Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many applications for installing a telecommunications mast were (a) granted and (b) refused in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years; [148007]
(2) how many telecommunications masts were installed in each London borough in each of the last five years; [148008]
(3) how many telecommunications masts were given permission to be installed in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years. [148009]
Mr. Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if she will amend national planning guidance on mobile telephone masts to allow concerns over health issues to be taken into account by local planning authorities; [148591]
(2) what the timetable is for the revision of Planning Policy Guidance 8; and whether she intends to issue a consultation paper on its revision. [148592]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 24 May 2007, Official Report, column 1524W. We intend to review the permitted development rights in relation Part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. Following the completion of this review we will consider what, if any, changes might be necessary to Government Planning Policy in relation to telecommunications.
We have not established our timetable for reviewing Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 on Telecommunications. We will consult on any substantive changes to this policy.
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will require all mobile telephone companies to apply for full planning permission for installation of mobile telephone masts. [148593]
Mr. Iain Wright:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 24 May 2007, Official Report, column 1524W. We intend to review the permitted development rights in relation to Part 24 of the Town and Country
Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. The aim of the review is to ensure that permitted development rights remain fit for purpose, particularly in the light of technological advances in telecommunications. I cannot prejudge the outcome of that review, but we will consult on any substantive proposals for change arising from it.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by (a) civil servants and (b) Ministers in her Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was. [144940]
Mr. Iain Wright: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in her Department in the last three years; and at what total cost. [146993]
Mr. Iain Wright: The numbers of non-pensionable bonuses for each of the last three years and the costs of these are tabulated as follows. These figures refer to bonuses paid under the terms of the annual pay settlements for staff working in the Department and its predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Bonuses are paid to staff who exceed against their objectives for the year.
The Department also operates a Special Bonus Scheme to reward exceptional performance over a limited period in particularly demanding tasks or situations, but records are not available to show the number of payments made under this scheme.
In recent years the proportion of senior civil service pay which is linked to performance has been increased.
Number of bonuses | Cost of bonuses (£) | |
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in her Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in 2006-07. [146930]
Mr. Iain Wright: On the basis of outcomes agreed and recorded to date a total of 14 staff in the Department did not meet their objectives for the year 2006-07.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what incentives she has considered to encourage staff in her Department to use public transport. [148796]
Mr. Iain Wright: The main incentive the Department offers are interest-free loans for season tickets for travel to work via public transport. Use of public transport is also encouraged by limited car parking, flexible working, the use of public transport during the course of travel and making use of travel websites and information services, such as Transport Direct.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets her Department has issued to local authorities on the performance of fire services. [148982]
Mr. Dhanda: The Fire and Rescue National Framework sets out the priorities and objectives for all fire and rescue authorities in England, The framework is a statutory guidance document which is laid before Parliament and the current framework is for 2006-08. Within the framework we provide details of any targets set for fire and rescue authorities and for local authorities where they have a fire function e.g. county fire and rescue authorities. Since April 2005 the Government have had a public service agreement target which is:
By 2010, reduce the number of accidental fire related deaths in the home by 20 per cent. and the number of deliberate fires by 10 per cent.
Fire and rescue authorities have largely been responsible for delivering this target and the reduction in fire deaths and deliberate fires has already been achieved but this performance must be sustained until 2010 to meet the target in full. Fire and rescue authorities also have an efficiency target to deliver which commenced in April 2005 of £105 million of cashable efficiency savings by 2007-08. Again, fire and rescue authorities are on track to deliver this efficiency target. Further information on these targets and other priorities for the fire and rescue service can be found within the national framework document.
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets for building homes Bournemouth borough council is expected to meet; and by when. [147949]
Mr. Iain Wright [holding answer 10 July 2007]: The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Structure Plan, adopted in 2001, sets out an average figure for new housing delivery in Bournemouth of 523 dwellings per annum up to 2011.
The draft South West Regional Spatial Strategy, which recently completed its examination in public, states a range for 2006-26 of between 680 and 780 dwellings per annum.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what public funds were spent on the Supporting People strategy in each year since its inception. [147376]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Supporting People programme is administered and delivered locally by 150 top tier local authorities.
The following table details the amount spent on Supporting People services since 2003, as reported to the Department by local authorities.
£ | |
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of affordable home completions in each of the last five years for which records are available were sold for (a) less than (i) £40,000, (ii) £50,000, (iii) £60,000, (iv) £70,000, (v) £80,000, (vi) £90,000, (vii) £100,000, (viii) £110,000, (ix) £120,000 and (b) more than £120,000; and what the figures were in each year in each case for the South West. [148252]
Mr. Iain Wright: Information on affordable dwelling sales is not available centrally in the format requested. However, information recorded by registered social landlords on the proportion of all their affordable dwellings sold at a discounted sale price and the sale of equity shares of shared ownership dwellings and open market properties with the help of an equity loan to improve affordability is given for England in the following table 1 and for South West in table 2.
The information in the tables reflects the fact that the majority of shared equity purchasers are buying in London and the South East. However, the number of shared ownership and equity loans completions per annum in the South West has nearly doubled over the last five years.
Table 2: Proportion of RSL dwellings sold in South West by year and sale price( 1) | |||||
2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07( 2) | |
(1 )Discounted sale price for complete dwelling sales and equity share for shared ownership dwelling and equity loan sales. (2) Provisional Source: Housing Corporation CORE Sales returns |
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