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11 Jun 2007 : Column 812W—continued
Social Security Commissioners
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the target time is for responses to queries referred to the Social Security Commissioners; and what the most recent figure is for the time taken to respond to such queries. [140910]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
We aim to deal with correspondence within 10 working days. Obviously this may depend upon the complexity of the query. The weekly statistics for week commencing 28 May 2007 show that 97 per cent. of correspondence was dealt within 10 days.
I have been informed that the question is regarding a complaint. The MOJ definition of a complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction with service or facilities that needs a response. Our target for answering complaints is 10 days.
Communities and Local Government
Building Regulations
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has produced on the circumstances in which registered installers must provide local authority building control departments with a certificate to state that the work undertaken complies with building regulations. [141874]
Angela E. Smith: Regulation 16A(3) of the building regulations 2000 (as amended) provides that persons carrying out work under self certification schemes shall, within 30 days of completion of the work, give the local authority a certificate of compliance with building regulations or notice to that effect.
Departments: Buildings
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of leasing buildings and office space was for (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years. [139475]
Angela E. Smith: The rent paid for the space occupied by Communities and Local Government, and its predecessor the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, on leased property for the last five years was approximately:
| £ million | ||
| Communities and Local Government | Planning Inspectorate Agency | |
The figures include payments direct to the landlord where Communities and Local Government is the leaseholder, and contributions towards rent to other Government Departments where Communities and Local Government is the minor occupier. The rent paid to landlords excludes the amounts which are either recovered from other Government Departments where they occupy CLG managed buildings or property that is sub-let. The Planning Inspectorate figure excludes the amount recovered from other Government Departments.
This answer does not include land or buildings occupied by Government Offices, which carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.
Departments: Property
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was received by her Department from the letting of its properties in each of the last five years. [139340]
Angela E. Smith: The amounts received by Communities and Local Government, its agencies and its predecessor Department, in rent from lettings, including receipts from Crown Bodies, for each of the last five years was approximately:
| £ million | ||
| Communities and Local Government | Fire Service College | |
| Note: The figures include VAT where applicable. | ||
This answer does not include land or buildings occupied by Government Offices, which carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what properties the Department (a) owned and (b) rented in each of the last five years. [139362]
Angela E. Smith: During the last five years Communities and Local Government and its predecessor Department has retained the following freehold properties: Old Burlington House, New Burlington House and Hangar 97 Little Rissington.
The Fire Service College, an Executive Agency, occupies a freehold site owned by Communities and Local Government in Moreton in Marsh. The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, an Executive Agency, occupies a freehold site owned by the Department in Westminster.
The Department leased the following properties:
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
The Planning Inspectorate, an Executive Agency has leased Temple Quay House in Bristol during these years.
Properties are also occupied under minor occupancy agreements with other Government Departments. These include Exchange Tower, Allington Towers, Ashdown House Hastings, Temple Quay House Bristol, Stockley House, and Titchfield Hampshire.
The current occupation of Portland House, Allington Towers and Stockley House are temporary while the Open Space Project, designed to improve the density of Eland House, is completed. This is planned for the end of this year.
This answer does not include land or buildings occupied by Government Offices which carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.
Disabled People: Access
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to ensure that local authority planning departments work with local fire safety departments on the provision of disabled access rooms in multi-storey buildings. [142107]
Angela E. Smith: In England and Wales, where building work is being carried out the building regulations provide for access for disabled people under Part M (Access to and use of buildings) and means of escape in case of fire under Part B (Fire safety). There are statutory provisions, and associated guidance, for consultation between building control bodies and fire and rescue authorities. Guidance has also been produced to generally advise on providing suitable means of escape for disabled persons in the event of a fire. This guidance has been endorsed by the Disability Rights Commission. Different provisions apply in Scotland.
Home Information Packs
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the work of home inspectors complies with article 8 of the Human Rights Act. [125350]
Ruth Kelly: The work of home inspectors will be contracted by home sellers on a voluntary basis and as such does not impinge on article 8 of the Human Rights Act.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from which budget her Department's advertising campaign to promote home information packs which commenced on 25 March was funded. [134663]
Ruth Kelly: The campaign to promote home information packs was funded from the home information pack programme’s service budget.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home inspectors qualified to produce the energy performance certificates required in home information packs will be in place in time for the introduction of the packs on 1 June. [137090]
Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 22 May 2007.
Mr. Dai Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will consult mortgage lenders on the possible requirements
of both house sellers and house purchasers to obtain home information packs. [139763]
Ruth Kelly: Mortgage lenders have been consulted regularly throughout the development of home information packs. The Housing Act 2004 makes it clear that the responsibility to obtain a home information pack is on the seller.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the consequences for home inspectors of her decision to phase in home information packs. [140432]
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) on what date the revised home information pack regulations are expected to be laid before the House; [140865]
(2) what the timetable is for home information packs to become compulsory for the marketing of domestic dwellings other than four bedroom homes; [140857]
(3) whether the Government intend to consult on the proposal that home information packs will be required for a four bedroom home from 1 August before that date. [140856]
Yvette Cooper: Regulations relating to home information packs and the energy performance of buildings are being laid before Parliament today. These regulations will implement home information packs, including energy performance certificates, on a phased basis in England and Wales from 1 August 2007.
The Home Information Pack (no. 2) Regulations 2007 include a number of transitional provisions that the Secretary of State outlined to Parliament on 22 May 2007. These are intended to ensure that the implementation of HIPs will be achieved in a way that ensures the availability of sufficient assessors and inspectors.
The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 make the changes necessary to bring the implementation of energy performance certificates into line with home information packs from 1 August 2007.
As well as the explanatory memoranda and impact assessments that accompany the regulations, we are placing in the House Library further information about how the operational delivery of the phased roll-out will take place, building on the current progress in the certification of inspectors and accreditation of assessors.
Further consultation on the age of the Energy Performance Certificate will commence in due course.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a home information pack will be required if a home is repossessed and subsequently sold or auctioned. [140863]
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