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Warm Front

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in Mitcham and Morden have benefited from the Home Energy Efficiency and Warm Front Schemes; and how much has been paid in grants (a) on average and (b) in total. [189335]

Mr. Morley: The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme is now marketed as Warm Front.

Since the beginning of the scheme in June 2000, approximately 1,360 households have been assisted, with a total expenditure of approximately £934,000 and an average grant of £684.

Watermark Project

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has joined the Watermark project. [188259]

 
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Alun Michael: Yes. Defra joined the Watermark project in September 2001. In September 2002 additional sites were included on the project. The majority of Defra office sites are now covered by the Watermark project.

The project was established in 1999 by OGC buying solutions, to develop benchmarking and management information on water consumption across the public sector. The service includes online access to a computerised database containing benchmarks for different types of building to help public sector organisations compare consumption rates and develop realistic targets for reducing usage.

Defra does not use the Watermark data collection service, as it has had its own database on water consumption for some years. However we have made good use of the benchmarking service and a number of site surveys to establish water saving measures.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Disabled Facilities Grant

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to review, in conjunction with other departments, the operation of the disabled facilities grant. [190391]

Keith Hill: In response to a parliamentary question on 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 1, my right hon. Friend the Lord Rooker announced a review of the disabled facilities grant programme.

This review is now under way. Its terms of reference are to review the operation and outcomes of the disabled facilities grant programme and to make proposals to improve the efficiency and fairness of the provision of housing adaptations for disabled people.

A Steering Group has been established comprising officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills. The group also includes a wide range of experts from outside organisations involved with delivering housing adaptations and representatives of disabled people. A research study has also been commissioned from the School for Policy Studies at the University of Bristol to support the Group's work.

The Group will report to Ministers in May 2005.

Castle Point Borough Council

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for how long he has placed a head official from his Department in Castle Point borough council; and if he will list the names and job titles of the head official's direct support team. [189469]

Mr. Raynsford: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has appointed a lead official, Anne-Marie Carrie, to work with Castle Point borough council. This appointment was made in July this year and is not for a fixed period. The lead official is supported by staff from the Local Government Practice Team of the Government Office for the East of England.
 
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Council Housing

Mr. Purchase: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council-owned dwellings under arm's length management organisation supervision have been brought up to the decent homes standard; and what the average cost is of such work in each region. [189651]

Keith Hill: Returns from local authorities and Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) that have qualified for additional funding in Rounds one and two of the ALMO programme show a reduction of 43,000 in the number of homes that fail the Decent Homes standard between October 2002 and June 2004.

Work by ALMOs to bring homes up to the Decent Homes standard are funded from local authorities' existing resources and their additional ALMO funding. The extent and nature of the work required depends on the condition of each authority's stock and other local circumstances. The following estimates of the overall unit costs of such work are derived from data and forecasts from authorities in Rounds one and two of the ALMO programme and cannot be regarded as representative, especially where they are based on a sample of one or two ALMOs.
Forecast expenditure by Round one and two ALMOs to bring homes up to the Decent Homes standard

Region	Cost per unit (£)	ALMOs in sample
East Midlands	14,600	2
London	16,200	5
Yorkshire and the Humber	13,900	4
North West	11,600	4
North East	8,200	2
South West	9,800	1
East	5,600	1

Mr. Purchase: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister by what date all council-owned dwellings will meet the decent homes standard if the current rate of progress is maintained. [189652]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is on course to meet this target by the end December 2010.

Mr. Purchase: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister by what date he expects all council housing departments to reach the two star rating needed to qualify for additional borrowing powers. [189670]

Keith Hill: Local authorities can qualify for additional borrowing for expenditure on Decent Homes by setting up Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) to manage and improve their housing stock. It is the ALMO that needs a two or three star rating from the Audit Commission to secure this additional funding. Of the 49 operational or proposed Arms Length Management Organisations on Rounds one to four the programme, 24 have already achieved a two or three star rating. Inspections of the others are scheduled to report between now and early 2006. Future Arms Length Management Organisations must achieve at least two stars within two years of becoming operational to qualify for additional funding.
 
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Departmental Energy Efficiency

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on energy efficiency in his Department's buildings. [185828]

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is fully committed to improving the energy efficiency of the buildings on its estate. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has recently published their Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate energy targets, which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has formally adopted as its own targets. Progress on these will be monitored on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's externally accredited Environmental Management System.

Domestic Violence (Leeds)

Mr. Battle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding is available for work with perpetrators of domestic violence in Leeds. [189970]

Keith Hill: There are currently two projects in the Leeds area that deal with perpetrators of domestic violence. These are the Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme (IDAP) and the STOP project.

The Government take extremely seriously the effects that domestic violence has on the lives of victims. To help tackle this abhorrent crime the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill, was introduced on the 14 June 2004. This represents a radical overhaul in domestic violence legislation. This bill will ensure that victims get the help and protection they need. There will also be a victims fund that will put money into practical services that will help victims. Indeed £4 million from the proceeds of crime has already been dedicated.

E-Government

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much expenditure his Department has allocated in each year since its establishment for public relations, marketing and publicity costs on e-government; and which external firms his Department has employed in relation to such activity. [188271]

Phil Hope: No separate allocation has been made for public relations, marketing or publicity costs on e-government. However, some of the funding from the local e-government programme has been allocated to support the dissemination of the products from the 23 National Projects, all led by individual local authorities, which have developed generic products and guidance on aspects of local e-government for all other authorities to use.

In addition, the London borough of Newham is acting as the lead authority on a project to provide a co-ordinated rollout of all the National Projects. The total budget for this project is £5.3 million. To help the authority carry out this work, the London borough of Newham has recently let a number of framework contracts to two private sector consultancies, Kaizo and Fishburn Hedges, to assist them to develop the
 
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communications strategy. These contracts were wrongly reported in the press as having been awarded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

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