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9 Feb 2005 : Column 1583W—continued
Directors' Awayday
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of his 2004 Office's Directors' Awayday in Southampton. [213500]
Yvette Cooper: The cost of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's 2004 Directors' Awayday in Southampton was £7,901.15. This includes 24-hour full board, meeting room hire and transport costs during the event. The event involved senior staff from across the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister together meeting local authorities and other local and regional stakeholders to discuss the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's delivery issues.
Electoral Fraud
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to minimise the possibilities for electoral fraud; and if he will make a statement. [215002]
Mr. Raynsford: The Government are committed to a programme of electoral modernisation, integral to which is the maintenance and development of safeguards to prevent electoral fraud and maintain the public's confidence in the electoral system. To carry forward this programme, we will continue to encourage local authorities to pilot electoral innovations and to consider carefully the Electoral Commission's evaluations of those pilots.
High Hedges
Mr. Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when local authorities will be able to implement powers within the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2004 relating to high hedges. [214618]
Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to bring the powers within the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 relating to high hedges into effect early this year. At that point local authorities will be able to consider complaints about high hedges where the parties are unable to agree a solution.
Before the legislation can be brought into operation, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister needs to put in place Regulations governing certain procedural matters (such as the arrangements for appealing against the local authority's decision) and issue guidance on its practical implementation. We are currently revising the Regulations and guidance in the light of responses to the public consultation carried out last summer.
9 Feb 2005 : Column 1584W
Household Electrical Supplies
Chris Grayling: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes he has made that have not yet come into force to the regulations covering household electrical supplies and systems and those who maintain them; and when such changes will come into force. [215347]
Phil Hope: Safety requirements for electrical installation work in dwellings, introduced as Part P of the Building Regulations, came into force on 1 January 2005. Electrical installation work contracted for or started by 31 December 2004 will not fall within the new requirements so long as it is completed by 31 March 2005.
Local Government Pension Scheme
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much in contributions was paid into the Local Government Pension Scheme by employees in England and Wales in each year between 1997 and 2003. [214916]
Phil Hope: The amount of contributions paid into the Local Government Pension Scheme by employees in England and Wales in the seven years between 1997–98 and 2003–04 is tabled as follows.
Source:
ODPM SF3 returns
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of employees in England and Wales who will qualify for retirement under the 85-year rule of the Local Government Pension Scheme in each year to 2015; and what estimate he has made of the number of employees who would be affected by the removal of the 85-year rule in each year. [215066]
Phil Hope: Data in this format and over this time period is not held centrally, nor is it held by the 89 funds which administer the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The 85-year rule is not a qualifying condition which conveys a right to retire. It merely determines whether and to what extent an actuarial reduction to a pension will apply.
An actuarial assessment was made of the overall cost impact of the 85-year rule based on percentage of work force covered by it, and its removal, with transitional protection, produces a saving of some £200 million per year.
9 Feb 2005 : Column 1585W
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many members of the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales retired before the age of 55 in each year since 1997. [215067]
Phil Hope: Details of the actual numbers of retirements from the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales, and the reasons they occurred, are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Planning
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the effects of the Human Rights Act 1998 on planning enforcement. [214833]
Keith Hill: The Human Rights Act requires local planning authorities, planning inspectors and the Secretary of State, my right. hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, when taking planning decisions, including enforcement decisions, to act compatibly with the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. Each case is decided on its individual merits.
Regeneration
Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his aims were for the conference on regenerating UK towns and cities held in Manchester on 31 January. [213871]
Keith Hill: The summit provided an opportunity for over 2,000 delegates and speakers from the United Kingdom and abroad to share ideas and experiences and to build broader and deeper partnerships for delivering sustainable communities.
Regional Assemblies
Mr. Steen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff are employed in each regional assembly; how much funding from council tax went to each regional assembly in 2003–04; and how much public funding the South West Regional Assembly has received since it was established. [215544]
Mr. Raynsford: Regional Assemblies employed the equivalent of 301.7 full-time staff at the end of March 2004 as detailed in the following table.
| Regional assembly | Staff employed (at end of March 2004) |
|---|---|
| East | 38.5 |
| East Midlands | 21 |
| North East | 28 |
| North West | 78 |
| South East | 32 |
| South West | 56 |
| West Midlands | 11 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 37.2 |
| Total | 301.7 |
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister made grants totalling £4,814,000 to the South West Regional Assembly from April 2001 to date.
9 Feb 2005 : Column 1586W
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold any information relating to how much council tax funding went to each regional assembly in 2003–04 and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Right to Buy (Pendle)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council homes have been sold under the right to buy in Pendle in each year since 1990. [214838]
Keith Hill: Annual figures of council right to buy sales for Pendle since 1990–91 as reported by the local authority are tabled as follows.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1990–91 | 137 |
| 1991–92 | 51 |
| 1992–93 | 52 |
| 1993–94 | 57 |
| 1994–95 | 50 |
| 1995–96 | 37 |
| 1996–97 | 34 |
| 1997–98 | 28 |
| 1998–99 | 46 |
| 1999–2000 | 64 |
| 2000–01 | 58 |
| 2001–02 | 70 |
| 2002–03 | 112 |
| 2003–04 | 143 |
Source:
Quarterly returns on council house sales (P1B) from local authorities to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
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