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Departmental Public Participation

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to promote the use of (a) referendums and (b) direct democracy. [171721]

John Healey: Section 116 of the Local Government Act 2003 provides an express power for local authorities to hold advisory polls on local government matters; and under the Local Government Act 2000 referendums can be held in relation to local authorities’ governance arrangements. Whether local authorities hold referendums or not is a matter for them. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched an action plan on community empowerment on 19 October, which included measures to promote direct democracy such as more participatory budgeting, a consultation on local petitions and development of more voluntary agreements between local authorities and communities (through local charters).

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2007, Official Report, column 681W to my hon. Friend the Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on departmental public participation, if she will place in the Library a copy of (a) the pilot employee engagement survey by Ipsos Mori and (b) the last completed staff survey by Ipsos Mori; and what the subject is of the GfK study. [174412]

Mr. Dhanda: Completed staff surveys are published on the corporate website. As part of our ongoing research on homebuying reform, GfK were commissioned to explore understanding and perceptions of home information packs.

Departmental Responsibilities

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) reviews, (b) consultations and (c) taskforces her Department is (i) responsible for and (ii) scheduled to initiate; on what date each (A) started and (B) is expected to be completed; and what the purpose is of each. [170155]

Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 3 December 2007]: Information relating to ad hoc reviews, groups and taskforces for which the Department is responsible is published at:

Information on consultations is published on the 10 Downing street website at:

The Government keep policies under constant review and is in frequent contact with a range of stakeholders. The Department does not hold records of forthcoming reviews and consultations where the terms of reference or publication date have not yet been agreed. Within the disproportionate cost threshold, it has been possible to identify a number of reviews with a set remit and fixed completion date, details of which are set out in the following table:


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CLG reviews 18 December 2007
Reviews Start date Completion date Purpose

The future of building control

29 March 2007

We do not yet have a fixed completion date

To review the principles and requirements for building standards and make recommendations on how the building control system can be revitalised

Councillors Commission

February 2007

December 2007

To make recommendations on the incentives and barriers to encouraging suitably able, qualified and representative people to become councillors

Evaluation of Social HomeBuy scheme

October 2006

December 2007

To understand the take up, and barriers to take up, of the pilot Social HomeBuy scheme by both housing association and local authority tenants and landlords

Review of the future governance of the Planning Portal

July 2006

March 2008

To identify and analyse future ownership options for the Planning Portal and, if appropriate, plan a project to transfer to a successor body

Matthew Taylor MP Review of land use

3 September 2007

July 2008

To review how land use and planning can better support rural business and deliver affordable housing

Brian Pomery Review of Shared Equity

July 2007

December 2007

To advise on development of the private shared equity market


Departmental Secondment

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many secondments of staff were made (a) to and (b) from her Department in each year since 1997; which organisations staff were seconded (i) to and (ii) from; how many staff were seconded in each year; for how long each secondment lasted; and what the cost was of each secondment in each year. [167279]

Hazel Blears: The table presents the number of inward and outward secondments that began in each complete financial year since the formation of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in May 2002.

Inward s econdments Outward s econdments

2006-07

54

26

2005-06

30

22

2004-05

60

26

2003-04

51

16


Listed are the destinations of outward secondments where these have been recorded centrally. During the period the destination of outward secondees has not been collected centrally on a comprehensive basis. This list represents the partial information that is available.

Recorded Destination Organisations for Outward Secondments

Listed next are the origins of inward secondments where this has been recorded centrally. Again, during the period the origin of inward secondees has not been collected centrally on a comprehensive basis. This list represents the partial information that is available.

Recorded Organisations from which Inward secondments have been drawn


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The lengths of each secondment that began in each complete financial year since the formation of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in May 2002 are given in the following table. Secondments that have not yet been completed, as at 31 October, are referred to as ongoing.

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