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11 July 2007 : Column 1473W—continued
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the definition of affordable housing takes account of (a) average local wages, (b) geographical location and (c) whether the house is to be (i) bought outright, (ii) bought with shared equity and (iii) rented. [148445]
Mr. Iain Wright [holding answer 9 July 2007]: Annex B to “Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing” defines affordable housing as housing sold or rented at below market rates, to eligible groups, where there is provision for the home to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households. The definition includes that affordable housing
“should meet the needs of eligible households, including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices”.
The definition comprises social rented housing and intermediate housing (shared equity products, other low cost homes for sale and intermediate rent).
Local Government: Equal Pay
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total back pay liability for all expected years is in respect of each local authority that has applied for a capitalisation direction in respect of equal pay; and how much each authority is seeking to have capitalised. [149115]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 July 2007, Official Report, column 1430W.
Rates and Rating: Aerials
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many mobile telephone masts were on the Valuation Office Agency’s ratings list in the areas of (a) Guildford borough council and (b) Waverley borough council (i) in 2000 and (ii) at the most recent date for which the information is available. [148594]
Mr. Iain Wright: Statutory Instrument (SI) No 2421 changed the basis for assessing masts for rating purposes. Therefore, to provide an answer on a consistent basis, the following dates have been used.
As at 31 March 2003, the Rating List included 79 ‘Communication Masts’ in Guildford borough council and 34 in Waverley borough council. As at 31 March 2007, the corresponding numbers were 120 for Guildford and 32 for Waverley. Not all ‘Communication Masts’ are mobile telephone masts; the Valuation Office Agency’s database does not distinguish between mobile telephone masts and those used for other purposes.
Defence
Armed Forces: Housing
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total expenditure was on armed forces accommodation in each year since 1997. [148228]
Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 16 January 2007, Official Report, column 1008W, and my letter of 20 March 2007, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) psychologists, (b) psychiatrists, (c) mental health nurses and (d) occupational therapists each service employed in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007. [148273]
Derek Twigg: Psychologists and occupational therapists are not employed in the armed forces. The following tables list the numbers of consultant psychiatrists and mental health nurses employed in each service on 1 April 2006 and 1 April 2007.
| Manning | |
| Source: DMSD quarterly manning return 1 April 2006/1 April 2007 | |
Armed Forces: Recruitment
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what budget was provided to each of the armed forces for recruitment purposes in each year since 1992. [147491]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 5 July 2007]: Information for all years since 1992 is not held centrally in the format requested. Nevertheless, the known recruitment budgets for the Army and RAF for all years since 1998-99 are as follows:
| £ million | ||
| Army | RAF | |
In 2003, the RAF’s recruitment budget was merged with that for Initial Officer Training and cannot be separated out.
I will write to the hon. Member with the information for the Naval Service annual recruiting budget and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Copthorne Barracks
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the running costs of Copthorne Barracks in Shrewsbury were in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006. [147663]
Derek Twigg: The approximate infrastructure running costs of Copthorne Barracks in each of the last three financial years were as follows:
| Financial year | £ million |
The introduction of Regional Prime Contracting in 2006-07 altered the way in which infrastructure costs are accounted for, in that not all maintenance costs can now be attributed to a particular site. The figure for 2006-07 is not therefore directly comparable to the figures for previous years.
Departments: Consultants
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) management consultants and (b) other external consultants and advisers in each year since 2000; and which of these consultants undertook work for the Department with a total contractual value in excess of £10 million over this period. [146339]
Derek Twigg: Summaries of MOD expenditure on external assistance (which includes management consultants and other external consultants and advisers) are available in the Library of the House for the years 1995-96 to 2005-06.
Figures for financial year 2006-07 will be placed in the Library before summer recess.
The information on which consultants undertook work for the Department with a total contractual value in excess of £10 million is not held centrally in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Information on organisations, including management consultancy firms, paid £5 million or more by my Department in each financial year is published in the UK Defence Statistics. However, these figures do not differentiate between consultancy spend and non-consultancy expenditure.
Departments: Pensions
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of staff in his Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions; and what steps he has taken in the last 12 months to encourage more people to make such contributions. [147529]
Derek Twigg: Approximately 2,200 members of the Civil Service Pension arrangements in the Ministry of Defence (2.7 per cent. of the total Civil Service Pension schemes members employed by the Department) currently make additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay.
Pension scheme members receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of pension on retirement if the member continues in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement provides details of the Civil Service Pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including on options for making additional voluntary contributions to boost their pension. The Defence Intranet also provides staff with information on how to boost their pension and an annual office notice is issued to remind staff of the
opportunity to have non-consolidated pay or bonuses paid into an additional voluntary contributions fund.
Explosions: Noise
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about noise caused by explosions at Shoeburyness were received from residents living in (a) Maldon District, (b) Chelmsford Borough, (c) Rochford District, (d) Colchester Borough, (e) Tendring District, (f) Southend on Sea, (g) Castlepoint District and (h) Kent in each year since 1995. [148150]
Derek Twigg: The number of complaints received by the Ministry of Defence about noise caused by explosions, demolition and gunfire at Shoeburyness in each year since 1995 is set out as follows:
| District | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007( 1) |
| (1) Year to 4 July 2007. | |||||||||||||
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