| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 July 2007 : Column 1631W—continued
The estimated staffing costs for each Government office for 2007-08 are:
| £ million | |
Housing
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2007, Official Report, column 1354W, on housing, what proportion of the allocation to social housing in the Chelmsford local authority area was given to families and individuals who were resident outside the Chelmsford local authority area prior to an offer of housing being made (a) in 2006-07 and (b) so far in 2007-08; [145968]
(2) pursuant to the answers of (a) 21 May 2007, Official Report, column 1096W, on council housing transfers: Chelmsford and (b) 19 January 2007, Official Report, column 1354W, on housing, what the source was of the data collated for the answer provided in January that was not available for the answer provided in May; for what reason the data became unavailable between January and May 2007; and if she will make a statement. [145967]
Mr. Iain Wright [holding answer 28 June 2007]: The information regarding the proportion of the allocation to social housing in the Chelmsford local authority arc given to families and individuals resident outside the Chelmsford local authority area is not collected centrally.
The answer collated on 21 May 2007, Official Report, column 1096W, on council housing transfers, was answered by Communities and Local Government and reflected the availability of information from centrally collected data.
The answer collated on 19 January 2007, Official Report, column 1354W, on housing, was answered by the Government Office for the East of England, who contacted Chelmsford local authority directly for this information.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings she has had with Ministers from the devolved administrations to discuss housing in the UK. [147375]
Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 July 2007, Official Report, column 1425W.
Housing: Hampshire
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many private housing lets were made by each local authority in Hampshire in each year since 1997; and what assessment she has made of standard of repair of such properties. [148524]
Mr. Iain Wright: We do not hold information about the number of private lettings made to social tenants by each local authority within Hampshire.
Housing: Low Incomes
Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have become available on Wearside since 2002-03; and if she will make a statement. [148528]
Mr. Iain Wright:
The numbers of affordable homes provided in each year since 2002-03 are tabulated as
follows. The question has been answered in terms of additional affordable homes either newly built or acquired on behalf of Sunderland city council. Affordable housing includes social rent and intermediate housing (e.g. low cost home ownership).
| Affordable housing supply: Sunderland | |
| Financial year | Affordable homes provided |
| Notes: 1. Affordable housing is the sum of both social rent and intermediate housing. 2. Includes new build and acquisitions. Source: Housing Corporation, local authorities | |
Parish Councils: Hextable
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she received Hextable’s application for separate parish status; and when she expects to make a decision on the application. [148652]
John Healey [holding answer 10 July 2007]: The application by Sevenoaks district council to create a new parish of Hextable was received in this Department on 24 May 2006. A decision will be made once assessment of the representations received and issues involved in relation to this application have been fully considered.
Planning
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what processes are in place to enable (a) councillors and (b) the public to monitor the quality of decisions made on planning applications which are delegated to planning officers; and if she will make a statement. [148552]
Mr. Iain Wright: Decisions can only be delegated to officers by elected members, who must determine the terms on which a delegated agreement operates, including monitoring arrangements. Legislation requires that a list of powers exercisable by officers should be maintained and open to public inspection.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what action is open to members of the public to challenge planning decisions made by planning officers under delegated powers, where the decision is in breach of the local plan. [148553]
Mr. Iain Wright: A planning decision made by a planning officer under delegated powers is deemed to be the decision of the local authority.
Third parties do not have a right of appeal in the way that applicants do because it is the responsibility of local planning authorities to act in the general public
interest when determining planning applications. Local authorities must determine planning applications in accordance with the development plan for the area unless material considerations indicate otherwise, these can include views expressed by local residents and other parties. The applicant has a right of appeal against the refusal of a planning permission because this affects his/her property rights.
Third parties do have a right to challenge a planning decision by seeking a judicial review. However, a decision cannot be challenged merely because someone does not agree with the judgement of the local authority. Those challenging a decision have to be able to show that a serious mistake was made by the authority when reaching the decision or that the procedures were not carried out properly. If a mistake has been made the court has discretion not to quash the decision if it considers the interests of the person making the challenge have not been prejudiced.
Supporting People Programme
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on the Supporting People programme in each year since its inception. [147966]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 July 2007, Official Report, column 1472W.
Home Department
Biometrics: Disclosure of Information
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what definition her Department uses of basic biodata; who collects this information; who this information is shared with; and in what circumstances the biodata is shared with embassy and other officials of the home country of individuals from countries other than the UK. [148773]
Meg Hillier [holding answer 10 July 2007]: ‘Biodata’ is defined as the personal details contained in a passport or the equivalent personal details recorded on a visa or residence permit. This type of information is collected by both the Identity and Passport Service in relation to British citizens and the Border and Immigration Agency of the Home Office in relation to foreign nationals.
This information is processed in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection and Human Rights Acts and this includes when it is shared with third parties. The Home Office shares biodata records with other Government Departments, local authorities, the police and embassies where necessary for its functions, for example, for the purpose of safeguarding national security, the prevention or detection of crime or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders. This information may also be shared with the authorities of an individual’s country of origin in order to secure documentation to facilitate their removal from the United Kingdom, where necessary.
Community Support Officers: Manpower
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish data on the recruitment and retention of police community support officers since the post's inception; and on numbers subsequently offered posts as police officers. [148350]
Mr. McNulty: There are no current plans to include information on the recruitment and retention of police community support officers in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin “Police Service Strength, England and Wales”, where other such information on police service strength is published.
Data on the numbers of police community support officers joining and leaving the service have been collected since the inception of the post in 2002-03.
Data on the numbers of police community support officers subsequently offered posts as police officers are not collected centrally in the police personnel statistics series.
Crime: Intellectual Property
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2007, Official Report, columns 1324-25W, on crime: intellectual property (IP), how many police forces have established strategies to deal with IP crime; and what steps she is taking to monitor progress in implementing these strategies. [147769]
Jacqui Smith: The establishment of strategies to tackle all types of crime is an operational matter, solely the responsibility of individual chief officers of police, on which information is not held centrally.
From 1 August, an officer from South Wales police will be joining the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) on a three year secondment to assist both the IPO and police authorities develop intelligence on IP crime in line with the national IP Crime Strategy.
EU Law: Human Trafficking
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK will ratify the European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. [148672]
Mr. Coaker: The former Home Secretary signed the Council of Europe Convention on 23 March on behalf of the Government and is fully committed to implement the obligations it imposes which will also provide a framework for the minimum rights and protection of all identified victims of trafficking.
It will inevitably take some time to move from signature to ratification of the Convention and the Government will not ratify the Convention until all changes to domestic legislation, processes and guidance are in place to ensure that we fully comply with its terms. The details on how implementation will be taken forward are currently being developed. We will work with colleagues across Government to implement the Convention and will look to draw on the expertise from non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders in how we do so.
Identity Cards: Finance
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expected budget is for development of the identity cards and biometric passports scheme in 2007-08. [147755]
Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Joan Ryan), to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 19 June 2007, Official Report, column 1779W.
Identity Cards: Homelessness
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision she plans to make for homeless people to register for a national identity card. [147758]
Jacqui Smith: Precise arrangements have yet to be made for identity card applications, including how it will be possible for homeless people to register for a national identity card. However, we intend to draw on the experience of other government departments such as the Department for Work and Pensions and the national health service that already provide services to homeless people.
National Identity Register
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1512W, on the National Identity Register, how she plans to ensure that registrants do not register fictional or inadequate addresses. [147772]
Jacqui Smith: It is intended that the National Identity Scheme will make use of the postcode address file as a method of address validation. However, it will not be the only source of validation and section 9 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 will enable checks to be made against records held on other databases to ensure that the address at which the individual is genuinely resident is recorded. Section 28 of the Act makes it a criminal offence to provide false information to the register, with a maximum term of imprisonment of two years available on conviction on indictment.
Northumbria Police: Ethnic Groups
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many candidates of ethnic minority origin applied to the Northumbria police force in each year since 1997; and how many were successful. [147141]
Mr. McNulty: The available data on the number of applications to become a police officer and the number of successful entrants are available from 2003-04 onwards, and are given in the following table.
| Ethnic minority( 1) applicants and entrants to Northumbria police force from 2003-04 to 2005-06( 2) | ||
| Application forms received | New entrants | |
| (1) Ethnic minority applicants and entrants included those describing themselves as: mixed, black or black British, Asian or Asian British and Chinese or other. This does not include those who did not state their ethnicity. (2) Financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Data are not available prior to 2003-04. | ||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |