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19 Jun 2007 : Column 1669W—continued
Joint Ministerial Committee
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last attended a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee. [140842]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) exists in both function and plenary formats. It has met in various functional formats to discuss specific policy areas such as Health, Poverty, the Knowledge Economy and Europe. Of these four subject areas, the JMC on Europe meets most regularly and is serviced by staff from the Cabinet Office. The UK Government have always been represented at JMC plenary and functional meetings.
Duchy of Lancaster
Civil Servants: Foreign Workers
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil service posts in each department have been designated as reserved posts. [144128]
Mr. McFadden: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 28 March 2007, Official Report, column 1621W.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many certificates under the Aliens Employment Act 1955 permitting employment of aliens in the civil service are in force; how many there were in 2006-07; and in which departments those holding such a certificate work. [144129]
Mr. McFadden: The total number of aliens’ certificates in force during 2006-07 was 66.
The Departments and agencies employing aliens and the numbers of aliens’ certificates in force during 2006-07 were:
| Number | |
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether posts in HM Revenue and Customs concerned with the collection of taxes are considered to be in the public service and thus restricted posts to European Economic Area nationals; and if she will make a statement. [144130]
Mr. McFadden: With very few exceptions, posts in HM Revenue and Customs concerned with the collection of taxes are not considered to be public service posts and are therefore open to applicants from the European Economic Area.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil service posts are reserved to UK nationals; how many she estimates it is operationally necessary so to reserve; and if she will make a statement. [144131]
Mr. McFadden: It is estimated that 27,000 civil service posts are currently reserved to UK nationals under the criteria specified on the face of the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 2007. They are all operationally necessary as a post cannot be reserved if it does not fall within these criteria.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of civil service posts in the UK are (a) available to Commonwealth, Irish and European Economic Area nationals and (b) designated as public service posts entirely reserved for UK nationals. [144132]
Mr. McFadden: It is estimated that 95 per cent. of all civil service posts are available to Commonwealth, Irish and European Economic Area nationals following the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 2007. The remainder, designated as public service posts, are reserved for UK nationals.
European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 2007
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2007, Official Report, column 1622W, on the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 2007, whether the revisions to which she refers have been completed; and if she will place copies of the revisions in the Library. [144127]
Mr. McFadden: Work on the various documents is still in progress. Once finalised, they will be freely available on the Cabinet Office website.
Social Exclusion Unit: Pilot Schemes
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what pilot projects have been (a) initiated and (b) supported by the Social Exclusion Unit and the Social Exclusion Task Force; and which of those have since been implemented on a national basis. [143803]
Hilary Armstrong: ‘Reaching Out’, the Social Exclusion Action Plan, published last September announced three sets of pilots: 10 Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) are now up and running; 12 Adults Facing Chronic Exclusion (ACE) were launched on 18 June; and up to 6 Multi Systemic Therapy (MST) for which the invitation to tender is due to take place in July. Progress on the pilots will be closely evaluated to provide lessons for cross-Government programmes tackling social exclusion.
Communities and Local Government
Coastal Areas: Hampshire
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effects of climate change on coastal areas of Hampshire in (a) 2020, (b) 2050 and (c) 2080; and if she will make a statement. [142407]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
The Hampshire coast is covered by two Shoreline Management Plans. Once reviewed, these plans will provide a large-scale assessment of the risks associated with coastal processes taking account of climate change and other factors. They will also provide a policy framework to manage risks in a sustainable manner, looking ahead over the next 100 years and based on up to date guidance. The reviews will include full consultation with those likely to be affected.
DEFRA published revised guidance for operating authorities on future rates of sea level rise in November 2006. This recommended the following allowances for the east and south east of England, including the effects of vertical land movement:
4.0 mm rise per year from the baseline of nominal 1990 levels to 2025
8.5 mm from 2025 to 2055
12.0 mm from 2055 to 2085
15.0 mm from 2085 to 2115.
Estimates of future sea level rise vary. The aforementioned guidance has been published solely for the purpose of informing flood and coastal erosion risk management decisions and is kept under review. The assumptions and qualifications on which the recommendations are based are included in the guidance which is published on the DEFRA website.
DEFRA policy has been guided by the Government’s 2004 Foresight Report which presented possible future flood and coastal erosion risk scenarios. DEFRA, the UK Climate Impacts Programme and Met Office Hadley Centre will publish updated climate change scenarios for the UK in 2008 which should improve understanding of how climate change may affect sea level rise and storm surge over the next 100 years.
Conveyancing: Fees and Charges
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what figures her Department holds on the average cost charged by individual local authorities for property searches. [140862]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of Fair Trading 2005 report “Property Searches—A market study” showed the range of prices for LA searches from £55 to £269 with a median price of £119. We are currently looking at ways of updating these data. 50 local authorities have recently reduced the cost of their searches by an average of 20 per cent. in advance of the introduction of Home Information Packs.
Council Tax
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated total revenue from parish precepts on council tax in England is for 2007-08. [141776]
Ruth Kelly: Levels of council tax set by local authorities in England in 2007-08 were set out in the Communities and Local Government Statistical Release published on 27 March 2007 on the Department’s website. The release may by accessed at http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/ctax/ctax078.pdf and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Departments: Marketing
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on (a) advertising, (b) publicity and (c) marketing for (i) home information packs, (ii) licensing of houses in multiple occupation and (iii) the tenancy deposit scheme. [128530]
Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 May 2007, Official Report, column 1527W, for Home Information Packs. For the licensing of HMO’s and the tenancy deposit scheme, please see the following table.
| £ million | |
All three campaigns have been carried out to inform the public of changes in law and to encourage them to find out more information about their duties and obligations under those laws.
East Midlands Regional Plan
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which local authorities have made formal submissions to the consultation on the Draft East Midlands Regional Plan; [110988]
(2) how many official submissions were made in response to the public consultation on the Draft East Midlands Regional Plan. [110989]
Meg Munn: The formal consultation on the draft East Midlands Plan (Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands) ended on 20 December 2006. During the consultation 1284 responses were submitted and a list of all the respondents and a summary of representations is posted on the East Midlands RSS website:
Among the responses were 110 representations from Parish and Town Councils, 59 from local authorities (including all 46 local authorities in the East Midlands Region) and 23 from Government departments and other official agencies (including Regional Assemblies).
The local authorities that submitted formal representations included:
Amber Valley BC, Ashfield DC, Aylesbury Vale DC, Bassetlaw DC, Bedford BC, Bedfordshire CC, Blaby DC, Bolsover DC, Boston BC, Broxtowe BC, Cambridgeshire CC, Charnwood BC, Cherwell DC, Chesterfield BC, Corby BC, Daventry DC, Derby City, Derbyshire CC, Derbyshire Dales DC, East Lindsey DC, East Northamptonshire DC, East Staffordshire BC, Erewash BC, Gedling BC, Harborough DC, High Peak BC, Hinckley and Bosworth BC, Kettering BC, Leicester City, Leicestershire CC, Lincoln City, Lincolnshire CC, Mansfield DC, Melton BC, Newark and Sherwood DC, North East Derbyshire DC, North East Lincolnshire council, North Kesteven DC, North Lincolnshire council, North West Leicestershire DC, Northampton BC, Northamptonshire CC, Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire CC, Nuneaton and Bedworth BC, Oadby and Wigston BC, Peak District National Park Authority, Peterborough City, Rugby BC, Rushcliffe BC, Rutland CC, Sheffield City, South Derbyshire DC, South Holland DC, South Kesteven DC, South Northamptonshire DC, Staffordshire CC, Wellingborough BC and West Lindsey DC.
Fire Services: Urban Areas
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what factors are taken into account when considering the merging or amalgamation of fire stations in urban areas; and if she will make a statement. [144089]
Angela E. Smith:
Fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle
effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The IRMP enables the authority to tailor cover to fire and other incidents to local circumstances by evaluating where risk is greatest and allocating resources accordingly.
Home Information Packs
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse has been of (a) stakeholder events and (b) consultants on home information packs, broken down by main budget heading. [128597]
Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 May 2007, Official Report, column 1527W.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) oral and (b) written representations her Department has received from the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on Home Information Packs. [140852]
Ruth Kelly: My right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich has sent two letters on Home Information Packs. The first was written on behalf of a constituent and was dated 30 November 2005. The second was a request for a meeting to discuss the implementation of Home Information Packs with representatives of the Construction Industry Council and was dated 26 July 2006. The meeting was held on 30 November 2006 with the Minister for Housing and Planning. I have frequent meetings with my colleagues during which a variety of issues are discussed.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the cost of local authority searches will become liable for VAT if they are included in a home information pack. [140859]
Yvette Cooper: Charges for searches provided by local authorities for inclusion in home information packs are currently not subject to VAT, and therefore they will not become so when included in a home information pack.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what expenditure has been incurred on marketing, public relations and communications relating to home information packs. [143498]
Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 May 2007, Official Report, column 1527W.
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