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20 Jun 2007 : Column 1860W—continued


Decisions taken by the Secretary of State
Allowed Dismissed Total

South West

0

0

0

South East

1

1

2

Total

1

1

2


Smoking: Public Places

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s most recent estimate is of the cost of the public smoking ban to local authorities in England; and what funding is being provided to councils. [143540]

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.

The anticipated costs and benefits of smoke-free legislation is set out in the Departments final Regulatory Impact Assessment published in December 2006. Copies are available in the Library.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 March 2007, Official Report, column 1698W, for details on funding for local authorities.

The Government provide funding for local authorities’ new responsibilities to build compliance and, where necessary, enforce smokefree legislation under the principles of the New Burdens Doctrine by way of a non-ringfenced grant. The grant has been made in line with the Government’s commitment to provide freedom for local authorities in the allocation of their budgets.

South East Plan

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the panel to report on the Examination in Public of the South East Plan. [144050]

Meg Munn: The Panel Report is due to be submitted to Government on 31 July 2007. In line with Planning Policy Statement 11 it will be published as soon as practicable following that date.

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable is to be followed in finalising the South East Plan; and if she will make a statement. [144052]

Meg Munn: Guidance on the timetable for finalising the Regional Spatial Strategy (The South East Plan) is set out in Planning Policy Statement 11.

The Panel are due to hand their report to Government on 31 July 2007, the report will be published as soon as practicable following that date.
20 Jun 2007 : Column 1861W
Any proposed changes arising from the Panel Report will be published and available for consultation later in the year.

To pre-empt the outcome of the Panel Report by making a statement at this time would not be appropriate.

Valuation Office: Contracts

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2007, Official Report, column 1539W, on the Valuation Office: contracts, what the expected expenditure is on the Data Capture/Other Operating Costs for the remaining duration of the current Rightmove contract. [141758]

Ruth Kelly: The Valuation Office Agency’s published Annual Reports and Accounts for 2005-06 and 2006-07 show expenditure to date, net of recoverable VAT. Any anticipated future expenditure cannot be released into the public domain, as this would prejudice the commercial interests of both the VOA and Rightmove.co.uk plc.

Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the Child Support Agency (CSA) Office in Bolton to respond to the enquiry raised by the hon. Member for Aylesbury with the CSA MPs’ hotline about the case of Mr. C.D. of Princes Risborough (case reference 2597287282) on 25 May; and if he will make a statement. [142219]

Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 12 June 2007]: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 June 2007:

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many of the cases administered by the Child Support Agency (a) the parent with care and (b) the non-resident parent falls into each income decile. [143038]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.


20 Jun 2007 : Column 1862W

Children: Poverty

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of children living in families with incomes below 60 per cent. of median earnings were living in lone parent households in each year since 1997. [143585]

Mr. Jim Murphy: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in “Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2005/06 (Revised)”. The report uses 60 per cent. of median income (rather than earnings) as the low income threshold. This threshold is the internationally recognised measure of poverty.

The available information is in the following table.

Number and percentage of children living in households below 60 per cent. of median income that were living in lone parent households: Before housing costs
Year Number (millions) Percentage

1996-97

1.3

39

1997-98

1.4

40

1998-99

1.3

40

1999-2000

1.4

43

2000-01

1.3

43

2001-02

1.3

43

2002-03

1.3

43

2003-04

1.2

42

2004-05

1.2

43

2005-06

1.1

40

Notes:
1. The information shown is for Great Britain up to 2001-02 and for the United Kingdom for 2002-03 onwards.
2. The information is based on OECD equivalisation factors and will therefore not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.
Source:
Family Resources Survey

Departments: Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answers of 14 March 2007, Official Report, column 370W on Departments: Energy, and of 2 May 2007, Official Report, columns 1686-87W on Departments: Renewable Energy and 125398, for what reason different figures were given for the proportion of electricity sourced by his Department from renewable sources in 2005-06. [142395]

Mrs. McGuire: The figures used in the answer of 14 March reported that 206,087,269 kilowatt hours, representing 63 per cent. of the Departments energy came from renewable resources. This figure included that element of ‘green’ energy that is supplied from good quality combined heat and power, which whilst sustainable, does not meet the criteria for renewable energy. This combined figure for ‘green’ energy is used internally to highlight the decreasing use of standard “brown” electricity and was therefore used inadvertently.

For 2005-06 the Department used 175,174,178 kilowatt hours of energy acquired from renewable sources—accounting for 53.5 per cent. of the total electricity
20 Jun 2007 : Column 1863W
consumption. The remaining 30,913,091 kilowatt hours of ‘green’ energy was supplied from good quality combined heat and power.

Departments: Manpower

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many staff funded by the public purse in his Department are classified as people without posts; [137666]

(2) how many staff funded by the public purse in the (a) Appeals Service and (b) Child Support Agency are classified as people without posts; [142193]

(3) how many staff funded by the public purse in (a) the Disability and Carers Service, (b) Jobcentre Plus and (c) the Pension Service are classified as people without posts. [142202]

Mrs. McGuire: Currently there are 13 members of staff who, for exceptional reasons, are recorded by the Department’s systems as being paid but not undertaking either permanent or temporary work. This figure represents 0.01 per cent. of the total staff in the Department.

The Department’s surplus management procedures operate to ensure that wherever possible staff who become surplus are provided with temporary work until they are redeployed or leave the Department including under management approved release schemes.

The distribution of these staff is shown in the following table.

Business area Number of staff

Child Support Agency

3

Disability and Carers Service

(1)

Jobcentre Plus

(1)

The Pension Service

9

Departmental corporate units

1

Departmental total

13

(1) None.

The Appeals Service transferred to the Department for Constitutional Affairs on 1 April 2006.

Departments: Sign Language

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the merits of providing British sign language (BSL) videos on his departmental website for the benefit of those whose first language is BSL. [142502]

Mrs. McGuire: DWP does not currently provide BSL videos on its departmental website and we have made only informal assessment of its merit.

The Department’s Standard for Accessible Written Information, based on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires reasonable adjustment to be made when meeting requests for alternative formats. This means that DWP does not have to make everything available in every accessible format where to do so would involve excessive cost or significant practical problems.

We have provided information products in BSL on DVD or video; however we have to evaluate its cost effectiveness on a case-by-case basis.


20 Jun 2007 : Column 1864W

We recently looked at the accessibility of information to disabled people across all channels. We are now working to a defined set of standards, and will keep these under review.

Disadvantaged: Scotland

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has approved proposed contracts for the use of deprived area funding for 2007-08 in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, Dumfries, Galloway and Inverclyde Jobcentre Plus districts. [142826]

Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 14 June 2007]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves, dated 20 June 2007:

Employment Services: Scotland

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account was taken of Government policy on good procurement practice in respect of length of contract terms for contracts with employment service providers when the contracts proposed for deprived area funding in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, Dumfries, Galloway and Inverclyde were agreed. [143002]

Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 15 June 2007]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves, dated 20 June 2007:


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