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20 Dec 2004 : Column 1488W—continued
Departmental Files
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes have been promulgated in each of the past five years to the guidelines or other criteria for the retention or destruction of departmental files. [203306]
Phil Hope: Since May 2002, when the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed, 44 schedules have been put in place for the disposal of records which are specific to its administrative activities. It also disposes of its records in accordance with over 20 guidance notes produced by The National Archives (TNA) over the last five years, covering disposal schedules, managing records in the electronic environment, as well as overarching records management guidance. Further details of this guidance can be found on TNA's website at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/recordsmanagement/advice
Domestic Violence
Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) Supporting People scheme reviews of local women's refuges are consistent across the country, (b) Supporting People reviews are undertaken by officers who have been trained in domestic violence and (c) the national network of refuges will be (i) sustained and (ii) developed. [206041]
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Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is working in partnership with Woman's Aid to provide training to all administering authorities on reviewing domestic violence services. This will provide consistency at a national level and ensure that officers are appropriately trained.
Domestic Violence services have been "designated" which means that the approval of the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, must be sought prior to any Supporting People funding being withdrawn. Administering Authorities must produce a five year strategy for submission to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by March 2005. These strategies will identify local needs and priorities and we will analyse these to ensure that the disadvantaged groups have not been marginalised. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will also monitor the implementation and development of the strategy.
East of England Regional Chamber
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many members the East of England Regional Chamber has; and how much members are paid, including expenses. [201954]
Mr. Raynsford: The voluntary East of England Regional Assembly has 107 members.
Information relating to member payments and expenses is not held centrally as it is a matter for the assembly.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many unelected representatives there are in the East of England Regional Chamber; and who appointed each unelected representative. [201955]
Mr. Raynsford: The voluntary East of England Regional Assembly has 33 unelected members representing social, economic and environmental stakeholders. The full list of bodies invited by the East of England Regional Assembly to nominate stakeholders is listed as follows:
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff were employed by the East of England Regional Chamber in each of the last two years; and what the total staff costs were in each year. [201956]
Mr. Raynsford: At the end of the 2003–04 financial year the voluntary East of England Regional Assembly employed 35.5 members of staff.
The assembly currently employs 45 members of staff. The total salary budget for the financial year 2003–04 was £1,454,661 and for the current financial year is £1,722,502.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Battle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received concerning the incorporation of (a) micro generation of renewable energy, (b) domestic combined heat and power units and (c) energy conserving building techniques in the building regulations; and if he will make a statement. [204274]
Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received representations on these matters in response to the consultation last summer on proposals to revise the energy efficiency provisions in the Building Regulations in England and Wales. All the responses received will shortly be made available for inspection in the Library of the House. We are, with advice from the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, reconsidering the proposals in the light of the points made with the aim of enabling the Government to lay amending legislation next summer.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has received the results of the survey undertaken for the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes regarding levels of compliance with the 2002 changes under Part L of the Buildings Regulations; and if he will make a statement. [204556]
Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received the results of this survey which add to its own findings that there is cause for concern. The Government gave a commitment in the Energy White Paper to working with local authorities to see whether and how enforcement of the Building Regulations can be cost-effectively improved. Work is in progress as part of the current review of Part L and measures being considered include better guidance, dissemination and training, and expansion of the approved competent persons schemes.
European Union Decade of Roma
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what national targets he has set for improvements in the (a) economic status and (b) social inclusion of the gypsy and traveller communities for the duration of the European Union Decade of Roma Inclusion to be launched in 2005; and what progress he has made towards the establishment of the information base from which to draw comparative data. [205309]
Keith Hill:
The Decade of Roma Inclusion is an initiative involving eight states in central and south-east Europe with the objective of speeding up and improving
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the social inclusion and the economic status of the Roma in those countries. The United Kingdom is not a participant.
However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is involved in a similar initiative which aims to improve the lives of gypsies and travellers in England. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Social Exclusion Unit has recently begun work on a project focusing on improving service delivery for people who move frequently or have traditionally maintained a mobile lifestyle. The project's remit covers a number of different groups, including gypsies and travellers. The project output will be an analysis of the problem and an action plan for improvement, agreed across Government.
Fire and Rescue
Mr. Gale: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list (a) national incidents, (b) incidents in the South East region and (c) new dimension scale incidents involving fire and rescue services that have taken place during each of the past 10 years, broken down by (i) date and (ii) location. [205407]
Mr. Raynsford: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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