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18 Jul 2005 : Column 1444W—continued
Daventry District Council
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment was made of the transitional funding arrangements accompanying the abolition of local authority social housing grant in assessing the inclusionof Daventry district council in the Council Tax Limitation (England) (Maximum Amounts) Order 2005. [12403]
Mr. Woolas:
I assume the question is referring to transitional arrangements for Negative Housing Subsidy Authorities.
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The points made by the Council in their written representations and at their meeting with me on 25 May were carefully considered. As part of those considerations the Government examined the transitional measures scheme and concluded that the Council's points did not justify setting an excessive budget requirement. I should highlight that the proposed order does not affect the authority's entitlement to benefit from the transitional measures.
Local Government Pensions
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to publish a regulatory impact assessment in relation to revoking the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2004. [13117]
Mr. Woolas: A Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2004 was published on 13 July and copies were placed in the Libraries of the House.
Local Strategy Partnerships
Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements are in place for the exchange of best practice among local strategy partnerships. [11902]
Mr. Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister works with Local Strategy Partnerships (LSPs) to help them improve their performance and encourages them to learn from what works. We have developed a range of resources to enable them to do so. These include:
establishing www.renewal.net, a web-based source of evaluated evidence about what works for LSPs, presented in a practical and user-friendly format. Renewal.net also has a series of discussion fora which encourage LSPs to exchange best practice;
developing regional LSP networks, supported by Government Offices for the regions, which enable LSPs to learn from each other;
providing technical advice from our pool of Neighbourhood Renewal Advisers, ensuring that LSPs have access to specialist knowledge about established and emerging best practice;
organising national and regional events for LSPs designed to highlight what works and enable LSPs to exchange best practice.
London Governance
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Government intends to publish their plans to reform (a) London governance and (b) the powers of the Mayor of London. [12005]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government gave a manifesto commitment to review the powers of the London Mayor and the Greater London Authority. We will make a further announcement in the autumn.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the timetable is for the handover of responsibilities of the Government Office for London to the mayor. [12855]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
The Government is undertaking a review of the powers of the London mayor and the Greater London authority. Any decision about the transfer of further responsibilities to the mayor, including any implications for the Government Office,
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will be made once the review has been completed. We will make a further announcement about the review by the end of the year.
Mayoral Referendums
Anne Milton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) secondary legislation and (b) procedural advice the Government has published in relation to local authorities holding Mayoral referendums; and if he will deposit a copy of those documents in the Library. [12846]
Mr. Woolas: The following secondary legislation relating to Mayoral referendums has been issued:
Local Authorities (Referendums) (Petitions and Directions) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2001;
Local Authorities (Referendums) (Petitions and Directions) (England) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2001.
Guidance material has also been published to assist local authorities holding Mayoral referendums.
Copies of these documents have already been placed in the Library of the House.
Neighbourhood Improvement Districts
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government have to legislate for neighbourhood improvement districts. [13070]
Mr. Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister currently has no plans to legislate for neighbourhood improvement districts.
Citizen Engagement and Public Services: Why Neighbourhoods Matter" (January 2005), invited discussion about the idea. These discussions are ongoing.
Olympics 2012
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the implications are of the successful bid to hold the 2012 Olympic games in London for the (a) workload and (b) staffing levels of his Department. [11677]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will continue to support delivery of the Olympic games, as it has the Olympic bid. The Olympic park is in the Thames Gateway and I would expect both the Thames Gateway and Sustainable Buildings Directorate and the London Thames Gateway Urban Development Corporation (which we sponsor) to play a significant role in helping to deliver a successful games in 2012.
Overcrowded Accommodation
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the effects of living in overcrowded accommodation. [12229]
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Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published in May 2004 a review by De Montfort university of the evidence and literature relating to the impact of overcrowded housing on health and education. The report, the Impact of Overcrowding on Health and Education (ISBN 1 85112 711 0), was placed in the Library of the House.
Park Land
Lorely Burt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if the Government will make changes to planning law to protect existing park land from being sold by local authorities; [12398]
(2) how much park land was sold by local authoritiesfor development between June 2001 and May 2005. [12399]
Yvette Cooper: Park land is protected by the provisions of national planning policy guidance note 17 (PPG 17). This requires planning authorities to protect from development all forms of open space, including parks, unless they are demonstrated to be surplus to the requirements of the community. There are no current plans to change this guidance.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold central records of the amount of all park land disposed of by local authorities. We are however committed to developing a national database of green spaces in England, which will help us to identify the location, quantity and changes to green spaces.
Parliamentary Questions
Mary Creagh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will reply to question reference 3101 from the hon. Member for Wakefield. [13156]
Yvette Cooper:
I have today replied to my hon. Friend's question.
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Planning Guidance (Car Parking)
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will review planning guidance which states that only 0.9 car parking spaces per dwelling must be provided. [12851]
Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made on 17 July 2003, Official Report, columns 53–57WS by my right hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Keith Hill)
This explains that local authorities parking standards should result in an average of 1.5 off-street parking spaces per dwelling over their plan area. The 1.5 is intended to be an average across the plan area. Planning policy does not expect all dwellings in new developments to have 1.5 car parking spaces.
The Government accepts that parking needs vary, according to location and housing type. To help the development of appropriate standards, research has been commissioned to consider how varying levels of car parking can be achieved in ways consistent with the Government's policies on sustainable residential environments. This research will inform the preparation of the Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing", a draft of which will be the subject of consultation later this year.
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