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20 Nov 2006 : Column 9Wcontinued
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to reply to the letters of 30 May and 16 October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on housing delivery and infrastructure in West Sussex. [100777]
Yvette Cooper: I have now replied to the hon. Member's correspondence.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in England were banded in each council tax band A to H in the latest year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [101277]
Angela E. Smith: Details of the number of homes in England banded in each council tax band A to H, as at 18 September 2006, are published on the Department for Communities and Local Governments website at:
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/dwelling .htm
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether she (a) has assessed and (b) plans to assess the merits of placing an obligation on house vendors to inform prospective buyers of the proximity of high voltage overhead transmission lines or the average strength of extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields within a property; and if she will make a statement; [101084]
(2) what models of good practice are being followed by local planning authorities on restricting building priority new affordable homes in close proximity to high voltage overhead transmission lines; and if she will make a statement; [101085]
(3) what planned residential developments for social housing will be built in close proximity to high voltage overhead transmission lines; and if she will make a statement; [101086]
(4) what guidance she provides to local planning authorities on building priority new affordable homes in close proximity to high voltage overhead transmission lines; and if she will make a statement; [101090]
(5) whether there are initiatives within social sector housing sectors to limit the siting of new homes in close proximity to high voltage overhead transmission lines; and if she will make a statement; [101091]
(6) whether her officials are engaged in the Department of Health-led Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields (SAGE) process; whether she plans to liaise with ministerial and parliamentary colleagues in determining her response to the forthcoming SAGE report; what other steps she is taking to develop policies in this area; and if she will introduce measures to protect the public from exposure to EMF from high voltage overhead transmission lines. [101092]
Meg Munn: The Home Information Pack will become mandatory on 1 June 2007 and will include information of use to potential home buyers. Although there will be no requirement for them to do so, sellers may include a commercially produced environmental report in the pack. These reports commonly include information on actual or potential environmental hazards, including the proximity of overhead transmission lines.
Government planning for housing policies aim to ensure that new housing is developed in the most sustainable locations. In deciding whether to allocate land for housing and whether to grant planning approvals, local planning authorities need to make assessments and consider a wide range of matters about the most appropriate and most suitable location for new homes. Such assessments would include the proximity to high voltage overhead power lines as appropriate.
At present, other than the need to observe operational safe clearing distances, there is no planning guidance for local planning authorities on how to decide planning applications for new development in the vicinity of power lines.
However, following the publication of the (then) National Radiological Protection Board's new electro-magnetic field guidelines in March 2004, and the associated advice to Government, the Government are giving further consideration to taking forward the issue of building near power lines and pylons, and will, in due course, be consulting with all relevant groups.
The Stakeholder Advisory Group on electro-magnetic fields set up last year has enabled Government officials, including those from DCLG, to engage in discussions with industry, regulators, professional bodies and interest groups about how to respond to this complex issue.
The Government will consider the report findings when they are published next year.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average firefighters pension paid out at age 55 was in each of the last five years. [101145]
Angela E. Smith: This information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which new groups are being considered for key worker status. [100473]
Yvette Cooper: The Key Worker Living Programme aims to keep the skills needed in frontline public services, in areas where there are significant recruitment and retention needs. While we recognise that all key worker groups provide a valuable service, resources are finite and decisions prioritising those eligible for assistance from the scheme have been made following discussions with key worker sponsor Departments who set the key worker groups and areas where the assistance will be targeted. We currently have no plans to extend the scheme although my officials do regularly discuss and review the eligible roles with the key worker sponsor Departments.
Key workers who are not eligible for the Key Worker Living Programme may benefit from other products available under our HomeBuy scheme which will expand the opportunity for home ownership to over a 100,000 households by 2010.
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the disparity was between the least and the most deprived wards in each local government area, ranked in descending order, in the most recent year for which figures are available. [101401]
Angela E. Smith: The Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 provides the most recent figures on deprivation for England. Deprivation is measured at Lower Layer Super Output Area (SOA) level rather than at ward level as the former allows better identification of small pockets of deprivation and overcomes problems associated with changing ward boundaries.
A table has been placed in the Library of the House providing a list of all local authority areas in England showing the percentage of each authoritys SOAs that fall within the 10 per cent. most and 10 per cent. least deprived in England.
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) changes to practice and (b) investigations have been made in the light of delays in answering his Department's Parliamentary Questions; and if he will make a statement. [100899]
Mr. McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has recognised that the Department's performance in answering parliamentary questions in the first session of Parliament was not acceptable. My right hon. Friend has instructed both the Permanent Secretary and I to investigate the current delivery mechanisms. Specifically, he has identified the Department's obligations to Parliament as one of the key performance measures that should result from his plan to reform the Home Office. This work remains ongoing although I am pleased to reassure you that performance over the last four months did improve considerably. Specific procedures which have been tightened include:
The future provision of monthly reports to the Leader of the House on performance.
The earlier identification at director level of those parliamentary questions which are overdue.
In addition, I hold weekly meetings to address all parliamentary issues including PQ's.
Adam Price: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce regional variation to corporation tax rates within the UK. [100628]
Dawn Primarolo: Decisions about corporation tax are taken as part of the Budget process.
Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many interceptions were made by HM Revenue and Customs on uncanalised yacht and pleasure craft traffic entering (a) the UK and (b) south coast waters in each of the last five years. [100792]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not centrally record interceptions of yachts and pleasure craft.
Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many customs officers in (a) the South Region and (b) the UK have been redeployed from static border detection work to mobile teams since 2002. [100788]
Dawn Primarolo: All HM Revenue and Customs Detection staff are currently deployed on a flexible, mobile and intelligence led basis to address the highest risk.
Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total quantity of drugs seized by HM Revenue and Customs was in each of the last five years, broken down by type of drug. [100789]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on drugs seizures made by HM Revenue and Customs is contained in the annual reports for HM Customs and Excise and HM Revenue and Customs. The figures for the year ending 31 March 2006 will be published in the next annual report.
Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what performance indicators HM Revenue and Customs uses to measure the impact of its policies to reduce the supply of class A drugs to the UK. [100790]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs has responsibility for the interception of prohibited and restricted goods, including class A drugs, at the UK frontier. HM Revenue and Customs performance indicators for the interception of class A drugs at the UK frontier are set out in the Departments Public Service Agreement (PSA) 2005-06 to 2007-08. Details may be found in the Technical Note to the PSA on the HMRC website at:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/psa/tn05-08.htm.
Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) drug, (b) firearm and (c) prohibited alcohol seizures were carried out by customs officers in (i) the UK and (ii) the south region in each of the last five years. [100793]
Dawn Primarolo: The number of drugs and firearms seizures can be found in the annual reports of HM Revenue and Customs, and HM Customs and Excise.
The number of seizures of alcohol in the UK for each of the last five years is as follows:
Number | |
Information by location cannot be disclosed as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.
Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) cigarette and (b) other tobacco seizures there were in (i) the UK and (ii) the south region in each of the last five years. [100795]
Dawn Primarolo: The number of seizures of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the UK for each of the last five years is as follows:
Cigarettes | Other tobacco products | |
Information by location cannot be disclosed as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.
Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer where customs officers normally based in the Port of Poole are currently working. [100797]
Dawn Primarolo: Numbers of HMRC staff deployed at ports and airports will change continually in line with intelligence and risk assessments and there is not a routine daily deployment of staff.
The deployment of customs officers cannot be disclosed as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention of crime.
Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many customs officers have been based in the Port of Poole in each of the last five years; and how many are currently based there. [100799]
Dawn Primarolo: The deployment of customs officers cannot be disclosed as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention of crime.
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many workers from the new member states of the EU are claiming benefit in the UK for families living in their home countries. [100883]
Dawn Primarolo: A quarterly report, last produced on 22 August 2006 by the Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs and Department for Communities and Local Government is published on the Home Office immigration and nationality directorates website, http://www.ind.home office.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/accession_monitoring_ report, and provides detailed information including the number of workers from the new member states of the EU who are claiming child benefit.
Natascha Engel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on first aid trainers of recent changes in employment practice of training companies relating to the tax status of freelance trainers. [101016]
Dawn Primarolo: For the purposes of tax, there has been no recent change to the employment status of first aid trainers. There is no statutory definition of employment and self-employment for tax. A worker's status is determined by the terms and conditions under which they are engaged.
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