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19 Dec 2005 : Column 2555W—continued
Criminal Offences
Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department between the end of the 2003–04 session and April 2005. [38325]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 2197W.
Decent Homes Standard
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of homes in Tamworth constituency he estimates did not meet the Decent Homes Standard in each year since 1992. [35658]
Yvette Cooper:
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not produce its own estimates of homes meeting the Decent Homes Standard in individual local authorities. Local authorities report annual estimates of the proportion of non-decent homes in their own stock through the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA). Data are available from 2001, when the Decent Homes Programme began and local authorities started reporting this information. The following table shows the percentage of non-decent stock owned by Tamworth borough council.
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| Reported percentage of stock which did not meet the Decent Homes Standard | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 48 |
| 2002 | 45 |
| 2003 | 39 |
| 2004 | 41 |
| 2005 | 29 |
Housing association data broken down by local authority is only available from 2005. Prior to this the number of non-decents was collected for individual housing associations, who may own stock in several different local authorities. As at 31 March 2005, 218 housing association homes in Tamworth did not reach the Decent Homes Standard, which amounted to 16.18 per cent. of the total registered social landlords (RSL) owned stock of 1,347 homes.
Local authorities make estimates of non-decent homes in private sector housing as part of their housing strategy but only began assembling systematic evidence on decent homes for the private sector following the introduction of the PSA 7 Private Sector target in 2002. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect estimates for individual local authorities, as it makes national estimates of private sector non-decency through the English House Condition Survey (EHCS).
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of homes in Kettering constituency he estimates did not meet the Decent Homes Standard in each year since 1997. [36138]
Yvette Cooper: The office does not produce its own estimates of homes meeting the Decent Homes Standard in individual local authorities. Local authorities report annual estimates of the proportion of non decent homes in their own stock through the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (EPSA). Data are available from 2001, when the Decent Homes Programme began and local authorities started reporting this information. The following table shows the percentage of non-decent stock owned by Kettering borough council and Daventry district council.
| Reported percentage of houses that are non-decent | |
|---|---|
| Kettering local authority | |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2002 | 13 |
| 2003 | 13 |
| 2004 | 10 |
| 2005 | 9 |
| Daventry local authority | |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 |
| 2003 | 9 |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2005 | 1 |
Housing association data broken down by local authority are only available from 2005. Prior to this the number of non-decents was collected for individual housing associations, who may own stock in several different local authorities. As at 31 March 2005, 150 housing association homes in Kettering did not reach
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the Decent Homes Standard, which amounted to 11.47 per cent. of the total RSL owned stock of 1,308 homes (including shared housing bedspaces). In Daventry, 71 housing association homes did not reach the Decent Homes Standard, which amounted to 5.92 per cent. of the total RSL owned stock of 1,200 homes.
Local authorities make estimates of non decent homes in private sector housing as part of their housing strategy but only began assembling systematic evidence on decent homes for the private sector following the introduction of the PSA seven private sector target in 2002. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect estimates for individual local authorities, as it makes national estimates of private sector non-decency through the English House Condition Survey (EHCS).
Departmental Assets
Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 1429W, on the Asset Register, whether his Department's accounting system SAP has the facility to print information that is held on it. [38217]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The SAP system has a full suite of standard reporting functionality. The reports can either be reviewed on screen or can be printed out or can be electronically downloaded.
Departmental Estate
Dr. Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whichbuildings and sites used by his Department and related agencies (a) have ceased to be used in the last year and (b) will be closed under current plans for relocation. [31754]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is as follows:
(a) Since November 2004 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has ceased to use offices on part 16th, entire 17th, and entire 18th floors of Portland House, Victoria. They were vacated in June 2005.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for three executive agencies, the Planning Inspectorate at Temple Quays, Bristol, the Fire ServiceCollege at Moreton-in-Marsh, and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster. None of the executive agencies has ceased the use of any buildings or sites in the last year.
(b) The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has current plans to relocate Headquarters staff from its 4thand 5th floor offices at Allington Towers by April 2008. These offices will be closed and handed back to the leaseholder, the Home Office.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minster has served Notice on behalf of the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister to terminate the lease of industrial buildings used by the Fire and Rescue Service Directorate at Marchington, Staffordshire. The buildings will be closed and vacated by the end of June 2006 at the latest. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Civil Resilience Directorate occupies part of the Marchington buildings and is to be relocated to alternative leased premises.
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There are no current plans to relocate the three executive agencies.
Departmental Guidance (Evidence/Documentary Access)
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is with regard to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Office giving evidence to the (i)Scottish Parliament, (ii) National Assembly for Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland Assembly committees; and to what categories of document he gives (A) full access, (B) restricted access and (C) no access to the (1) Scottish Parliament, (2) National Assembly for Wales, (3) Northern Ireland Assembly and (4) House of Commons Select Committees. [37388]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Requests for the attendance of Ministers or officials to give evidence to the devolved legislatures, and for the provision of information to the assemblies, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. This consideration will reflect: the principles set out in the Cabinet Office guidance Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees" (July 2005); the policy outlined in the Department for Constitutional Affairs' Devolution Guidance Note #12 Attendance of UK Ministers and Officials at Committees of the devolved legislatures"; and the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. The principles underlying the provision of information to House of Commons Select Committees are set out in Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees", particularly sections 4B and 4C.
Departmental Property
Mr. Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was paid by his Department in 2004–05 in rent for properties in (a) total, (b) each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK and (c) London. [35956]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and its agencies paid a total of £26,641,641 in rent for properties in 2004–05. Of this amount £6,134,681 was recovered from tenants or other Government Departments occupying the property. ODPM also paid £211,214 in respect of rent to other Government Departments whose property they occupied. All the properties are in England and the amount of rent paid in respect of the regions of the UK was as follows:
(112)Serviced accommodation includes rent and other costs.
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2559W
This answer does not include buildings occupied by Government offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.
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