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4 Apr 2005 : Column 1143W—continued
Ideal Home Exhibition
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) capital and (b) running costs were of his stand at the Ideal Home Exhibition. [223594]
Yvette Cooper: The capital cost of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's corporate stand was £30,000. This stand represents the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister around the country at a wide variety of public and private events, and is expected to last for five years. The cost of attending the IHS was £52,730.
The Ideal Home Show will receive over 450,000 visitors over the four weeks from across the country. The stand is providing information on Building Regulations, Home Information Packs, Key Worker homes and Planning. Part of the stand is also dedicated to the Fire Kills campaign—an essential part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's drive to help reduce fire deaths.
Local Authority Finance (Lincolnshire)
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much financial assistance his Department has provided to (a) North Lincolnshire council and (b) North East Lincolnshire council in each year since 1997. [223465]
Mr. Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established following the machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The tables set out the amounts of formula grant and other grants and payments made to (a) North Lincolnshire council and(b) North East Lincolnshire council by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister since 2002–03. For earlier years, the tables show the amounts paid by the predecessor Departments from programmes which are now administered by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
(35)These figures may not be comparable year-on-year due to changes in the funding and function of local authorities.
(36)For 2004–05 this is a forecast figure.
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(37)These figures may not be comparable year-on-year due to changes in the funding and function of local authorities.
(38)For 2004–05 this is a forecast figure.
Additionally, we have issued exceptional capitalisation directions to North East Lincolnshire for total maximum amounts of £4.5 million in 2003–04 and £10.5 million in 2004–05, and under our local government intervention programme we have approved a grant determination for £3.8 million, which relates to work for 2004–05 and it is as yet unclaimed.
Local Government Pension Scheme
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on progress of negotiations with trade union representatives about the future of the Local Government Pension Scheme. [222676]
Phil Hope:
My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 18 March, following a constructive dialogue with local authority employers and trade unions that it has been decided to establish a tri-partite committee of key stakeholders to consider and negotiate the long term future of the Local Government Pension Scheme. In addition, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has made clear the intention to revoke the Local Government Pension
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Scheme (Amendments) (No.2) Regulations 2004 at the earliest parliamentary opportunity, subject to statutory consultation, as required by the Superannuation Act 1972. A meeting with the employers and trade unions will be taking place as soon as possible to discuss the next steps with nothing ruled in and nothing ruled out.
Local Strategic Partnerships
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what status local strategic partnerships have within the democratic decision-making process of local government; and if he will make a statement. [223312]
Yvette Cooper: Local strategic partnerships (LSPs) are non-statutory, non-executive bodies which bring together public, private, voluntary and community interests to work together more effectively. They are not designed to replace local government, but are a vehicle through which councils can exercise their community leadership role by facilitating effective partnership—working to produce a strategic direction for a locality.
Elected officials who sit on LSPs also have a responsibility to scrutinise them, therefore maintaining a clear link to the democratic decision making process.
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister to whom local strategic partnerships are accountable. [223313]
Yvette Cooper: Within a local strategic partnership (LSP), individual partners will remain responsible and accountable for decisions on their own services and the use of their own resources. Accountability to the partnership, therefore, cannot override these individual commitments. The LSP partner organisations already have established lines of accountability, to their own customers and the wider community. LSP accountability arrangements need to build on these frameworks.
While local authorities are legally required to prepare community strategies, in the community strategy guidance they are encouraged to see LSPs as the vehicle to determine and deliver these.
For the 88 areas receiving neighbourhood renewal fund (NRF) resources, although the local authority remains the accountable body, ultimately it is the responsibility of the LSP to determine their allocation with the aim of meeting the partners' strategic priorities, improving public services in the most deprived neighbourhoods, and contributing to the achievement of public sector agreement (PSA) targets to narrow the gap between deprived areas and the rest.
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list local strategic partnerships. [223314]
Yvette Cooper:
A local strategic partnership (LSP) is a non-statutory, non executive organisation which brings together public, private, voluntary and community interests to work together more effectively to improve the quality of life in their area. There is no one model for the structure of a LSP nor is an area obliged to set one up; what works in one area may not work in another. As such this information is not held centrally by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister but the Government Offices (GOs) would have this information.
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Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who is responsible for (a) appointments to and (b) removal of members of local strategic partnerships. [223315]
Yvette Cooper: Local strategic partnerships (LSPs) are a collaborative partnership where each member is an equal partner. Partners are not appointed by any one person or any one organisation. They join on a voluntary basis to help organise the delivery of local services more effectively. Each partner has a different contribution to make to secure the economic, social and environmental well being of an area for those who live and work there.
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he monitors the activities of local strategic partnerships. [223316]
Yvette Cooper: Local strategic partnerships (LSPs) are voluntary bodies and have no statutory responsibilities. They rely on the goodwill of their partners to operate. Therefore they are not required to develop any formal performance management mechanisms.
However, LSPs in receipt of neighbourhood renewal funds resources have all now developed performance management frameworks. This is primarily a self-assessment process. To ensure the process is robust, since 2004 Government offices have undertaken an annual review, with the outcomes of performance management forming the basis of these reviews. Government offices provide the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister with a report on each of the 88 LSPs in September each year.
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