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24 Jan 2007 : Column 1899W—continued

ODPM Hospitality

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s expenditure on hospitality and entertainment was in 2005-06. [114081]

Angela E. Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 November 2006, Official Report, column 867W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman).

Parish and Town Councils

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's estimate is of the revenue from (a) parish and (b) town council precepts on council tax in each year since 1997-98. [115038]

Mr. Woolas: The total amounts of local precepts issued for each financial year since 1997-98 are shown in the following table. The figures represent the amounts issued by local precepting authorities, or anticipated by the relevant billing authority. Local precepting authorities comprise parish and town councils and similar bodies, such as parish meetings and charter trustees. The information collected by the Department is not detailed enough to allow amounts precepted by parish councils and by town councils to be separately identified. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.


24 Jan 2007 : Column 1900W
Financial year £ million

1997-98

144

1998-99

154

1999-2000

165

2000-01

181

2001-02

193

2002-03

210

2003-04

226

2004-05

242

2005-06

260

2006-07

282

Source:
BR1 returns from billing authorities.

Property Sales Information

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to increase the powers of the Valuation Office Agency to access property sales information produced since 2000. [114822]

Mr. Woolas: None.

Recycled Water

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to ensure the maximum recovery and recycling of grey water in (a) the development of new sustainable communities and (b) regeneration of existing communities. [117481]

Angela E. Smith: On 13 December we published a consultation paper on water efficiency. The standards which it proposes will not usually require facilities for recycling water. However, savings from recycling could be used to balance the effects of appliances that use a large amount of water.

On the same day we published the Code for Sustainable Homes. The code sets out six levels of performance, with minimum standards for water and energy efficiency at each level. It does not prescribe which technologies are needed to achieve each level—allowing home builders the flexibility to innovate.

We are currently carrying out a study on the sustainability of existing buildings. We expect to report on this in the summer.

Telecommunications Masts

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to introduce full planning procedures in respect of the installation of mobile masts and equipment. [110883]

Meg Munn [holding answer 23 January 2007]: All ground-based masts are already subject to planning control. For masts under 15 m in height, a prior approval application is required. If the local authority considers that the development will pose a serious threat to amenity, it is able to refuse approval. For masts over 15 m in height, a full planning application is required. In reality, the prior approval and full planning application processes are very similar. The
24 Jan 2007 : Column 1901W
prior approval for masts under 15 m simply means the local planning authority has only eight weeks in which to decide the application. In addition, when the Government published the revised planning policy guidance 8, we strengthened public consultation requirements for prior approval so that they are exactly the same as applications for planning permission.

Network operators estimate that only around a third of installations are under their permitted development rights. These installations are, by definition, the smallest and most discreet of developments. The current arrangements also encourage network operators to install smaller apparatus on existing buildings and structures wherever possible, which minimises the environmental impact of such developments. Furthermore, simply because these small developments do not need planning permission does not mean that there is no public consultation. The Code of Best Practice that was produced jointly by central and local government and the mobile phone industry is clear that operators will assess every potential site and rate it using the “Traffic Light Model”. The Traffic Light Model allows a site to be rated according to its likely sensitivity in terms of environmental, planning and community considerations. This model determines the level of public consultation that will be required if the site is selected for the installation.

Each autumn, the Mobile Operators Association sends every local planning authority the details of the five operators’ network development plans for their area. These are called roll-out plans. Roll-out plans are the principal means for the operators to inform local planning authorities of their network development plans for the forthcoming year. It is good practice for local planning authorities to have discussions with respective operators. These discussions can ensure that local issues are addressed at an early stage and make sure that the most appropriate solutions are found for individual developments. I wrote to all MPs at the end of last year to bring their attention to the latest round of roll-out plans and to encourage them to find out whether their local planning authority has had discussions with operators following receipt of these plans.

It is important that local planning authorities focus their attention on those developments that will have the greatest impact. We believe that, in this case, we have the balance between impact and scrutiny right. Nevertheless, we are keeping this under review in consultation with the operators and other key stakeholders.

Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority

Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what discussions have taken place between her Department and the Department for Transport on the funding shortfall in the budget of the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority and its concessionary travel schemes; [116099]

(2) if she will provide retrospective funding to Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority to make up for the shortfall in funding for the concessionary bus travel scheme. [116150]


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Mr. Woolas: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron) on 9 January 2007, Official Report, column 474W, which sets out the discussions our Departments have had on this issue. The Government have provided significant additional funding for local authorities in 2006-07 and 2007-08 for all local services including local authorities’ responsibilities for concessionary travel schemes. The Local Government Finance Settlement 2007-08 provides for an increase in Government grant of£3.1 billion or 4.9 per cent. on a like for like basis.

Valuation Office Agency

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data the Valuation Office Agency has (a) provided to and (b) received from Ordnance Survey in the last two years. [114401]

Mr. Woolas: The information is as follows:

(a) The Valuation Office Agency has supplied samples of the non-domestic rating list and addresses drawn from the valuation list, followed by compilations of similar data covering the whole of England and Wales.

(b) The data received from Ordnance Survey by the Valuation Office Agency is:

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Valuation Office Agency spent on products from Ordnance Survey in each year since 1997-98. [114581]

Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency pays for access to Ordnance Survey's digital mapping products. This is the only material purchased by the agency.

The total amounts paid by the Valuation Office Agency for these products provided by Ordnance Survey for the years 1997-98 to 2002-03 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The amounts paid in subsequent years are:

£

2003-04

375,000.00

2004-05

375,000.00

2005-06

375,000.00

2006-07

405,750.00


Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library the internal guidance used by the Valuation Office Agency on the measurement of floor space of domestic properties for council tax valuation purposes. [114583]


24 Jan 2007 : Column 1903W

Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency’s (VOA’s) “Guide to Measuring for Council Tax Purposes”, which is based on the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ Code of Measuring Practice, has been placed in the Library of the House.

Variography and Pictometry Techniques

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration the Valuation Office Agency has made of using (a) variography and (b) pictometry techniques. [115050]

Mr. Woolas: The information requested is as follows.


24 Jan 2007 : Column 1904W

Zero-carbon Homes

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of zero-carbon homes in England. [114459]

Yvette Cooper: The Government do not collect this information centrally. The number of zero carbon homes built is currently very small. The code for sustainable housing and the new planning policy statement are designed to cut carbon emissions from new homes, and promote far more zero carbon homes until within 10 years all new homes built are zero carbon.


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