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6 Dec 2007 : Column 1395W—continued
Housing: Leeds
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact of the introduction of home information packs on the residential housing market in Leeds West constituency; and if she will make a statement. [166276]
Yvette Cooper: I refer my right hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement ‘Home Information Packs’ made on 22 November 2007, Official Report, column 140-42WS.
Housing: Low Incomes
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effect on provision of low-cost residential housing in Peterborough constituency of the introduction of home information packs for one and two-bedroomed homes; and if she will make a statement. [169540]
Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement ‘Home Information Packs’ made on 22 November 2007, Official Report, columns 140-42WS.
Land
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding has been allocated to support community land trusts in 2007-08; and from what budgets such funding will be drawn. [171562]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Housing Corporation is working with Salford university to assist with the development of 14 pilot Community Land Trusts, seven in urban areas and seven in rural areas.
Community Land Trusts were invited to bid for Housing Corporation funds through the Corporation's National Affordable Housing Programme 2008 to 2011.
Local Government Finance: Terrorism
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to ensure that the spending of Preventing Violent Extremism programme funding by local authorities is audited. [171943]
Mr. Dhanda: The £6 million Preventing Extremism Pathfinder Fund was paid as part of eligible local authorities’ Local Area Agreement grants. Eligible expenditure is audited in line with the terms and conditions set in their grant determination for LAA grant. Performance against outcomes is reviewed by the local authority with partners and the Government office on a six monthly basis.
Planning Permission
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether live/work units are classified as sui generis. [171940]
Mr. Iain Wright: Live/work units, if they are such that they provide the opportunity for living and working within a single self-contained unit and neither the residential nor the business use is ancillary to the other, would be classified as a sui generis use in the context of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes Order) 1987, as amended.
Where a single dwelling is used for both living and working, but the primary use remains as a dwelling and the business use is ancillary, this use would fall within the “C3: Dwelling Houses” class of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes Order) 1987, as amended.
It is for local planning authorities to determine, taking into account individual characteristics, as to which class or otherwise a particular premises belongs.
Terrorism: Finance
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what safeguards she has put in place to ensure that funding provided to organisations by local authorities under the Preventing Violent Extremism programme is used for the purposes for which the programme is intended. [171941]
Mr. Dhanda: The £6 million Preventing Extremism Pathfinder Fund was paid as part of eligible local authorities’ Local Area Agreement grants.
It is the responsibility of the accountable body of a grant to ensure that expenditure is in line with the terms and conditions of the grant determination.
For the LAA Grant, expenditure must contribute to achieving or exceeding the outcomes, targets, and indicators, of their LAA. Local authorities work closely with a range of partners in developing programmes to prevent violent extremism, including the police.
Urban Areas: Carbon Emissions
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding the Government are going to make available to create eco-towns; and how such funding is going to be distributed. [166299]
Yvette Cooper: CSR07 allocated £1.7 billion of targeted funding over the CSR07 period for infrastructure in Growth Areas, the Thames Gateway, New Growth Points and eco-towns, including £300 million to continue the Community Infrastructure Fund. Decisions on the split and distribution of growth funding will be announced in due course.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has given to local authorities on eco-town proposals. [166300]
Yvette Cooper: In July we published the Housing Green Paper and as part of this the Eco-towns Prospectus. The Prospectus sets out the vision and outline criteria for eco-towns, and how the Government can support projects. In August my officials also wrote to the chief executives of local authorities in the English regions, to stakeholders and other interested parties setting out how we would invite proposals for additional new growth points and eco-towns.
Urban Areas: Sustainable Development
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms will be put in place to monitor delivery of the exceptional levels of infrastructure and community facility investment announced as part of the eco-towns initiative; and if she will make a statement. [171216]
Yvette Cooper:
We indicated in the Ecotowns Prospectus, published alongside the Housing Green Paper that we would expect eco-town proposals to include options for a dedicated delivery body which will plan, oversee and develop (with partners) the major infrastructure needed to establish the town, such as a local trust or local authority partnership or in some instances this could be a body such as a new town development corporation. Further advice on community investment and facilities will be included in the Town and Country Planning Association guide to
the practical application of the key sustainability and development criteria for eco-towns which is currently being developed.
Selected eco-town proposals, which we expect to announce in February, will be invited to produce a programme of development to setting out the delivery and funding requirements of their proposal, and this will include local infrastructure and community investment.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Data Protection
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he proposes to review how his Department transports data; and whether his Department uses TNT to transport data. [169213]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007, Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review.
Football: Schools
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools with (i) a boys' football team and (ii) a girls' football team that meets Football Association standards. [170110]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Football Association (FA) advises that there are nearly 5,500 FA charter standard schools. Schools are required to provide football for boys and girls both in the curriculum and out of school hours as part of the qualifying criteria to be an FA charter standard school. Exact numbers of teams in primary and secondary education by gender are not available.
The 2006-07 school sport survey found that 98 per cent. of primary and secondary schools offered football during the last academic year and that 78 per cent. of primary and secondary schools have a link with a local football club.
Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial information he supplies on a regular basis on the progress of arrangements for hosting the 2012 Olympic games to (a) Government departments and (b) Cabinet Committee MISC25; and with what frequency in each case. [165181]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 19 November 2007]: I have been asked to reply as Minister for the Olympics.
(a) Financial information about costs, funding and projects is shared with relevant Government departments through the
appropriate mechanisms including the Funders’ Group, the Olympic Projects Review Group, and the Olympic Board Steering Group.
(b) ED (OPG) is the Cabinet sub committee responsible for issues relating to Economic Development of the London Olympic and Paralympic games. As is the case with information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and all Cabinet committees, including the number of meetings held and topics discussed, details about ED (OPG) meetings are generally not disclosed.
Radio: Commercial Broadcasting
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many commercial radio licences were granted by Ofcom in each of the last five years. [171652]
James Purnell: The number of commercial radio licences awarded by Ofcom in each of the last five years is set out in the following table:
| Licences awarded | |
| (1) To date | |
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment his Department has made of the size of the commercial radio sector in the UK. [171653]
James Purnell: No such assessment has been made. However, figures published by the independent regulator, Ofcom, show that in 2006, the estimated total of commercial radio revenue was £512 million(1).
( 1) Source:
The UK Communications Market 2007, Ofcom, August 2007
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many commercial radio licences have been returned to Ofcom in each of the last five years. [171656]
James Purnell: The number of commercial radio licences returned to Ofcom in each of the last five years is set out in the following table:
| Licences returned | |
| (1) To date | |
Tourism
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate his Department has made of the UK's market share of the international tourism industry in each of the last 10 years. [171676]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 5 December 2007]: The most recent available figures for national shares of the world tourism market are for 2006. The UK's percentage markets shares, in terms of both visitor numbers and spending, for the 10 years to 2006 were as follows:
| Inbound visitors to UK (million) | Percentage of world total | Inbound visitor spending in UK (£ million) | Percentage of world total | |
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