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18 Apr 2007 : Column 637W—continued
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the New Deal for Communities programme in (a) Haringey, (b) Walsall and (c) Plymouth. [131685]
Mr. Woolas: All 39 New Deal for Communities Partnerships (NDC) are required to prepare an annual Delivery Plan which sets out the objectives and outcomes proposed by each NDC for the coming year. These plans are assessed and approved by the Government Office for the region.
For the reporting year 2005-06, Walsall was rated as an ‘Excellent’ performing NDC, while Haringey and Plymouth were both rated as ‘Good’.
Parking: Milton Keynes
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many parking spaces per head of population there are in Central Milton Keynes (a) in 2007 and (b) planned for each of the next five years. [132056]
Mr. Woolas: The Local Transport Plan states that there are over 20,000 car parking spaces in Milton Keynes. It is our understanding from Milton Keynes; council that (a) in 2007 there are 20,875 parking bays that are publicly accessible in central Milton Keynes; these include those on the public highway and in third party ownership and this works out at 0.09198 of a space per head of population. The Local Transport Plan does not contain the level of car parking over the next five years. The local council have indicated that number of parking spaces planned for the next five years (b) is projected at the 2007 level, but work is underway by council officers to develop a long term parking strategy for central Milton Keynes.
After a lengthy period of public consultation, the approved Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy for this growth area aims to encourage a shift towards more sustainable modes of travel in the future.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of annual parking revenue for the council in Milton Keynes (a) collected in each of the last five years and (b) projected for each of the next two years. [132057]
Mr. Woolas: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has made (a) no estimate of annual parking revenue for the council at Milton Keynes collected in each of the last five years, or (b) projected for each of the next two years. This is because this is a locally determined matter for Milton Keynes council, whose statements of accounts for previous years and projected calculated position for the next two years are publicly available information from the local authority.
Travelling People
Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessments (a) have been completed and (b) are outstanding. [131234]
Meg Munn: Information collected in March showed that accommodation needs assessments for Gypsies and Travellers were under way, or had been completed, in 90 per cent. of local authorities.
Workforce Efficiency Savings: Milton Keynes Council
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what workforce efficiency savings have been reported to her Department as agreed by Milton Keynes Council for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09. [132054]
Mr. Woolas: The Department has not yet received final information on councils’ plans (including those of Milton Keynes council) for new efficiency gains in 2007-08; they are expected to be published later in the year.
Culture, Media and Sport
Bible: Anniversaries
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if her Department will commemorate the 400(th) anniversary in 2011 of the publication of the King James version of the Bible. [132050]
Mr. Lammy: My Department currently has no plans in place to commemorate the 400(th) anniversary of the King James version of the Bible in 2011.
London Olympics
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects a final budget to be agreed for the 2012 Olympics. [105560]
Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to my statement to the House of 15 March 2007.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) pursuant to her oral statement of 15 March 2007, Official Report, columns 450-52, on the 2012 Olympics, if she will break down by area of planned expenditure the £3.1 billion for the building of the Olympic Park; [129383]
(2) if she will break down by area of planned expenditure the £1.7 billion for infrastructure and regeneration. [129384]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 23 March 2007]: Further to my statement of 15 March 2007, I have set out in the following table a breakdown by area of the planned expenditure for the Olympic Park and infrastructure and regeneration.
To provide more information at this time could jeopardise current and future commercial negotiations concerning venue and infrastructure contracts. However further information will be available later this year, when the ODA publishes its corporate plan.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assumptions were made of the total level of administrative costs accrued to the body charged with the construction of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the (a) Arup report, (b) Olympic bid document, (c) PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ Olympic Games Impact Study, (d) Faithful and Gould analysis of costs and (e) her evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 21 November 2006; and if she will make a statement. [128402]
Tessa Jowell:
Arup based the initial estimates of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) administration costs on previous games and recommended a sum of £15.6 million at 2002 prices, excluding consultants. PWC advised that core costs of £15 million would be sufficient for the ODA, assuming that they were to be an organisation of the same size and responsibilities as an Urban Development Corporation, but advised that a fuller “bottom-up” analysis of costs was required.
This was undertaken by KPMG in 2005. Faithful and Gould were not commissioned by my Department and we are not aware of any estimates they may have made.
Since winning the bid, the work my Department has done has calculated that, as the ODA’s scope and functions will increase, the sums of money required for their administration must also increase.
In my response, published on the 26 March 2007, to the Select Committee’s report I said the total cost of the ODA’s programme delivery budget, would be £570 million. The increase in costs reflects the fact that the ODA was to undertake an increase in responsibilities, delivering not just the necessary venues for the games but the associated legacy and regeneration ambitions set by the Government. This sum represents around 10 per cent. of the total costs of the ODA Programme of £5,254 million, net of tax, and is consistent with industry norms for a project of this scale, complexity and concentration. Of this the combined staffing, accommodation and IT cost of ODA and the Delivery Partner, CLM, is £476 million. The balance of £94 million is to cover the establishment on the Olympic Park site of the necessary provision for up to 9,000 construction workers, including health and canteen facilities and transportation.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when body armour was first provided to Marine forces in Afghanistan for their current deployment; and how long the gap was between deployment and issuance of such armour. [128819]
Mr. Ingram: Since 2004 it has been departmental policy that all troops should be provided with Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA) before they deploy to an operational Theatre, and so all members of 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines, who deployed to Afghanistan were issued with this equipment before deployment in autumn 2006.
In addition, Improved Performance Body Armour (Osprey), which has an enhanced fragmentation vest and larger plates, and Enhanced Personal Protective Equipment (Kestrel), which provides even greater protection have been provided to operational Theatres for use against specific threats and for specific roles. Delivery of Osprey to Afghanistan began in February 2006, and delivery of Kestrel in May 2006; all three types of body armour were available to the Royal Marines for the entirety of their operational tour.
Armed Forces: Uniforms
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of supplying dress uniforms to officers in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Army in the last year for which figures are available. [129361]
Mr. Ingram:
Royal Navy and Royal Air Force dress uniforms are provided by a ‘supply fit’ contract which means units raise demands directly with the supplier to provide and fit uniforms at specific locations. Due to
the nature of this contract, it is not possible to provide information on how many dress uniforms were supplied as this information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The approximate cost of the uniform is £135.00.
Army officers are given an outfit allowance, with which to purchase all their uniform requirements, and this varies from regiment to regiment. The majority of grants will be around £2,100.00 it is not possible to separate out the costs of dress uniforms from this.
Bombs
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the legal status of dumb cluster munitions. [131015]
Mr. Ingram: There is no treaty which specifically prohibits or restricts the use of cluster munitions; they are legal weapons when used in compliance with International Humanitarian Law.
War Pensions
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many war pensions were awarded under each level of the Armed Forces Compensation scheme in each year since 2001. [131090]
Derek Twigg: War pensions are not awarded under the Armed Forces Compensation scheme which was introduced on 6 April 2005 and applies only to injuries and deaths caused on or after that date. War pensions are awarded under the Naval, Military and Air Forces, Etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions Order in respect of injuries and deaths caused before 6 April 2005.
Deputy Prime Minister
Departmental Expenditure
16. Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to reduce significantly his Department's budget. [131489]
18. Bill Wiggin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to reduce his departmental expenditure in line with Whitehall efficiency savings targets. [131491]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) this morning.
Travel Budget
17. Stephen Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated budget of his Department for travel is in 2007-08. [131490]
The Deputy Prime Minister: All travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidance set out in the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers, and the Civil Service Management Code.
Since 1999, the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more.
The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers’ visits overseas. Copies of the lists for previous years are available in the Library. Information for the financial year 2006-07 will be published as soon as it is ready.
Departmental Funding
19. Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department has been allocated for each of the next three years. [131492]
20. Ann Winterton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding has been allocated to his Department for each of the next three years. [131493]
The Deputy Prime Minister: My Department's Main Estimate for 2007-08 will be published along with those for other Departments. DPMO is participating in the comprehensive spending review in the same way as other Departments.
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