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16 Oct 2007 : Column 1040W—continued
Housing: Temporary Accommodation
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to help those living in hostels who are ready to move on to more permanent settled accommodation. [157407]
Mr. Iain Wright: My Department is involved in a range of initiatives to help people move on from hostels. Homeless Link's Move On Plans Protocol (MOPP) will provide local authorities with a better understanding of move on need and allow them to overcome a range of barriers through formal partnerships with the voluntary sector. Broadway's Real Letting project aims to promote improved access to the private rented sector for hostel residents. The Transitional Spaces Project will tackle low turnaround of single people in hostels by providing a 'work first' model to improve access to employment and private rented sector housing.
The key outcome of our £90 million Hostels Capital Improvement Programme will be to increase the number of people who move on positively from a hostel to a job or training and a settled home.
Local Authorities: Non-Profit Making Associations
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department’s initiatives to encourage local authorities to support social enterprise; and if she will make a statement. [156939]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Government recognise the current and potential role of social enterprises and the wider third sector. One of the key strands in the National Procurement Strategy for Local Government (October 2003) was to encourage councils to work with the third sector. A final report setting out the achievements of local government against the strategy is due to be published later this year.
Local Enterprise Growth Initiative bids in both rounds one and two featured proposals around social enterprise. A feasibility study into a possible evaluation is currently under way.
The comprehensive spending review announced our future public service agreements (PSAs). Through PSA “Delivery Agreement 21: Build more cohesive, empowered and active communities”, the subset of six indicators includes measurement of a thriving third sector of which social enterprise is part. Through this indicator we will measure an index of regular formal volunteering and the number of full-time equivalent staff the third sector employs.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will reply to the letter of 16 July 2007 from the hon. Member for Fareham on the strategic gap between Portchester and Fareham. [158714]
Mr. Iain Wright: A reply was to the hon. Member on 10 August 2007.
Mortgages
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s most recent estimate is of the number and proportion of outstanding mortgages which are sub-prime. [157348]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department has not made an estimate of the number and proportion of outstanding mortgages which are sub-prime mortgages.
Planning Permission
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which planning applications the Minister for Planning in her Department has (a) called in, (b) resolved not to call in, (c) approved and (d) refused (i) between 15 May 2006 and 27 June 2007 and (ii) since 27 June; [157448]
(2) if she will list the planning applications that she has personally (a) called in, (b) resolved not to call in, (c) approved and (d) refused since 27 June. [157473]
Mr. Iain Wright: I have today placed in the Libraries of the House the following tables:
Table (A)—a list of all planning applications that were called in for decision by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government between 15 May 2006 and 27 June 2007.
Table (B)—a list of all planning applications that were considered by the relevant Government office but were decided not to be called in for decision by the Secretary of State between 15 May 2006 and 27 June 2007
Table (C)—a list of all planning applications that were called in for decision by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government since 27 June 2007.
Table (D)—a list of all planning applications that were considered by the relevant Government office but were decided not to be called in for decision by the Secretary of State since 27 June 2007
Table (E)—a list of all planning applications decided by the Secretary of State between 15 May 2006 and 27 June 2007, showing whether the application was approved or refused.
Table (F)—a list of all planning applications decided by the Secretary of State since 27 June 2007, showing whether the application was approved or refused.
Regardless of whether the Secretary of State herself or a planning Minister on her behalf makes a particular decision, all decisions related to calling in and determination of planning applications are made in the name of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Planning: Public Participation
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to increase local involvement in the planning process; and if she will make a statement. [156948]
Mr. Iain Wright: In the White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future (CM 7120) and associated documents, we set out a number of proposals for improving the responsiveness and efficiency of the planning system while maintaining or enhancing the delivery of other objectives, including the involvement of communities in planning decisions.
For example, the proposals for nationally significant infrastructure projects would involve the public at every stage: on the development of national policy; on project proposals as they are being developed; and at the inquiry stage.
Our proposed changes to the Local Development Framework system aim to ensure both a more streamlined and tailored process and a more meaningful, engaged level of community involvement.
Community involvement will also be an important component of Planning Performance Agreements—a new way to manage large scale major planning applications.
The Government are also providing a grant of £1.7 million in 2007-08 to Planning Aid. This is for the provision of free and independent professional advice to groups and individuals who need to engage in the planning system but who cannot afford to pay for such advice.
Polytunnels: Planning Permission
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has given to local planning authorities on planning permission for polytunnels; and if she will make a statement. [157637]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Chief Planner in Communities and Local Government wrote to all local planning authorities on the issue of polytunnels on 25 July 2007. The letter was prompted by concern among several local planning authorities about the planning status of polytunnels following a High Court judgment in December 2006. The purpose of the letter was to clarify the Government’s understanding of the situation, to remind local planning authorities of their existing powers on enforcement and of existing planning policy contained in “Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas”
Prisons: Planning Permission
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether planning permission is required for the docking and location of a prison ship. [157660]
Mr. Iain Wright: Whether planning permission is required will depend on whether the proposed activity or new use of land would amount to "development". Development is defined in section 55(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 as
“the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under land, or the making of any material change of use of buildings or other land.”
Planning permission is required for any of these forms of development, unless the section specifically exempts it.
It may be that locating a prison ship where there wasn't one previously would amount to development on the grounds either that it would be a material change of use of the land where it is docked or that it might involve operational development. However, it would be for the local planning authority to determine this based on the particular circumstances of a proposal.
Rough Sleepers
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology is used to distinguish migrant rough sleepers from A2 and A8 countries from tourists for the purposes of rough sleeping counts. [157562]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department's methodology for local authority rough sleeper street counts, “Guidance on evaluating the extent of rough sleeping (2007 Revision)” has a definition of rough sleeping for the purposes of inclusion on local authority street counts. This is
“People sleeping, or bedded down, in the open air (such as on streets, or in doorways, parks or bus shelters); people in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or ‘bashes’).”
Only people fitting this definition are included in rough sleeper counts and this would include migrant rough sleepers from A2 and A8 countries. If there is doubt about whether to include an individual, then the local authority will make a decision based on an assessment of the circumstances. This might cover, for example, people sleeping away from campsites who might be homeless but who could be tourists, or people sleeping in transport stations without bedding.
Temporary Accommodation: Fees and Charges
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been provided by her Department on charging for entry to homeless shelters. [157688]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department has not issued any guidance on charging for entry to homeless shelters. Charging is a matter for those voluntary organisations which run shelters and hostels for the homeless.
Vehicles: Fires
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many deliberate road vehicle fires there were in England in the most recent year for which figures are available. [157653]
Mr. Dhanda: There were 40,335 deliberate road vehicle fires in England in 2005 (the latest calendar year for which detailed fire statistics have been published) reported by the fire and rescue service. These incidents included 33,090 deliberate car fires and 7,245 deliberate fires involving other road vehicles.
Health
Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women who attended a British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) consultation centre were refused an abortion against the criteria in the Abortion Act 1967 in the last 12 months; what guidance his Department has provided to BPAS on the interpretation of section 1 of that Act; and if he will make a statement. [158307]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally. The Department has not issued any guidance to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service on the interpretation of section 1 of the Abortion Act 1967. It is a matter for two doctors to agree, in good faith, whether there are grounds for an abortion under the Act.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the research referred to on page 3 of his Department’s document Reforming Emergency Care: First steps to a new approach, published on 25 October 2001. [156796]
Mr. Bradshaw: The research on page 3 of “Reforming Emergency Care” refers to bed occupancy. Our understanding is that there were two particular pieces of work on bed occupancy, which helped to inform policy development at that time.
Firstly, research into the relationship between bed occupancy and the management of elective and emergency pressures was set out in a report of the Emergency Services Action Team in 1997 “Report to the Chief Executive on winter pressures”. The report was published under the cover of an Executive Letter (MISC 97/62), which followed the guidance on Access to Secondary Care Services set out in Executive Letter (EL 97/42). A copy of the report has been placed in the Library and both executive letters have also been placed in the Library.
Secondly, work was commissioned on bed occupancy modelling. The work by Bagust, A et al “Dynamics of bed use in accommodating emergency admissions: stochastic simulation model” (1999) refers to similar bed occupancy rates as those cited in “Reforming Emergency Care”. A copy has been placed in the Library.
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many under 14 year olds were treated for alcohol-related health problems in each county in the East of England region in the last 12 months. [156988]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is in the following table.
| All diagnoses count of finished consultant episodes for under 14-year-olds with alcohol specific conditions in the eastern region of England, by strategic health authority (SHA) national health service hospitals, 2005-06 | ||
| SHA of treatment | Finished consultant episodes (FCE) | |
| Notes: All diagnoses count of episodes. These figures represent a count of all FCE where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in a HES record. F10 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol K70 Alcoholic liver disease T51 Toxic effect of alcohol. FCE An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. Ungrossed Data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). | ||
Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on treatment and rehabilitation of people outside the criminal justice system who were dependent on alcohol in each of the last 10 years. [157233]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Alcohol Needs Assessment Research Project published in November 2005, found that in 2003-04, a total of £217 million was being invested by the national health service and local authorities in specialist alcohol treatment and 63,000 people received treatment in that year for alcohol-related disorders.
Broomfield Hospital: Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which individuals and organisations other than civil servants and NHS bodies have (a) made written representations to and (b) had meetings with Ministers about the Broomfield Hospital private finance initiative scheme in the last four years. [157548]
Mr. Bradshaw: There have been six representations from members of the public about the Mid Essex Hospitals Private Finance Initiative (PFI) according to the Department’s correspondence database, in addition to two letters from the hon. Member about the Trust’s PFI scheme. However, prior to the current database going live in 2005 the previous databases have been archived, therefore the costs of searching these old database would be disproportionate.
The hon. Member has also tabled eight parliamentary questions on the Mid Essex Hospital PFI scheme.
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