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Empty Homes

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the Government intend to allocate the council tax received from empty homes. [168374]

Mr. Raynsford: A dwelling, which is unoccupied and substantially unfurnished is exempt from council tax for a period of up to six months. A dwelling which
 
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is   unoccupied, substantially unfurnished and either requires, is undergoing or has undergone within the last six months major repair work to make it habitable or is undergoing or has undergone within the last six months major repair work or structural alteration is exempt for a period of up to 12 months. After the exempt period, council tax is payable. Until 31 March 2004, a 50 per cent. discount applied but now local billing authorities may choose to reduce or remove this discount. The additional council tax raised from reducing or removing the discount on long term empty homes will be taken into account in the calculation of formula grant in due course. The Government have no role in the allocation of council tax received from empty homes.

Fire Services

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of a Public Service Comparator solution to the Ministry of Defence Airfield Support Services Project on the commercial viability of the Fire Service College at Moreton in Marsh; and if he will make a statement. [167252]

Phil Hope: The Fire Service College is a service provider for the consortia bidding for firefighter training under the Airfield Support Services Project. The college welcomes the possibility of joint working with the Ministry of Defence. It has made provision in its business plan to do so but the College's planning remains flexible.

Green Minister

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what work his Department's Green Minister has undertaken in that capacity in the last three months. [165649]

Phil Hope: As the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Green Minister I have considered issues surrounding the Sustainable Development Task Force and the Sustainable Energy Policy Network (SEPN) of which I am a member. I am also lead Minister on the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Bill.

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings his Department's Green Minister has attended in that capacity in the last 12 months. [165650]

Phil Hope: As the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Green Minister I am a member of the Sustainable Development Task Force, the Sustainable Energy Policy Network and ENV(G). I have also attended meetings of the ad hoc Ministerial Group on Climate Change and the Sustainable Building Task Group. However, it has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees. This practice is now formalised by Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the meetings at which a representative of his Department was present regarding the delivery of sustainable development across Government, as co-ordinated by the Ministerial Sub-committee of Green Ministers. [165651]

 
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Phil Hope: As the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Green Minister I am a member of the Environmental Sub-Committee, ENV (G). However it   has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees. This practice is now formalised by Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Gypsies/Travellers

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the costs to Chelmsford local authority of the eviction of Gypsies and Travellers in the last six months. [164094]

Yvette Cooper: No estimate has been made by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the costs to Chelmsford local authority of the eviction of Gypsies and Travellers in the last six months.

Homelessness

Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many people are registered as homeless in North Tyneside; [165354]

(2) what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle homelessness in North Tyneside. [165363]

Yvette Cooper: Information on homelessness collected by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is in respect of applicant households, rather than persons. In the 12 months to the end of September 2003—the most recent period for which the authority provided information—North Tyneside reported 1,066 households accepted as eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need. As at 30 September 2003, 69 households were in temporary accommodation provided by the authority. Of these, 24 were housed pending completion of inquiries or a review; the remaining 45, along with a further 331 classified as "homeless at home", continued to be owed a main homelessness duty.

The latest local authority Housing Investment Programme returns for spring 2003 show that North Tyneside submitted a 0–10 estimate on rough sleeping.

In the quarter to the end of September 2003, the most recent period for which the authority provided information, North Tyneside reported that 14 households were in bed and breakfast accommodation provided by the authority.

The Homelessness and Housing Support Directorate within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has   provided North Tyneside Metropolitan District Council with funding of £79,593 in 2003–04 and allocated £92,000 for 2004–05. This funding will support the authority in their continued implementation of their homelessness strategy which they had to publish for the first time last year.

The Government's approach to tackling homelessness focuses on the problems homeless people face as well as places they live. This approach was set out in our March 2002 publication, "More than a roof".

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are investing significant resources into tackling homelessness—£260 million over three years (2003–04 to 2005–06)—
 
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double previous spending plans, together with changes to housing benefit subsidies, which are helping local authorities to meet the Government's commitment that by March 2004 there should be no homeless families with children living in B&B accommodation for longer than six weeks, and to sustain low levels of rough sleeping. It will also support new approaches that help people tackle the problems that are making and keeping them homeless—helping them rebuild relationships with their family, access training or employment, overcome debt or tackle drug addiction.

Housing (Manchester)

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the level of council funding for housing on the residents of Manchester, Gorton since 1997. [167463]

Mr. Raynsford: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance we introduced in 2001–02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Manchester's allocations in the period 1997 to 2003–04 have risen by over 200 per cent. and have been supplemented by the announcement of £125 million to be made available to the Manchester/Salford Housing Market Renewal pathfinder project between 2003–04 and 2005–06. In addition to this welcome increase there is support through the Community Housing Task Force and Government Office for the North West to help the local authority and its tenants to choose the best strategy for long term improvement.

Local Authority Confidentiality Rules

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authorities had complaints upheld against them for the breach of rules on confidentiality in 2003–04. [167595]

Mr. Raynsford: Between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2004 ethical standards officers of the Standards Board for England completed 52 investigations (in respect of 34 authorities) relating to allegations of failure to comply with paragraph 3(a) of the code of conduct for local authority members. This provision requires that the member must not disclose information given to him in confidence or which he believes is of a confidential nature without the consent of a person authorised to give it, or unless he is required to do so by law. Of the total number of investigations, 11 were referred for decisions on action either by the Adjudication Panel for England or the standards committee of the relevant authority. Sanctions were imposed in five of the cases, and in two cases it was decided that there was no failure to comply with the code. Decisions on the other four cases are still to be taken.

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