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Departmental Staff

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of his Department's staff is based in London. [208031]

Yvette Cooper: Information on regional distribution of staff is available in the Libraries of both Houses, and also at http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_ information/statistical_information/statistics/contents_ for_civil_service_statistics_2003_report/index.asp

Table D shows the numbers of staff by regional distribution.

Figures relating to 1 April 2004 are due to be published during February 2005.

Development Plans (South-West England)

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the proposal by the South West Regional Assembly that up to 30,000 houses should be built on green belt land between Cheltenham and Gloucester. [210415]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware that a consultation exercise is currently being carried out in Gloucestershire, seeking views on technical work that has been undertaken on behalf of the Regional Assembly by a Steering Group led by the county council. We are also aware that the consultation document does not contain proposals but seeks views on this technical work and the possible implications of different levels of housing growth in the Gloucester and Cheltenham area. This work and the views of local
 
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people will help the Regional Assembly to prepare a draft Regional Spatial Strategy that will be submitted to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister at the end of this year.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what instructions he gave the South West Regional Assembly regarding the Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West; and if he will instruct the Assembly to extend the consultation period on its proposals for Gloucestershire to at least three months. [210417]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's policies on the preparation of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) are set out in Planning Policy Statement 11, which was issued in 2004. Those policies must be taken into account by Regional Planning Bodies, including the South West Regional Assembly, in preparing their RSS. We have given no specific instructions to the South West Regional Assembly, separate from those policies. I understand that a consultation exercise is currently being carried out in Gloucestershire, seeking views on technical work that has been undertaken on behalf of the Regional Assembly by a Steering Group led by the County Council. The consultation period runs from 17 January to 18 February 2005. This is entirely a matter for the Regional Assembly and its local partners and it would be inappropriate for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to intervene.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost has been to (a) each of the six local district authorities in Gloucestershire in preparation of current local plans and (b) Gloucestershire county council in the preparation of its current Structure Plan. [210418]

Keith Hill: The Government do not monitor the costs incurred in preparing local and structure plans by individual authorities. The number of factors affecting the final cost of plan production will differ greatly between authorities, based upon for example, the development issues affecting the area, consultation processes, printing costs, number of representations received, length of inquiry, legal costs, and staff overheads.

Fire Service

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received regarding the availability of life insurance for firefighters. [206071]

Mr. Raynsford: The Fire Brigades Union have made representations to my right hon.. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister about life insurance cover in connection with terrorist incidents and was able to inform the General Secretary that assurance had been given by the Association of British Insurers that most life insurance policies have no terrorist exclusions.

Subsequently the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received correspondence from the President of Chief Fire Officers' Association and from the Fire Officers' Association. This is in addition to correspondence from a small number of fire and rescue services and five letters from MPs expressing the concerns of their constituents.
 
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Flood Plains (Development)

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what studies (a) the Government Office for the South West and (b) his Department has commissioned into the effect upon the flood-plain in Gloucestershire near Cheltenham and Gloucester of development near the flood-plain. [210416]

Keith Hill: The Environment Agency has the lead role in providing advice on flood issues, at a strategic level and in relation to planning applications. In October 2004 the Environment Agency published the new Flood Map and Flood Zones data, which covers the whole of England and provides information on the extent of flood risk areas and the location and implications of flood defence provisions.

The Government's policy on development in flood-plains, contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 25, is to reduce the risks to people and the developed and natural environment from flooding and it looks to local planning authorities to ensure that flood risk is properly taken into account in the planning of developments to reduce the risk of flooding.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to prohibit the use of domestic oil tanks and oil heating systems in flood plains and coastal areas which are at risk from flooding in respect of (a) new housing and (b) existing housing; and what representations he has received from the Environment Agency concerning this issue. [210355]

Phil Hope: There are currently no plans to prohibit the use of oil tanks and oil heating systems in areas which are at risk from flooding and, to date, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received no representations from the Environment Agency concerning this issue.

Housing

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will provide a breakdown of the Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Southwark in the Housing Corporation's 2004–06 Approved Development programme by (a) one-bed, (b) two-bed, (c) three-bed and (d) four-bed or more; [202970]

(2) if he will provide a breakdown of the Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Southwark in the Housing Corporation's 2004–06 Approved Development Programme by (a) conventional shared ownership, (b) key worker shared ownership, (c) Homebuy and (d) other forms of low cost home ownership. [202971]

Keith Hill: A table with the breakdown of Low Cost Home Ownership by type and by bedroom numbers for 2004–06 for all London boroughs has been made available in the Library of the House.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total amount of capital receipts from shared owners staircasing up their equity share in 2003–04 was; and how many units were involved. [209709]

Keith Hill: In 2003–04 a total of £65.5 million was credited to the recycled capital grant fund (RCGF) in respect of shared owners staircasing up their equity share. This involved a total of 3,551 dwellings.
 
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Housing Benefit

Mr. Fisher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many and what proportion of (a) council tenants, (b) housing association tenants and (c) tenants in the private sector in Stoke-on-Trent receive housing benefit. [210858]

Keith Hill: A table with the percentage of housing association tenants for local authority areas in England has been made available in the Library of the House. Comparable data for local authority tenants and tenants in the private sector are not available centrally.

Leasehold Reform Act

Mr. Colman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to amend section 29 of the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 dealing with restrictive covenants. [208531]

Keith Hill: The Government have no current plans to amend section 29 of the Leasehold Reform Act 1967.

Mr. Colman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will introduce an arbitration scheme for cases in which a freeholder disputes the level of premium charged by a local authority, exercising its legal right to do so, for a release under section 29 of the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 covenant. [208532]

Keith Hill: No.

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