| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
25 Oct 2004 : Column 1074W—continued
Water Metering
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what he expects the earliest possible date for the introduction of household water metering to be; and if he will make a statement. [193334]
Mr. Spellar:
On 13 September 2004, I announced my proposals for the basis upon which household water and sewerage charges will be set. The announcement made clear that the new charges would be phased in from 2006–07, or as soon as practicable thereafter. In my statement I acknowledged the strong preference for metering by those who had expressed an opinion in the 2003 consultation exercise. In recognition of this, and despite the fact that metering was ruled out by the Northern Ireland Executive in its 2002 consultation on rating policy, I am proposing to make provision for household metering once charges are fully phased in—that is, the third year of charging. This will provide time to develop an approach to metering which promotes reduced consumption, is fair and affordable and which does not have unacceptable consequences for those on low incomes or vulnerable groups.
25 Oct 2004 : Column 1075W
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Beach Safety
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with (a) other Government departments and (b) local authorities on safety on beaches. [193432]
Phil Hope: The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents organised the National Water Safety Congress held in Brighton in March 2004 at which the National Water Safety Forum was launched. An important part of the Forum is the establishment of an advisory group on beach safety. Water safety is a subject that cuts across many Government Departments. Therefore, an inter-governmental group with representatives from the relevant Departments and devolved administrations has been established to interact with the Forum. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is represented on this group.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has met regularly with representatives of local authorities, other Government Departments with an interest and the providers of rescue services to discuss coastal safety including the safety of people using local beaches.
Circular 1/94
Mr. Luff: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of large-scale and deliberate breaches of planning control by travellers in setting up large encampments on the integrity of the planning system. [193115]
Keith Hill: Local planning authorities have wide range of enforcement powers available to deal with breaches of planning control.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is however aware of the concerns surrounding the development of gypsy and traveller sites in breach of planning control. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is undertaking a thorough review of policy relating to gypsy and traveller accommodation needs including the advice given in circular 1/94 'Gypsy Sites and Planning' to ensure local authorities assess the accommodation needs of gypsies and travellers in their development plans and make provisions to meet those needs. This should help reduce instances where sites are developed without planning permission.
Council Housing
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many applicants are on the waiting list for council properties in each local authority area in Tyne and Wear. [193327]
Keith Hill: The number of applicants on the waiting list for council properties in each local authority in Tyne and Wear are tabled.
25 Oct 2004 : Column 1076W
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses each local authority in Tyne and Wear has; and how many each had in 1997. [193331]
Keith Hill: The number of council houses in each local authority in Tyne and Wear at present, and in 1997, are tabled as follows.
Local authority | Stock at 1 April 2004 | Stock at 1 April 1997 |
|---|---|---|
| Gateshead | 23,494 | 28,545 |
| Newcastle | 32,367 | 38,196 |
| North Tyneside | (34)16,958 | 22,533 |
| South Tyneside | (34)19,484 | 24,366 |
| Sunderland | n/a as Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) occurred in 2001. | 41,368 |
(34) at 1 October 2004
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department has had with North Tyneside council regarding the council housing appraisal process. [193336]
Keith Hill: The Government Office North East Housing Team, including specialist staff from the Community Housing Task Force (CHTF) have been involved in an on-going discussion with North Tyneside metropolitan borough council (MBC) regarding the Option Appraisal process since June 2003 when the relevant guidance was published. Regular meetings with council officers, tenants and other interested parties are held and the Government Office's CHTF officer attends the Option Appraisal Steering Group in an advisory capacity. In recent times, meetings have been held at least monthly. Government Office is assisting all parties by facilitating training and encouraging positive action towards the evaluation of all available options in the lead up to a final decision in early 2005.
Council Tax
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people have been convicted for non-payment of council tax in each year since 2000. [193316]
Mr. Raynsford: Non-payment of council tax is not a criminal offence. However, a local authority may apply to the magistrate for a person to be committed to prison if a bailiff has been unable to find sufficient goods to seize in order to meet the debt. The magistrate may only issue a warrant of commitment if the non-payment is due to wilful refusal or culpable neglect on the part of the council taxpayer.
The Government do not collect council tax enforcement statistics, but from information supplied by some local authorities to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy it is estimated that the number of people in England committed to prison for non payment of council tax is as follows.
25 Oct 2004 : Column 1077W
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 65 |
| 2001–02 | 80 |
| 2002–03 | 72 |
Figures for more recent years are not yet available.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to increase the number of council tax bands pending the longer term review of local government finance. [193317]
Mr. Raynsford: The Government have accepted the Balance of Funding Review's conclusion that council tax in England should be retained but reformed. There is a statutory requirement for a revaluation in 2007, but no decisions have yet been made on what the reform should be. The Government now look to Sir Michael Lyons' Independent Inquiry to make recommendations on any changes that are necessary and how to implement them.
Decent Homes Standard
Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authorities in England he expects to meet the Government's Decent Homes Standard by 2010; and if he will list those which are expected not to achieve the Standard. [193241]
Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects all stock owning local authorities to meet the Decent Homes Standard by 2010.
Departmental Consultants
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Department spent on outside information technology and communication specialists, consultants and engineers in the 2003–04 financial year. [192759]
Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent approximately £11.2 million centrally on outside information communication and technology consultants and contractors during the 2003–04 financial year.
Fire Service Pensions
Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the gap is in funding for Fire Service pensions. [192960]
Phil Hope: The Firefighters' Pension Scheme is an unfunded scheme and fire and rescue authorities pay pensions from revenue. Members' pension contributions are treated as revenue. The cost of pensions is increasing and the value of the benefits is now estimated to be 37.5 per cent. of pensionable pay. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware of the problems which the current arrangements cause and have already announced that we will be publishing proposals on future financing arrangements for consultation in early 2005.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Fire Brigades Union on pensions. [192961]
25 Oct 2004 : Column 1078W
Phil Hope: The Fire Brigades Union is represented on the Firefighters' Pensions Committee, which provides a forum for discussion of pension issues and is the usual channel for the consultation required by section 34(5) of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. The Committee replaces a sub-committee of the former Central Fire Brigades Advisory Committee. The Committee meets quarterly.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to raise the normal retirement age for firefighters to (a) 55 and (b) 65 years. [192962]
Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published proposals on 13 October for changes to the pension arrangements for firefighters, including proposals that the minimum pension age under the existing pension scheme should be raised to age 55 from April 2006; and that the normal pension age under a new pension scheme for new entrants to the Fire and Rescue Service should be age 65, with alternative options including a normal pension age of 60 and possibly allowing members to take their pension at age 55, at the discretion of the employer. Consultation will end on 14 January 2005 and we will take decisions on the structure of the new arrangements as soon as possible thereafter.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |