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18 Oct 2007 : Column 1228W—continued
Resettlement: Iraq
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans the Government has to assist Iraqis who wish to enter Great Britain and claim asylum, with particular reference to those who have worked in Iraq for the British Army; [158799]
(2) what measures the Government plans to put in place to help Iraqi interpreters who have worked for the British Army to claim asylum in the UK; [158800]
(3) if the Government will set up a website with instructions on claiming asylum in the UK aimed at Iraqis who have been employed by the British Army. [158801]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 October 2007]: The Foreign Secretary announced in his written ministerial statement of 9 October the assistance that would be made available to help Iraqis employed by the Government in Iraq.
The statement also promised that we will announce further details, including on how eligible staff may apply, before the end of the month.
Surveillance: Local Authorities
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance the Office of Surveillance Commissioners has provided to local authorities on surveillance in relation to (a) the public smoking ban and (b) rubbish collection and waste disposal; and how many inspections of local authorities have taken place in relation to each. [158128]
Mr. McNulty: The Office of Surveillance Commissioners has not given specific guidance to local authorities and does not undertake thematic inspections of surveillance relating to specific investigative activity. Inspections conducted on behalf of the Chief Surveillance Commissioner are not designed to provide guidance but to review performance, although specific scenarios may have been addressed during inspections.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the local authorities inspected by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners in 2006-07 used surveillance for (a) enforcement of the public smoking ban, (b) tackling fly-tipping and (c) other issues relating to waste collection and disposal. [158136]
Mr. McNulty: The Office of Surveillance Commissioners does not break down its reports to reflect the specific purposes for which the conduct of surveillance is undertaken.
Terrorism Act 2000
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where information gathered under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is stored. [158848]
Mr. McNulty: Any information that may be retained as a result of a Schedule 7 examination is stored by the local constabulary covering the port concerned and may be shared with other police forces and Government agencies.
In terms of numbers of occasions when stops are made under Schedule 7, the relevant codes of practice advise that all Schedule 7 examinations lasting longer than one hour are recorded centrally and that examinations of shorter duration are recorded locally. There is no centrally held information about the number of stops made by police officers lasting less than one hour.
Terrorism Act 2000: Freedom of Information
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the process is by which an individual can apply for access to information gathered about them under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. [158849]
Mr. McNulty: Any individual can apply for access to information gathered about them by contacting the local constabulary for the port concerned. Access details for the constabularies can be found on their websites.
Communities and Local Government
Commission for Equality and Human Rights: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the projected budget is for the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights in its first full year of operation. [157662]
Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
It is anticipated that the budget for the Equality and Human Rights Commission will be around £70 million which meets ministerial expectations.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of the (a) Commission for Racial Equality, (b) Equal Opportunities Commission and (c) Disability Rights Commission was in the most recent year for which figures are available. [157494]
Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
The following table shows the resource and capital budgets on an annual basis for the Disability Rights
Commission, Equal Opportunities Commission and Commission for Racial Equality.
| Organisation | Resource Budget for financial year 2007-08 (expressed as annual figure) (£ 000 ) |
| Organisation | Capital Budget for financial year 2007-08 (expressed as annual figure) (£ 000 ) |
Commission for Equality and Human Rights: Redundancy
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been allocated for redundancy and severance payments to staff members of the (a) Equal Opportunities Commission, (b) Disability Rights Commission and (c) Commission for Racial Equality as part of the creation of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. [157455]
Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
No staff were made redundant. However, the cost of the voluntary severance scheme, excluding the ongoing costs of annual compensation payments (ACP) for people over age 50, is expected to be as follows: CRE cost £3,839,617; DRC cost £1,884,707 and the EOC cost £1,780,364.
Departments: Official Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions she has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [158916]
Mr. Dhanda: Since joining the Department in June 2007, the Secretary of State has visited the following regions: the West Midlands (1), the North-West (6), the North-East (2), the South East (1) and has made numerous visits within London. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government plans to visit the remaining regions as soon as diary engagements permit her to do so.
All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Housing: Grants
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which (a) local authorities and (b) arm’s length management organisations have been granted approval to bid for Government grants to build new homes; on what dates the respective approvals were made; and what discussions she and the Minister for Housing have had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on extension of permissions to local authorities in Wales to bid for new housing grants. [157322]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Housing Corporation announced on 23 July that eight arm’s length management organisations (ALMOs) and two local authority special purpose vehicles had pre-qualified as investment partners for the 2008-11 affordable housing programme and moved to the next stage of the bidding process.
The ALMOs named by the Corporation were Ashfield Homes, Brent Housing Partnership, City West Homes, Derby Homes, Hillingdon Homes, Hounslow Homes, Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, and Sheffield Homes. The two local authorities were Knowsley metropolitan borough council and Norwich city council. Not all of these organisations will necessarily go on to bid or be successful in their bid. In particular, Hillingdon Homes recently failed to achieve 3 star status following its Audit Commission inspection and has been disapplied from bidding this autumn. Hillingdon will however have an opportunity to consider a new bid next year as a 2 star ALMO under the Corporation’s revised criteria.
The Housing Corporation is responsible for the funding of development schemes in England. The Welsh Assembly Government is responsible for funding decisions for social housing in Wales.
Housing: Immigration
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to complete her review of the impact of immigration on (a) new house build and (b) previously-occupied housing. [155516]
Mr. Dhanda: The Department has no plans to undertake a review of this nature. However, we do publish household growth projections, which form part of the evidence base for decisions on planning for housing, and which take into account data on past and projected migration trends. The latest household projections were published as ‘New Projections of Households for England and the Regions to 2029’ on 16 March 2007, on the Communities and Local Government website. The Department continues to consider the impacts of migration on a range of services and policies—including housing—through the Migration Impacts Forum.
Waste Management
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the existence of separate collection and disposal authorities within county council areas and the adoption of a strategic approach to waste management across the whole county council area. [157937]
Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
The division of responsibilities between the waste disposal and collection authorities in two-tier areas can make sustainable waste management more challenging. Authorities in such areas have a statutory obligation to draw up joint municipal waste management strategies, subject to certain exemptions. These strategies help to encourage and deliver a strategic approach to waste management in two-tier areas.
A report on “Joint Working in Wastes Management(1)” by the Innovation Forum (a group of high-performing authorities) highlighted the benefits of joint working in two-tier areas, citing possible efficiency savings of around £150 million nationally. The report identified the limited legal basis for joint working arrangements as a key barrier to establishing such arrangements. In response to this, the Government have introduced powers in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill which will allow the establishment of joint waste authorities.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how fuel is transported into theatre in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq. [154226]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding details of specific routes of supply as the release of information would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the contribution made to greenhouse gas emissions of the deployment of British military forces in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq. [157324]
Derek Twigg: Based upon the available data for quantities of aviation and ground fuel supplied in the operational theatres, it is estimated that the average carbon dioxide emissions directly attributable to the deployment of British military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq totalled approximately 250,000 tonnes and 200,000 tonnes respectively for any 12-month period during 2005-07. This can be compared to the MOD’s total carbon dioxide emissions (from its estate and non-operational activities such as training) of approximately 5.5 million tonnes per annum and the UK’s national emissions of approximately 560 million tonnes per annum in the same period. Data on operational emissions of other greenhouse gases are not currently collated.
Aircraft Carriers: Procurement
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes are proposed to the numbers of (a) destroyers and (b) frigates in consequence of the ordering of the two future aircraft carriers. [157213]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 15 October 2007]: The defence programme is kept under regular review. No decision has been made to change the number of destroyers or frigates.
Armed Forces: Housing
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what protection is given to British military personnel from indirect fire in their living quarters. [154264]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Indirect fire (IDF) is a serious threat which we seek to counter using a layered approach to force protection. This includes the use of hardened infrastructure, security patrols, intelligence gathering, counter measures and, where appropriate, both reactive and proactive strikes against enemy IDF capabilities. It is, however, impossible entirely to eliminate the risks from IDF attacks.
I am withholding details of force protection arrangements in Iraq and Afghanistan as their release would be likely to prejudice the safety or security of our armed forces.
Defence: Inflation
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the National Statistics Quality Review of Ministry of Defence Finance and Economic Statistics Implementation Plan, what progress his Department has made in creating a defence-specific inflation index; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [156235]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Work on developing a Defence related price index commenced in 2004-05 and has continued since. Unfortunately, despite commitment by both the Office for National Statistics and Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA), work has as yet failed to produce a defence specific inflation index.
Matching the companies, to which MOD has made payments, with Office for National Statistics data has been difficult due to changes in names, ownership, recording of information and ONS data on prices being from a sample survey. Less than 20 per cent. of companies paid more than £1 million by MOD in 2002-03 could be matched to price data, which accounted for less than 30 per cent. of MOD spend. Confining analysis to the subset of Defence problems further decreases this already poor coverage causing any estimates of defence inflation to be unreliable and biased.
Using published indices for MOD purchases of goods and services, and indeed the underlying data for these indices also presents a variety of problems. Price changes collected by ONS represent off the shelf products whereas the large value goods that MOD buys tend to be bespoke systems. Quality adjustment of price indices is appropriate for determining change in value, but not for the replacement costs that MOD faces. It is difficult to incorporate overseas expenditure. Indices used in placing contracts frequently do not reflect the expenditure patterns of the MOD.
Work continues to overcome these challenges.
Departments: Departmental Expenditure Limits
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the request for resources 1 (a) direct resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL), (b) indirect resource DEL and (c) capital DEL forecast control totals are for each of his Department's top level budget holders in each of the years 2008-09 to 2010-11. [158391]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 October 2007, Official Report, column 636W, to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth).
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