Annex: Summary of activity
The Committee's Work During the Parliament
| Topic |
Committee activity |
Progress |
Follow-up |
| ODPM Annual Report and Accounts 2005
| Inquiry | Committee Report published Jan 2006; Government Reply received Mar 2006
| The Committee examined the Department's Report and Accounts each year. Some issues arising were addressed in a later session with the Deputy Prime Minister (Feb 2006) and during consideration of the Department's 2006 Annual Report and Accounts
|
| Re-Licensing | Inquiry
| Committee Report published Mar 2006; Government Reply received May 2006
| Six months after receipt of its response, the Government was asked to provide an up-date on developments and progress with implementation of the Committee's recommendations.
|
| Affordability and the Supply of Housing
| Inquiry | Committee Report published Jun 2006; Government Reply received Sept 2006
| The Committee's Report was the subject of an Estimates Day debate in the House in December 2006.
Others aspects of Housing policy are being considered in subsequent inquiries including the current The Supply of Rented Housing and the planned Shared Ownership inquiries
|
| The Fire and Rescue Service
| Inquiry | Committee Report published Jul 2006; Government Reply received Sept 2006
| |
| Planning Gain Supplement
| Inquiry | Committee Report published Nov 2006; Government Response received Dec 2006
| The Government made further announcements on its proposals for a Planning Gain Supplement in the December 2006 Pre-Budget Report
|
| Local Government Finance
| One-off oral evidence session
| Minutes of Evidence published (Nov 2005)
| The Committee agreed that any further work on this topic would be best undertaken in the light of the Lyons Report, now expected in March 2007. Sir Michael Lyons appeared before the Committee as part of its inquiry into Regional Government (Jun 2006)
|
| Ministerial Informal summit on Sustainable Communities
| One-off oral evidence session
| Minutes of Evidence published (Feb 2006)
| A number of issues dealt with in this session were also pursued in the Committee's oral evidence session with Mrs Anna Tibaijuka and Baroness Andrews on the World Urban Forum III in November 2006.
|
| Introductory hearing: Ruth Kelly MP |
One-off oral evidence session |
Minutes of Evidence published (Jul 2006) |
Issues arising taken forward through numerous means, including scrutiny of the Department's 2006 Annual Report and Accounts |
| Buncefield Incident |
Memorandum request | Memorandum published
| The Committee made reference to the Buncefield incident in its Report on The Fire and Rescue Service
|
| DCLG Annual Report & Accounts 2006
| Inquiry | Oral evidence concluded. A report is in preparation
| |
| World Urban Forum III |
One-off joint oral evidence session
| Minutes of Evidence published (Nov 2006)
| This joint evidence session was part of the International Development Committee's Water and Sanitation inquiry, upon which it is expected to report in 2007.
|
| Is there a Future for Regional Government?
| Inquiry | Report in preparation
| |
| Coastal Towns | Inquiry
| Report in preparation |
|
| The Supply of Rented Housing
| Inquiry | Evidence gathering
| |
| Olympics: Oversight of Regeneration Issues
| Watching brief | Visits to ODA in Dec 2005 and Nov 2006; written evidence requested from all RDAs in Nov 2006
| |
| Shared Ownership | Inquiry
| Intention to undertake inquiry announced (Jul 2005)
| Terms of reference to be developed after completion of the Inquiry into The Supply of Rented Housing
|
1. In 2002, following a resolution in the House,
the Liaison Committee established a set of 'core tasks', principally
for departmental select committees although other select committees
are encouraged to reflect on how far the core tasks could be applied
to their work. While each committee remains free to decide how
best to discharge its duties to the House, departmental select
committees are encouraged to take account of the core tasks when
determining their programmes and to report their activities to
the Liaison Committee against the core tasks on an annual basis.
2. In the following table the Committee's activities
since its appointment in July 2005 have been grouped against the
core tasks.
Committee Activity and Core Tasks
| Core Task |
Committee Activity |
| Task 1
To examine policy proposals from the UK Government and the European Commission in Green Papers, White Papers, draft guidance etc, and to inquire further where the Committee considers it to be appropriate
| Inquiry and report on Re-Licensing
Inquiry and report on Planning Gain Supplement
Inquiry and report on The Fire and Rescue Service
Hearing on Local Government Finance in advance of the Local Government White Paper (November 2005)
Hearing on Sustainable Communities and the Outcomes of the Bristol Informal Ministerial (February 2006)
|
| Task 2
To identify and examine areas of emerging policy, or where existing policy is deficient, and make proposals
| Current inquiry into Coastal Towns
Current inquiry into Regional Government
Current inquiry into The Supply of Rented Housing
Inquiry and report on Affordability and the Supply of Housing
Informal visits (Autumn 2005 and Autumn 2006) to the Olympics Development Agency on the Olympics legacy; commissioning of written evidence from RDAs on legacy issues.
Examination, via written evidence, of the Departmental response to the Buncefield incident.
Hearing on World Urban Forum III
|
| Task 3
To conduct scrutiny of any published draft bill within the Committee's responsibilities
| No draft bills within the ambit of the Committee's responsibilities have been published during the session.
|
| Task 4
To examine specific output from the department expressed in documents or other decisions
| The Committee has not conducted specific inquiries to examine the published output of the Department but it has addressed these issues through other inquiries. For example, as part of its inquiry into Affordability and the Supply of Housing the Committee considered the draft Code on Sustainable Buildings; as part of its inquiry into Planning Gain Supplement it considered a range of departmental guidance on planning; as part of the inquiry into The Fire and Rescue Service, extensive consideration was given to the Department's draft business case for FiReControl.
|
| Task 5
To examine the expenditure plans and out-turn of the Department's Main and Supplementary Estimates: its expenditure plans and its annual accounts
| Inquiry and report on ODPM Annual Report and Accounts 2005
Current inquiry into DCLG Annual Report and Accounts 2006
Examination of Winter Supplementary Estimates in December 2005
Examination of Spring Supplementary Estimates in March 2006
Examination of Main Estimates 2006
|
| Task 6
To examine the department's Public Service Agreements, the associated targets and the statistical measurements employed, and report if appropriate
| Inquiry and report on ODPM Annual Report and Accounts 2005
Current inquiry into DCLG Annual Report and Accounts 2006
|
| Task 7
To monitor the work of the Department's Executive Agencies, NDPBs, regulators and other associated public bodies |
The Committee has not conducted any inquiries in the current session specifically examining departmental agencies but issues in relation to such public bodies, including the Local Government Ombudsman and the Ordnance Survey have been pursued as part of other inquiries.
It has examined a number of agencies on specific policy issues in the course of other inquiries, for example: English Partnerships (Affordability and the Supply of Housing and Planning Gain Supplement); The Housing Corporation (Affordability and the Supply of Housing). It has also examined agencies associated with other Government departments where their work affects matters within the responsibility of DCLG, for example: The Environment Agency (Planning Gain Supplement and Coastal Towns); The Learning and Skills Council (Coastal Towns)
The Committee also conducted an inquiry into The Fire and Rescue Service, which is overseen by a range of institutions including the DCLG.
|
| Task 8
To scrutinise major appointments made by the Department
| Introductory hearing held with Peter Housden in November 2005, shortly after he became Permanent Secretary at the ODPM.
While not strictly an 'appointment made by the Department', the Committee held a similar session with Rt Hon. Ruth Kelly MP shortly after her appointment as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in May 2006.
|
| Task 9
To examine the implementation of legislation and major policy initiatives
| Inquiry and report on The Fire and Rescue Service
Inquiry and report on Planning Gain Supplement
Inquiry and report on Re-licensing
Inquiry and report on Affordability and the Supply of Housing
Current inquiry into The Supply of Rented Housing
|
| Task 10
To produce reports which are suitable for debate in the House, including Westminster Hall, or debating Committees
| The Committee's report on Affordability and the Supply of Housing was the subject of an Estimates day debate in the House in December 2006
|
|
