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31 Jan 2005 : Column 644W—continued

Council Housing (Right to Buy)

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 216W, on council house sales, how much of the £3.0248 billion capital receipts generated from right-to-buy sales in 2003–04 was (a) set aside by local authorities and (b) centrally pooled for investment in new social housing. [209700]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold information on the value of the proportion of housing capital receipts set aside in 2003–04, and could provide it only at disproportionate cost. Under the set-aside regime, which was in force during the year in question, with-debt authorities were obliged to set aside 75 per cent. of the capital receipt arising from the disposal of a Housing Revenue Account dwelling through Right To Buy against debt. Debt-free authorities did not have to set aside any portion of the receipt. Central pooling of housing capital receipts was not introduced until 1 April 2004.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps the Government has taken to alert council tenants to changes in the Right to Buy regulations. [211189]

Keith Hill: Since 1980, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and its predecessors has published information for tenants on the terms of the Right to Buy scheme, in the form of a booklet. This booklet, entitled Your right to buy your home", has been updated regularly to reflect changes to the scheme introduced by successive Governments. It was revised to include the reductions in maximum discounts introduced in March 2003 and reissued at that time, and has since been revised again to reflect the changes to the scheme introduced by the Housing Act 2004. A copy of that latest revision was sent to all local authorities and housing associations in England in advance of 18 January 2005, when most of these changes came into effect. The covering letter encouraged social landlords to distribute the booklet to their secure tenants. It also set out the changes to the Right to Buy rules, and stated that further copies of the new booklet are available from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Free Literature supplier at Wetherby in Yorkshire.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of travel within the UK for the
 
31 Jan 2005 : Column 645W
 
Department was in each year since 1997; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence. [206465]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created following the machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The information held centrally shows that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister central total spend on UK travel is as follows:
£ million
2002–033.51
2003–043.88

Within this amount nothing was spent on helicopter costs and the following table shows what was spent for car hire charges:
Car hire£ million
2002–030.394
2003–040.547

Details of hotel accommodation and subsistence costs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

All staff travel complied with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code, and all ministerial travel is conducted in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Policies (Clwyd, South)

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Clwyd, South constituency, the effects on Clwyd, South of his Office's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [210335]

Yvette Cooper: Along with other Government Departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to improving the lives of people across the whole of the United Kingdom, including North Wales.

However, the services for which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is directly responsible in England are mostly devolved, and therefore a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./.

Disabled Facilities Grant

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons he is consulting on the future of the disabled facilities grant; and if he will make a statement. [210982]

Keith Hill: In response to a Parliamentary Question in the Other Place on 5 January 2004, Official Report, House of Lords, column 1, my right hon. Friend the Noble Lord Rooker announced a review of the Disabled Facilities Grant Programme.
 
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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 its efficiency and fairness. This will include a review of the DFG means test.

The Review Group will report to Ministers in May 2005.

Domestic Fuel Tanks

Mr. Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will require up-to-date information on the condition of fuel tanks to be included in the home condition inspection process. [211041]

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's proposals for home information packs, will usually include a home condition report prepared by a qualified home inspector. We intend that home inspectors should be required to make a visual inspection of fuel tanks and to report on any damage that is observed.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what planning requirements he places upon householders for bunding for domestic oil tanks. [211043]

Phil Hope: There are no planning requirements for bunding of domestic oil tanks. However, since 1 April 2002 pollution risks from domestic oil tanks have been addressed in the Building Regulations.

Freedom of Information

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many departmental files have been destroyed in each of the past five years. [203387]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created in May 2002. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also provides a records management service to the Department for Transport. Actual numbers of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's files destroyed each year prior to 2004 could be provided only at disproportionate cost but an informed estimate for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Department for Transport combined is as follows.

2002—23,500; 2003—20,800; 2004 (to 6 December) 53,252. A further 23,400 files are awaiting destruction.

Files continue to be destroyed in accordance with well established procedures. Files which are not viewed as having permanent historical value are marked out for destruction after a specified period. At the end of this period files are destroyed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's contractors, once confirmation has been received that there is no business reason for, or historical value in, retaining them. In 2002 and 2003 a backlog of files awaiting destruction developed due to machinery of Government changes and the closure of the Hayes Records Repository. The higher figure for files destroyed in 2004 reflects work to clear that backlog, although this still stands at 23,400 files.

Fuel Prices

Roger Casale: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how he intends that the standard assessment procedure rating system shall adapt to changes in the relative prices of different fuels. [211422]


 
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Phil Hope: The fuel prices used in the Standard Assessment Procedure are reviewed at intervals of between three and five years. When a review is made the price of each fuel is averaged over the preceding three-year period in order to smooth out short-term fluctuations. The intention is for Standard Assessment Procedure ratings to reflect trends in the relative prices of different fuels, rather than day-day variations, so as to provide a stable system.

Government Office for London

Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the running costs of the Government Office for London have been in each year since 1999–2000; and what the forecast is for 2005. [210132]

Yvette Cooper: The running costs of the Government Office for London since 1999–2000 are as follows:
£ million
1999–2000(10)16.0
2000–01(10)l3.2
2001–02(10)l3.2
2002–03(10)14.1
2003–04(10)16.7
2004–05(11)18.7
2005–06(12)17.3


(10)These are unadjusted actual expenditure figures.
(11)Projected forecast for the year as at January 2005.
(12)Notified budget.


Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff were employed by the Government Office for London in each year since 1999–2000; and how many are forecast to be employed at the end of 2004–05. [210133]

Yvette Cooper: The Government Office for London staffing figures 1 from 1999–2000 are in the table.
As at April:Number
2001240
2002260
2003288
2004325
2005(14)325

The Government Office for London carries out work on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much Government money was distributed by the Government Office for London in each year since 1999–2000; and what the forecast sum to be distributed in 2004–05 is. [210134]

Yvette Cooper: The Government Office for London (GOL) Programme Expenditure is tabled as follows 1 :


 
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£ million
1999–20002,202
2000–011,605
2001–022,094
2002–032,530
2003–042,724
2004–05(13)3,283


(13)Current allocation.


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