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25 Feb 2008 : Column 1227W—continued

Olympic Games 2012: Essex

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if the Minister for the East of England will visit (a) Essex and (b) Colchester to discuss potential involvement with the 2012 Olympics. [188627]

Mr. Dhanda: The Minister for the East of England will be visiting Essex in July to meet representatives of the county council, and has asked for the Olympics to be placed on the agenda.

The Minister for the East of England, and I understand that partners in Essex are well engaged with the Olympics nations and regions structures that are in place. I am also aware of the efforts made by Colchester to engage and recognise opportunities by forming a 2012 Partnership Group and submitting an application for a pre-games training camp.

The Minister for the East of England currently has no plans to visit Colchester, but she would be pleased to consider any further information about how it plans to be involved in the 2012 Olympics.

Planning

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how often the expert panels on (a) housing markets and planning, (b) neighbourhoods, cities and regions and (c) housing and communities have met since being established; and whether their advice is made public. [186817]

Mr. Dhanda: Each of the expert panels had separate launch events, to which all panel members were invited. However, the primary role of the expert panels is for individual panel members to provide advice on the topics in which they specialise, either through attending relevant policy seminars or through undertaking customised pieces of research in order to meet the
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Department’s short-term information needs. As such, the panels do not meet formally.

The lead members for each expert panel are developing bespoke websites in order to disseminate the outputs of the respective panels. The membership of the expert panels was provided in response to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 5 February 2008 , Official Report, columns 1020-21W.

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from (a) the Welsh Assembly Government and (b) the Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the National Assembly for Wales on their involvement in the development of UK-wide planning legislation. [188171]

John Healey: We have received a number of representations from the Welsh Assembly Government on their involvement in the development of UK-wide planning legislation. I have received representations about the Planning Bill from the Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the National Assembly of Wales, including a copy of the Committee’s report on the Bill.

Regeneration

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish the report on Alternatives to Casino-led regeneration; on what date the report (a) was commissioned, (b) was originally scheduled for publication and (c) is now expected to be published; and what the cost of producing the report is. [188237]

John Healey: The Review of Alternative Approaches to regional casino-led regeneration will be published shortly.

In July, the Prime Minister said that the Government would consider the question of whether deprived areas could be equally well served by forms of regeneration other than the development of regional casinos. As a part of this process, an interdepartmental working group was set up, the first meeting of which was held on 9 August 2007.

Civil servants have to date devoted a significant amount of time to the investigation of alternatives to regional casino-led regeneration, although the review has not had a specifically dedicated resource. In addition, there has been a cost of approximately £3,000 for the Expert Panel members’ time to peer-review the document.

Regional Ministers: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the administrative costs for the Government offices for the regions are expected to be in the current financial year. [188769]

Mr. Dhanda: The administrative costs of the Government offices for the regions in 2007-08 are expected to be £142,656,000. This includes all funding received from sponsor Departments, including a
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non-cash allocation and funds that have been provided for the current year for a voluntary early release scheme.

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what budgets the Government offices for the regions are responsible for in the current financial year. [188770]

Mr. Dhanda: The Government offices for the regions have specific responsibility for an administration running cost budget and a capital budget.

Programme budgets administered by the Government offices are the responsibility of the Secretaries of State for the relevant sponsor Departments. The Departments delegate authority to the regional directors to spend against their programmes, though all expenditure incurred is recorded in the accounts of the Department concerned.

Supporting People Programme: Finance

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of recent trends in Supporting People funding in respect of domestic violence (a) refuge provision, (b) women only services and (c) black and minority ethnic women services. [188274]

Mr. Iain Wright: In 2005-06, over £59 million of Supporting People funding was used to provide housing-related support for victims of domestic violence. In 2006-07, the most recent year for which figures are available, that figure had risen to over £61 million. Services are commissioned by top-tier local authorities to meet local needs. The Government have not assessed the funding for specific types of services to which my hon. Friend refers.

Thames Gateway: Resignations

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the reasons for the resignation of Judith Armitt, chief executive of Thames Gateway; and whether Ministers in her Department were consulted by Ms. Armitt on her decision prior to its announcement. [178747]

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Andrew Mackinlay) on 7 February 2008, Official Report, column 1324W.

Urban Areas: Sustainable Development

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answers of 5 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1034-5W, on urban areas: sustainable development, what measures, rules, codes of practice, or other guidelines are in place on transparency and propriety in her Department’s dealings with property developers in relation to eco-towns; how much financial or other assistance has been received in sponsorship for eco-town events by property developers in Micheldever in the last 12 months; how much is expected in the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [186988]


25 Feb 2008 : Column 1230W

Caroline Flint: All Government officials are bound by the obligations set out in the Civil Service Code. The forthcoming public consultation on eco-towns will be undertaken in line with the Government’s Code of Practice on consultations.

The Government have received no sponsorship or financial support from private developers for eco-towns events that they have held, and will not be receiving any future support. Any funding received by a non-governmental organisation for eco-towns events is a matter for that organisation.

Treasury

Child Benefit

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on (a) child benefit and (b) child tax credit for 16 to 19-year-olds in full-time education and unwaged work-based learning in 2006-07; and how much is planned to be spent on each in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10 and (iv) 2010-11. [188043]

Jane Kennedy: The latest information on finalised child tax credit awards is for 2005-06. It is estimated that the entitlement for families with one or more children aged at least 16 at the previous 31 August was about £1.8 billion. This estimate includes entitlement for other children in these families. It also includes families receiving the equivalent level of support via income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance.

In 2006-07, around £1 billion was paid in child benefit to families in respect of children aged at least 16 at the previous August.

Estimates and forecasts for later years are not available.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the (a) guidance provided to and (b) training procedures for HM Revenue and Customs staff on access to copying and dissemination of personal data. [168050]

Jane Kennedy: Examples of guidance to HMRC staff are already in the public domain and can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals

It would not be appropriate to publish more specific details of the data security arrangements, controls and procedures adopted by HMRC to protect personal and other sensitive data as to do so would be likely to undermine their effectiveness.

HMRC is currently reviewing all training procedures and guidance relating to data security following the recent child benefit data loss incident.

Credit

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the (a) size and (b) recent trends in growth of the (i) global and (ii) domestic credit default swap market. [187813]


25 Feb 2008 : Column 1231W

Angela Eagle: There are many statistical sources that provide estimates of the size of the global credit default swap market. Two such resources are the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA).

The latest BIS survey published in November 2007 reported the notional amount of outstanding over the counter credit default swaps to be $42.6 trillion in June 2007, up from $28.9 trillion in December 2006 ($13.9 trillion in December 2005).

ISDA reported that the notional amount outstanding of credit derivatives grew by 32 per cent. in the first six months of 2007 to $45.46 trillion from $34.42 trillion. They also reported that the annual growth rate for credit derivatives is 75 per cent. from $26.0 trillion at mid-year 2006.

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether (a) his Department, (b) the Bank of England and (c) the Financial Services Authority have conducted an analysis of the effect on UK financial stability of the growth of the credit default swap market. [187814]

Angela Eagle: Both the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority routinely analyse developments in the credit default swap market, drawing on their relationships with firms, trade associations and international counterparts. These assessments are shared with HM Treasury through the Tripartite Standing Committee on Financial Stability. The Bank of England publish their analysis in their Quarterly Bulletin and Financial Stability Report.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department’s civil servants were (a) suspended and (b) dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material on work computers in each of the last five years. [188779]

Angela Eagle: The Department does not collect data on the number of Treasury staff who have been suspended. The number of staff dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material in each of the last five years is nil.

Departmental Publications

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the last 12 editions of the staff magazine of (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies. [187631]

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Financial Secretary (Mr. Healey) on 5 February 2007, Official Report, column 737W.

Departmental Translation Services

Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on translation services by his Department, associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies in (a) 2003-04, (b)
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2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) in 2007-08 to date. [188003]

Angela Eagle: The Chancellor's Department and its associated agencies have procured translation services over the last five years. However, it is not possible to provide comprehensive details as these could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Employment

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the number of non-UK citizens in (a) unskilled and (b) semi-skilled employment in the UK in each year since 1997; [177468]

(2) what the working age employment rate of (a) UK nationals and (b) the UK population who were (i) unskilled, (ii) semi-skilled and (iii) skilled workers was in each year since 2001; and what research he has (A) commissioned and (B) evaluated on changes in these employment rates. [177469]

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 25 February 2008:


25 Feb 2008 : Column 1233W

25 Feb 2008 : Column 1234W
Working age( 1) employment level and rate( 2) , by socio-economic classification (NS-SEC) and nationality, April to June, 2001-07, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted
Thousands, except where indicated
All SEC categories( 3,4) Higher managerial and professional Lower managerial and professional Intermediate occupations
Level Rate (%) Level Rate (%) Level Rate (%) Level Rate (%)

2001

UK Nationals

24,323

86.1

3,165

92.6

6,482

90.7

3,219

87.5

Non-UK Nationals

1,089

81.0

226

90.3

283

84.4

112

81.7

Total(5)

25,413

85.9

3,393

92.4

6,765

90.4

3,330

87.3

2002

UK Nationals

24,360

86.3

3,128

91.7

6,735

90.3

3,183

87.5

Non-UK Nationals

1,164

81.4

210

87.1

347

86.7

102

78.1

Total(5)

25,525

86.0

3,339

91.4

7,082

90.2

3,286

87.2

2003

UK Nationals

24,492

86.4

3,271

92.1

6,840

90.5

3,098

86.8

Non-UK Nationals

1,238

82.4

232

89.1

352

88.8

133

79.7

Total(5)

25,730

86.2

3,503

91.9

7,192

90.4

3,232

86.5

2004

UK Nationals

24,414

86.6

3,355

92.6

6,928

90.8

3,046

87.4

Non-UK Nationals

1,343

84.3

260

91.5

359

87.7

130

84.0

Total(5)

25,758

86.5

3,615

92.5

7,287

90.6

3,176

87.2

2005

UK Nationals

24,465

87.0

3,441

92.9

6,973

91.0

3,027

87.7

Non-UK Nationals

1,424

84.4

273

89.0

373

88.2

130

79.1

Total(5)

25,891

86.9

3,715

92.6

7,347

90.9

3,158

87.3

2006

UK Nationals

24,241

86.9

3,490

92.6

7,107

91.2

3,019

87.3

Non-UK Nationals

1,636

86.4

311

93.4

401

87.6

120

83.7

Total(5)

25,879

86.9

3,801

92.7

7,508

91.0

3,139

87.2

2007

UK Nationals

24,071

87.0

3,494

92.8

6,924

91.0

3,002

87.4

Non-UK Nationals

1,895

86.4

346

92.4

433

89.5

141

77.3

Total(5)

25,973

86.9

3,841

92.7

7,360

90.9

3,143

86.9


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