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Housing Revenue Accounts

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was provided to local authorities to support borrowing on their housing revenue accounts in each year since 1997. [49772]

Yvette Cooper: The levels of supported borrowing for Housing Revenue Account (HRA) purposes are as follows:

Financial year	Supported borrowing (£ million)
1997–98	438
1998–99	766
1999–2000	842
2000–01	1,286
2001–02	(9)476
2002–03	560
2003–04	572
2004–05	520
2005–06	513

⁽⁹⁾ 2001–02 saw the introduction of the Major Repairs Allowance which shifted resource from borrowing approvals to HRA subsidy for the funding of major capital repairs on HRA stock.

Local Area Agreements

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether local area agreements are voluntary for local authorities. [56092]

Mr. Woolas: Local Area Agreements (LAAs) are agreements entered into voluntarily by local areas and government and are a key part of the longer-term vision for a more mature central-local relationship. LAAs have been strongly endorsed by local government. Both phases so far were heavily over-subscribed. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believes this is because all local authorities and their partners welcome the devolution of decision making, access to funding, increased flexibility, reduced bureaucracy and focus on local as well as national priorities that LAAs allow. The ODPM has every expectation that local authorities will remain committed to developing them further.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Mr. Paul Murphy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what discussions he has had with (a) local government employers and (b) the relevant trades union on a resolution to the dispute about proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme; [55824]

(2) if he will make a statement on the dispute between local government employers and workers in the Local Government Pension Scheme. [55825]

Mr. Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, in his role as Scheme regulator and within the framework provided by the Local Government Pension Scheme Tripartite Committee, has overseen a series of constructive discussions between the employers and trade unions in order to achieve an affordable, legal, viable and equitable outcome. It has always been made clear that any proposals which meet these criteria will be carefully considered. The outcome of these discussions,
 
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together with the responses to the recently concluded consultation exercise, will be carefully considered before final decisions are taken on the content of the regulations to implement changes to the Scheme from April.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect of the abolition of dividend tax credits on local authority pension schemes. [56103]

Mr. Woolas: The financial impact of the abolition of advanced corporation tax relief on local authority pension schemes was fully assessed by all the relevant parties, including the Local Government Association, at the time of abolition. No further assessment has been undertaken since, in view of the arrangements set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2211W.

Queen's Birthday

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans his Department has to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday; what advice he has issued to his Department's Executive agencies on celebrations for the birthday; and if he will make a statement. [54195]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Union flag will be flown at full mast on the buildings of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, including its Executive agencies, on 21 April from 8.00 am until sunset. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans for other events to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday.

Social Exclusion Unit

Dr. Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been committed to maximising the take-up by entitled applicants of the schemes that come under the umbrella of the Social Exclusion Unit, with particular reference to the poorest 10 per cent. of people. [55929]

Mr. Woolas: The Social Exclusion Unit does not have responsibility for specific schemes, programmes or funding streams. The work of the Social Exclusion Unit focuses on recommending cross-government action to tackle issues facing the most excluded people.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Expenditure

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister how much has been spent on (a) 10 Downing Street, (b) 11 Downing Street, (c) Carlton House, (d) Government House in Pimlico and (e) Chequers in each year since 2000. [57637]

The Prime Minister: Expenditure on routine maintenance and other building works in Ministers residences is the responsibility of the relevant Department.

For details of expenditure on work to the flat above No. 11 Downing Street I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him of 11 October 2004, Official Report, columns 53–54W. Expenditure for subsequent years is as follows:

2004–05: £14,012

 
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Chequers was established under the Chequers Estate Acts 1917 and 1958 and is administered by independent trustees who receive an annual grant from public funds towards its maintenance and to cover staff employed at Chequers in accordance with the Acts.

Meetings

Mr. Hands: To ask the Prime Minister when he last met victims' families and survivors of the 11 September 2001 attacks. [53827]

The Prime Minister: I attended the official memorial services following the events of 11 September that were led by Her Majesty the Queen and by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales respectively.

CABINET OFFICE

Cabinet Committees

Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Cabinet committees the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the right hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn), (a) chaired and (b) was a member of; and how many meetings of each committee he attended between 8 September 2004 and 6 May 2005. [56925]

Mr. Jim Murphy: A full list of all Cabinet Committees, including their membership and terms of reference, can be found in the Library of the House. It is Government practice to place such a list in the Library approximately every six months. Previous lists contain the membership information requested. Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, including the number of meetings held and attendance, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Government Communications

Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish figures for the total spend by his Department on (a) public relations and press offices and (b) advertising in each year since 1996–97; and what the estimated spend for 2005–06 is. [47197]

Mr. Jim Murphy [pursuant to the reply, 6 February 2006, Official Report, c. 849W]: I regret that the figure published showing press office staff costs for 2002–03 of £529,000 was incorrect.

The correct figure should read £398,000.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W, on Government communications, how many (a) press officers and (b) public relations staff were employed by his Department in each year since 1997–98, broken down by (i) salary band and (ii) unit in his Department. [52352]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The number of press officers employed in each year since 1997–98 is shown in the table.
 
10 Mar 2006 : Column 1838W
 

	Number of press officers
1997–98	11
1998–99	14
1999–2000	20
2000–01	16
2001–02	18
2002–03	8.5
2003–04	7.5
2004–05	8
2005–06	8

Overall staffing costs of the press office for each of the years from 1997–98 to 2006–06 were given in my answer to the hon. Member of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W. Figures by salary band are not held. As the press office is a centrally managed operation press officers are not allocated to individual units.

The Cabinet Office does not have specific personnel for performing public relations functions.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W, on Government communications, how much of the press office staff costs for each year since 1997–98 were accounted for by (a) salaries, (b) office costs, (c) provision of mobile telephones, (d) provision of laptop computers, (e) provision of other equipment and (f) other costs. [52353]

Mr. Jim Murphy: In the response of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W, for each year the only costs accounted for, was expenditure on total pay costs. The total pay costs 1997–98 to 2004–05 and office costs 2002–03 to 2005–06 are shown in the table.

The office costs for press office are not separately available before 2002–03. Before that date office costs referred to the overall communication function.

The office costs provided include training costs, the provision of information technology and office equipment. Due to the way financial expenditure is captured I am unable to provide this information in the manner requested.
£000

	Press office—office costs	Total pay costs
1997–98	—	454
1998–99	—	512
1999–2000	—	753
2000–01	—	782
2001–02	—	798
2002–03	514	398
2003–04	255	416
2004–05	412	439
2005–06(10)	320	337

⁽¹⁰⁾ Spend to end of January 2006

Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W, on Government communications, what the reasons were for the increased press office staff costs between 1999–2000 and 2001–02. [52355]

 
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Mr. Jim Murphy: The increase in press office staff costs between 1999–2000 and 2001–02 as shown in my answer of 6 February 2006 reflects the work required around the "Millennium Bug" and the GM foods communications unit, at the time based in the Cabinet Office.

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