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3 Sep 2007 : Column 1684W—continued
The table is produced on a non-Financial Reporting Standard (FRS17) basis to 2003-04 and on an FRS17 basis from 2003-04 onwards. The main implication is that the costs of entitlements to retirement benefits
(pensions) in FRS17 are accounted for in the year in which employment gives rise to the entitlement, rather than the year in which cash payments of contributions or pensions take place. On an FRS17 basis revenue expenditure is now financed by appropriations from pension reserves, in addition to appropriations from other reserves, revenue support grant, redistributed non-domestic rates, police grant and council tax.
| Percentage | ||
| Proportion excluding education | Proportion including education | |
| (1)( )Most specific grants are allocated to particular service areas. However, there are a number of specific grants which can fund a variety of services. The increasing proportion of such grants means that, from 2003-04, it is no longer possible to give accurate figures for specific grants by service block. Source: Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns 1997-98 to 2005-06. Communities and Local Government Revenue Account (RA) Budget returns 2006-07 to 2007-08. | ||
The large change in specific grant from 2006-07 onwards is largely due to changes in the way the expenditure on schools is funded. Local authorities now receive dedicated schools grant, included in specific grants, replacing funding previously included in formula grant.
The definition of local government revenue expenditure used here is that expenditure funded from Aggregate External Finance (AEF), council tax and authorities' reserves. AEF is central Government revenue funding that comprises formula grant (revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and police grant), general Greater London Authority (GLA) grant and specific grants inside AEF, i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services. The specific grants used here are the specific grants inside AEF.
Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities.
Local Government: ICT
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps she is taking to promote best practice among local authorities in using mobile and wireless technology to facilitate more efficient working and public service delivery; and if she will make a statement; [153520]
(2) what steps she is taking to address the technical and cultural barriers which constrain the use of ICT and mobile technology in local government. [153523]
John Healey: The Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships are tasked with promoting efficiency and improvement among councils in their area. They undertake a range of activities to address barriers through such means as dissemination of good practice.
In addition, the Department has created a national project on mobile working (NOMAD) as part of the local e-government programme. NOMAD www.projectnomad.org.uk, which is owned now by Cambridgeshire county council, is a centre of excellence established specifically to promote mobile and flexible working in local services, receiving contributions from both commercial suppliers of mobile technologies, and many local authorities.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if she will make a statement on the potential of mobile technology and ICT in local government to meet efficiency savings identified in the Gershon Review; [153522]
(2) what assessment has been made of the costs and benefits of mobile and wireless technology in local government and service delivery; and if she will make a statement. [153524]
John Healey: The benefits guide to the Project Nomad e-government project (www.projectnomad.org) estimates potential savings from that project of the order of £54 million with an additional value added of £170 million. Other activities, such as those supported by the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships will also have a role to play in enhancing efficiency through these means.
Local Government: Pay
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the implications of the GMB v. Allen case in Middlesbrough on single status. [152623]
John Healey: I cannot comment on a case which is currently under appeal.
Local Government: Reform
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department will announce which unitary council and local government restructuring bids should be implemented in the first wave of such restructuring. [152672]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 25 July 2007, Official Report, columns 68WS.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the representations from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to her Department on the costs of local government restructuring. [152944]
John Healey: It is not Government policy to release cabinet committee correspondence.
Local Government: Standards
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans her Department has to consult local authorities on the 200 performance indicators which will be included in the new local government performance framework. [152840]
John Healey: The Comprehensive Spending Review which is currently under way will shape the new national indicator set for local government. Departments have been consulting key stakeholders, including local authorities and representative organisations where appropriate, on their proposals for Public Service Agreements, Delivery Agreements and associated indicators.
The national indicator set for local government will be announced alongside the Comprehensive Spending Review in the autumn. We plan to consult local authorities on the detailed definitions of indicators following this announcement.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley of 13 June 2007, Official Report, column 1073W, on local government: standards, which local authorities in each Government Office region have public service agreement or local area agreement targets which relate to children being placed in care, other than adoptions; what the targets are in each case; and how much funding each local authority will receive if it achieves these targets. [153537]
John Healey: No local authorities currently have local public service agreement (LPSA) or local area agreement (LAA) reward element targets in relation to the numbers of children they look after. Only one local authority has ever had a target relating to children being placed in care as part of its LPSA or LAA reward element. In its first round LPSA Kent county council (Government Office of the South East Region) chose to include a local target to "reduce the total number of children looked after by KCC (bearing in mind the individual needs of the children and the involvement of the courts".
The target Kent county council negotiated related to their performance in March 2004, and to improve from an anticipated 1,300 children looked after down to 1,200 children looked after. KCC achieved this target and received £2.1 million in performance reward grant from Government.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many improvement targets for councils will be (a) established via local area agreements and (b) included in her Department’s plans. [153691]
John Healey:
From 2008, local area agreements (LAAs) will be the only place where improvement targets can be established with local authorities for outcomes they deliver alone or in partnership. Baroness Andrews set out the Government’s position on the number of improvements targets during the
passage of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill on 16th July 2007:
“We expect LAAs to contain up to 35 improvement targets and 18 statutory education and early years targets.” [ Official Report, House of Lords, 16 July 2007, Vol. 694, c. 95]
These targets will be drawn from the single set of around 200 national indicators for local government which will be published following CSR07, and which will reflect the priorities of all Departments. Targets in LAAs will vary between localities. They will be dependent on the outcome of negotiations between Local Strategic Partnerships and the Government offices representing central Government.
Local Government: Working Hours
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of local authorities have implemented (a) flexible working practices and (b) mobile working. [153521]
John Healey: The information requested in not held centrally. The adoption of modern work practices is a common theme of the published Local Authority Annual Efficiency Statements, which can be viewed on the departmental website at www.communities. gsi.gov.uk
Mr. Robert Adewumni
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to improve internal audit and the scope for internal fraud following the conviction of Mr Robert Adewumni for fraud in the Civil Resistance Directorate of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. [153637]
Hazel Blears: Communities and Local Government’s internal audit had before this case, and continues to have, a continuous improvement programme to ensure that modern and effective audit practices are in place. Within internal audit there is a separate fraud section with appropriately trained staff. They are fully acquainted with the Fraud Act, the Proceeds of Crime Act, etc. The section assists the Department in building a culture of fraud awareness and prevention.
In the Adewumni case the internal audit acted to investigate and find the level of the fraud, and to provide advice to management on necessary improvements. In this case there was a lack of compliance with laid down systems of control. Internal audit has further enhanced its compliance reviews as a result of this fraud. The Department improved its guidance for its managers and made some changes to processes Action was also taken to enhance financial/HR processes. This will reduce the risk of fraud through improving processes for prevention and detection.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated net loss to the public purse was of the fraud perpetrated by Mr. Robert Adewumni in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; and what steps are being taken to recover losses from Mr. Adewumni’s overseas bank accounts. [153636]
Hazel Blears: The estimated loss was £867,200.
Robert Adewumni was sentenced to four years imprisonment in March 2006 for theft of money from Communities and Local Government (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister). Since then the Department, the police and Crown Prosecution Service have been working towards retrieving the stolen funds. A Confiscation Hearing was held at Southwark Crown court on 22 June 2007.
Mr. Adewumni was further charged with Contempt of Court at this Hearing. This charge was for breaking a Restraining Order issued in May 2005. In particular this related to failure to repatriate assets, transferring of assets and failure to declare assets. He pleaded guilty to this charge and was sentenced to a further 18 months imprisonment.
An order was made for repayment of £414,867 to Communities and Local Government (CLG) within six months from the date of the hearing. Failure to meet the repayment in full will result in a further three year prison sentence to run consecutively (following on from the Contempt of Court sentence).
A further order was also made against Tami Adewumni, his wife, that she should repay £23,437, also within six months, failing which she will receive an additional 12 month prison sentence.
The figures for repayment include all known assets including bank accounts held outside of this country. Police investigations have explored a number of overseas lines of inquiry, including “gifts” to friends and relatives, companies in the British Virgin Islands and the US, and an account in Nicosia, Cyprus.
Non-Domestic Rates
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was raised in business non-domestic rates by each local authority in the last year for which figures are available; and how much of that total was returned to each local authority. [150248]
John Healey: I have placed a copy of the information requested for local authorities in England in the Library of the House.
Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 174W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on non-domestic rates: valuation, who produced the feasibility study. [152528]
John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 174W, on non-domestic rates: valuation, if she will place in the Library a copy of the first phase feasibility study report. [152535]
John Healey: This is an interim report forming part of a feasibility study by the Valuation Office Agency, to investigate the viability of developing additional computer assisted rental analysis for the preparation of the 2010 Non Domestic Revaluation. Release of the findings into the public domain at this time would be prejudicial to the further research and development of this computer-based tool.
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