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27 Jun 2006 : Column 300W—continued
LSPs do not hold funds, funding is held by partner organisations. Any expenditure will be subject to partners’ individual audit requirements.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what external monitoring takes place by Government of local strategic partnerships. [80019]
Mr. Woolas: Outside areas receiving Neighbourhood Renewal Funding local strategic partnerships (LSPs) are voluntary partnerships and hence are not monitored on an individual basis by the Department. There are no requirements for LSPs to report to the Secretary of State on their performance. Where a locality has a local area agreement, the LSP, through the local authority, will report on progress to the Government Office on a six-monthly basis. This report is made available to the Secretary of State.
LSPs do not hold funds, funding is held by partner organisations. Any expenditure will be subject to partners individual audit requirements. Local authorities are the accountable body for LAAs.
Since 2004, LSPs in receipt of NRF resources have been required to develop performance management frameworks. This is primarily a self-assessment process. To ensure the process is robust, Government offices have undertaken an annual review, with the outcomes of performance management forming the basis of these reviews. Government offices will provide DCLG with a report on each of the 86 LSPs by 7 July this year.
Mayor of London
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers the Mayor of London has to make unilateral agreements with representatives of foreign countries on the supply of oil; and if she will make a statement. [73646]
Dr. Ladyman: The Mayor of London acting through the Greater London Authority has a general power, under section 30 of the GLA Act 1999, to do anything he considers will further the Authority’s principal purposes of promoting economic development and wealth creation, social development, and the improvement of the environment in Greater London. The use of this general power may enable the Mayor to make agreements with foreign countries on specific matters in certain circumstances, subject to other relevant national, EU and international laws.
Pathfinder Schemes
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the funding agreement between her Department and each Pathfinder scheme. [70726]
Yvette Cooper: I have placed in the Libraries of both Houses a copy of the funding agreement up to 31 March 2006 between each pathfinder and the Department. We are currently agreeing with the six pathfinders for whom we have announced offers of funding for 2006-08 variations to those funding agreements to cover the period to 31 March 2008.
Public Pensions (Transferability)
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures her Department has put in place to assist pension transferability of public pensions for members of the (a) Local Government and (b) Fire Service Pension Schemes. [79771]
Mr. Woolas: On joining the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), a member may request the LGPS fund to accept a transfer value in respect of some or all of his accrued pension rights, from a previous employment. On transferring out of the LGPS, a member is entitled to request a transfer value of his accrued LGPS pension rights, for payment into a new pension scheme.
Similar arrangements are provided for in the Firefighters' Pension Scheme (FPS) and are being provided for in the New Firefighters' Pension Scheme (NFPS).
Special provisions apply to individual transfers between members of the Public Sector Transfer Club under which a transferee will receive equivalent value service credits in the new scheme in respect of service in their former scheme. The LGPS and the FPS are members of the Club and the objective is that the NFPS should also satisfy the requirements to be a member.
Special provisions exist in the LGPS which allow employees transferring out of local government under a best value contracting out arrangement, either to remain in the LGPS in their new employment or to have access to a broadly comparable scheme.
Special Advisers
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who the special advisers are to each Minister in her Department. [78409]
Angela E. Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has two special advisers: Dan Corry and Julie Crowley. No other Ministers in the Department have special advisers.
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role is played by special advisers in answering parliamentary questions asked of her Department. [80656]
Angela E. Smith: Special advisers conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the ‘Code of Conduct for Special Advisers’.
Sustainable Buildings
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the number of homes built since 1997 that do not comply with environmental building regulations. [79384]
Angela E. Smith: Post implementation surveys of amendments to the energy efficiency provisions in Part L of the Building Regulations were carried out in 1998 and 2004 respectively. These surveys examined building control submissions to determine methods of compliance but were not designed to count numbers of non-compliances.
The former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also commissioned air-tightness tests on 55 new dwellings built in compliance with the 2002 requirements and it subsequently received from The Energy Saving Partnership for Homes the results of a further 99 similar tests on other new dwellings.
The results of these tests and surveys influenced the amendment to Part L that came into effect in April 2006 and the ongoing dissemination and training for builders and Building Control Officers.
Constitutional Affairs
1911 Census
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions she has had with the Information Commissioner on releasing the 1911 census records on a county-by-county basis. [80148]
Bridget Prentice: I have had no discussions with the Information Commissioner on releasing the 1911 census records on a county-by-county basis.
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions her Department has had with genealogy and family history organisations on releasing information from the 1911 census on a section-by-section basis. [80149]
Bridget Prentice: The National Archives (TNA), has held discussions with genealogy and family history organisations on TNA’s plans for the digitisation and release of the 1911 census, in order to ensure that the end product meets user needs. These groups will continue to be consulted regularly.
Departmental Bills
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what Government Bills sponsored by her Department are still to be introduced during the current Session; and when, and into which House, each will be introduced. [77510]
Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the Leader of the House of Commons response dated 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1431W.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of her staff in each of the last three years; and at what total cost. [73010]
Bridget Prentice: The departmental cost for the payment of non-pensionable bonuses for the last three years and the percentage figure of the total paybill is set out in the following table.
The figures do not include the magistrates courts staff who became civil servants within this Department on April 2005 and who currently have separate pay arrangements which do not include bonuses.
| Financial year | Number of bonuses paid | Cost of non-pensionable bonuses (£) | Percentage of annual paybill |
Dr. David Kelly
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the occasions since 1 January 2003 when (a) the Lord Chancellor and (b) (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in her Department have met the Oxfordshire coroner. [74469]
Ms Harman: Neither the Lord Chancellor nor any Ministers have met the Oxfordshire coroner. My officials met the Oxfordshire coroner on 11 August 2003 and on 20 March 2006.
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to her answer of 3 May 2006, Official Report, column 1664W, on Dr. David Kelly, how the Oxfordshire coroner ascertained reasons for death by the date of issue of the certificate on 18 August 2003. [74493]
Ms Harman: The Oxfordshire coroner informs me that he was able to ascertain reasons for Dr. David Kelly’s death from the post mortem report from the Home Office pathologist, Dr. Hunt, and the toxicology report from Dr. Allen. These reports were admitted in evidence in a resumed hearing of the inquest into the death of Dr. Kelly on 14 August 2003.
Hutton Inquiry
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs at what time and on what day (a) the Prime Minister asked the Lord Chancellor to identify a suitable judge to lead the inquiry into the death of Dr. David Kelly and (b) the decision to appoint Lord Hutton was taken. [65227]
Ms Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the press release issued by the Hutton inquiry on 21 July. A copy is available on the Hutton website.
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the members of the senior judiciary consulted by the Lord Chancellor prior to the appointment of Lord Hutton to investigate the death of Dr. David Kelly. [65241]
Ms Harman: The Lord Chancellor consulted the Senior Law Lord.
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs at what time on 21 July 2003 the press notice concerning the appointment of Lord Hutton was issued by her Department; and at what time and on what day this statement was cleared for release. [80144]
Ms Harman: The press release referred to was a statement by Lord Hutton, received from him and distributed by DCA press office on his behalf. Available records suggest this was done at around 10.15 am 21 July 2003. Preparation of the text of the statement is a matter for Lord Hutton.
Inquests
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs in what circumstances inquests can be closed without a verdict; and on how many occasions this has happened since 1 May 1997. [80145]
Ms Harman: Under section 16 of the Coroners Act 1988 an inquest may be adjourned where the coroner is informed that there are criminal proceedings arising from the death and the coroner may only resume the inquest after the criminal proceedings have concluded there is in his opinion sufficient cause to do so. The Lord Chancellor may also require the coroner to adjourn an inquest under section 17A of the Act where he considers that a judicial public inquiry is likely to adequately investigate the death and the coroner may only resume the inquest if in his opinion there is exceptional reason to do so.
Since 1 January 1997 annual figures for inquests adjourned and not resumed are as follows:
| Number | |
Legal Aid (Northamptonshire)
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of provision of legal aid in Northamptonshire. [79562]
Vera Baird: The Legal Services Commission contracts with service providers throughout England and Wales to provide a range of legal and advice services across different categories of law.
There are currently 35 service providers with a contract to undertake civil legal aid work and 22 service providers
with a contract to undertake criminal legal aid work in Northamptonshire. Service providers in Northamptonshire may help people who live outside the area, and people who live in Northamptonshire may visit a service provider in a different area.
Any person residing in England or Wales can access free quality legal advice and information through Community Legal Service Direct. This service is available direct to the public through a telephone line, website and information leaflets.
National Archives
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list records in the National Archives which have been withheld from public inspection; and for what reason each has been withheld. [80183]
Bridget Prentice: The National Archives (TNA) catalogue has more than 10 million records and of these approximately 218,000 records are closed to public inspection at TNA.
The Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967 determined access to public records. Since January 2005 access is determined by the passing of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The full list of TNA’s holdings is on the online catalogue and includes access status of each record.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/default.asp
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