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19 Jun 2006 : Column 1598W—continued
Governance
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made with her Department's consultation on the governance arrangements for local areas. [76982]
Mr. Woolas: We have been engaged in a wide-ranging debate with local government and other stakeholders about local governance and will set out our policy proposals in the forthcoming White Paper which we intend to publish shortly after the summer recess.
Green Public-Private Partnerships
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans there are to review and revise the publication ‘Green Public-Private Partnerships.’ [77037]
Angela E. Smith: There are currently no plans to update the publication ‘Green Public Private Partnerships’.
Licensing Act
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many temporary event licences have been issued under the Licensing Act 2003 by Castle Point borough council since that Act’s implementation. [77630]
Mr. Woodward: I have been asked to reply.
The information is not held centrally.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will attend the St. Mary’s Church charity fund raising proms night on 15 June to observe the effect of the operation of the Licensing Act 2003. [77642]
Mr. Woodward: I am the Minister responsible for the Licensing Act 2003 and associated policy and I have therefore been asked to reply.
I was travelling abroad on 15 June and would not therefore have been able to attend this event.
We are currently monitoring and evaluating the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 nationally, but it is too early as yet to draw firm conclusions.
Local Authority Staff
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans her Department has to review the limits on political activity for local authorities' staff. [76191]
Mr. Woolas: Our Discussion Paper, “Standards of Conduct in English Local Government”, published on 15 December 2005, included our proposals for changes to the legislation on the political restrictions relating to local government employees. This followed consultation on a review of the regulatory framework governing the political activities of local government employees in 2004.
Local Government
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procedures are followed in respect of elections for new parish councils; and if she will make a statement. [77629]
Mr. Woolas: The procedures that should be followed in respect of elections for new parish councils are set out in the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 and associated published guidance.
District Councils should consult locally with interested parties on the electoral arrangements of new parish councils and then submit proposals on these to the Electoral Commission. If the Electoral Commission decides to implement proposals for new parish council electoral arrangements it does so by order at approximately the same time as the Secretary of State makes an order for the creation of a new parish.
Ministers' Offices
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Ministers in her Department have private offices in 26 Whitehall. [78335]
Angela E. Smith: None of the Ministers in the Department for Communities and Local Government has a private office in 26 Whitehall.
National Travel Scheme
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance she has given to (a) bus operators and (b) local authorities in Hampshire for the administration of the National Travel Scheme for the elderly and disabled, with particular regard to clarifying the conditions on which free travel is given. [73587]
Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
No decisions have been taken yet on how the national scheme will be delivered in 2008. The Department for Transport will be working with representatives from the bus industry and local authorities to consider the best framework for delivering the improved concessionary fares entitlement.
Sheltered Housing
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the effects of the introduction of steady-state contracts on charities providing supported sheltered housing and care; and if she will make a statement. [76254]
Mr. Woolas: We continue to receive representations about a wide range of issues relating to the Supporting People Programme. This includes the 1,000 plus responses to the recent Supporting People consultation which ran between 15 November 2005 and the end of March 2006.
A number of these representations did contain references to new Supporting People contracts.
Staff Absenteeism
Danny Alexander:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many working days have been lost to the Department and its executive agencies in each year since 1997 due to staff
absenteeism, expressed as the average annual number of absent days per employee; and what the estimated total cost to the Department and its agencies of absenteeism was in each year. [77758]
Angela E. Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006 and its predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, was created on 29 May 2002. The number of days lost due to sickness and costs are contained in the annual report “Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service” published by the Cabinet Office. Reports for 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 are available in the House of Commons Library and on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/conditions _of_service/publications
Supported Housing
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many units of building-based supported housing were replaced by floating support in 2005-06. [76227]
Mr. Woolas: Supporting People administering authorities provide DCLG with quarterly information about the number and types of services and units. This allows us to identify numerical changes over time in the services provided, but it does not allow us to identify either the reason for any change or whether changes are linked. As such, it is not possible for DCLG to identify from information held centrally the extent to which any changes in service provision arise from the replacement of building-based supported housing by floating support.
Valuation Office Agency
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006, Official Report, column 1444W, on the Valuation Office Agency, whether the Valuation Office Agency's council tax automated valuation model holds (a) data from the index of multiple deprivation and (b) crime statistics in any form. [78247]
Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency's (VOA's) automated valuation model (AVM) neither (a) uses nor (b) holds data on these matters.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how the 10,000 neighbourhoods in the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model were designated; and whether they correlate with existing territorial classifications. [78255]
Mr. Woolas:
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has identified approximately 10,000 localities for use within its automated valuation model (AVM). Each locality represents a geographic area within which domestic property prices are influenced by the same or similar market forces. The extent of each locality was determined, and then refined during the AVM analysis process, by experienced chartered surveyors employed
within the VOA using their market and valuation knowledge. The VOA has not tested the extent to which locality boundaries correlate with existing territorial classifications although localities do not extend beyond local authority boundaries for operational reasons.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the technical limit is of the number of photographs that the Valuation Office Agency's digital photography application can hold. [78324]
Mr. Woolas: There is no technical limit on the number of photographs that can be held by the Valuation Office Agency's digital photography application.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the name is of the Valuation Office Agency's digital photography application. [78325]
Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency's digital photography application is a bespoke application, written in ORACLE 9i software, and is simply referred to as “Digital Photography”.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency uses geocodes in its automated valuation model. [78380]
Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) uses only the National Land and Property Gazeteer “x, y co-ordinates” for spatial coding in its automated valuation model (AVM). No geocode data on proximity to geographic features or facilities is used.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model uses census data. [78654]
Health
Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information and advice is given to women following an abortion; and if she will make a statement; [75534]
(2) what research her Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake to ascertain what counselling is given to women seeking an abortion; and if she will make a statement; [75644]
(3) what advice her Department issues to women contemplating an abortion; and if she will make a statement. [77597]
Caroline Flint:
The Department has not undertaken research to ascertain what counselling is given to women seeking an abortion and has no plans to do so. In addition, the Department has not issued advice to women contemplating an abortion. A number of organisations do produce patient leaflets on this issue
including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Family Planning Association.
The RCOG’s evidence-based guideline “The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion (2004)” gives recommendations to commissioners and service providers on the information to be given to women contemplating an abortion, following an abortion and on women’s counselling needs.
Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health will be abolished. [78446]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The abolition of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) will require the passing of primary legislation to repeal the provisions set out in statute for CPPIH to exist. Therefore, the date on which CPPIH is abolished is dependent on parliamentary time, and the passage of legislation.
Diabetes
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2006, Official Report, column 720W, on diabetes, what assessment she has made of the impact of mandatory National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on diabetes issued to primary care trusts since January 2006; and if she will make a statement. [70668]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Data on the impact of the mandatory National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on diabetes issued to primary care trusts since January 2006 is not held centrally.
Genito-Urinary Services
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the Genito-Urinary Medicine Services Review of Watford General Hospital and St. Albans City and District Hospital commissioned by her Department; and if she will make a statement. [77820]
Andy Burnham: The Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health (MedFASH) is currently undertaking a national service review of capacity in Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) commissioned by the Department.
I understand that MedFASH has now completed the review of Watford General Hospital and St. Albans City and District Hospital and the report has been circulated to all relevant stakeholders. The findings are for strategic health authorities in conjunction with primary care trusts to implement locally.
Once the national review of all services is completed, a summary report will be published and placed in the Library.
Haemophilia
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1013-14W, on haemophilia, (1) when she expects developments with regard to the Department’s consideration of the Macfarlane Trust’s submission; [78804]
(2) whether she plans to meet the chairman of the Macfarlane Trust. [78805]
Caroline Flint: The Minister for Public Health plans to meet the chair for the Macfarlane Trust on 12 July and the Macfarlane Trust’s submission will be discussed. An earlier date was offered.
Health Services (Gloucestershire)
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will meet the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in Gloucestershire to discuss issues arising from the review of health services there. [78714]
Caroline Flint: Avon, Gloucester and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority launched its formal consultation on 12 June on “The Future of Healthcare in Gloucestershire Proposals for Developing Sustainable NHS Services” which will conclude on 4 September. Should the members of the overview and scrutiny committee feel that at the end of the consultation they have issues to raise they have the power to make a formal referral to Secretary of State.
Honeybourne Centre
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Honeybourne Specialist Rehabilitation and Recovery Centre in Cheltenham opened; and how much the project cost. [77002]
Caroline Flint: Within the framework of the “NHS Plan” and other national policy guidance, local national health service organisations are responsible for planning and developing health services for their local population.
Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority has advised that the Honeybourne Specialist Rehabilitation and Recovery Centre in Cheltenham opened in September 2005, and that the project cost £1,078,000.
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