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2 May 2006 : Column 1515W—continued
Industrial Development (Public Inquiries)
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether local authorities are required to take action to prevent (a) continued construction and (b) the operation of large-scale industrial developments that have been called in by his Department for consideration by public inquiry. [64150]
Yvette Cooper: If development has started without planning permission the local planning authority has a wide range of discretionary enforcement powers to enable them to deal with unauthorised development that is harming amenity in the neighbourhood. It is for the local planning authority to decide in each case which is the most appropriate course of action taking account of local circumstances.
Investments/Property Portfolio
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what obligations local authorities have to maximise the rateof return from their investments and property portfolio. [66338]
Yvette Cooper:
Local authorities have no obligation to maximise returns from any form of investment. We have issued guidance on investments, under section 15 of the Local Government Act 2003, to which local authorities are required to have regard. It recommends that authorities give priority to the security and liquidity of their investments. They are free to seek the highest rate of return consistent with those priorities.
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Local Authority Business Growth Incentive
Mr. Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each local authority gained under the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive in 2005–06; and what proportion of the amount retained by each local authority has been reinvested in supporting further business growth to date. [66121]
Mr. Woolas: The amount of Local Authority Business Growth Incentive (LABGI) grant payments made to each authority can be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/labgi/endrat.xls.
All monies awarded under the LABGI scheme are un-ringfenced and we do not hold information on their use. It is for local authorities to decide how their LABGI reward is spent. Some may invest in further business growth while others may choose to invest in better public services for their communities or to keep down council tax pressures.
Local Government Finance Act
Mr. Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many businesses have (a) applied for and (b) successfully applied for a reduction in business rates under section 49 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 in each of the last five years. [66100]
(2) how many businesses have received small business rate relief in each local council area since it was introduced. [66101]
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Mr. Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ministerial Residence
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether a second homes council tax discount was claimed from Westminster city council from May 1997 to December 2005 for his official residence at Admiralty house. [59183]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) by my right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister on 12 January 2006, Official Report, columns 782W-83W.
Planning
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many appeals there were against planning decisions in (a) North East Lincolnshire and (b) North Lincolnshire in each of the past five years; and how many appeals were (i) allowed and (ii) dismissed in each year. [67056]
Yvette Cooper: The following tables show the number of planning appeals (i) allowed and (ii) dismissed and the total number of appeals decided relating to both authorities in each of the last five years.
| Decided | (i) Allowed | (ii) Dismissed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 17 | 9 | 8 |
| 2001 | 26 | 13 | 13 |
| 2002 | 28 | 4 | 24 |
| 2003 | 38 | 13 | 25 |
| 2004 | 37 | 12 | 25 |
| 2005 | 46 | 12 | 34 |
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| Decided | (i) Allowed | (ii) Dismissed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 33 | 10 | 23 |
| 2001 | 43 | 16 | 27 |
| 2002 | 27 | 7 | 20 |
| 2003 | 31 | 6 | 25 |
| 2004 | 38 | 14 | 24 |
| 2005 | 63 | 22 | 41 |
Regional Administration
Mr. Syms: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) sources of income and (b) percentage of income derived from each source for each of the Government Offices of the Regions in each year since their creation. [64953]
Yvette Cooper: The Government Offices have only been required to identify income in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister accounts for the past two years and the details are as follows:
(a) The sources of income as recorded by the Government Offices are minor occupiers, outward secondees, jointly funded projects. Technical Assistance funding and accommodation tariffs. There is also a miscellaneous category that picks up costs not specific to any of the above—such as rates rebates and additional OGD funding for specific projects.
(b) The percentage of income are as follows:
Mr. Syms: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whatthe annual income has been of each of the Government Offices of the Regions in each year since their creation. [64957]
Yvette Cooper:
The Government Offices have only been required to identify income in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister accounts for the past two years and the details are set out as follows:
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Shared Ownership/Key Worker Schemes
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether there is a statutory definition of key worker; and what definition his Department uses. [66302]
Yvette Cooper: There is no statutory definition of a key worker. For the purposes of the Key Worker Living (KWL) programme, a key worker is someone employed by the public sector in health, education or community safety delivering an essential public service in a frontline role where there are serious recruitment and retention problems. Within this broad definition sponsor Government Departments and Police and Fire Authorities specify the groups at which help should be targeted based on recruitment and retention issues in critical frontline services.
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