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12 Dec 2006 : Column 970W—continued
Engagements
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to attend the Regeneration and Housing Conference at the University of Bedfordshire at Putteridge Bury on 11 December in a ministerial capacity. [103130]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 27 November 2006]: My right hon. Friend did not attend this conference.
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Minister for Housing and Planning will be attending the Regeneration and Housing Conference at the University of Bedfordshire at Putteridge Bury on 11 December in a ministerial capacity. [106586]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 30 November 2006]: Yes.
Fire Services
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to clarify the role of firefighters in co-responding following judgment in the recent Nottinghamshire case. [107525]
Angela E. Smith: Co-responding offers tremendous benefits to the public and the fire sendee and the scheme is working well in other parts of the country. As Nottingham and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Authorities have been given leave to appeal on this specific case it would not be inappropriate for me to comment on this case. I very much hope that the differences between the employers and the Fire Brigades Union can be resolved through negotiation.
FOI Requests
Mr. Harper:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many requests for internal reviews of Freedom of
Information requests within her Department are outstanding. [105675]
Angela E. Smith: Communities and Local Government currently has 19 requests for internal review either awaiting or undergoing review.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s target time is for the conducting of internal reviews of Freedom of Information requests; and what the average time taken to conduct such reviews has been to date. [105676]
Angela E. Smith: Although the Freedom of Information Act does not prescribe the period for completing an internal review, the Department aims to follow the recommendations for target times for completing reviews that are set out in guidance issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The Department does not presently collect information on the average time taken to conduct a review, but figures regarding the Department’s target times for responding to initial Freedom of Information requests are published quarterly by the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The most recent figures, covering the period April-June 2006 are available on the DCA website at:
www.dca.gov.uk/foi/reference/statsAndReports/stats06_apr-jun.htm.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many requests for internal reviews of Freedom of Information requests her Department received in each year since the Act was introduced; and how many such requests it has received in 2006. [105677]
Angela E. Smith: Communities and Local Government and its predecessor department, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, received 35 requests for internal review in 2005, and in 2006 has so far received 30 requests for internal review. These figures include the Government offices for the regions.
Gender Equality
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) when she expects to publish her Department’s gender equality scheme; [101484]
(2) what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies for which she is responsible are taking steps to meet the requirements of the forthcoming duty on public bodies (i) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and (ii) to promote equality between women and men; [101559]
(3) what plans she has to carry out gender impact assessments of major policy developments and new legislation as required by the forthcoming gender equality duty. [101939]
Meg Munn: My Department expects to publish its Gender Equality Scheme by 30 April 2007, in line with legal requirements.
My Department and its executive agencies will be taking the steps outlined in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) Order 2006 (No. 2930) which should come into force on 6 April 2007. Carrying out these steps will ensure better performance on the general gender equality duty, which requires public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and harassment and promote equality of opportunity between women and men. Non-departmental public bodies are responsible for producing their own gender equality schemes.
From April 2007, my Department will carry out impact assessments of major policy developments and new legislation in line with the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) Order 2006 (No. 2930). We shall refer to Equal Opportunities Commission’s (EOC) Code of Practice on the Gender Equality Duty and their specific guidance.
Local Government Funding
Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) cash and (b) percentage change in funding was for (i) Leicestershire county council and (ii) Charnwood borough council in each year since 1997. [108911]
Mr. Woolas: The following table shows both the cash and percentage change in formula grant funding for Leicestershire county council and Charnwood borough council on a like-for-like basis i.e. after adjusting for changes in funding and function.
| Leicestershire | ||||
| Previous year’s adjusted( 1) formula grant (£ million) | Current year’s formula grant( 2) (£ million) | Change (£ million) | Percentage change | |
Local Government Standards
Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of overview and scrutiny committees in improving local government performance. [108127]
Mr. Woolas: Our evidence, including the Evaluating Local Governance study being undertaken by the University of Manchester, shows that overview and scrutiny can make a real difference to councils’ decisions and help them, as leaders of their communities, to address issues which really matter to local people: recent examples range from access to health and social care to the night-time economy.
Lyons Review
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made with the Lyons Review; and when she expects it to be reported to Parliament. [105300]
Mr. Woolas: The Lyons Inquiry’s final report will be published around the time of Budget 2007.
Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the Lyons Review to be (a) completed and (b) published; and when the Government will publish its response. [107302]
Mr. Woolas: As the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his pre-Budget report the Lyons Inquiry’s final report will be published around the time of Budget 2007, and will inform the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
Procurement Projects
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the 20 largest procurement projects initiated by her Department since May 1997 have been; what the (a) original budget, (b) cost to date and (c) consultancy fees have been; and what the final cost was of each project which has been completed. [106602]
Angela E. Smith: The Department does not centrally hold all of the information sought. Provision of this detail would therefore incur disproportionate cost. The following however provides a listing of 20 of the Department’s more important procurement projects and their budgets.
| Procurement Project | Budget (£) |
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