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Regional Assemblies

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what offices regional chambers have outside the United Kingdom; and what the annual cost was of each in the last year for which figures are available. [12000]

Yvette Cooper: Each of the regional assemblies makes a contribution with regional partners, including the regional development agency and regional local government association, towards an office outside the United Kingdom. Details of the cost incurred by each assembly is:
AssemblyLocation of office
or representation
Cost of maintenance (£)Explanation of costSource of funding
EastBrussels321,740Contribution to maintenance of officeNon-ODPM funding
East MidlandsBrussels7,500Contribution to maintenance of joint officeODPM funding
North EastBrussels90,190Contribution to maintenance of joint officeNon-ODPM funding
North WestBrussels19,810Contribution to maintenance of joint officeNon-ODPM funding
South EastBrussels53,600Contribution to maintenance of joint officeNon-ODPM funding
South WestBrussels11,000Contribution to maintenance of joint officeODPM funding
West MidlandsBrussels6,900Contribution to maintenance of joint officeODPM funding
Yorkshire and the HumberBrussels278,000Contribution to maintenance of joint officeNon-ODPM funding

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the regional chambers send copies of their annual accounts to his Department. [12003]

Yvette Cooper: The regional assemblies are required to submit copies of their annual audited accounts to the relevant Government Office as soon as possible after the end of the accounting period.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library, a copy of the ministerial guidance on regional chambers referred to on page 10 of the Department's research report, evaluation of the role and impact of regional chambers: feasibility study. [12011]

Yvette Cooper: I have today arranged for copies of the guidance to be placed in the Library of the House.

Regional Housing/Planning Boards

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the implications for London of merging regional housing boards with regional planning boards. [12004]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister consulted on this recently and are now considering a number of points of detail, including the implications for all regions.
 
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Regional Spatial Strategy (East of England)

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons examination in public of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England has been postponed from September to November; and if he will make a statement. [11416]

Yvette Cooper: Given the need to allow all parties additional time to gain an appreciation of the submitted representations, together with EERA's need for additional time to prepare adequately for the Examination in Public (EiP), the Panel established to conduct the EiP into the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England has decided that the start date should be deferred until 1 November 2005.

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how he intends to publicise the examination in public of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England to ensure people in South Essex are made aware of it. [11417]

Yvette Cooper: The Examination in Public (EiP) has been publicised in the following ways:

Local Councillors

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the political make-up of each local authority is; and how many of the representatives of each party are female for each authority. [12096]


 
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Mr. Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not itself hold comprehensive information either on the political make-up of local authorities or the number of authority members who are female. However, information on the names and political allegiance of members of each authority can be found in the Municipal Year Book.

Sickness Absence

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many days the Department has lost due to sickness in the past five years for which figures are available. [11469]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. The number of days lost due to sickness are contained in the annual report Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service" published by the Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based on. The most recent of which (for calendar year 2003) was announced by Ministerial Statement on 1 November and copies placed in the Libraries of the House. Reports for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are also available in the Library and on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/conditions_of_ service/caje/publications/index. asp#sickness

The Department is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and is putting in place the recommendations of recently published report Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector".

Standards Board

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in how many complaints to the Standards Board disposed of (a) directly by the Standards Board, (b) after an adjudication panel and (c) after a local standards committee hearing the respondent to the complaint was (i) disqualified from office, (ii) suspended from office for (A) a period less than three months, (B) three to six months and (C) for over six months and (iii) subjected to a lesser penalty in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [11199]

Mr. Woolas: Information in respect of the number of cases where members were subject to penalties following determinations by the Adjudication Panel or local standards committees each year is as follows:
Suspended (months)
Disqualifiedless than 33 to 6over 6Lesser penalty
Determinations by the Adjudication Panel
2002–03271001
2003–049717422
2004–052511260
Determinations by local standards committees
2002–03not applicablenot applicablenot applicablenot applicablenot applicable
2003–04not applicable142not applicable18
2004–05not applicable1915not applicable26




Note:
1.Regulations empowering standards committees to determine cases came into effect in 2003–04. Standards committees have no remit to disqualify members, and can only impose a suspension for a maximum of three months.
2.The Standards Board for England itself has no remit to suspend or disqualify members.





 
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