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28 Feb 2005 : Column 985W—continued

Local Government Finance

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the total council tax revenueraised by local authorities from charging on empty properties in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05. [218677]

Mr. Raynsford: It is provisionally estimated that just over £200 million is being raised by local authorities from charging council tax on long-term empty homes in 2004–05. Homes that have been empty for less than six months are exempt from council tax.

Corresponding estimates for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are not available as information on empty homes collected for those years did not include a breakdown by council tax band, and estimates for the total amount collected are dependent on this breakdown.

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of total council tax revenue which will be raised by local authorities for charging on second homes in 2005–06. [218879]

Mr. Raynsford: None. Information relating to council taxes and second homes in 2005–06 is not yet available.

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the annual revenue grant increase was for Worcester city council in each year from 1992–93 to 2004–05 in (a) real and (b) cash terms. [213456]

Mr. Raynsford: The changes in revenue grant for Worcester city council in each year from 1993–94 to 2004–05 in (a) real and (b) cash terms are tabled as follows.
Changes in revenue grant for Worcester city council

	Cash £000	Real terms at 2004–05 prices	Cash % change	Real term % change
1993–94	5,710	7,484	—	—
1994–95	6,285	8,120	10.1	8.5
1995–96	6,271	7,873	-0.2	-3.0
1996–97	6,329	7,688	0.9	-2.3
1997–98	6,186	7,327	-2.3	-4.7
1998–99	6,595	7,592	6.6	3.6
1999–2000	6,686	7,533	1.4	-0.8
2000–01	6,920	7,707	3.5	2.3
2001–02	7,130	7,744	3.0	0.5
2002–03	7,281	7,646	2.1	-1.3
2003–04	7,387	7,545	1.5	-1.3
2004–05	8,222	8,222	11.3	9.0

 
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The cash figures have been deflated using the GDP deflator. Changes between years are not directly comparable because they do not take account of changes in function or funding.

The data are as supplied by the local authority and for 2003–04 and 2004–05 are budget data what the authority anticipate they will be receiving. Data for 1992–93 are not available. The budget data for 2004–05 include a large amount for Planning developments", which will be funded by special and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance".

Revenue grants include special and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance, SSA reduction grant, Revenue Support grant, Central Support Protection grant and Redistributed Non-domestic rates.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many departmental (a) canteens and (b) bars there are; and how much has been spent on the (i) running, (ii) staffing and (iii) supply costs of each in each year since 1997. [213629]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (C) has two staff canteens and one bar, with the latter run by the sports and social club (SPARTA). None of these receive any sponsorship and they are provided at no cost to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Agencies provide two staff canteens, of which only the facility at the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol receives any sponsorship. The costs for the Planning Inspectorate facility are:
£

	Running cost	Staffing cost	Supply cost	Total cost
May 2002-March 2003	55,520	0	0	55,520
April 2003-March 2004	48,174	0	0	48,174

These figures are exclusive of VAT, and include subsidies paid to contractors. The figures do not include sums recovered from other Government Departments.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Agencies provide three bars which are at the Fire Service College and are for the use of those attending residential courses. None of these receives any sponsorship and they are provided at no cost to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
 
28 Feb 2005 : Column 987W
 

This answer does not include the buildings occupied by Government Offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent on postage by the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997. [215030]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002. Since that date the following has been spent on postage in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (C).

	£
May 2002-March 2003	297,846
April 2003-March 2004	300,713

In addition the following has been spent by the Office Deputy Prime Minister's agencies, mainly by the Planning Inspectorate and by the Rent Service (which was an agency of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister during the period in question).

	£
May 2002-March 2003	667,605
Apr 2003-March 2004	649,074

These figures do not include VAT (where levied) or amounts recovered from other Government Departments. Postage includes franked or stamped items dispatched by Royal Mail or alternative provider, but not items dispatched by inter-departmental services (IDS), courier and inter-office vans. The figure for agencies includes a parcel service at the Fire Service College.

It is the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's policy to dispatch mail by second class post, unless otherwise instructed by the originator.

This answer does not include the buildings occupied by Government offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

The costs of postage for predecessor Departments are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 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. [215079]

Yvette Cooper: The cost of producing an Office of the Deputy Prime Minister staff identity pass issued for long-term use in its headquarters buildings is £13.08. This includes materials, printing costs and staff costs for administration.

Identity passes may need to be replaced for a variety of reasons including loss, theft, damage or change of name. Until April 2004, when procedures for issuing passes were changed, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister did not, as standard practice, record the reasons for the replacement of an identity pass. It is thus
 
28 Feb 2005 : Column 988W
 
not possible to say how many were lost or stolen in each year. Data are only available for those that were reported .

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. The number of passes that were reported lost or stolen in each year since then are shown in the following table, together with the total number of replacement passes issued.

Period	Replacement passes issued	Passes recorded lost	Passes recorded stolen
1 June 2002– 31 December 2002	68	0	1
2003	167	0	2
2004	143	32	7

Procedures are in place to ensure that electronic passes are deactivated as soon as their loss is reported. In addition, pass designs do not identify the building or organisation.

This answer does not include passes for buildings occupied by Government offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case. [202464]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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