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10 Jan 2007 : Column 623W—continued


Valuation and Rating

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of (a) the average domestic rates paid per household and (b) the total net revenue from domestic rates for 2006-07. [114341]

Mr. Hanson: For 2006-07, the total revenue raised from the domestic rate (including both District and Regional elements) is projected to be £446.3 million, with an average household bill of £668.

Communities and Local Government

Council Tax

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the average council tax figures calculated by her Department use the (a) mean and (b) median measure. [114403]

Mr. Woolas: The average council tax figures are based on arithmetic mean, rather than median, measures.

High Hedges

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many high hedges appeals have been made under section 71 of the
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Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003; and how many have been upheld in favour of the appellant. [114558]

Meg Munn: At 8 January 2007, a total of 421 high hedges appeals had been made since part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 came into operation in England on 1 June 2005. 34 were either withdrawn or rejected as invalid. Information on the remaining 387 appeals is set out in the following table.

High hedges appeals made under section 71 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003—position at 8 January 2007
Complainant Hedge owner Total

Appeals received

Remedial notice

110

180

290

No remedial notice

97

97

All

207

180

387

Decisions issued

Allowed

31

18

49

Allowed in part

13

38

51

Dismissed

92

59

151

All

136

115

251


Local Government Pensions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which local authorities have taken contribution holidays from the local government pension scheme in each of the last 10 years; [103917]

(2) how much was saved by each local authority taking a contributions holiday from the local government pension scheme in each of the last 10 years. [104417]

Mr. Woolas [holding answer 27 November 2006]: The contribution rates paid by local authorities who participate in the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales are assessed by fund actuaries every three years to ensure the long term solvency of the scheme. Over the last 10 years, the funds have been valued as at 31 March 1998, 2001 and 2004, with the next valuation due on 31 March 2007.

Details of individual contribution rates finally set by the 89 LGPS administering authorities in England and Wales are included in reports prepared by fund actuaries engaged by those authorities and are not held centrally. Seeking permission from all 89 authorities, and the relevant actuarial firms to publish this information for each of the three valuation exercises that have taken place since 1998, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Individual Local Government Pension Scheme pension fund authorities can provide specific details of contribution levels for their participating employers.


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Home Department

Controlled Drinking Zones

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which local authorities have introduced controlled drinking zones. [114342]

Mr. Coaker: Since September 2001 over 190 local authority areas have notified the Home Office that they have made designation orders under section 13 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 to restrict anti-social public drinking by introducing a Designated Public Place Order (DPPO), in areas that have experienced alcohol-related disorder or nuisance.

These are sometime mistakenly referred to as controlled drinking zones.

Once in place a DPPO provides the police with the power to enforce the restriction, where necessary because of antisocial alcohol misuse, by confiscating both opened and sealed containers. There are currently over 400 DPPOs and some areas have introduced more than one. A full list of the local authorities that have introduced DPPOs can be found on the following website: www.crimereduction.gov.uk/alcoholorders09. htm

Immigration and Visa Applications

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department’s policy is on the outsourcing of immigration and visa applications; what assessment he has made of the activities of the Setup Travel Agency, representatives in Gaziantep in the case of Mr. Ramazan Sivka; and if he will make a statement. [112704]

Mr. McCartney: I have been asked to reply.

Commercial Partnerships (Outsourcing) play a central role in the delivery of core UKvisas business by providing a range of administrative services supporting entry clearance sections. The use of commercial partners, which perform routine functions such as collection of fees, data entry and the checking of documentation has enabled entry clearance staff to concentrate on front-line work to meet targets and handle increased numbers of applications.

The actions of the Setup Travel Agency representative based in Gaziantep have been reviewed. The review confirmed that the representative did advise Mr. Sivka that he should only apply for a one year stay, which was consistent with the documentation that he had produced with his application. The review also concluded that the Setup Travel Agency representative was trying to be helpful and he gave this advice with the best interests of Mr. Sivka in mind. Notwithstanding this, however, further training has been provided to the representative to ensure that inappropriate advice is not given in future and the Visa Section will continue to monitor performance regularly.

Police Budgets

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget was of each police
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constabulary in 2005-06; and what each constabulary’s performance against target was in this year. [106966]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 6 December 2006]: The information requested on police authority budgets in England and Wales in 2005-06 is set out in the table.

Police forces are assessed by comparison to relative performance of other forces facing similar demands, rather than against fixed targets. A copy of the most recent Police Performance Assessments have been placed in the House Library and are also available at:


10 Jan 2007 : Column 627W
Police authority budgets in England and Wales 2005-06
Police authority Budget requirement 2005-06 (£)

Avon and Somerset

240,632,000

Bedfordshire

87,283,056

Cambridgeshire

112,525,434

Cheshire

148,387,000

Cleveland

114,811,422

Cumbria

89,115,200

Derbyshire

145,884,008

Devon and Cornwall

243,711,293

Dorset

106,976,800

Durham

105,403,420

Essex

232,229,000

Gloucestershire

95,927,750

Hampshire

272,889,000

Hertfordshire

159,457,979

Humberside

156,908,520

Kent

256,520,400

Lancashire

240,365,000

Leicestershire

146,275,519

Lincolnshire

89,863,416

Norfolk

127,468,324

Northamptonshire

101,803,000

North Yorkshire

126,165,400

Nottinghamshire

173,367,000

Staffordshire

163,905,000

Suffolk

98,862,728

Surrey

165,407,184

Sussex

231,282,000

Thames Valley

325,214,230

Warwickshire

77,200,000

West Mercia

172,791,000

Wiltshire

92,705,000

Total Shires

4,901,337,083

Greater Manchester

493,914,043

Merseyside

306,627,744

Northumbria

262,015,000

South Yorkshire

226,351,089

West Midlands

490,960,000

West Yorkshire

382,975,000

Total Mets

2,162,842,876

Total England (exc. London)

7,064,179,959

Metropolitan

2,488,300,000

Total England (inc. London)

9,552,479,959

Dyfed-Powys

80,276,930

Gwent

102,311,000

North Wales

120,677,834

South Wales

227,435,012

Total Wales

530,700,776

Total England and Wales

10,083,180,735

Source:
Department for Communities and Local Government—English Police Authorities/Welsh Assembly Government—Welsh Police Authorities

Prison Service

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action (a) a commissioning authority and (b) a lead investigator should take upon becoming aware of a personal conflict of interest within the investigation being conducted under Prison Service Order 1300; and if he will make a statement. [112890]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Prison Service Order 1300-Investigations sets out mandatory action and guidance for investigations carried out in the Prison Service.

The PSO states


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