public authorities and institutions, to openly display energy performance labels. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is considering how best to implement these requirements in the next major revision of the Building Regulations.

Energy Policy

Mr. Yeo : To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement, in relation to his Office, on (a) the amount of energy consumed, (b) spending on (i) energy and (ii) energy efficiency measures, (c) the amount saved through energy efficiency measures and (d) energy policy in each of the last five years. [108855]

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Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created in May 2002 and as such there have been no specific annual energy returns published to date. Energy figures for 2002–03 are being collected and will be published in due course.

The energy policy of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister includes compliance with cross-government targets and is as contained within the departmental Greening Operations Policy Statement as published in October 2002.

Fire and Rescue Service

Mr. Francois: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many support staff were employed by the Essex Fire and Rescue Service on 1 September 2003. [139663]

Mr. Raynsford: As at 31 March 2003 (the latest figures available), there were 179 (full-time equivalent) support staff employed by Essex Fire and Rescue Service. The actual headcount number of support staff employed was 197.

Mr. Francois: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many community education vans were retained by the Essex Fire and Rescue Service on 1 September. [139665]

Mr. Raynsford: There are four dedicated community education vans retained by Essex Fire and Rescue Service as at 1 September 2003.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what impact he proposes regional assemblies will have on the structure of the Fire Service in North Yorkshire. [140168]

Mr. Raynsford: The Government made it clear in the White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service" (Cm 5808 June 2003) that in those parts of the country that choose to have an elected regional assembly one of its functions will be to oversee a regional fire and rescue service. This will mean fewer individual fire authorities. Day-to-day operational response, fire prevention and community fire safety work, however, will continue as now to be delivered at a local level.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the reasons for introducing integrated personal development systems for the fire services in the South West Region. [140186]

Mr. Raynsford: Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS) is a national system which is being rolled out across the whole country. The reasons for introducing it are set out in the White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service" (June 2003).

Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with individual fire authorities on integrated personal development systems. [140187]

Mr. Raynsford: I have had no such discussions. But fire and rescue authorities are represented by the Local Government Association on the project board taking forward the integrated personal development system (IDPS) within the Fire and Rescue Service Modernisation Programme.

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Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated cost is of introducing integrated personal development systems for the fire service in the South West Region. [140188]

Mr. Raynsford: This is a matter for fire authorities in the South West.

Green Belt (Development)

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many applications have been received for development on green belt land since 1997; how many applications he approved for the development to proceed; and what the total size of the green belt area was on which he approved development. [138130]

Keith Hill: The information requested is not held centrally by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

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