You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page
21 May 2004 : Column 1277W—continued

Winkleigh Biomass Project

Mr. Burnett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much direct or indirect expenditure by (a) central Government and (b) regional development agencies (i) has been incurred and (ii) is planned in connection with the proposed Winkleigh Biomass Project; and on what the expenditure was or will be incurred. [169461]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 29 April 2004]: In relation to payments by the Department and the South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA), the information requested was set out in the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Minister for State for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services on 11 March 2004, Official Report, column 1674W.

The grant undertaking awarded under the Bioenergy Capital Grants Scheme will provide £11.05 million conditional on successful construction and commissioning of the plant.

The funding approved by the South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) is to support the costs of feasibility studies (an Environmental Impact
 
21 May 2004 : Column 1278W
 
Assessment, a Biomass Study and an Economic Impact Assessment) and associated technical studies. These do not commit the Agency to any further expenditure. In addition SWRDA has bought land which, if the project were to go ahead, could be resold to the project at open market value.

I am not aware that any other Regional Development Agency or Department has made any payments to this project or has any plans to do so.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Council Tax

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost to (a) the Valuation Office Agency, (b) the Valuation Tribunals and (c) central Government of administering (i) council tax and (ii) council tax benefit was in financial year 2001–02. [174359]

Mr. Raynsford: The information is as follows:

(a) (i) The Valuation Office Agency (VGA) budget for council tax costs in 2001–02 was £13.3 million,

(ii) The VGA does not deal with council tax benefit cases.

(b) The cost of Valuation Tribunals administering council tax is not separately identified. The overall expenditure of the valuation tribunal in 2001–02 was £9.31 million.

(c) The Government are responsible for the policy and legislation rather than the administration of council tax and council tax benefit.

Council Tax Revaluation

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated cost to (a) his Department, (b) the Valuation Office Agency and (c) other Government agencies and bodies was of council tax revaluation for    financial years (i) 2003–04, (ii) 2005–06 and (iii) 2006–07. [174358]

Mr. Raynsford: The information is as follows:

(a) The cost of council tax revaluation for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not separately identified.

(b) The Valuation Office Agency estimated council tax revaluation costs are:

(c) The cost of council tax revaluation for the Valuation Tribunal Service is not significant for these years. Some preparation work will be required in 2005–06 and 2006–07 but this is not separately identified.

Departmental Officials

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which   former officials of the Department have asked for   permission to join (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG. [156901]


 
21 May 2004 : Column 1279W
 

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. Since that date there have been no requests from former officials seeking permission to join PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young and KPMG.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what secondments (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG has made to his Department since 2001; for what (i) periods and (ii) tasks the secondments were made; whether secondments of staff from his Department have been made to those firms; and for what (A) periods and (B) tasks. [156930]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. Since that date   there has been one inward secondment from PricewaterhouseCoopers, and none from the other organisations specified. The inward secondee, working in Local Government Efficiency Unit, started work in September 2001 and their secondment ended on 31 March 2004.

No staff from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have been seconded to any of the organisations specified.

Secondments are part of the Interchange Initiative which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the civil service and other organisations. Before an Interchange can occur all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interests arises.

Employment Agencies

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the employment agencies which his Department and its predecessors have used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 1996–97 to the most recent date for which figures are available. [163807]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. The Office has contracts for the supply of temporary staff with three recruitment agencies: Adecco, Brook Street and Reed. These contracts were awarded as a result of an invitation to tender by the Office.

Fire Service

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government have for inter-brigade co-operation in the Fire Service in the event of a serious emergency. [174674]

Mr. Raynsford: The Government are keen to ensure a co-ordinated response from the fire and rescue service in the event of a major emergency. That is why all fire and rescue authorities have been invited to sign a Mutual Aid Agreement, which will enable individual fire and rescue authorities to ask for assistance from another authority in the event of a serious emergency.

The development of the Mutual Aid Agreement forms part of the Government's commitment to improving resilience and the fire and rescue service's response to a major incident. The Fire and Rescue Services Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, should make such an agreement easier to establish in
 
21 May 2004 : Column 1280W
 
future as it will extend authorities' ability to enter into mutual reinforcement schemes to include new duties such as responding to the increased terrorist threat.

The Government have also established the New Dimension programme, which will help to ensure a co-ordinated response to any terrorist incidents on a national scale by providing suitable equipment and training to deal with such incidents. A national co-ordination centre is being established in order to provide central command and control when the New Dimension equipment is utilised. This will remain in place until such time as the regional control rooms are operational, when they will direct resources on a regional basis.

Housing

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Community Housing Task Force has yet been integrated within the Government office network; how many of its staff are (a) civil servants and (b) consultants; and what services they provide to local authorities whose tenants have voted to reject the Government's three options for council house privatisation. [174661]

Keith Hill: From 1 June, the Task Force advisers will be allocated to their respective Government office regions and will fall under the line management of their respective Government office housing directors. The practical arrangements are being agreed and formalised.

There are 13 civil servants on fixed term contracts and three on secondments arrangements from local authorities and the National Housing Federation. There are no consultants working in the task force.

Where tenants have rejected the options to deliver the decent homes target, the Community Housing Task Force will continue to support local authorities and its tenants to investigate other options within the decent home policy framework to achieve decent homes by 2010.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) for what reasons North East Lincolnshire was not granted the full sum for gap funding for its housing transfer for which it had applied; what assessment he has made of the effect this has on the business plans for the new housing association; and what plans he has to make supplementary gap funding available to North East Lincolnshire under the new arrangements for gap funding for areas of negative equity; [174500]

(2) whether the supplementary gap funding he announced in the week beginning 10 May for housing transfers in areas with negative equity will be made available to North East Lincolnshire. [174663]

Keith Hill: North East Lincolnshire sought £6 million, £2 million annually for three years, from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Housing Board transitional commissioning as gap funding to cover the negative valuation of its stock to enable its Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) proposal to proceed. The Board has agreed in principle to such a level of funding, with years two and three subject to the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. It has invited the Council to submit a final proposal by 4 June 2004 with
 
21 May 2004 : Column 1281W
 
a view to the Board making its final decision on 14 July 2004. Discussions will take place with the Board as to whether there is merit for their commitment to be absorbed within the central gap funding arrangements.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what councils, how many houses and how much land have been admitted to the Stock Transfer programme for each year since 2002–03; how many applied for inclusion; and what assessment he has made of what this means for future financing of councils which submit proposals by his deadline of July 2005. [174655]

Keith Hill: The following lists and tables show those councils which have applied for and/or been granted places on the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) programmes since 2002 and also the number of dwellings involved.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold information on how much land has been involved in stock transfer.

Local authorities transferring their housing stock under the LSVT programmes will have no impact on the   future financing of social housing in other local authorities.

Names of local authorities granted places on LSVT programmes since 2002:

2002 programme

2003 programme


 
21 May 2004 : Column 1282W
 

2004 programme


Number of dwellings granted places on LSVT programmes since 2002

ProgrammeNumber
2002180,794
2003123,543
200476,052

Names of local authorities applying for places on LSVT programmes since 2002:

2002 programme


 
21 May 2004 : Column 1283W
 

2003 programme

2004 programme


Number of dwellings applying for places on LSVT programmes since 2002

ProgrammeNumber
2002180,794
2003125,806
2004115,063

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) support, (b) advice and (c) guidance his officials have provided to North East Lincolnshire in connection with its campaign for the large-scale voluntary transfer of its housing stock; what estimate he has made of the cost of (i) staff time, (ii) travel and (iii) other expenditure in connection with such support, advice and guidance; and how much of that cost is payable by North East Lincolnshire. [174549]


 
21 May 2004 : Column 1284W
 

Keith Hill: As with any local authority on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Disposals Programme, North East Lincolnshire council have discussed their stock transfer proposals with officials of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister at each stage of the process, including seeking advice and guidance on all public consultation material. We make no specific estimate of the cost of staff time, travel or other expenditure in connection with the giving of support, advice or guidance to any particular local authority. No payment has been made by the council for any advice or support.

Next Section Index Home Page