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Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations

24. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent representations she has received on the application of the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007. [128974]

Meg Munn: Since the end of the consultation phase we have received over 4,000 letters, from a wide variety of individuals and organisations, and the Secretary of Sate has continued to hold meetings with representatives from a broad spectrum of stakeholder groups. We have recognised and listened to the strongly held beliefs on this complex issue, and are confident that the Regulations (approved by Parliament) strike a balance which uphold the rights of all.

Crimes against the Person: Females

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had with Home Office colleagues on violence against women; and if she will make a statement. [128972]

Meg Munn: The Government are committed to tackling violence against women in all its forms.

I have regular discussions with Home Office colleagues on measures to address violence through the domestic violence, sexual offences and trafficking inter-ministerial groups. Recent initiatives have included the development of cross-government action plans.

Communities and Local Government

Community Development: Safety

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority in England and Wales spent on community safety in 2005-06; and what proportion of each authority's total expenditure this represented. [128908]

Mr. Woolas [holding answer 20 March 2007]: Information on how much each local authority in England spent on community safety in 2005-06 has been made available in a table which has been placed in the Library of the House. The data are as recorded on revenue and capital outturn returns submitted to this Department by each local authority.

Information for Welsh local authorities is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average expenditure was on community safety by local
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authorities in 2005-06, broken down by type of local authority; and what proportion of total expenditure this represented. [128909]

Mr. Woolas [holding answer 20 March 2007]: The information requested for English local authorities is shown in the following table.

Expenditure on community safety, police and fire services by type of local authority: 2005-06
	Average expenditure (£ million)	Proportion of total expenditure (Percentage)
London boroughs	5	1
Metropolitan districts	3	0
Unitary authorities	2	1
Shire counties	11	1
Shire districts	0	2
Police authorities	225	78
Fire authorities	46	72
Greater London Authority	3,561	48
Other authorities	0	0
Source: Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn and Capital Outturn Returns

Community safety is defined as the whole of expenditure on police and fire services plus the revenue spending on crime reduction and safety services and capital spending on community safety. These categories capture spending on community safety which authorities cannot clearly or properly allocate to a specific service.

Departments: ICT

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what Gateway reviews (a) have been produced and (b) are under way for projects under the responsibility of her Department and its agencies. [127102]

Ruth Kelly: Office of Government Commerce (OGC) gateway reviews have been carried out on the following Communities and Local Government projects and programmes since the Department was created on 5 May 2006:

Home Information Packs

Fire Service College E-Learning

Transactional ERDF and State Aid

Pan-Government Agreement on Geographical Information

Government Office IT Outsourcing Project

Open Space Works

Tenancy Deposit Protection

Thames Gateway

Housing Corporation ICT Infrastructure Management

Local Area Agreements

FiReControl

Franchising Sustainable Communities Summit

New Dimension (Long Term Capability Management).

Local Government: Reform

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a full
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council could overturn the (a) decisions and (b) budget of a directly-elected executive under her proposals for reform of local government. [127010]

Ruth Kelly: The Local Government Act 2000 provides that all decisions in the authority are the responsibility of the executive unless otherwise provided for in regulations made under that Act. This applies to a directly elected executive as to any other executive. Those regulations provide for the authority to adopt its annual budget based on the executive's proposals, with or without amendment. In the case of a mayoral executive, the council can amend the executive's budget proposals only on a two-thirds majority, and we intend to apply this same provision to elected executives.

Social Services: Grants

Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much central Government grant each local authority delivering social services would have received if (a) floors and ceilings had not been applied and (b) if damping had not been applied to the children and young adults element of the grant. [112523]

Mr. Woolas [pursuant to the reply, 8 February 2007, Official Report, c. 1162W]: A corrected table has been placed in the Library of the House showing how much formula grant, which comprises revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and principal formula police grant, would have been received in 2007-08 (a) if damping had been applied to the Children's Social Care Relative Needs Formula and the Younger Adults' Personal Social Services Relative Needs Formula but floor damping had not been applied and (b) if damping had neither been applied to the Children's Social Care Relative Needs Formula and the Younger Adults' Personal Social Services Relative Needs Formula nor had floor damping been applied.

It is not possible to say how much grant authorities would have received in 2007-08 had damping not been
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applied to the Children's Social Care Relative Needs Formula and the Younger Adults' Personal Social Services Relative Needs Formula but floor damping had been applied, since we might have taken different decisions on the level of floor damping to ensure that every authority would have received a reasonable increase year-on-year on a like-for-like basis. i.e. after adjusting for changes in funding and function.

Constitutional Affairs

Candidates

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will amend electoral legislation to allow the words ‘the' and ‘candidate' to be used within the description of any political party candidate without an additional, specific description having to be registered under the Electoral Administration Act 2006. [128878]

Bridget Prentice: The Electoral Administration Act 2006 amended the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 so as to make new provision for political parties to register up to 12 descriptions of no more than six words for use on its nomination papers or ballot papers.

The Government have no plans to amend electoral legislation in the way suggested.

Election Petitions

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many election petitions have been heard in courts in England and Wales since 2000; what the outcome was of each case in which no proceedings remain active; which election each concerned; and what the nature was of each petition. [128881]

Bridget Prentice: The following table sets out the election petitions that have been heard in England and Wales since 2000:

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Date	Location	Grounds	Result
Parliamentary
10 August 2001	Romford	Offences contrary to s 113(i)and(2)(b)ofRPA1983(no details given)	Lapsed
31 May 2005	Greenwich and Woolwich	Unfair treatment of petitioner by the deputy returning officer. Other candidates invalidly completed nomination forms and rules of the Electoral Commission broken by other candidates.	Petition struck out on 8 August 2005
31 May 2005	Sparkbrook and Small Heath, Birmingham	Authorities failed to comply with ECHR article 3 of first protocol to create and operate a system of postal voting. False statements made to obtain postal votes contrary to s12(3) of the RPA 1983, using undue influence and fraudulent devices to impede or pervert free exercise of franchise by an elector contrary to s115(2)(b), fraudulently putting into any ballot box a paper other than authorised by law to do, contrary to s65(l)(d) of RPA 1983 and attempts to commit offences under s65(1)(d) contrary to s65(1)(a) of RPA 1983.	Petition dismissed on 28 October 2005
European
14 June 2004	Eastern England	Various	Struck out 30 July 2004
Local government
20 April 2000	South East ward of Knighton Town council in Powys	Votes incorrectly counted(some not counted).	Special case 11 December 2000. Petition allowed. Election valid. First respondent not elected. Petitioner elected.
20 May 2000	Parish of Bracknell ward of Bracknell Town council	Votes incorrectly counted.	Special case 25 July 2000 Petition allowed. Election valid. First respondent not elected. Petitioner elected.
25 May 2000	Sparkhill ward of Birmingham city council	Personation, error, treating, bribery, undue influence, overspending election expenses.	25 July 2000 Application to strike out on grounds of late service of petition. Dismissed.
25 May 2000	Nicholls ward, Birmingham city council	Voters abroad shown as having voted.	Lapsed.
27 June 2001	South Ribble north-west electoral division of Lancashire county council	Ballot papers for another electoral division handed out to some voters in error.	Special case 5 October 2001 Petition allowed. Election void. First respondent not duly elected.
27 June 2001	Ellogen north electoral division, Redruth, Cornwall	Two votes included wrongly.	Special case 18 December 2001 Petition allowed. Election void. First respondent not duly elected.
22 May 2002	Sands End ward of London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham	Ballot papers rejected for want of official mark affected result.	Special case 31 July 2002 Petition allowed. Election void. Second respondent not duly elected.
23 May 2002	Aston ward, city of Birmingham	Successful candidate made false statements about petitions for purpose of affecting the result and/or alleged irregularities regarding opening of postal votes.	4 October 2002 petition struck out against second respondent. 11 October 2002 petition struck out against first respondent.
23 May 2002	Little Horton ward of Bradford metropolitan borough council	Error in counting votes.	29 November 2002 petition dismissed
23 May 2002	Cheetham ward, city of Manchester	Requests for proxy votes ignored. Personation, delay in taking ballot box to council, comments by first respondent during campaign.	11 October 2002 petition struck out.
23 May 2002	Peckham ward, London borough of Southwark	Marked register missing, Ballot box late arriving at court, count started before candidates arrived, voters removed from register, confusion over postal votes.	29 November 2002 petition dismissed with consent of first petitioner on behalf of co-petitioners.
21 May 2003	Belle Vale and Hasbury ward, metropolitan borough of Dudley	Failure by R/O to ensure issued ballot papers were delivered in accordance with Part V of Rep of People Regulations 2001.	19 December 2003 petition dismissed.
21 May 2003	St. Helens borough council in the Parish of Sereley Green	Votes miscounted.	Special case 17 October 2003. Election void, Joan Davies not duly elected.
21 May 2003	College ward of Wansbeck district council	Votes miscounted, block of votes wrongly allocated to candidates	Special case 17 October 2003. Election void, first respondent not duly elected, petitioner duly elected.
21 May 2003	Broughton and Appleby ward, North Lincolnshire district council	Ballot papers in respect of postal voter wrongly counted—did not bear signature and authentication of voter.	4. November 2003 petition granted, election void, Ivan Glover not duly elected.
23 May 2003	Hartley parish council	False statements against petitioner issued by respondent calculated to affect petitioners prospects of being re-elected.	Lapsed.
28 May 2003	Lightwater ward, borough of Surrey-Heath	Election circulation delivered by Royal Mail to constituents in contravention of RPA Act	31 July 2003 permission to withdraw granted.
28 May 2003	Windlesham parish council,. Lightwater ward	Election circulation delivered by Royal Mail to constituents in contravention of RPA 1983.	31 July 2003 permission to withdraw granted.
29 June 2003	Park ward, Calderdale metropolitan borough	All postal ballot pilot failed. Breach of duty. Improper and unfair conduct.	22 March 2005 petition struck out.
23 June 2004	Aston ward, Birmingham city council	Various concerning postal voting.	4 April 2005 petition allowed, election void
29 June 2004	Bordesley Green, Birmingham city council	Disputing postal ballot papers—tampering and personation.	4 April 2005 petition allowed, election void.
30 June 2004	Derringham ward, Kingston upon Hull	Various—postal ballot papers.	24 November .2004 election void.
6 July 2004	Flintshire	Candidate disqualified from standing for election.	20 December 2004 petition dismissed
17 August 2005	Aston, Birmingham	Disputing postal ballot papers and tampering and impersonation	Struck out on 23 February 2006
11 May 2006	Kingstanding, Birmingham city council	Votes incorrectly counted	Petition allowed on 26 July 2006. First respondent not duly elected.
23 May 2006	Dudden Hill, London borough of Brent	Candidate disqualified from standing for election.	Petition allowed on 15 March 2007.
23 May 2006	St. Katherine and Wapping, London borough of Tower Hamlets	Violation of the requirement in Rule 7(3) of the Local Election (Principle Areas) Rules 1986 to examine nomination papers as soon as practical.	Petition dismissed on 10 October 2006.
24 May 2006	Eastbury ward, London borough of Barking and Dagenham	Votes incorrectly counted.	Petition allowed on 31 July 2006. Respondent not duly elected. Petitioner duly elected.
25 May 2006	Queen's Park, London borough of Brent	Votes incorrectly counted.	Lapsed.
25 May 2006	Foleshill, Coventry borough council	That the election be declared void on the grounds impersonation.	Petition struck out on 31 July 2006.
25 May 2006	Bethnal Green South, London borough of Tower Hamlets	Disputing postal votes alleging tampering and impersonation.	Petition dismissed on 29 January 2007.
25 May 2006	St. Dunstan’s and Stepney Green, London borough of Tower Hamlets	Disputing postal votes alleging tampering and impersonation.	Petition dismissed on 10 October 2006
25 May 2006	Mile End Globe Town, London borough of Tower Hamlets	Disputing postal votes alleging tampering and impersonation.	Petition dismissed on 29 January 2007

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