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23 Mar 2006 : Column 528W—continued

Local Authority Managers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of managers in local authorities are (a) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (b) female. [59501]

 
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Mr. Woolas: The most recent best value performance indicators show that in 2004–05 29.5 per cent. of the top earners (top 5 per cent.) in English local authorities were women, and 2.9 per cent. were from black and minority ethnic communities.

Local Government Pensions

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of the Local Government Pension Scheme in 2006–07. [60119]

Mr. Woolas: I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 9 March 2006, Official Report, column 1750W.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the legislative timetable is for the abolition of the 85 year rule and the associated reform of the Local Government Pension Scheme. [60120]

Mr. Woolas: A statement will be made shortly.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister under what authority the trustees of the local government pension scheme were permitted to allow employees to reduce their contributions to the local government pension scheme from 1988 onwards. [60284]

Mr. Woolas: The regulations governing the local government pension scheme in England and Wales were amended in March 1990 to require that local government pension funds should be able to meet 75 per cent. of their existing and prospective viabilities. This provision was subsequently amended in March 1993 when the original requirement, that funds should at all times be solvent, was reinstated. That requirement still applies.

The local government pension scheme has no trustees. Being a public service pension scheme, statutory responsibility for its stewardship at local authority level rests with the elected members of the appropriate authority.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the deficits were, expressed as a percentage of total liabilities, of funds within the Local Government Pension Scheme following the 2004 valuation. [60286]

Mr. Woolas: As at 31 March 2004, the 89 Local Government Pension Scheme funds in England and Wales had assets overall covering 74 per cent. of their liabilities.

Local Government Restructuring

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2240W, on local government restructuring, if he will list (a) each council that was represented at the Shrewsbury event and (b) the councils represented at each of the six other meetings. [59170]

Mr. Woolas: Officers and members of the county and district councils of Shropshire attended the event held in Shrewsbury on 7 February, in addition to those from Telford and Wrekin, Worcestershire County, Worcester City, Wychavon district and Herefordshire councils.
 
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An invitation to attend a meeting with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister officials to discuss governance and structures was extended to the chief executives of all county, district and unitary (other than London borough and metropolitan district) councils. A total of eight meetings have now been held. A list of those councils that indicated their intention of attending a meeting has been sent to the hon. Member. A record of actual attendance at each meeting is not held.

Mobile Phones

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued to local authorities on the level of mobile phone coverage which should be available in advance of new housing developments being approved. [59160]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Planning policy note 8: 'Telecoms' states

In considering planning applications for other forms of development, planning authorities will wish to consider telecommunications issues. They should encourage prospective developers of new housing, office and industrial estates to consider with all relevant telecommunications operators how the telecommunications needs of the occupiers will be met."

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what total efficiency savings were achieved by his Office in 2004–05; and whether these count towards the agreed efficiency target for his Office set out in the 2004 Spending Review. [52858]

Mr. Woolas: On the most recent evidence the ODPM central efficiency programme achieved some £204 million efficiency gains in 2004–05. These count towards our agreed efficiency target.

Valuation Office Agency

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 587W, on the Valuation Office Agency, in what image format the digital images of domestic properties are stored. [46996]

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.

The Valuation Office Agency stores digital images in JPEG (JFIF compliant) format.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Valuation Office Agency spent on (a) video cameras, (b) camcorders and (c) related electronic equipment in the last five years for which figures are available; and how many such cameras were purchased in each year. [47149]

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.

Details of expenditure by the Valuation Office Agency on (a) , (b) and (c) , in the last five years, are shown in the following table. One camcorder and related electronic equipment, including an editing workstation and video recorder/player, was purchased to support effective internal communications via the Agency's intranet—it is neither available to, nor used by, staff for any other purpose.
 
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£

	(a) Video cameras	(b) Camcorders	(c) Related electronic equipment
2001–02	0	0	0
2002–03	0	0	0
2003–04	0	0	0
2004–05	0	(33)1653.00	5030.00
2005–06	0	0	0

⁽³³⁾ Quantity = one.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 215W, on the Valuation Office Agency, if he will place in the Library a copy of the information and training guidance provided to Agency staff. [48158]

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 1038W. A copy of what the Valuation Office Agency makes permanently available to its staff, on the personal safety of inspectors conducting a valuation of a property, was included in the information placed in the Library.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2006 to the hon. Member for Meriden, Official Report, column 1699W, on the Valuation Office Agency, how many properties the Agency inspected in England in the last year for which figures are available for (a) council tax and (b) business rate purposes. [59171]

Mr. Woolas: The number of properties the Valuation Office Agency inspected for (a) council tax and (b) business rates purposes is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Ordnance Survey has provided the Valuation Office Agency with maps on (a) a 1:500 and (b) 1:1250 scale in the last five years. [59120]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Ordnance Survey has not provided the Valuation Office Agency with any maps at 1:500 scale. Ordnance Survey has provided the Valuation Office Agency with 1:1250 maps for all areas of GB mapped at that scale.

Waste Disposal Sites

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidelines the EU has issued on the siting of (a) landfill sites and (b) sites dealing with hazardous waste close to housing; and if he will make a statement. [59891]

Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.

We are not aware of any such guidelines. Article 4 of the waste framework directive (75/442/EEC as amended) requires member states to take measures to ensure that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health and without using processes or methods which could harm the environment.

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