| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
25 Jun 2007 : Column 150W—continued
Communities and Local Government
Arms Length Management Organisations
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps her Department has taken to allow local authorities with arms-length management organisations the flexibility to use their own (a) land and (b) other resources to build and own homes; [143462]
(2) what plans her Department has to facilitate the construction of more council housing by (a) local authorities and (b) arms-length management organisations. [143467]
Yvette Cooper: Local authorities have an important role in securing new affordable housing. They should work in partnership with housing associations and developers, using their planning and other powers, to identify need and support development. But we are encouraging more direct development by authorities where it offers value for money.
We have changed the bidding process for social housing grant this year which will make it easier for arms-length management organisations (ALMOs) or local authority special venture vehicles to satisfy pre-qualification tests of financial standing and technical capacity which has hampered previous ALMO bids; and ensure that when an authority brings forward land in a bid, this is likely to score well in meeting the criteria of deliverability and strategic fit.
We are exploring with six local authorities, three of which have ALMOs, the benefits of their coming out of the housing revenue subsidy system. The pilots have shown that being self-financing creates a number of benefits, one of which is the opportunity for councils to have a more direct role in building homes for rent. The work of the pilots is currently being assessed.
Coastal Areas: Hampshire
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2007, Official Report, columns 1673-74W, on coastal areas: Hampshire, what the
timetable is for the publication of the reviews of Hampshire's two shoreline management plans. [145839]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
The Hampshire coast is covered by two shoreline management plans (SMPs). The North Solent shoreline (Selsey Bill to Hurst Spit) is led by New Forest district council and its review has just started for completion by about March 2009. The Hurst Spit to Durlston Head is led by Bournemouth borough council, and its review does not yet have a confirmed start date.
Community Relations
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government are taking to tackle the incidence of Somali youths engaged in fundamentalist activities in the UK. [144177]
Mr. Woolas: The Government remain strongly committed to working with all communities to tackle violent extremism. To this end, the Department for Communities and Local Government works with a number of different diaspora communities in the UK including the Somalian. We are focusing our work on those organisations that are taking a proactive leadership role in tackling extremism and defending our shared values.
Conveyancing: Fees and charges
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government plan to take to improve price transparency of local authority property searches. [140867]
Yvette Cooper: To implement the Office of Fair Trading’s recommendation about price transparency for local authority (LA) property search services we have commissioned a study by KPMG which will conclude in mid-July 2007. This will be followed by a formal 12-week consultation on the outcomes. The aim is to have a transparent LA charging regime in place from April 2008. Forty local authorities have already cut their costs in anticipation of home information packs (HIP) because they know that, for the first time, the charges and the length of time taken will be transparent to the consumer and to HIP providers.
Council Housing
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) set up and (b) running costs are of the National Register of Social Housing. [143634]
Yvette Cooper: The development costs were £2.5 million and the running costs for Communities and Local Government are currently £115,000 per annum.
The National Register of Social Housing collects information on the size, type, standard, energy efficiency, accessibility, rents and turnover of all social housing in England and Wales. It will provide statistics for the Neighbourhood Statistics Service and for any geographical area and will be available for local and regional authorities and housing associations to help them improve their
strategies to provide affordable housing and meet local needs. It will lead to a reduction of the burden on data providers when it replaces the current forms based systems for collection of data.
Council Tax: Valuation
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contractual agreements Ordnance Survey (OS) has made with the Valuation Office Agency for release of data held by OS to the Agency. [143453]
Mr. Woolas: Ordnance Survey licenses the Valuation Office Agency to access a range of data and products for use within their business operations. The Valuation Office Agency is a member of the Pan-government Agreement, a collective purchasing agreement between Ordnance Survey and central Government.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency uses fee code segmentation data for valuation purposes. [143493]
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency’s contract with Rightmove gives the agency access to data or analysis from the Rightmove Automated Valuation Model. [143629]
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date the Valuation Office Agency’s contract with Rightmove allowed the agency to start collecting information about domestic dwellings. [143635]
Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency has collected information about domestic dwellings in order to meet its statutory responsibilities to compile and maintain council tax valuation lists since 1991.
The facility to access data from Rightmove’s archive of estate agent particulars (which had previously been available to the public on Rightmove.co.uk’s main website) began on the date of the agreement—1 June 2005.
Departments: Contracts
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data her Department collects on contracts awarded to external suppliers by public bodies it sponsors. [144393]
Angela E. Smith: The Department has a legal obligation to compile data on public procurement for the European Commission. This includes data from the public bodies it sponsors.
Specific data are required for each contract or framework awarded in the last calendar year where the estimated value is above the threshold of the procurement regulations.
The nationality of the supplier
The category i.e. supply, works or service
The commodity coding allocated
The procurement procedure adopted
The estimated total value
Whether a contract or framework.
Departments: Credit Cards
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by staff in her Department via departmental (a) credit, (b) procurement and (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years. [145287]
Angela E. Smith: The Department has spent the following via Government Procurement Card (GPC) over the last three financial years.
| 1 April to 31 March: | £ |
The Department also used a fuel card and spent the following over the last three financial years.
| 1 April to 31 March: | £ |
Departments: Energy
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many energy-saving light bulbs were purchased by her Department for use on the departmental estate in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006. [144939]
Angela E. Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government purchased 1,374 compact fluorescent energy-saving light bulbs in 2005. The Department is unable to provide data for 2006 at this time. However, the Department's policy is to use low-energy lighting wherever appropriate, as part of our wider efforts to improve energy efficiency throughout the estate. The figure does not include energy-saving light bulbs purchased by the Department's Executive Agencies, non-departmental public bodies or the Government Offices.
Departments: Epilepsy
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people with epilepsy are employed by her Department; and if she will make a statement. [139103]
Angela E. Smith: Staff are requested but not required to inform us if they have epilepsy, and as such this information is not held centrally. However we are committed to support all staff with a disability, and work with a network of such staff to ensure that their needs are met.
The Department’s recent Disability Equality Scheme has been acknowledged as one of the top four in Whitehall by the Disability Rights Commission.
Departments: Foreign Relations
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many memoranda of understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign Governments entered into by Ministers in her Department; and what executive actions each entails. [144478]
Departments: Freedom of Information
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the requests made to her Department under the (a) Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 and (b) Environmental Information Regulations in the last six months; and what the (i) FOI case reference number, (ii) request summary, (iii) request outcome and (iv), where appropriate, reason for exemption was in each case. [143471]
Angela E. Smith: The list of requests made to the Department for Communities and Local Government under the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations in the period from 1 October 2006 to 31 March 2007 has been tabulated and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House, together with the other details requested.
This tabulation is solely of requests handled by the Central Department, and does not include requests made to its agencies or the Government Office Network.
Departments: Manpower
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff funded by the public purse in (a) English Partnerships, (b) the Housing Corporation, (c) the Commission for Racial Equality, (d) the Audit Commission, (e) the Standards Board and Adjudication Panel for England, (f) the Government office for (i) London, (ii) the South East, (iii) the South West, (iv) West Midlands, (v) East Midlands, (vi) North West, (vii) East of England, (viii) North East and (ix) Yorkshire and Humberside, (g) the Fire Service College, (h) Ordnance Survey, (i) the Planning Inspectorate, (j) The Rent Service and (k) the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre are classified as people without posts. [141308]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2007, Official Report, column 1525W, on departments: manpower, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of keeping the staff referred to in employment during the period in which they were without a post. [141363]
Angela E. Smith: None. Of the 19 staff in the department who were without a permanent post on 30 April 2007 the majority are currently working for the Department contributing to the Department's objectives. Others are on unpaid leave or have medical issues.
Departments: Northern Ireland
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland Administration. [145944]
Angela E. Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not currently have a concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive.
The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.
Departments: Older Workers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of staff in her Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years. [145675]
Angela E. Smith: Percentage of staff over 60 years of age on 31 March for each of last three years was as follows:
| Percentage | |
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people aged (a) over 55 years of age and (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by her Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year. [145711]
Angela E. Smith: For staff for whom the information requested is available, the numbers requested are:
| Over 55 years of age | Over 60 years of age | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |