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23 Nov 2006 : Column 210W—continued

Employees by age, whether working full or part-time and whether permanent or temporary—Scotland, not seasonally adjusted
Thousand
Three months ending September 2006 All employees Permanent Temporary

All employees( 1)

16-17

48

40

9

18-21

181

150

31

Full-time

16-17

21

19

3

18-21

98

86

12

Part-time

16-17

27

21

6

18-21

82

64

18

(1) Includes those who did not state whether they worked full or part time.
Note:
Components of table may not add to totals due to rounding.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Utilities

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which companies supply his Department’s (a) electricity, (b) telephones, (c) heating and (d) water. [102753]

John Healey: The information requested is (a) E-ON Energy, (b) BT, Cable and Wireless and Global Crossing (c) OGCbs (the Whitehall District Heating System), and (d) Thames Water.


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Prime Minister

Interim Victims Commissioner

Lady Hermon: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland following the Northern Ireland High Court judgment of 9 November 2006 by Mr. Justice Girvan in the matter of an application by Brenda Downes for judicial review of the appointment of Interim Victims Commissioner; [102532]

(2) on how many occasions since 2005 a Cabinet Minister has been held by a court in judicial review proceedings of a ministerial decision to have (a) been motivated by an improper purpose and (b) acted with a lack of candour; [102533]

(3) what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with the Ministerial Code following the Northern Ireland High Court judgment of 9 November 2006 by Mr. Justice Girvan in the matter of an application by Brenda Downes for judicial review of the appointment of the Interim Victims Commissioner. [102534]

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Prime Minister whether he was consulted in line with the provisions of section 53(d) of the Ministerial Code on the proposed appointment of the Interim Victims Commissioner for Northern Ireland. [102380]

The Prime Minister: Mr. Justice Girvan has asked the Attorney-General to investigate certain matters relating to the appointment of the Interim Victims Commissioner. The Attorney-General will reply in due course.

Ministerial Travel

Bob Russell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions since he has held his present office when he has used (a) rail services, (b) the London Underground, (c) tram or light railway services and (d) buses in connection with his ministerial duties. [101992]

The Prime Minister: I travel making the most efficient and cost-effective arrangements. My travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in Chapter 10 of the “Ministerial Code”, and the accompanying guidance document, “Travel by Ministers”.

Muslim Groups

Bob Spink: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the Muslim groups which he has contacted over the last five years. [100495]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 5W.


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Communities and Local Government

Bonus Payments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria a civil servant in her Department must fulfil (a) to be considered for a bonus on top of their regular salary and (b) to be awarded a bonus. [101039]

Angela E. Smith: Arrangements for awarding performance bonuses in the Department for Communities and Local Government are as follows:

Business Fire Regulations

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the new fire regulations for business will be posted on the Department’s website. [101418]

Angela E. Smith: Links to the official copy of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 have been on the Department’s website since July 2005. We have recently added a further e-link at:

Council Tax

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many people (a) were summonsed, (b) had cases referred to bailiffs and (c) received custodial sentences for non-payment of council tax in each year since 1996-97; how many council tax bills were issued in each year; and if she will make a statement; [101281]

(2) how many council tax non-payment cases were referred to bailiffs in each council in England for each year since 1995-96; what percentage this was of total council tax bills in each authority; and if she will make a statement. [101282]

Mr. Woolas: The collection and enforcement of council tax is a matter for individual billing authorities. The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect information on billing or enforcement action taken by authorities for non-payment of council tax.

For information on the number of people committed to prison for non-payment of council tax, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer of the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe) of 10 May 2006, Official Report, column 315W.


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Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will estimate the net cost, including the effects on council tax benefit payments, of reducing council tax bills by (a) 75 per cent. for band A homes, (b) 50 per cent. for band B homes and (c) 25 per cent. for band C homes; and if she will make a statement. [101289]

Angela E. Smith: The impact of reducing council tax bills by (a) 75 per cent. for Band A homes, (b) 50 per cent. for Band B homes and (c) 25 per cent. for Band C homes is shown in the table.

These figures assume that tax bills in the unaffected bands remain unchanged. Taking into account the resulting fall in the taxbase, while assuming the amount of gross council tax raised locally and nationally remains the same, local authority Band D bills would rise. This would result in higher bills for properties in all Bands not experiencing a reduction in their bill but in no additional cost to local authorities.

Note that reducing council tax bills will have no impact on the council tax benefit recipients themselves while on benefit, because it will not alter their net income after housing costs, although it may help them get out of benefit more easily. The savings to the Department for Work and Pensions reflect the proportion of the overall council tax revenue lost that would have been paid for by that Department.

£ million
Level of reduction Reduction in council tax revenue Of which: reduction of DWP expenditure in the form of reduced council tax benefits payments Net cost

Bills reduced by:

75 per cent. for band A homes

2,900

900

2,000

50 per cent. for band B homes

1,800

300

1,500

25 per cent. for band C homes

1,200

200

1,000

Total (all of the above)

5,800

1,500

4,400

Notes:
1. The reduction in council tax revenue was estimated using information on council tax levels for 2006-07 as reported to the Department by local authorities on BR returns and information on numbers of dwellings, discounts and exemptions as at October 2005 as reported to the Department by billing authorities on CTB1 returns.
2. The impact on council tax benefit was estimated using the Policy Simulation Model of the Department for Work and Pensions. This uses data from the 2004-05 Family Resources Survey up-rated to 2006-07 prices, benefit rates and earnings levels, and is calibrated to latest published forecasts and policies. Results are subject to sampling and reporting errors and estimation assumptions, and are therefore indicative only. No behavioural changes are assumed.
3. The amounts are rounded to the nearest £100 million.

Departmental Statistics

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which statistics have been put forward by (a) her Department and (b) her predecessor Department for consideration to become new national statistics in each of the last five
23 Nov 2006 : Column 214W
years; and how many statistics sets (i) her Department and (ii) her predecessor Department has produced in each year. [102067]

Angela E. Smith: The current list of national statistics produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government can be found on the National Statistics website at:

A list of changes to the scope of National Statistics (additions and withdrawals) in each of the last five years can be found in the relevant National Statistics annual report available on the National Statistics website at:

In addition to National Statistics, the Department for Communities and Local Government publishes a wide range of other numerical information in a variety of forms including other data produced from the management and administration of the Department and in research reports. There is no consistent definition of the term “statistics sets” and no centrally held information on the total published in each year on this basis.

Firefighters' Pension Scheme

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) why the new Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2006 is payable from age 60; and if she will make a statement; [101135]

(2) why firefighters’ pensions are payable from age 55 under the 1992 scheme; and if she will make a statement. [101146]

Angela E. Smith: The Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 1992 originates from 1948 when the role of a firefighter was restricted to firefighting duties and it was considered appropriate because of the risks of the job to have a minimum pension age of 50 with 25 or more years’ service and a compulsory retirement age of 55. However, a number of factors including: the extension of the role of a firefighter to cover, for example, fire safety; improved personal protective equipment and clothing; a better understanding of risk management; and good occupational health services, a normal retirement age of 60 is now justified as a firefighter’s life expectancy is now the same as that of the wider population.

Housing

Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which housing authorities local authority lettings have been made to households from the EU accession states since May 2004; and if she will break down by local authority the number of households which have been identified as being owed a main homeless duty. [100488]

Yvette Cooper: Tables showing the number of local authority lettings made to households from the EU accession states, and the number of households from those states who have been accepted as being owed a main homelessness duty, as reported by each local
23 Nov 2006 : Column 215W
housing authority in England since May 2004, have been placed in the Library. These figures will include households who have been resident in the UK since before May 2004. Overall, between May 2004 and June 2006 the number of lettings to applicants from the accession states was 0.04 per cent. of total local authority lettings, and the number of homeless acceptances was 0.2 per cent. of total acceptances.

Local Government

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to expand the number of town and parish councils in urban areas; and how the White Paper on Local Government aims to increase the role of local councils. [101408]

Angela E. Smith: Urban communities across the country already have the right to petition for the creation of parishes if they choose to do so. We will extend that right to communities in London. More generally, the Local Government White Paper sets out our intention to extend the power of well-being to those town and parish councils which satisfy criteria based on the Quality Parish scheme; and to permit local councils to make and enforce their own by-laws.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the application by areas to become unitary authorities; what the process to apply will be; how applications will be evaluated; and what funding is available to expedite applications. [101409]

Angela E. Smith: The timetable and the application and evaluation process are described in the document “Invitations to councils in England” sent to all local authorities along side the Local Government White Paper “Strong and prosperous communities”. Copies are available in the House Libraries.


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