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Special Advisers
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what role is played by special advisers in answering parliamentary questions asked of his Department. [80651]
Mr. Hain: Special advisers conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
Sports Teams (Passports)
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements are in place to ensure that UK citizens living in Northern Ireland who represent their sport at an all-Ireland level have the right to carry their British passports while travelling abroad with their teams. [80294]
Maria Eagle: Neither the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) nor the Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) are aware of any arrangements among sports organised on an all-Ireland basis that prevent UK citizens living in Northern Ireland from carrying their British passports while travelling abroad with their teams.
Summer Schemes
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many special needs children took part in summer schemes in each board area in each of the last four years; how long the summer schemes last in each board area; and if he will make a statement. [80115]
Maria Eagle: The number of children with special educational needs attending summer schemes in special schools and the duration of these schemes, in each of the last four years is set out in the following tables.
The education and library boards do not have a statutory duty to provide summer schemes for children with special educational needs. They do so, however, subject to available resources and in partnership with local health and social services trusts and district councils.
| Belfast education and library board | ||
| Number of children | Duration of summer scheme | |
| North eastern education and library board | ||
| Number of children | Duration of summer scheme | |
| South eastern education and library board | ||
| Number of children | Duration of summer scheme | |
| Southern education and library board | ||
| Number of children | Duration of summer scheme | |
| Western education and library board | ||
| Number of children | Duration of summer scheme | |
Earmarked funding has been provided by the Department of Education, for education and library boards to use in the organisation of summer schemes in literacy and numeracy. In addition the Department is also aware that some schools finance summer schemes using other resources. Information on the number of children with special educational needs attending these schemes could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Vehicle Registration
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been prosecuted as a result of the introduction of legislation on Statutory Off Road Notices for vehicles. [81670]
David Cairns: Statutory Off the Road Notification (SORN) was introduced in Northern Ireland in December 2002. However, the offence of failing to make a SORN declaration was superseded in December 2003 by the introduction of continuous registration which created the new offence of being the keeper of a vehicle which is neither licensed nor the subject of a SORN declaration. Between December 2002 and December 2003, 1,750 people were prosecuted for failing to make a SORN declaration.
Young Carers
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) support services and (b) financial assistance is in place to support young carers in Northern Ireland. [80948]
Paul Goggins: Young carers have a legal entitlement to an assessment of their care needs which is aimed both at supporting them in their caring role, and at helping to ensure that their education and development do not suffer. Schools have been alerted to the difficulties faced by young carers and to recognise this in their pastoral care policies in the publication “Evaluating Pastoral Care” issued by the Education and Training Inspectorate in 1999. In pursuit of the recommendations of the strategy “Caring for Carers”, published by the Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety earlier this year, officials will in conjunction with the Department of Education, be distributing a DVD later this year on the needs of young carers as a training aide to staff within the Health and Social Services and the Education sector.
Carers over 16 years of age may be entitled to social security benefits such as carer’s allowance and/or income support if they satisfy the appropriate qualifying conditions.
House of Commons Commission
Commons Staff's Salaries
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission which posts held by officials of the House of Commons receive an annual salary of more than the basic salary payable to hon. Members. [82243]
Nick Harvey: The basic salary payable to Members is £59,686 per annum. Currently 82 staff are paid an annual salary which exceeds this figure. A list of posts in the Senior Commons Structure and at pay band Al, which have pay maxima higher than Members’ current salary, will be placed in the Library. Details of staff pay bands and staff pay arrangements are available on the parliamentary intranet. The salaries of Members of the Board of Management are disclosed in the House of Commons: Administration annual accounts.
Communities and Local Government
Local Government
23. Mr. Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the local government White Paper is expected to be published. [81881]
Ruth Kelly: The local government White Paper will be published shortly after the summer recess.
24. Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her priorities are in relation to funding for local government. [81882]
Mr. Woolas: This Government’s priorities for local government finance are to provide councils with stable and predictable funding, and to protect the public from excessive council tax increases.
25. Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice her Department has given to local authorities on fees charged under the high hedges legislation; and if she will make a statement. [81883]
Meg Munn: Our advice on fees under the high hedges legislation is in paragraphs 5.13 to 5.16 of the guidance document ‘High Hedges Complaints: Prevention and Cure’. It indicates that each local authority is responsible for deciding whether, and at what level, to charge for dealing with complaints about high hedges.
Housing
26. Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the recommendation by the Select Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions that 200,000 new homes should be built by 2010. [81884]
Yvette Cooper: We welcome the ODPM Select Committee’s recognition, in its report on Housing Supply and Affordability, of the pressing need for more housing to meet the needs of current and future generations.
We have simply not been building enough homes to meet rising demand and changing social trends. Households are projected to grow by 209,000 per year up to 2026, driven by people living longer, more divorce and separation and more people living alone. By contrast, last year only around 168,000 additional homes were provided. We need to ensure that housing supply is increased, both for purchase and for rent, to provide homes for future generations.
In
our response to the Barker Review, published in December, we set out
our ambition to increase the supply of new housing to 200,000 per year
by 2016. The package aims to make it easier to buy outright or buy a
part share in a home, as well as improving access to high
quality, rented social housing. If housing supply is not increased,
affordability will continue to worsen. For example, the proportion of
30-year-old couples who could afford to buy a home will fall from just
over 50 per cent. now, to around a third by 2016. Government
will respond formally to the recommendations contained in the report in
due
course.
29. Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the recommendation by the Select Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions that 200,000 homes should be built by 2010. [81887]
Yvette Cooper: We welcome the ODPM Select Committee's recognition, in its report on Housing Supply and Affordability, of the pressing need for more housing to meet the needs of current and future generations.
We have simply not been building enough homes to meet rising demand and changing social trends. Households are projected to grow by 209,000 per year up to 2026, driven by people living longer, more divorce and separation and more people living alone. By contrast, last year only around 168,000 additional homes were provided. We need to ensure that housing supply is increased, both for purchase and for rent, to provide homes for future generations.
In our response to the Barker Review, published in December, we set out our ambition to increase the supply of new housing to 200,000 per year by 2016. The package aims to make it easier to buy outright or buy a part share in a home, as well as improving access to high quality, rented social housing. If housing supply is not increased, affordability will continue to worsen. For example, the proportion of 30-year-old couples who could afford to buy a home will fall from just over 50 per cent. now, to around a third by 2016. Government will respond formally to the recommendations contained in the report in due course.
Homelessness
27. Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the performance of Birmingham city council in tackling homelessness. [81885]
Meg Munn: Birmingham city council’s statistical returns show that there has been a 17 per cent. reduction in homeless acceptances and a 30 per cent. reduction in the use of temporary accommodation over the year to end March 2006. Birmingham has also maintained the two-thirds reduction in rough sleeping. The last count (2005) showed seven against a baseline figure of 56 in 1998.
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the £88 million announced by her Department on 12 December 2005 included funding for the Homelessness Innovation Fund. [77673]
Yvette Cooper: On 12 December 2005 I announced the allocation of a further £88 million over two years (2006-07 and 2007-08) as part of our continued investment in homelessness prevention schemes. This funding is additional to the £2.2 million I announced on 2 November 2005 for the Homelessness Innovation Fund (HIF). 19 projects across England were awarded HIF funding to develop new ways of preventing homelessness and reducing the number of households living in temporary accommodation. The projects are expected to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation by 4,000, and prevent 2,400 new cases of homelessness.
Home Information Packs
28. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the value of a home information pack to a buyer attempting to get a mortgage. [81886]
Yvette Cooper: First-time buyers will receive home information packs for free, because they transfer costs from buyers to sellers.
In addition, we would expect most people to see cuts in the cost of valuations as a result of the Home Condition report, as well as swifter mortgage offers where you don’t have to wait for a survey. These issues will be examined further as part of the dry run.
Council Tax
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the council tax collection rates were for 2005-06. [81794]
Mr. Woolas: A statistical release providing council tax collection rates for 2005-06 was issued on 21 June. This is available from the Department for Communities and Local Government website at http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/ctax/cp056.htm.
Departmental Websites
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many websites there are within her responsibilities; and what the total cost of maintaining such websites was in the last year for which figures are available. [79061]
Angela E. Smith: The websites operated by the Department for Communities and Local Government are as listed:
www.communities.gov.uk
www.neighbourhood.gov.uk
www.firekills.gov.uk (fire safety campaigns)
www.bvpi.gov.uk (best value performance indicators)
www.frsonline.fire.gov.uk
www.spkweb.org.uk (supporting people programme)
http://www.gos.gov.uk/national/ (Government office for the regions)
www.localegov.gov.uk
www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk
www.info4local.gov.uk
www.togetherwecan.info
www.xoq83.dial.pipex.com (local government pension scheme)
www.renewal.net
www.cleanersafergreener.gov.uk
www.iggi.gov.uk (intra governmental geographic information)
www.planningportal.gov.uk
www.futureleadership.gov.uk
www.spdirectory.org.uk (supporting people directory of services)
www.nlud.org.uk (national land use directory)
www.firesafetytoolbox.org.uk
www.firelink.org.uk
www.localvisionforum.net
www.bmespark.org.uk (black minority ethnic supporting people)
www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk
The annual cost of maintaining the listed websites is £2,396,972. 90 per cent. of this cost comes from DCLG's six major websites, primarily the award-winning Planning Portal, which provides online planning applications services integrated into local authorities:
| Website | Annual cost (£) |
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