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11 Dec 2006 : Column 906W—continued

Renewable Energy: Planning

Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to ensure that the national planning regime encourages the development of (a) micro-power energy generation and (b) domestic wind turbines. [107708]

Yvette Cooper: The Government believe it should be made easier within the planning system to install small scale microgeneration. We are currently reviewing the regulations on what equipment a householder can install without having to apply for planning permission. Our aim is to produce a system that is both clearer and permits more microgeneration. We will be consulting on our proposals in the new year.

More generally, the Government have made it clear to all planning authorities that they are expected to make full use of the positive approach to renewables set out in Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 22 on Renewable Energy. In particular, the Government expects all planning authorities to include policies in their development plans that require a percentage of the energy in new developments to come from on-site
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renewables, where it is viable. We have said we will publish for consultation by the end of the year a new PPS on climate change. This will set out how the Government expect participants in the planning process to work towards the reduction of carbon emissions in the location, siting and design of new development.

Retirement Age

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden) of 4 December 2006, Official Report, columns 189-90W, on the retirement age, what her Department’s policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the senior civil service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992. [108014]

Angela E. Smith: Within Communities and Local Government there is no default age for retirement for staff below the senior civil service grades allowing an individual to continue work providing they receive satisfactory reports and have a good attendance and conduct record.

Rural Areas: Maps

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she sought advice from the Council for the Protection of Rural England before announcing her decision to withdraw funding for the regular updating of rural and moorland mapping from December. [107753]

Mr. Woolas: The Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) were not directly approached for their advice, however, a public consultation was run in late 2004 to gather views on the National Interest Mapping Services Agreement, including the updating of rural and moorland mapping. CPRE did not respond to this consultation. Further discussions took place with potentially affected organisations in 2006, including Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.

Sexual Orientation Regulations

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish the Sexual Orientation Regulations in draft before they are presented to the House for ratification. [103829]

Meg Munn: Our intention is to publish the Government response to the consultation held earlier this year on proposals to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services in good time before the regulations are laid before Parliament in time for commencement on6 April 2007.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the
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Government’s policy on the prohibition in England and Wales of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation is the same as that embodied in the regulations published for Northern Ireland. [107369]

Meg Munn [holding answer 4 December 2006]: The regulations to prohibit sexual orientation discrimination in the provision of goods and services in Great Britain will be brought forward under Section 81 of the Equality Act 2006. Separate regulations are being made for Northern Ireland under Section 82 of the Equality Act because Northern Ireland’s anti-discrimination framework is distinct from that which applies to the rest of Great Britain. However, the regulations that will apply to Great Britain share their overarching policy aim with The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 that were laid before the House on 24 November. That goal is to eliminate unfair discrimination faced by lesbians, gay men and bisexual people when accessing goods and services across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department has had on the likely impact of the Sexual Orientation Regulations on (a) fostering agencies, (b) Christian conference centres and (c) religious people involved in providing services for wedding ceremonies. [104633]

Meg Munn: Ministers and officials have discussed the likely impact of the Sexual Orientation Regulations with a wide range of interest groups. This has included meetings with a number of organisations representing religious interests about the impact of the regulations in these areas.

Special Advisers

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of her Department's civil servants work full-time to support departmental special advisers; and what the salary is of each such civil servant. [106511]

Angela E. Smith: Three members of staff are employed to support both special advisers and policy advisers to Ministers in Communities and Local Government. Individual civil servants' salary details are not disclosed in order to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned.

Statistics

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department and its predecessors spent on statistics relating to the work of her Department in each of the last five years. [107266]

Angela E. Smith: There is no definition of the term “statistics relating to the work of the Department” and no centrally held information on either the volume or costs of statistics published each year on this basis.

Estimates for the annual costs of national statistics are contained in the relevant National Statistics Annual
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Report and Accounts, which are available on the National Statistics website at:

Copies are also available in the Library for the reference of Members.

The last year these were produced was 2004-05.

Supporting People Programme

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the supporting people settlement for 2007-08 was for (a) Leicestershire, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) Derbyshire; and what the population is in each county. [104584]

Mr. Woolas: The supporting people settlement for the three counties is shown in the table:

County Settlement (£)

Leicestershire

7,364,026

Nottinghamshire

26,222,437

Derbyshire

17,481,867


The population figures are:

County Population

Leicestershire

627,800

Nottinghamshire

762,700

Derbyshire

747,500


Tablighi Jamaat

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the extent to which Tablighi Jamaat poses a security risk to the UK; and if she will make a statement. [106000]

Mr. Woolas [holding answer 28 November 2006]: The Government has no reason to believe that Tablighi Jamaat poses a security risk.

Telecommunications Masts

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills about local authorities deriving income from contracts with mobile phone companies to erect masts in schools. [104983]

Mr. Woolas: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on allowing mobile phone operators to erect masts in schools in order to obtain revenue for local authorities.

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much income was derived by local authorities from mobile phone companies in each of the last three years. [104984]

Mr. Woolas: The information requested is notheld centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.


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Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library the minutes of the board meetings ofthe Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership on (a) 8 February 2006, (b) 29 March 2006 and (c) 10 May 2006; and what the reason is for the delay in placing these minutes in the Library. [107429]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 4 December 2006]: The Board of the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership (TGSEP) resolved to place copies of their minutes from 19 July 2006 onwards in the Library of the House. Their release is a matter for the Board of TGSEP to determine, which is independent from the Department.

Tobacco: Fire Prevention

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions about reduced ignition propensity cigarettes officials in her Department have had with representatives of the Tobacco Manufacturers Association. [107424]

Angela E. Smith: Following the Government's Written Ministerial Statement on Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes on 24 July 2006, Official Report, column 67WS, the Tobacco Manufacturers Association arranged a presentation for officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Health on 5 October, setting out their concerns regarding the introduction of reduced ignition propensity of cigarettes and a possible European technical standard.

Valuation Office Agency

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Valuation Office Agency has paid to (a) Cole Layer Trumble and (b) Tyler Technologies to date; and what the expected expenditure to each is for the remainder of 2006-07. [104031]

Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) does not have a contract with Cole Layer Trumble (CLT). The contract is between Capgemini (IT providers to HMRC and the VOA) and CLT who are a division of Tyler Technologies. The total spend with CLT from July 2004 to October 2006 is £3,544,294. Any anticipated expenditure for the remainder of 2006-07 is unlikely to exceed £200,000.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library the training material produced bythe Valuation Office Agency's (VOA) Training Development (Human Resources) section on Dwellinghouse Coding available on the VOA’s intranet. [104216]

Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency’s Training and Development (Human Resources) Manual, referred to in the Agency’s Council Tax Manual no longer exists. The Agency’s Council Tax Manual will be updated to reflect this.


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West Yorkshire Pension Fund

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the assets of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund. [108241]

Mr. Woolas: The market value of the assets held by the West Yorkshire Pension Fund of the Local Government Pension Scheme as at 31 March 2006 was £6.6 billion. The data are derived from the annual return submitted to the Department by the West Yorkshire Pension Fund Authority.

Northern Ireland

Armed Forces

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the armed
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forces have received criminal convictions whilst serving in Northern Ireland in each of the past six years for which figures are available. [107632]

Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.

The number of armed forces personnel servingin Northern Ireland who have received criminal convictions in magistrates and Crown courts in Northern Ireland in each of the past six years is set out in the following table.

Number of convictions

2001

242

2002

281

2003

300

2004

282

2005

158

2006(1)

83

(1)As at 30 November


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