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11 Dec 2007 : Column 543W—continued

Departmental Pay

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department and its agencies spent on end-of-year bonus payments in each of the last five years. [171546]

Mr. Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 July 2007, Official Report, column 1470W, to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson). The figure for 2003-04 was £333,800.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid in bonuses by her Department to staff in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by directorate. [171571]

Mr. Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 11 July 2007, Official Report, column 1470W. The figure for 2003-04 was £333,800.


11 Dec 2007 : Column 544W

The Department has recently undergone internal reorganisation and a break down by directorate is not available.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the standard terms and conditions of purchase used by her Department in procurement of goods and services from the private sector prohibits the assignment of debt. [172323]

Mr. Dhanda: There is no express provision in the Department’s standard contract terms prohibiting the assignment of debt. There is a provision which says that the contractor shall not assign, sub-contract or in any other way dispose of the contract or any part of it without the Department’s prior approval.

On the basis that a prohibition on “assignment of debt” is a prohibition on a supplier from assigning money owed to it under a contract, we take this provision to mean that a contractor may not assign its debts, without approval from the contracting authority.

Departmental Recycling

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) volume and (b) percentage of its waste her Department recycled in each of the last five years. [172418]

Mr. Dhanda: The volume and percentage of waste recycled by Communities and Local Government and its predecessor departments in each of the last five years is as follows:

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

London Headquarters

Recycled Waste (tonnes)

268

225

268

324

264

Total Waste (tonnes)

521

534

478

527

461

Percentage Recycled

51

42

56

61

57

Executive Agencies

Recycled Waste (tonnes)

n/k

n/k

700

919

792

Total Waste (tonnes)

n/k

n/k

2,100

1,563

1,425

Percentage Recycled

n/k

n/k

33

59

56

n/k = not known
Note:
These data do not include figures from the regional Government offices

Empty Property

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty dwelling management orders have been approved by residential property tribunals since their introduction; and to which local authority areas they relate. [171502]


11 Dec 2007 : Column 545W

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Mr. Wright) on 16 October 2007, Official Report, column 1038W. No further orders have been approved since that date.

English Partnerships: Land

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons English Partnerships has reversed its decision to transfer the former Cashes Green hospital site to the Gloucester Land for People Community Land Trust pilot. [171558]

Mr. Iain Wright: English Partnerships has not reversed its decision on Cashes Green because a decision has not yet been made. English Partnerships' Board considered that the proposal from the Gloucester Land for People Community Land Trust failed to offer the best use of public sector monies as it did not conform to the criteria English Partnerships is required to apply when disposing of assets. We have asked English Partnerships to identify, in collaboration with Gloucester Land for People Community Land Trust and other stakeholders, alternative options for taking forward this Community Land Trust.

Fire Services: Finance

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has received from fire authorities of the convergence costs associated with FiReControl, broken down by (a) authority and (b) region. [169490]


11 Dec 2007 : Column 546W

Mr. Dhanda: Detailed planning for the FiReControl transition is not yet complete. It is therefore not yet possible for Fire and Rescue Authorities to produce meaningful estimates of convergence costs.

Fire Services: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) fire stations and (b) appliances there were in each London borough for each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [173486]

Mr. Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

First Time Buyers: Mortgages

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of first-time buyers in (a) London, (b) the South East and (c) England took out a mortgage on a home to the value of (i) 100 per cent., (ii) 90 per cent., and (iii) 80 per cent. of the value of the property in (A) 1997, (B) 2000, (C) 2003 and (D) 2006. [171807]

Mr. Iain Wright: The proportion of first-time buyers in London, South East and England that took out mortgages on a home to the value of 100 per cent., 90 per cent. and 80 per cent. of the value of their property in 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2006 is shown in the following table.

Proportion of first-time buyers that took out mortgages to the value of 100, 90 or 80 per cent. of the value of the property
Percentage
100 per cent. 90 per cent. 80 per cent.
London South East England London South East England London South East England

1997

4.9

3.0

4.2

6.5

4.3

4.6

1.0

0.6

0.7

2000

4.9

2.8

3.0

12.5

11.1

11.0

1.1

0.8

0.8

2003

1.9

1.6

2.3

4.2

3.9

4.9

1.2

1.1

1.2

2006

5.6

5.2

6.6

15.0

15.9

17.3

0.8

0.5

0.5

Source: Regulated Mortgage Survey

Funerals: Poverty

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent on meeting the burial costs of (a) Christian, (b) Jewish and (c) Muslim paupers in the latest period for which figures are available. [169806]

Mr. Dhanda: My Department has no expenditure records on meeting these burial costs. However, in some cases, it might indirectly support these activities through the funding for local authorities.

Greater London Authority: Buildings

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the estimated £171 million cost of the lease for City Hall is in 2000 prices. [173229]

Mr. Dhanda: The figure of £171.2 million provided in my earlier answer of 19 October 2007, Official Report, column 1324W, is in actual prices, not 2000 prices.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council: Standards

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest comprehensive performance assessment rating and direction of travel of Hammersmith and Fulham Council is; and what period it covers. [171893]

John Healey: The London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham was rated overall as '4 Star and improving well' in its last CPA assessment for 2005-06 published by the Audit Commission in March 2007. This was an improvement on the 2004-05 assessment of '3 Star and improving well' published in January 2006.


11 Dec 2007 : Column 547W

Health Insurance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies have private health insurance provided as part of their employment package. [167936]

Mr. Dhanda: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not provide health insurance for staff.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the range of the additional build costs of a zero carbon home, over and above those arising from compliance with Part L of the 2006 building regulations. [173307]

Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 8 October 2007, Official Report, column 35W.

Housing: Demolition

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many property demolitions funded by the Bridging Newcastle Gateshead Pathfinder there were in each electoral ward up to 31 October; and how many such properties were previously owner-occupied. [172030]

Mr. Iain Wright: The total number of demolitions by ward for the period 2003-04 to 2007-08 was as follows:

Number

Walker

251

Fenham

131

Elswick

127

Scotswood/Benwell

682

Felling

197

The Bridges

225

Kenton

100

Byker

41


These figures refer to all tenancy types. We do not currently have figures for all wards for owner occupiers on a consistent basis.


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