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22 Jan 2007 : Column 1523W—continued

Islamic Sharia Council

Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants in her Department have held meetings with the Islamic Sharia Council; and if she will make a statement. [110525]

Mr. Woolas: Neither Ministers nor officials from Communities and Local Government have met with the Islamic Sharia Council.

Light Pollution

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been produced for local authorities on the effective use of the planning process in reducing light pollution. [117350]

Yvette Cooper: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is now leading on the development of guidance on light pollution.

Local Authority Business Growth Incentive

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she has received from the Valuation Office Agency the information on which the local authority business growth incentive (LABGI) will be based; if she will publish this information; and when the City of Newcastle will be informed of the LABGI it will receive. [117179]


22 Jan 2007 : Column 1524W

Mr. Woolas: The information on which the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme (LABGI) will be based has not yet been received by this Department. Our September announcement confirmed our intention to notify local authorities of their grant in February 2007. The supporting information will be published on our website at this time.

Local Government Finance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the performance of local authorities in matching central government funding for disabled facilities grants. [113779]

Yvette Cooper: The latest available data on mandatory disabled facilities grant (DFG) expenditure from the local authorities housing strategy statistical return show that £221 million was spent in 2005-06. Central government contribution to 60 per cent. of DFG was £121 million, while authorities contributed £100 million, well above the required 40 per cent. matched funding.

In addition, local authorities are required to complete an annual claim form to the Department and maintain financial records which are subject to auditing requirements. The audit includes a check on the level of contribution claimed from central government. If an authority cannot find the matched funding, central government funding cannot be used. However, authorities do have the flexibility to carry over funding to the following year.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much Government grant per head was received by each local authority in England, excluding education spending, in each year from 1998-99 to the most recent year for which figures are available; [114729]

(2) how much was allocated in terms of per capita government grant to local authorities for purposes other than education in (a) 1998-99 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [114833]

Mr. Woolas: The information is not available as it is not possible separately to identify funding for education. This is because many central Government grants are unhypothecated.

Muslim Groups

Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what response she has made to the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Body Consultation Findings and Conclusions. [115171]

Mr. Woolas [holding answer 15 January 2007]: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has not yet responded to any report on
22 Jan 2007 : Column 1525W
the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board. The board has not yet published a formal report of their programme of consultations but meetings have been held to discuss the programme and the Government look forward to their findings.

Public Sector Pensions

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in her Department and its executive agencies; and if she will make a statement. [113822]

Angela E. Smith: These individuals are named in the annual remuneration reports which forms part of the resource accounts completed by Communities and Local Government and each of its executive agencies, and the cash equivalent transfer value of their public sector pensions is therefore reported annually. This information is already in the public domain.

Rough Sleepers

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on housing rough sleepers since May 1997; and what reductions in rough sleeping have resulted. [115549]

Yvette Cooper: The Government recognised the need to increase investment significantly in order to tackle rough sleeping in a sustainable way. This helped achieve the Prime Minister’s target of a two-thirds reduction in rough sleeping from the 1998 baseline of 1,850 rough sleepers on the streets of England on any single night. The target was met ahead of time and to date is being sustained. In 2006 there were just over 500, a figure which represents a 73 per cent. reduction on the baseline level.

Historically, there has been capital expenditure by the Housing Corporation under several rough sleepers initiatives. The rough sleepers unit was set up in 1999 with a budget of almost £200 million over its three-year lifetime. Almost £80 million was administered by the Housing Corporation for permanent accommodation.

Since 2002-03 local authorities have been responsible for tackling rough sleeping as part of their homeless strategies. Homelessness grant is allocated to support local strategies to ensure the rough sleeping target is sustained. The £90 million Hostels Capital Improvement Programme for 2005-06 to 2007-08 is bringing further improvements by making hostels places of change.

Finally, the Supporting People grant programme allocated through 150 administering authorities enables the provision of housing-related support services to a wide range of vulnerable groups, including rough sleepers.

The following table sets out details of the funding for rough sleepers.


22 Jan 2007 : Column 1526W
£ million
Local authorities Voluntary organisations Hostels Capital Improvement Programme Supporting People

2006-07

46.3

23.0

20.5

n/a

2005-06

44.5

15.0

41.4

16.3

2004-05

45.8

14.8

15.6

15.0

2003-04

50.6

20.3

12.7

2002-03

48.2

25.0

2001-02

3.5

36.6

2000-01

2.9

28.6

1999-2000

3.1

22.6

1998-99

0.0

19.6

1997-98

0.0

15.8

n/a = Not yet available.

Social Housing

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on the maintenance of social housing for rent in each year since 1995. [115336]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 15 January 2006]: We do not collect details from local authorities of actual expenditure on the maintenance of social housing.

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) longest, (b) shortest and (c) average waiting times were for persons seeking (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three and (iv) four bedroom council properties in local authority areas in England and Wales in each of the last three years; and which councils had the (A) highest and (B) lowest waiting times. [116498]

Yvette Cooper: The information is not held centrally.

Sustainable Communities Plan

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2006, Official Report, column 1657W, on the sustainable communities plan, how much was allocated to each scheme in Kent Thameside that has received support from the Thames Gateway Growth Area Fund. [116083]

Yvette Cooper: The following projects have been allocated funding from the Thames Gateway Growth Area Fund. For clarity, some schemes (in italics) are shown as a number of project parts.


22 Jan 2007 : Column 1527W

22 Jan 2007 : Column 1528W
£

Town Centre Regeneration—Gravesend

1,600,000

North East Gravesend Canal Basin Regeneration

11,350,000

Viability and Master Planning

500,000

Gravesend/Canal Basin

250,000

Accommodating Excellence

500,000

Town Centre Regeneration—Dartford

178,312

Viability and Master Planning

500,000

Environmental Improvements

1,485,838

Matrix Centre Acquisition

1,923,000

Unwins Depot

8,250,000

Market Street Acquisition

160,000

Steam Crane Wharf Works

133,850

Darenth Gateway Study

100,000

Milestone Garage Acquisition

350,000

Glaxo East Site

1,400,000

Darenth Valley Path

974,000

Swanscombe Peninsula Regeneration

12,000,000

Swanscombe Peninsula Feasibility Study

300,000

Northfleet Embankment Regeneration (Part 1)

5,000,000

Fastrack

9,000

Implementation Strategy Study

306,801

Additional LTP Assessment

119,186

PPP/PFI Project Development

1,069,607

Vehicle Procurement

2,504,406

Delivery of the Project

1,351,000

Gun Barrel Route

550,000

Kent Thameside Delivery Board

2,882,000

Swanscombe Regeneration

1,001,100

Dartford Town Centre GSK Land Acquisition

3,750,000

Gravesend Town Centre

Acquisition of Beauwater Sports Ground

700,000

Gravesend Station Quarter Masterplan

100,000

Heritage Quarter Design

200,000

Northfleet Embankment (Part 2)

12,000,000

Managing the Marshes—Land Purchase

2,279,800

Jeskyn’s Farm—Gravesend Community Woodland

Acquisitions

2,011,500

Initial Site Works

135,000

Site Delivery Team

401,000

Consultation

416,000

Infrastructure

952,000

Habitat

770,000

Contingency

221,000

A2 Footbridges

900,000

The Old Rectory

250,000

Homes and Roads Transport Infrastructure

Engineering Studies

500,000

Tariff Feasibility

50,000

Gravesend’s Transport Quarter

250,000

Innovation Lab, The Bridge, Dartford

450,000

Shorne Marshes and Shoremead Fort (RSPB)

170,000

Gateway Knowledge Alliance

GKA: Wilmington Hall School

30,770

GKA: Mid Kent College

37,430

GKA: Darent Federation Dartford

17,450

GKA: Darent Federation Axton Chase

17,450

GKA: Northfleet Arts Centre

35,000

GKA: Thamesview School

60,000

Green Grid and Environment Programme

Green Grid: Ancient Woodlands Country Park

10,818

Green Grid: Enhancement of Darent Valley study

20,000

Green Grid: Shorne Wood Country Park

924,000

Green Grid: Swanscombe Heritage Park

370,000

Green Grid: Dartford Heath

156,000

Green Grid: Managing the Marshes

145,000

Green Grid: Cobham and Ashenbank Management Scheme

746,500

Cobham Park—South Lodge Barn

340,000

Total Kent Thameside

86,164,818


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