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18 Dec 2006 : Column 1500W—continued
Train to Gain
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which providers have been awarded Train to Gain contracts in each region; what the value is of each contract; and if he will make a statement. [109526]
Phil Hope: Over 300 colleges and independent providers have succeeded in winning a contract to deliver Train to Gain in one or more regions through fair and open competitive tender. Arrangements are being made to place the list of providers and thevalue of their Train to Gain contract in the House Library.
Electoral Commission Committee
Party Funding
26. Mr. Hands: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee onthe Electoral Commission what representations the Commission has received on councillors’ allowances being used to fund local and national political parties. [109432]
Peter Viggers: I am informed by the Commission that it has received one letter about the practice of councillors making donations to political parties from their allowances.
Postal Voting
Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what monitoring the Electoral Commission has undertaken of the integrity of postal voting. [109428]
Peter Viggers: The Commission has a duty to keep electoral law and practice under review and has addressed the issue of the integrity of postal voting in its statutory reports on elections.
Church Commissioners
Fund Management
24. Chris Bryant: To ask the hon. Memberfor Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners whether the portfolio of funds managed by the Church Commissioners on behalf of the Church of England includes shares in Burberry. [109430]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Commissioners own around£2.5 million worth of shares in the Burberry Group. This represents about 0.1 per cent. of their UK equities portfolio.
Retired Clergy
27. Dr. Pugh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what percentage of ordained clergymen are retired; and what assessment the Commissioners have made of the contribution of retired clergy to the work of the Church. [109433]
Sir Stuart Bell: Just under 50 per cent. of the 18,000 or so clergy in receipt of a stipend or pension are retired. By way of a statement, the Church’s ministry to the nation could not be sustained without the invaluable contribution of all those who offer their ministry voluntarily. These include not only retired clergy but also non-stipendiary ministers, ordained local ministers and readers.
Church Repairs
28. Miss McIntosh: To ask the hon. Memberfor Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what recent representations the Commissioners have received on the level of grants for church repairs; and if he will make a statement. [109434]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Commissioners have received no such representations but the Church Heritage Forum has and, with the Commissioners’ support, it continues to take all available opportunities to press the case with Government for better funding arrangements.
Ordination of Women
Robert Key: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many (a) parishes and (b) parochial church councils (PCCs) in each diocese have passed (i) Resolution A and (ii) Resolution B under Section 3 of the Priest (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993; and how many PCCs have petitioned for extended episcopal ministry. [110072]
Sir Stuart Bell: Only parochial church councils are able legally to pass the resolutions in question. Therefore the answer I am about to give only answers part (b) of the hon. Gentleman’s question. Figures were last collected in 2004.
Northern Ireland
Community Investment Fund
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which organisations in each district council area have been successful in securing funding from the Community Investment Fund in the latest round of applications. [110168]
Mr. Hanson: The Community Investment Fund (CIF) was established under “Positive Steps: The Government's Response to Investing Together” to deliver a longer-term, strategic commitment to supporting community development, to help deliver change to those most in need. The Community Investment Fund will be directed towards the support of longer-term funding for core operating costs. An initial budget of £5 million is available to the CIF over three years. 137 applications for funding were received and following detailed assessment some 36 organisations have proceeded to the final stage of economic appraisal. To date six of these organisations have successfully completed this process and have been offered funding contracts. These are: Ballybeen Women's Centre and Greenway Women's Centre (Castlereagh council), Strathfoyle Women's Activity Group and Foyle Women's Information Network (Derry city council), Footprints Women's Centre (Lisburn council) and Chrysalis Women's Centre (Craigavon council). Other economic appraisals are underway.
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