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28 Apr 2004 : Column 1139W—continued

Management and Maintenance Allowance

Mr. Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the amounts of outturn prices of (a) management and maintenance allowances, (b) major repairs allowances, (c) guideline rent (assumed HRA rental income), (d) actual Housing Revenue Account (HRA) rental income, (e) subsidy to the HRA including housing benefit subsidy, (f) HRA housing benefit subsidy entitlement and (g) subsidy to HRA net of contributions from HRA to housing benefit costs were for (i) each housing revenue account in England and (ii) England as a whole for (A) 1990–01, (B) 2000–01, (C)  2001–02, (D) 2002–03 and (E) 2003–04. [166639]

Keith Hill: The information has been made available in the Library of the House. Item (a) is management and maintenance allowances; item (b) is major repairs allowances; these did not exist in 1990–91 and 2000–01; item (c) is guideline rental income; item (g) is the "housing element entitlement" of HRA subsidy; where positive, this is the subsidy paid to the authority prior to consideration of rent rebate subsidy; where negative, this is the contribution by the HRA to the cost of rent rebates and also occasionally includes a payment to the General Fund; item (f) is the "rent rebate element entitlement" of HRA subsidy; this is the subsidy paid to the authority towards the cost of rent rebates; item (e) is HRA subsidy entitlement and is the sum of item (g) and item (f) .

The above are subsidy items. Item (d) is the actual HRA rental income. This is not available for 1990–91 and is not yet available for 2003–04.

Property Consultative Group

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) total budget, (b) funding from his Department, (c) administration budget, (d) staff costs, (e) location of staff and (f) number of staff were for the Property Consultative Group for the financial years (i) 2002–03, (ii) 2003–04 and estimated for (iii) 2004–05 and (iv) 2005–06. [167844]

 
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Keith Hill: The Property Consultative Group does not have its own budget, but is funded from the administrative resources of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). It is serviced by staff working for the Land and Property Division in the Urban Policy Directorate of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, based in Westminster.

The Property Consultative Group began work in September 2003, and there were no staff costs in 2002–03. Staff costs in 2003–04 were £9,438 and estimated full-year costs for 2004–05 are £50,389. The number of staff working for the Group was just over one fifth of a person year in 2003–04 and is estimated to be just under one person year in 2004–05. The level of staff support and administrative costs for 2005–06 will depend on the workload of the Group, but we expect it to continue at broadly the same level as for 2004–05.

Public Bodies (Costs)

Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 29 March 2004, Official Report, column 1267W, on public bodies, what the internal costs to his Department were of (a) the Property Advisory Group, (b) the Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate, (c) the Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils, (d) the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, (e) the Community Forum and (f) the Residential Property Advisory Group. [166794]

Yvette Cooper: The internal costs to the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister for 2003–04 are estimated to be in the region of:

Advisory non-departmental public body (NDPB)	£000
(a) and (f) Property Advisory Group(43)	24
(b) Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate	70
(c) Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils	190
(d) Building Regulations Advisory Committee	70
(e) Community Forum	160
Total	514

⁽⁴³⁾ The Property Advisory Group was wound up in July 2003.

This includes the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's staff costs associated with sponsorship of the body and providing the secretariat for the body as appropriate; fees and travel and subsistence payments to members; publications; and other miscellaneous costs.

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what the total (a) administration and (b) staff costs were for the Building Regulations Advisory Committee in financial year 2003–04; and what the estimated costs are for financial years (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06; [169109]

(2) what the (a) total budget, (b) departmental funding and (c) internal costs to his Department of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee were in financial years (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04; and what the estimated costs are for financial years (iii) 2004–05 and (iv) 2005–06. [169113]

 
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Phil Hope: The Building Regulations Advisory Committee does not receive Government funding other than costs internal to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of sponsoring it.

For 2002–03 these costs were estimated to be in the region of £21,000 for administration and £49,000 for staff, and for 2003–04 £19,000 for administration and £51,000 for staff. These estimates include the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's staff costs associated with sponsorship of the committee and providing the secretariat for it; fees and travel and subsistence payments to members; publications; and other miscellaneous costs.

Costs in 2004–05 and 2005–06 are not expected to rise significantly.

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) total budget, (b) departmental funding and (c) internal costs to his Department were of the Property Advisory Group in financial year 2003–04. [169110]

Keith Hill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member on 31 March 2004, Official Report, column 1499W.

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what the (a) total budget, (b) departmental funding and (c) internal costs to his Department were of the Home Ownership Task Force in financial years (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04; [169111]

(2) what the (a) total administration and (b) staff costs were for the Home Ownership Task Force in financial year 2002–03. [169112]

Keith Hill: No administration and staff costs were incurred in relation to the Home Ownership Task Force in 2002–03. For 2003–04, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 31 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1498–99W.

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) total budget, (b) departmental funding, (c) internal costs to his Department, (d) total administration costs and (e) staff costs to his Department of the Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils were for the financial years (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04; and what the estimated costs are for financial years (iii) 2004–05 and (iv) 2005–06. [169117]

Mr. Raynsford: The Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils does not receive Government funding other than the internal costs to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of sponsoring it. For both 2002–03 and 2003–04, this was estimated to be in the region of £190,000. We do not expect costs to change significantly in 2004–05 and 2005–06.

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) total budget, (b) departmental funding, (c) internal costs to his Department, (d) total administration costs and (e) staff costs to his Department of the Advisory Group on Home Buying were for the financial years (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04; and what the estimated costs are for financial years (iii) 2004–05 and (iv) 2005–06. [169118]

 
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Keith Hill: The Advisory Group on Home Buying and Selling has been in existence since 1997. Membership includes representatives of central and local government, the Consumers' Association and the main professional and trade bodies involved in the home buying and selling process. The group has assisted with steering research, providing advice on options for reforming the home buying and selling process and helping consideration of responses to wide-ranging consultation on measures to improve the process. The main focus of the group's future work will be to assist with the development, implementation and co-ordination of measures, including home information packs, aimed at making the home buying and selling process easier and more efficient in the interests of buyers and sellers.

There is no central budget for the Advisory Group. Membership and participation is voluntary and unpaid. The cost of the group to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is minimal, comprising attendance of ODPM officials, accommodation for meetings, production and circulation of papers, and refreshments.

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