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22 Feb 2005 : Column 573W—continued
Staff Identity Passes
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of producing a staff identity pass was in the Department on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many staff identity passes have been reported lost or stolen in each year since 1997. [215081]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
The unit cost of producing a staff identity pass in Northern Ireland is £2.41. Identity passes for staff based in London are not produced by the Department and their cost is assimilated within our annual rent.
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The number of passes reported by staff in the Northern Ireland Office as lost or stolen each year since 1997 is as follows:
| Number of passes reported as lost or stolen | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 12 |
| 1998 | 5 |
| 1999 | 20 |
| 2000 | 27 |
| 2001 | 20 |
| 2002 | 12 |
| 2003 | 21 |
| 2004 | 20 |
| 2005 (to date) | 0 |
This reply relates only to the Northern Ireland Office and does not cover the 11 departments of the Northern Ireland Administration.
Suicides (North Belfast)
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have committed suicide in north Belfast in each year since 1997. [216417]
Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:
Working Time Regulations
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials working in ministerial private offices in the Department have worked more than a 48 hour week at any time in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those had signed a waiver under working time regulations; and what percentage these figures represented of the total in each case. [204139]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The working time regulations provide workers with the protection of a limit of an average of 48 hours a week working time. This is not an absolute cap of 48 hours in any one week. This average is normally calculated over a 17-week reference period, although this can be longer in certain situations (26 weeks) and can be extended by agreement (up to 52 weeks). Workers may choose to work more than 48 hours a week over this reference period by signing an opt-out agreement, but employers cannot force a worker to sign an opt-out, and workers cannot be subjected to detriment for refusing to sign an opt-out.
Six people have signed the opt-out agreement.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Business Rates
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government have to implement the 1997 Labour manifesto pledge on localising business rates. [216650]
Mr. Raynsford: The Government have appointed Sir Michael Lyons to undertake an independent inquiry that will consider the detailed case for changes to the present system of local government funding and make recommendations on any changes that are necessary and how to implement them. The inquiry will make recommendations on how best to reform council tax and will, among other things, be conducting thorough analysis of options other than council tax for local authorities to raise supplementary revenue, including reform of business rates. Sir Michael is due to report by the end of this year, to my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor the Exchequer.
Child Poverty
Vera Baird:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to achieve the
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Government's targets of (a) ending child poverty by 2020 and (b) halving it by 2010; and if he will make a statement. [216577]
Yvette Cooper: Tackling disadvantage is one of the five key aims for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Achieving government child poverty targets is an important part of this work.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made a significant input into the Child Poverty Review, which includes measures to contribute towards the long-term goal of halving and eradicating child poverty, including:
a 50 per cent. increase in the rate of social house building by 2008 providing 10 000 extra dwellings per year as outlined in Sustainable Communities: Homes For All" to help achieve the target to halve the number of households living in Temporary accommodation by 2010;
Providing £1.7 billion per year through the Supporting People (SP) programme to help vulnerable people sustain independent living including teenage parents or women fleeing from domestic violence, with benefit to their children;
The proportion of vulnerable households—including families with children—living in decent homes in the private sector, increased from 57 per cent. in 2001 to 63 per cent. in 2003. New data from English Housing Condition Survey confirms the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is ahead of expected progress towards its PSA target for the private sector.
We have succeeded in ending the scandal of homeless families having to raise their children for long periods in cramped B&B hotels. There were 96 per cent. fewer families with children living long-term in B&B hotels in September 2004 than in March 2002.
The Housing Act 2004 contains measures aimed at helping the most at risk from poor conditions and irresponsible landlords. Part 1 of the Act contains provisions to replace the housing fitness standard (also one of the criteria of the decent home standard) by an evidence based risk assessment procedure, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). HHSRS will help focus decisions about housing conditions on the hazards which impact on the health and safety of vulnerable occupants, including children. The measures are likely to be implemented this autumn.
The Housing Act also enables us to amend the statutory overcrowding standards through secondary legislation. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to consult on this.
Departmental Policies
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out with statistical information relating as closely as possible to Chorley constituency the effects of his actions and policies on Chorley since 1997. [216407]
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 UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy
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Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
In the local government finance settlements since 1997–98, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the amount of Government grant given to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Since 1997–98 Chorley has received an average annual increase in formula grant of 4.4 per cent.
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./.
Mr. Sedgemore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Haltemprice and Howden constituency, the effects on Haltemprice and Howdenof his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [216015]
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 UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since, 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
In the local government finance settlements since 1997–98, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the amount of Government grantgiven to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Since 1997–98 East Riding of Yorkshire has received an average annual increase in Formula Grant of 5.4 per cent.
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./.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Huddersfield constituency, the effects on Huddersfield of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [216871]
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 UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
In the local government finance settlements since 1997–98 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the amount of Government grant given to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per
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cent. increase in real terms. Since 1997–98 Kirklees has received an average annual increase in formula grant of 4.8 per cent.
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./.
Mr. Sedgemore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Witney constituency, the effects on Witney of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [216014]
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 UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
In the local government finance settlements since 1997–98, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the amount of Government grant given to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Since 1997–98 West Oxfordshire has received an average annual increase in formula grant of 3.2 per cent.
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./.
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