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29 Nov 2007 : Column 676W—continued
Environment Protection: Fixed Penalties
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of fixed penalty notices issued for environmental offences were paid in full within the 14 day deadline in each year since 1999. [168611]
Jonathan Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
DEFRA does not collect data on the number of fixed penalty notices that were paid within the 14 day period.
The number of fixed penalty notices issued and paid to local authorities since 1999 is shown in the following table.
Figures for 2006-2007 will be published shortly.
| April to March | Number. of fixed penalties issued by local authorities | Number of fixed penalties paid to local authorities |
Home Detention Curfews: Foreigners
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people granted home detention curfew in the last 12 months were foreign nationals. [169632]
Mr. Hanson: The latest available information relates to 2005. Of the 17,296 prisoners released on home detention curfew in 2005, there were 1,154 foreign nationals. This represented 7 per cent. of all releases on HOC.
Foreign national prisoners who are liable to deportation at the end of their sentence are not eligible for release on home detention curfew.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prisoners Release: Domestic Violence
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those released on end of custody licence between 29 June 2007 and 31 October 2007 had been convicted of domestic violence offences. [169630]
Mr. Hanson: Domestic violence is not a specific offence and the information requested is therefore not available.
Information on the numbers of ECL releases, by offence group, for September 2007, is published in the monthly publication ‘End of Custody Licence releases and recalls’ available from the website:
ECL was introduced as a temporary measure and we will keep under review the length of time it will remain in use in the light of new prison capacity coming on stream and the review by Lord Carter.
Security Breaches
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many acknowledged security breaches there have been of (a) Libra, (b) C-NOMIS, (c) ViSOR and (d) other IT systems controlled by his Department. [169628]
Mr. Hanson: There have been no security breaches of the Libra or C-NOMIS systems.
ViSOR is a Home Office system, and in the areas to which the Ministry of Justice has access, there have been no security breaches
A small number of incidents involving other IT systems have been investigated and no security breach involving loss of information from the Department was found to have occurred.
Communities and Local Government
Building Regulations: Digital Broadcasting
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether she plans to make any changes to the building regulations to support digital switchover; [168511]
(2) what standards or minimum requirements for digital television receiving infrastructure are included in the building regulations to support digital switchover; [168512]
(3) what estimate she has made of the proportion of newly-built dwellings for multiple occupation equipped with communal digital television receiving infrastructure. [168515]
Mr. Iain Wright: There are currently no requirements for the provision of digital television receiving infrastructure contained within the building regulations. Therefore, we do not collect any data on the proportion of newly built dwellings equipped with communal digital television receiving infrastructure.
We have considered changes to the building regulations to support the provision of data services, and the digital switchover. However, this is a fast-moving area of technology and we therefore consider it unsuited to prescriptive regulation which could quickly become out of date. In addition, a public consultation exercise undertaken by the Department in 2003 indicated a preference for a non-regulatory option.
We are therefore working with industry on a non-mandatory good practice guidance document on data ducting infrastructure for new homes which we hope to publish shortly.
Community Relations: Religion
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the statement of the Prime Minister of 14 November 2007, Official Report, columns 667-72, on national security, how the £70 million for community projects devoted to countering extremism announced by the Prime Minister will be spent; and how much (a) was spent in 2006-07 and (b) will be spent in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) each of the next three years. [168398]
Mr. Dhanda: In his statement of 14 November, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister confirmed that £70 million is being invested in community projects that are dedicated to countering violent extremism over the next three years (financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11).
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 31 October that around £25 million of that would be invested in national schemes to directly support communities, including:
Equipping faith leaders with the skills and understanding required to lead communities, building their capacity to engage with young people on the challenges they face, including extremism. For example, ensuring imams can communicate more effectively with young people;
Support communities to broaden the provision of citizenship education in mosque schools, equipping young people themselves with the understanding and arguments to reject extremists’ messages;
Developing new minimum standards for public institutions (e.g. prisons, universities) engaging imams working with young or vulnerable people;
Supporting the Charity Commission’s work to improve governance standards in faith institutions, including mosques;
Increase the provision of leadership training available to Muslim communities, particularly women and young people.
Further announcements will be made as and when the details of the funding are decided.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State also announced £45 million would be available to local authorities and their community partners. This will build on work funded by the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund in 2007-08, guidance on which can be found at www.communities.gov.uk/communities/preventingextremism. Further guidance will be issued in due course.
On 26 November 2007, the Department for Communities and Local Government allocated a budget of £8.7 million of programme funding for preventing extremism during the financial year 2007-08.
In the 2006-07 financial year £1.4 million of programme funding was spent on projects to prevent violent extremism by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the statement of the Prime Minister of 14 November 2007, Official Report, columns 667-72, on national security, which Muslim women were consulted on the new advisory group on Muslim women announced by the Prime Minister. [168410]
Mr. Dhanda: The National Muslim Women’s Advisory Group (NMWAG) is an independent informal group, which will advise the Department for Communities and Local Government on issues to empower Muslim women and increase their participation in civic, economic and social life.
NMWAG comprises a group of women who are in positions of leadership or are working with the communities. They will act as role models and represent the views and concerns of grass-roots Muslim women.
The group will be formally launched in January 2008.
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the statement of the Prime Minister of 14 November 2007, Official Report, columns 667-72, on national security, what the remit is of the new advisory group in relation to Muslim women announced by the Prime Minister; who she expects its members to be; what she expects its cost to be; and if she will make a statement. [168412]
Mr. Dhanda: The National Muslim Women’s Advisory Group (NMWAG) is an independent informal group, which will advise the Department for Communities and Local Government on issues to empower Muslim women and increase their participation in civic, economic and social life.
NMWAG comprises a group of women who are in positions of leadership or are working with the communities. They will act as role models and represent the views and concerns of grass-roots Muslim women.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has an allocation of £70 million over the next three years for preventing extremism. Of that, £45 million will be given to local authorities for community
projects at local level and £25 million will be used to support a wide range of national initiatives on a range of issues including the women’s advisory group. The exact allocation to the advisory group from this budget has not yet been decided. Actual running costs are expected to be minimal.
Construction
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new commercial and public-sector developments measuring over 1,000 square metres were built in the UK in 2006. [167411]
Mr. Iain Wright: The information is not available in the precise form requested. Information from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) shows that there were around 1,140 retail properties, offices (including offices for public sector use), factories and warehouses built in England and Wales in 2005 that measured over 1,000 square metres. Certain public-sector properties such as schools and hospitals are not included in information provided by the VOA and are therefore excluded from the figure. The figure of 1,140 includes properties that were significantly extended in 2005 (where the floor space was more than doubled), as well as newly built properties. Information on properties built in 2006 will not be available until February 2008.
Information from the VOA covers England and Wales only. Information on developments in Scotland and Northern Ireland would need to be requested from the respective administrations.
Council Housing: Energy
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department provides for local authorities on sustainable ways of replacing windows in local authority-owned homes, with particular reference to the policy of Birmingham city council of replacing windows with UPVC double-glazed units. [168653]
Mr. Iain Wright: Local authorities are responsible for investment decisions relating to their own stock. We have not issued guidance on sustainable ways of replacing windows in local authority-owned homes.
Crime Prevention
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who the members are of the ministerial group to which the cross-departmental review on how best to engage communities in the fight against crime has been referred. [167121]
Edward Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
The ministerial group comprises the Home Secretary (Chair), the Secretary of State for Justice, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Attorney-General and the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Departmental NDPBs
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) budget and (b) remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by her Department; who the chairman is of each; and to what salary, including bonuses and expenses, each chairman is entitled. [163611]
Hazel Blears: The most recent information can be found on the Cabinet Office website at
We are currently collating information to 31 March 2007, which will be published on my Department's website in due course.
Departmental Public Participation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what opinion polls the Department has conducted of (a) the public and (b) staff since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) name of the firm employed to conduct the poll, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost to the public purse was in each case. [164956]
Mr. Dhanda: The information is as follows:
(a) there are ongoing surveys and research on homebuying reform. Work undertaken to date by GfK cost 40,000 plus VAT;
(b) the Human Resources Directorate conducted the second of four quarterly staff surveys. This was undertaken by Ipsos Mori at a cost of 37,000 plus VAT and measured staff opinions on a range of internal management issues.
In addition, we conducted a pilot employee engagement survey of 400 staff at a cost of £11,000 including VAT. This was undertaken by Ipsos MORI and will help the Department to assess the level of employee engagement and identify the key drivers which would increase engagement levels.
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