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15 Jan 2008 : Column 1167W—continued
Planning Inspectorate: Consultants
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Planning Inspectorate spent in (a) running costs and (b) programme expenditure on consultants in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07. [178971]
Mr. Iain Wright: The information requested is as follows:
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Note: The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) is programme funded and therefore all PINS expenditure is classified as programme expenditure | |||
Planning Permission: Playing Fields
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications have been approved affecting playing field sites of (a) more than and (b) less than 0.4 hectares in each year since 2001-02; and if she will make a statement. [177054]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
Sport England collect information on all planning applications affecting playing fields of 0.4 hectares or more through their status as a statutory consultee. The following table shows the number of approved planning applications for all years since 2001 for which we have published data. These figures do not necessarily represent the ‘threat’ to playing fields, as many applications are from clubs and schools wishing to improve the quality of their playing fields and sporting provision. The second column therefore shows the percentage of these applications that represent a benefit or no change to sporting provision.
| Number of approved planning applications | Percentage representing a benefit or no change to sporting provision | |
Information on planning applications affecting playing fields of 0.2 hectares or under is not collected centrally. However, the Department for Communities and Local Government has committed to consulting this year on reducing from 0.4 hectares to 0.2 hectares the threshold at which Sport England must be consulted when a planning application for development is submitted.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department plans to (a) consult on the proposals in the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 on playing fields of 0.2 hectares and above and (b) bring forward the changes recommended in the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 announced in her Department's press release Planning to Safeguard Open Spaces and Playing Fields of July 2002. [177055]
Mr. Iain Wright: We are committed to reducing the threshold for statutory consultation on the sale of playing fields from 0.4 ha to 0.2 ha and this topic will be included in the consultation paper on the review of statutory consultees to be published in due course. We hope to bring forward amendments to the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 following consultation.
Public Buildings: Fire Prevention
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will seek discussions with Cabinet colleagues on reviewing guidance on fire reduction (a) regulation and (b) technology in relation to publicly owned buildings; and if she will make a statement. [178242]
Mr. Dhanda: My Department has published technical risk assessment guidance for those responsible for fire safety under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This order applies to all non-domestic buildings and includes publicly owned buildings. As with all guidance documentation, my Department will keep this under review.
Regional Planning and Development: East Midlands
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which hon. and right hon. Members made formal submissions to the public consultation on the draft East Midlands Regional Plan. [178204]
Mr. Dhanda: The following hon. and right hon. Members made formal representations on the Draft East Midlands Regional Plan:
Right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Kenneth Clarke);
Hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann);
Hon. Member for Leicester South (Sir Peter Soulsby);
Hon. Member for South Derbyshire (Mark Todd).
Regional Planning and Development: Planning Inspectorate
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department issues to the Planning Inspectorate on the admission of oral representations from hon. Members during examinations in public of regional plans; and how many hon. Members were invited to make oral representations to the examination in public of the draft East Midlands Regional Plan. [178995]
Mr. Iain Wright: Guidance on examinations in public (EiP) of draft regional spatial strategies is set out in PPS11: regional spatial strategies.
It is the responsibility of the panel to select matters that it considers ought to be examined and participants in an examination are invited by the panel, having regard to the nature of the representations they made during the consultation on the draft RSS and the contribution they can be expected to make to the specific matters to be discussed. In the case of the East Midlands no hon. Members were invited to attend.
Social Services: Asylum
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what additional funds were made available to local authority social services to provide care for unaccompanied asylum seeking children in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority; and if she will make a statement. [176121]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 7 January 2008]: I have been asked to reply.
The grant payments made by the Home Office to local authorities in respect of unaccompanied asylum seeking children over the past three years are set out in the tables placed in the House Library.
UK Location Strategy
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has for consultation on the UK Location Strategy. [175655]
Mr. Dhanda: Place Matters: The Location Strategy for the United Kingdom was submitted to Ministers by the UK Geographic Information Panel in October 2007. It was formulated following wide consultation across the UK geographic information industry and related interests. The strategy provides a framework for the better management and stewardship of public sector information.
Decisions will be made shortly on how best to take forward the recommendations contained within the strategy.
Unitary Councils
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for publication of the first draft unitary implementation orders. [171615]
John Healey: The first draft unitary implementation orders were laid on 17 December 2007.
Youth Services: Finance
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what schemes funded by her Department can be applied to by organisations that help young people in the community; [173468]
(2) what support her Department has given to voluntary organisations that work with young people in the community in each of the last five years. [173469]
John Healey: Communities and Local Government (CLG) is committed to supporting work to improve outcomes for young people. In October 2007 we published an Action Plan for Community Empowerment: Building on Success, with a key theme of empowering young people to shape their local services. Examples of current initiatives include the Young Advisors scheme which trains young people aged 15 to 21 to act as consultants to ensure the views of young people are considered in local authority decisions affecting them.
The total departmental budget comprises support from specific programmes in addition to support through generic schemes such as the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and Supporting People. Many of these programmes support organisations that work with young people. The level of support through these programmes for the voluntary and community sector is not held centrally. We estimate that our specific funding programmes for the voluntary and community sector over the last five years have provided support totalling:
| Estimated total (£ million) | |
Information about any future funding schemes will be posted on our Department's website.
Duchy of Lancaster
Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what files are held by the Cabinet Office on (a) the Abortion (Amendment) Bill of Sessions (i) 1979-80, (ii) 1987-88 and (iii) 1989-90, (b) the Unborn Children (Protection ) Bills of sessions (A) 1984-85, (B) 1985-86 and (C) 1987-88 and (c) the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill of session 1989-90; and if he will make a statement. [177570]
Gillian Merron: As indicated in the Guide to Legislative Procedures which is published on the Cabinet Office website, it is normal practice for all private Members’ Bills to be considered by the Cabinet Committee on legislation.
Information on the proceedings of all Cabinet committees, including when meetings are held and what is discussed, is retained for the historical record but is not normally released until after 30 years.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any of his Department’s special advisers also work for organisations outside his Department. [178485]
Gillian Merron: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the “Model Contract” and “Code of Conduct for Special Advisers”, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Publicity
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many full-time equivalent staff are responsible for brand management and marketing in his Department and its agencies; [165234]
(2) how much his Department and its agencies spent on staff working on (a) marketing and (b) branding in the last 12 month period for which figures are available. [167312]
Gillian Merron: In the last 12-month period for which figures are available (1 November 2006 to 31 October 2007) the Cabinet Office spent £23,800 on staff costs for work on marketing along with branding. From 1 April 2007, the Cabinet Office outsourced all its central external marketing function (including managing its brand) to the Central Office of Information (COI). Some general communications staff across the Department have marketing and branding functions, along with other communications functions such as strategy and planning, dealing with the media, internal communications and e-media.
Government Departments: Data Protection
Mr. Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the written statement of 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 98WS, on data handling procedures in Government and the Cabinet Secretary’s interim progress report, how many Government Departments or agencies store data outside the UK; and how many people’s details are stored in this way. [177166]
Gillian Merron: 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. The Cabinet Office published an interim progress report on 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 98WS. A further report is expected in spring 2008.
Ministers: Grace and Favour Housing
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 17 October 2007, Official Report, column 1135W, on Ministers: grace and favour housing, whether Lord Malloch-Brown moved into the same ministerial residence as previously occupied by the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull. [176899]
Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Edward Miliband) on 27 November 2007, Official Report, column 352W.
Planning Permission
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what planning applications the Cabinet Office has submitted in relation to requests for planning permission on its properties inside London in the last 12 months; in what buildings; and for what purposes. [176343]
Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 17 December 2007, Official Report, columns 1084-85W.
Youth Volunteering
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Ribble of 12 December 2007, Official Report, column 562W, on youth volunteering, how many young people (a) have undertaken voluntary work arranged by v since its establishment and (b) are in a voluntary role arranged by v. [178350]
Phil Hope: Young people do not volunteer directly through v, they volunteer through local, regional and national organisations that v commissions to provide volunteering opportunities.
v is currently collating up-to-date information on the number of young people who have volunteered through the projects that they fund. This information will be available in February 2008.
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