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29 Feb 2008 : Column 1985W—continued
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 18 January (Reference: 187220). [190620]
Bridget Prentice: I replied to the hon. Member on 19 February. I apologise for the delay.
Ministerial Duties: Electronic Government
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which Minister has lead responsibility for e-democracy and e-participation. [189908]
Mr. Wills:
I am responsible for e-voting and have the policy responsibility for e-participation at central Government level. Policy for e-democracy and e-participation at the local level is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government
(CLG). The lead Minister is Parmjit Dhanda and Baroness Andrews has responsibility for digital inclusion.
Prison Accommodation
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many additional prison places are to be made available in England and Wales in each of the next three years. [189744]
Mr. Straw: In 2008, 2009 and 2010 approximately 2,600, 1,500 and 2,700 additional places respectively are planned for delivery as part of the Prison Capacity Programme.
Prisoners Release
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of the End of Custody Licence Scheme on prison overcrowding. [189745]
Mr. Hanson: The ECL scheme was announced on 19 June 2007 and came into effect on 29 June 2007. Prisoners serving between four weeks and four years are released under temporary licence for the final 18 days of their sentence subject to meeting strict eligibility criteria and providing a release address. All prisoners released on ECL are liable to recall if they are reported to have misbehaved during the period of the licence.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely length of operation of the End of Custody Licence Scheme. [189746]
Mr. Hanson: The Government will keep the End of Custody Licence Scheme under review in light of changes in the prison population and new capacity coming on stream.
Remand in Custody
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were held in custody in 1978; and what proportion of the population this figure represented. [189616]
Mr. Hanson: The average prison population in England and Wales in 1978 was 41,796. This represented 84 per 100,000 of the national population.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Wales
Departmental Homeworking
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in his Department have been able to work from home in the last 12 months. [189771]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Six members of Wales Office staff have laptops and related equipment which enables them to work from home. Some use this on an ad hoc basis, while others have a more regular working from home arrangement.
A further four members of staff have Blackberries, which enable them to keep in touch by e-mail while they are out for the office or travelling.
Drinking Water
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on bottled water in the latest year for which figures are available. [189810]
Mr. Paul Murphy: My Department spent £1,682.40 on bottled water, for water coolers, in the financial year 2006-07.
No other bottled water was purchased.
Press
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the cost of the press offices of (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies was in each year from 1996-97; what the cost was in each quarter since 1 April 2007; and if he will make a statement. [189665]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Our costs are not readily available in the format requested, and obtaining these could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
The Wales Office does not have any agencies or non-departmental public bodies.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many press office staff were employed by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies (i) in each year since 1996-97 and (ii) at the latest date for which information is available. [189666]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office was established in 1999. Since then, it has employed three press officers in each year.
The Wales Office does not have any agencies or non-departmental public bodies.
Communities and Local Government
Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she intends to commence the provisions of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002; and if she will make a statement. [190776]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 (the Act) received Royal Assent in May 2002. Most of the provisions have now been introduced through a series of commencement orders.
The first phase of leasehold reforms came into effect on 26 July 2002, with the second phase coming into effect in two parts on 30 September and 31 October
2003. These measures included: a relaxation of the qualifying rules to make it easier to buy the freehold or a new lease; a new no fault ‘Right to Manage’ provisions for leaseholders of flats to take over management of their block where they do not wish to or cannot afford to buy the freehold; and new procedures for consultation on service charges.
A further commencement order brought into effect the provisions in Part 1 of the Act relating to Commonhold, on 27 September 2004. Commonhold is a new form of tenure for blocks of flats and other multi-unit properties, under which occupiers would own their units outright, and through a commonhold association own and mange the common parts collectively.
Another phase of the leasehold reforms was brought into effect on 28 February 2005. This provides leaseholders with better protection against forfeiture, and requires landlords to send a written demand for ground rent before it become payable. Leaseholders of houses can also now choose their own buildings insurance.
The most recent phase of leasehold reforms was brought into effect on 1 October 2007. These introduced a requirement for landlords to send a summary of a tenant's rights and obligations including information set out in Regulations, when demanding service charges. A requirement was also imposed upon landlords sending demands for administration charges to serve a notice containing prescribed information about tenants’ rights and obligations in relation to such charges.
The remaining provisions of the Act deal with accounting for service charge monies and provide for collective enfranchisement to be exercised through an RTE company. The accounting provisions require landlords to keep service charge monies for each group of service charge payers in separate (designated) accounts; and require landlords to provide a regular statement of account together with other relevant information.
A consultation paper dealing with the accounting provisions was published in July 2007, with a summary of the responses received published in January this year. The summary of responses set out our intentions to proceed with proposals to amend the provisions of the 2002 Act in order to ensure leaseholders are provided with appropriate information and protections without incurring a disproportionate cost. Work is ongoing on the detail of the provisions and amendments to the legislation will be made at the earliest opportunity.
In relation to the RTE company provisions, there are a number of legal and practical difficulties which still need to be resolved and work is continuing in order to determine a way forward. Therefore no timetable has yet been set to bring these provisions into force.
The Welsh Assembly has devolved responsibility for secondary legislation in respect of leasehold provisions in Wales.
Community Relations: Housing
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department plans to issue revised guidance to local authorities about the strategic housing role and the preparation of housing strategies mentioned in the Government's Response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion; and if she will make a statement. [190151]
Mr. Iain Wright: As indicated in our response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, we aim to publish the revised guidance in late spring.
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Local Government Association plan to publish the results of their review of social housing allocation, as mentioned in the Government's response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion. [190153]
Mr. Iain Wright: This is a matter for the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Local Government Association.
Community Relations: Rented Housing
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department plans to publish the results of the policy review of the private rented sector mentioned in the Government's Response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion; and if she will make a statement. [190150]
Mr. Iain Wright: It is anticipated that the review of the private rented sector undertaken by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes of the Centre for Housing Policy, University of York, will be published in October 2008.
Council Tax: Pensioners
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of above-inflation council tax rises since 1997 on the income of pensioners in those areas with such rises. [190531]
John Healey: Keeping council tax under control is in the interests of all taxpayers and remains a priority for the Government. We will not hesitate to use our capping powers as necessary to protect taxpayers from excessive increases.
As Sir Michael Lyons recognised in his report on local government last year, council tax benefit is the key to tackling the perceived unfairness of council tax towards all those on low incomes. The Government are working hard to improve take up and have done a great deal to improve pensioner incomes, spending around £11 billion more on pensioners in 2007-08 than if 1997 policies had continued.
Council Tax: Post Offices
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with local authorities on the premium charged to people who pay their council tax through post offices; and if she will make a statement. [190454]
John Healey: I have regular discussions with local authorities on a wide range of issues. The collection of council tax is a matter for individual local authorities which may, if they choose, make arrangements to allow residents in their area to pay their council tax bills over the post office counter.
Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether domestic properties with a Class U council tax exemption will be liable to pay the new charges for the collection of household rubbish. [189550]
Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
Domestic properties with a class U council tax exemption are those occupied only by people who are severely mentally impaired who would otherwise be liable to pay council tax.
The exact details of how a scheme might operate would be up to the local authorities running pilots to decide. However, the Government have stressed in their overarching framework that pilot authorities must take account of the needs of potentially disadvantaged groups in devising and running such a scheme. We would expect this group to fall under the definition of a potentially disadvantaged group. Therefore, it may well be that authorities decide to exempt it from the scheme, on the basis that people belonging to it cannot be expected to separate their waste for recycling.
DEFRA intends to provide further details in guidance for local authorities on how to take account of disadvantaged groups.
Drugs: Waste Disposal
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice she gives to (a) councils and (b) householders in respect of householders wishing to dispose of unwanted pharmaceuticals. [188474]
Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
Waste drugs and other pharmaceutical products are defined as clinical waste under the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992.
DEFRA’s website includes advice specifically for householders wanting to dispose of unwanted pharmaceuticals. Normally only small quantities will be unwanted and we advise that they should be returned to the pharmacy for disposal. However, this may not be practicable where householders need to dispose of larger quantities. Where it is not possible to return pharmaceuticals to the pharmacy, we advise householders to ask their local authority (LA) to collect them. LAs are obliged to collect clinical waste from householders on request, but may make a charge for doing so.
Where LAs are asked to collect pharmaceuticals from householders, they can draw on comprehensive guidance produced by the Department of Health on health care waste for all those involved in its management. The guidance, entitled “Health Technical Memorandum 07-01: Safe management of healthcare waste”, was published by the Department of Health in 2006 and includes advice on the management of waste pharmaceuticals, including appropriate waste receptacles and disposal routes.
Eco-Towns
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the minimum criteria are for connection from eco-towns to nearby settlements. [189280]
Caroline Flint: In the eco-towns prospectus we said that eco-towns must be freestanding settlements, separate and distinct from existing towns and cities, but well linked to them by high quality public transport.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what facilities and amenities will have to be included in an eco-town. [189281]
Caroline Flint: As set out in the eco-towns Prospectus we have said that eco-towns should provide for a good range of facilities within the town—a secondary school, a medium scale retail centre, good quality business space and leisure facilities. However, they are not expected to be entirely self-sufficient, and will be closely linked to larger towns and cities that provide for a wider range of needs.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps will be taken to ensure that eco-towns are designed to conserve water and other natural resources. [189282]
Caroline Flint: One of the seven key criteria we set out in the eco-towns prospectus covered environmental issues and this includes ensuring that the development incorporates high standards of water efficiency, particularly in areas of the country defined as severely water stressed, and incorporates environmentally sustainable approaches. We have also asked the Town and Country Planning Association to produce worksheets on the practical application of the criteria and this includes the water cycle and green infrastructure.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether eco-towns will be subject to an independent landscape appraisal. [189283]
Caroline Flint: As set out in the eco-towns prospectus we have said that there must be a commitment to high standards of environmental sustainability; this will include taking into consideration how the eco-town will affect the existing landscape. All shortlisted eco-towns will be subject to sustainability appraisal and landscape appraisal will be one of the many issues against which eco-towns will be considered.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how eco-towns will be required to demonstrate that the proposed settlement is the most sustainable option for housing and growth. [189286]
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