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15 Jan 2007 : Column 845W—continued

Economically inactive people of working age( 1) 1997 to 2006, United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted
Twelve months ending December each year Levels (000) Rates( 2) (percentage)

1997

7,608

21.6

1998

7,649

21.6

1999

7,559

21.2

2000

7,591

21.2

2001

7,727

21.4

2002

7,752

21.4

2003

7,786

21.4

2004

7,864

21.4

2005

7,910

21.4

2006(3)

7,847

21.1

(1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women age 16 to 59.
(2) Economically inactive people of working age as a percentage of all persons of working age.
(3) Ten months ending October 2006.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of the population from each of the EU15 member states were deemed to be economically inactive in each year since 1997. [115944]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 15 January 2007:


15 Jan 2007 : Column 846W

Communities and Local Government

Affordable Homes

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes there are in Bournemouth; and how many there were in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003. [113702]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 10 January 2007]: The numbers of social rent homes managed by local authorities and registered social landlords in Bournemouth as reported by Bournemouth local authority are tabulated as follows. Homes provided for social rent make up only part of the housing stock classified as affordable; the remainder are provided through low cost home ownership schemes. Between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2006 an additional 283 affordable homes have been provided through a low cost home ownership scheme in Bournemouth.

Number of social rent homes in Bournemouth local authority
Organisation responsible 1997 2003 2006

Bournemouth local authority

5,690

5,277

5,161

Registered social landlords

1,850

2,679

2,718

Total

7,540

7,956

7,879

Source:
Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix

Building Valuations

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Ordnance Survey has provided the Valuation Office Agency with (a) aerial and (b) satellite imagery. [114912]

Mr. Woolas: No.

Business Rates Valuations

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency plans to use automated valuation processes for business rates valuations. [115054]

Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency is currently considering the feasibility of using automated valuation modelling to support the valuation of properties for non-domestic rating purposes. No decision will be taken until the feasibility study is complete.


15 Jan 2007 : Column 847W

Commercial Leases

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints the Department has received from members of the public on commercial lease issues since March 2005. [113922]

Yvette Cooper: We have received nine written complaints about commercial lease issues since March 2005, as well as a number of telephone calls from members of the public, but are aware of wider concern through our continuing discussions with stakeholder and small business representatives.

Council Housing

Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much in capital receipts from the sale of council houses in South Manchester under the right to buy legislation has (a) been retained by central Government and (b) been returned to the local authority (i) since the right to buy legislation was introduced and (ii) since 1997; [109073]

(2) how much the Government have received in capital receipts from the sale of council houses in South Manchester under the right to buy legislation (a) since the right to buy legislation was introduced and (b) since 1997. [109074]

Yvette Cooper: Central Government began receiving housing receipts in 2004-05. Before then, with-debt local authorities were required to set aside a proportion of their housing receipts. The receipts set-aside could only be used for the repayment of the authority’s debt. From 2004-05 set-aside no longer applied to Right to Buy (RTB) receipts as the “pooling” regime was introduced to ensure fair distribution of receipts and investment across the country, whereby local authorities paid over or “pooled” a proportion of their housing receipts to the Secretary of State to support wider housing investment.

The proportion of the capital receipt set-aside or pooled is 75 per cent. for a dwelling and 50 per cent. for a non-dwelling asset. The local authority is free to use the remaining 25 per cent. or 50 per cent. respectively for any capital purpose they see fit.

Data formerly collected about amounts set-aside and data collected about the value of receipts pooled by the Secretary of State does not separately identify the value of the set-aside or pooled capital receipt derived from RTB disposals. The data cover all housing set aside/pooled receipts. These include receipts arising from the sales of vacant housing land, shops, community centres, and garages that are on estates owned by local authorities, and receipts arising from the sales of dwellings made under powers other than Right to Buy.

The following table shows total receipts set aside and pooled for the whole of Manchester, since the Department does not collect data for individual areas such as South Manchester; nor does it collect data on the amount of receipts retained by local authorities. The table also shows the amount of financial support Manchester has received for its capital expenditure
15 Jan 2007 : Column 848W
programme. This does not include support to Registered Social Landlords who all have built new homes in Manchester. It also includes the amount of revenue subsidy Manchester receives for running its own housing stock. Pre 1995-96 data is available only at disproportionate cost.

£000
Housing receipts set-aside Housing receipts pooling Housing allocations HRA Subsidy

1995-96

15,643

n/a

26,875

not available

1996-97

4,003

n/a

23,230

not available

1997-98

6,469

n/a

20,447

40,253

1998-99

6,954

n/a

29,505

34,190

1999-2000

6,577

n/a

33,324

35,049

2000-01

10,605

n/a

49,029

29,209

2001-02

11,825

n/a

21,264

57,727

2002-03

15,655

n/a

22,809

52,875

2003-04

597

n/a

21,448

48,520

2004-05

36,654

29,224

24,199

45,691

n/a - not applicable

County Council Chief Executives

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to what extent chief executives of county councils are allowed to engage in party political campaigning. [114783]

Mr. Woolas: The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 provides that both district and county council chief executives hold politically restricted posts. Regulations made under that Act prescribe the extent of the restrictions on the party political activities of the holders of these posts.

Departmental Annual Report

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what high risk items were identified in Firelink and replaced, as referred to on page 45 of her Department's annual report for 2006. [115705]

Angela E. Smith: The items are listed in the following table. The Firelink operational continuity programme involves safeguarding those elements of the existing fire and rescue service's ageing radio systems, identified through a risk-assessment process as being at a high risk of failure, until replacement by the new national Firelink digital radio system. Most of this legacy equipment is in excess of 15 years old.


15 Jan 2007 : Column 849W
Replacement of equipment in OpCon Phase 1
Legacy equipment—high risk Replacement equipment Number

HS400 Frequency Reference

Dalman Satsync Frequency Reference

250

Pye RLA simulcast control equipment

Dalman Cosmos 4 control equipment

15

Marconi/Pye Base Station

PMR Products K4 Base Station

75

Various voting system

PRN4004 voting system

17

Remote control for paging

Paging switch

62

Various VHF and UHF link

Tait T800 VHP and UHF link

60

Mobile radio (various)

PMR products or Cleartone radio

459

FL5000 Microwave Link

Westica Microwave Link

8

Note: Original equipment has been replaced with same functionality equipment where possible.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the fire safety campaigns targeted at ethnic communities to which she refers on page 62 of her Department's annual report for 2006 cost. [115708]

Angela E. Smith: Communities and Local Government invested £120,000 in the 2006 fire safety campaign targeted at ethnic communities.

Departmental Equipment

Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of her Department's (a) computers and (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period. [109216]

Angela E. Smith: Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006. The following information goes back to May 2002, and includes data for CLG's predecessor Department, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (which was formed on 29 May 2002) and its agencies, The data requested on thefts prior to this date are not held centrally and therefore cannot be provided.

Number of stolen computers Number of stolen laptops

2002-03

2

2003-04

2

2004-05

2

2005-06

1

(1)7

2006-07

1

7

Total value (£)

750

(2)14,600

(1) This includes two x laptops from the Fire Service College and recorded as lost at the time of the answer of 13 February 2006 to the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T C Davies), Official Report, column 1616W, but subsequently reported as stolen.
(2 )Values prior to 2005-06 are estimated

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