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3 Mar 2005 : Column 1318W—continued
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Building Regulations
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate his Department has made of the total additional costs to the construction industry of meeting the requirements of the changes to building regulations that are being planned by his Department. [219658]
Phil Hope: As part of the consultation process on proposals for amendments to the Buildings Regulations the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister publishes a draft regulatory impact assessment with estimated costs, including where relevant costs to the construction industry, of the various options for change. Until final decisions are taken the costs cannot be regarded as definitive.
At the moment the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is consulting on proposals to amend Parts F (ventilation) and L (conservation of fuel and power) of the Building Regulations. The consultation documents, including the draft regulatory impact assessments, are available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website www.odpm.gov.uk/building-regulations and in the Library of the House.
Council Tax (Southend)
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council tax payers have registered in Southend in each year since 1997. [219430]
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Mr. Raynsford: Local authorities are not required to maintain or register individuals who are liable for council tax because council tax is a property-based tax.
Numbers of dwellings in the Southend-on-Sea unitary authority area that were chargeable for council tax purposes are tabled as follows:
| November | Number |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 72,505 |
| 1998 | 72,937 |
| 1999 | 72,900 |
| 2000 | 73,555 |
| 2001 | 73,673 |
| 2002 | 73,671 |
| 2003 | 73,875 |
| 2004 | 74,022 |
Source:
CTB1 returns to ODPM
Departmental Costs
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997. [215044]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created following the Machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
For spending figures for catering, hospitality and official entertainment, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 1 March 2005, Official Report, column 1124W.
Fire Control Rooms
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's estimate is of the total cost to public funds of delivery of the proposed eight new English regional fire control rooms. [218256]
Mr. Raynsford: The estimated total net cost to public funds of delivering a national network of nine regional control centres (RCC) for England is approximately £72 million. This covers the costs of setting up the new fire control centres from the start of the project in January 2004 until the last RCC goes live during FY 2008–09.
This information is drawn from the draft Outline Business Case, which is available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website. This estimates that there will be net annual savings from FY 2009–10 onwards. The project will pay for itself within five years of the last regional control centre going live.
Planning Application (South Devon)
Mr. Steen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will call in the Planning Application 17/2235/04/CU Sports Motorbiking in South Devon Area of Outstanding National Beauty granted by South Hams district council on 23 February subject to conditions under a Section 106 Agreement. [219682]
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Keith Hill: I thank the hon. Member for drawing this to our attention. An Article 14 direction was issued on 1 March 2005 to the local planning authority preventing any decision notice being issued until the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has had an opportunity to look at the application. The hon. Member will be aware that the Government's policy is to leave the control of day-to-day planning matters, as far as possible, in the hands of locally accountable planning authorities. Normally, the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister would intervene and use his powers to 'call in' applications for his own decision only if the issues raised were of regional or national significance. Once papers have been received the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will be in a position to determine whether he should exercise his power in this case, and take the decision himself, following a public inquiry. To comment now could risk prejudicing the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's future decisions.
Right-to-buy Regulations
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has made personal calls to housing campaigners regarding changes in the right-to-buy regulations. [217784]
Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister holds no record of any personal calls made by Ministers to housing campaigners regarding changes in the right-to-buy regulations.
Ministerial colleagues and I have made reference to the changes to the right-to-buy scheme brought about by the Housing Act 2004 on a number of occasions in the fulfilment of relevant speaking engagements since the Act gained Royal Assent. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 31 January 2005, Official Report, column 644W, which dealt with the steps that the Government have taken to alert tenants to these changes to the right-to-buy rules.
CABINET OFFICE
EU Intelligence Sharing and Co-ordination Service
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 13W, on EU intelligence sharing and co-ordination service, if he will list those documents, with security grading and caveat, that have been supplied to the EU intelligence sharing and co-ordination service by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the Department's policy regarding the nature of departmental material that may be supplied. [216511]
Mr. Miliband:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe (Mr. McShane) on 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 355W.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Asylum Seekers
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the payments and grants made by the Government to each local authority in Northern Ireland to reimburse the costs of supporting asylum seekers in each year from 1996–97. [217880]
Angela Smith: The following table details the monies paid by the Government through the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to Health and Social Services (HSS) Trusts to reimburse the costs of supporting asylum seekers since 1996–97 is as follows:
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