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23 Apr 2008 : Column 2106W—continued
Eco-Towns: Leicestershire
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of the area within Harborough District that is proposed to be occupied by the eco-town promoted by the Co-operative Wholesale Society and English Partnerships is currently used for (a) agricultural and (b) airport transport purposes; and how much of that area is covered by (i) in use and (ii) redundant permanent structures. [200414]
Caroline Flint: Like all the shortlisted locations for eco-towns the one promoted by the Co-operative Wholesale Society and English Partnerships is subject to consultation and at this stage final decisions on the size and location are still to be determined. In the consultation document “Eco-towns—Living a greener future” that was published on 3 April we have provided a description of the location for this eco-town and copies of this document are available in the House Library. Also as part of the Co-operative Estates local consultation they have set up a website that provides further information about their proposal including land use.
Housing: Carbon Emissions
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes have been built since the zero rate of stamp duty for zero-carbon homes was introduced. [199972]
Caroline Flint
[ h olding answer 21 April 2008]: The zero rate of stamp duty for zero-carbon homes was introduced on the 1 October 2007. In England there
were 48,467 dwellings completed in the quarter 1 October to 31 December 2007.
Source:
P2 house building returns from local authorities and the National House Building Council (NHBC)
Housing: Immigration
Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will estimate the impact on housing prices of the level of immigration projected by the Government Actuary’s Department. [199707]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 21 April 2008]: An estimate of the migration impact on housing has not been made by the Government.
The national housing and planning advice unit (NHPAU) which provides independent advice to Government on housing affordability, has produced estimates of the ratio of lower quartile house prices to lower quartile earnings up to 2026. These results use the 2004-based levels of population (including migration) projected by the Government Actuary’s Department. The results can be found in their publication “Developing a target range for the supply of new homes in England” at:
Housing: Inspections
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what qualifications domestic energy assessors are required to have before administering the home information pack scheme; and whether the required qualifications have changed since the scheme was first introduced. [200334]
Caroline Flint: To qualify as a domestic energy assessor (DEA), an individual must demonstrate that they satisfy the requirements of the National Occupational Standards for DEAs. These standards have not changed since their introduction in January 2007.
Non-Domestic Rates
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive scheme for 2008-09 will include incentive payment for additional business rate revenue collected due to (a) empty property business rates and (b) an increase in the number on frequency of empty dwellings. [199012]
John Healey: Under the original three-year LABGI scheme, the Chancellor allocated up to £l billion to local authorities in England and Wales for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. The Government intend to make payments under a reformed scheme from 2009-10, and are considering these plans. This will allow us to look carefully at the lessons learned from the original scheme and to consult widely on how to get the best possible outcomes from a reformed scheme.
Parish Councils: Finance
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many submissions to the consultation on the Community Infrastructure Levy referred to the potential access of parish councils to this fund. [200407]
Caroline Flint: Our publication on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), published on 24 January, sets out the background to the CIL and more detail on the provisions in the Planning Bill. It also explains how the Government are continuing to develop the detail of the CIL in consultation with stakeholders.
The question of Parish councils’ potential access to CIL funds is not an issue which has been raised in correspondence received so far.
The 24 January CIL publication ‘The Community Infrastructure Levy’ is available in the House library.
Property: Valuation
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 31 January 2007, Official Report, column 315W, on the Valuation Office, how domestic dwellings in England are recorded by the Valuation Office Agency as having the property attribute of having (a) one bathroom and (b) more than one bathroom. [199150]
John Healey: As at 2 April 2008, of the 22,507,086 dwellings in England the Valuation Office Agency has recorded (a) 19,566,590 with one bathroom and (b) 2,508,704 with two or more bathrooms. In the answer given on 31 January 2007 the number of dwellings stated as 21,849,763 was the number of dwellings with data recorded against the “number of bathrooms” field. The figure as at 31 January 2007 for the total number of dwellings in England was 22,240,777.
Recreation Spaces: Databases
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the green space database will be (a) completed and (b) available for use by local authorities in relation to allotments. [200416]
Mr. Iain Wright: The first phase of the green space database is currently being developed and will be completed and available for use by local authorities in June 2008. This will incorporate current green space datasets, including information about allotments. This will enable local authorities to map available data, including commenting on information.
The second phase will be ongoing from June 2008. This will consider what further activities are required to ensure the existing database is of most use to stakeholders.
Regional Planning and Development: Fines
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson)
of 20 March 2008, Official Report, column 1378W, on regional planning and development: fines, what the monetary value was of the financial correction levied. [199158]
John Healey: The financial correction levied by the European Commission in respect of the Objective 2 and Urban II ERDF programmes in the North West of England was €24,790,591. I wrote to the chair of the CLG Select Committee on 18 March 2008 with details and placed a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Regional Planning and Development: Greenwich Peninsula
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of the revenue which will accrue to the public purse from the redevelopment of the Greenwich Peninsula. [198672]
Caroline Flint: A re-assessment is currently under way. It is expected that a new financial model for forecasting returns from the development will be completed by summer 2008. Once this is in place, English Partnerships will be able to make a revised assessment of the latest forecast return.
The National Audit Office (NAO) have recently looked into progress on the delivery of the Greenwich Peninsula regeneration project. The NAO report is still being prepared but will include an updated assessment by both NAO and EP of the latest forecast financial return to the taxpayer. However as the new model is not yet finalised these assessments of necessity will derive from the existing financial model developed in 2004 which was not designed for monitoring profits and which is out of date in terms of phasing of the development. NAO’s report is likely to be published before summer recess.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to answer Question 197946 on flood damage, tabled on 26 March 2008. [200505]
Mr. Dhanda: The hon. Member’s question was answered on 21 April 2008, Official Report, column 1405W.
Justice
Administration of Justice: Inspections
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times the contract of the Chief Inspector of (a) prisons, (b) probation and (c) court administration has been extended without a competitive process or since the inception of the post, as appropriate. [199395]
Maria Eagle:
Anne Owers CBE was appointed HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in August 2001 following a competitive recruitment exercise. Ms Owers’ appointment has since been extended on two occasions.
Andrew Bridges CBE was appointed HM Chief Inspector of Probation in April 2004, having served as Deputy to the previous Chief Inspector, Professor Rod Morgan. Mr. Bridges’ appointment has been extended on two occasions. Mr. Morgan was appointed in August 2001 following a competitive recruitment exercise.
Eddie Bloomfield was appointed HM Chief Inspector of Court Administration in June 2005 following a competitive recruitment exercise. Mr. Bloomfield was reappointed from January 2008, also on the basis of a competitive exercise.
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of service of chief inspectors of (a) court administration, (b) probation and (c) prisons have been since the inception of the posts. [199396]
Maria Eagle: There has been only one holder of the office of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Court Administration since it was established in its current statutory form. Eddie Bloomfield has served as Chief Inspector since his appointment in June 2005 and reappointment in January 2008.
Since the office of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons was first established in its current statutory form by the Criminal Justice Act 1982, the average (mean) length of service by post-holders has been approximately 6.5 years. This figure includes the tenure to date of the current post-holder, Anne Owers CBE, but does not include the tenure of William Pearce, who died after approximately one year’s service.
Since the office of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation was first established in its current statutory form by the Criminal Justice Act 1991, the average (mean) length of service by post-holders has been approximately five years. This figure includes the tenure to date of the current post-holder, Andrew Bridges CBE.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has adopted the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management Programme or plans to do so in the next 12 months. [198033]
Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice is currently working with the Carbon Trust to identify how it can adopt the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management Programme and what benefits would result from this. A decision will be taken on whether we can adopt the Management Programme once this work has been completed.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department met the target in the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate to reverse the then upward trend in carbon emissions by April 2007. [198034]
Maria Eagle:
The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007, therefore this answer covers former Department for Constitutional Affairs and parts of the Home Office, listed in the Sustainable Development
Commission’s Sustainable Development in Government report, did not meet the target.
Work is ongoing within the Ministry of Justice to drive down the amount of carbon emissions released from the estate and between 2005-06 and 2006-07 the carbon emissions from MoJ headquarters decreased by approximately 4 per cent. Although this target applies to offices only, the Prison Service, which became part of the new Ministry on 9 May 2007, has been working for some years towards reducing energy consumption (and, consequently, carbon emissions) across the prison estate. The service has achieved reduction of 4 per cent. in energy use as against the 1999 baseline, a decrease in the consumption of fossil fuels by about 7 per cent. (both against a rising prison population) and currently obtains 18 per cent. of electricity from renewable resources. It will continue this work in 2008 by introducing a Carbon Management Programme working with the Carbon Trust.
The Ministry of Justice has now established its own Sustainable Development Action Plan that sets out how it will work towards meeting the remaining SOGE energy targets.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on the most recent redesign and implementation of his Departmental website. [199955]
Bridget Prentice: The cost of the most recent redesign and implementation of the Ministry of Justice corporate website www.justice.gov.uk was as follows:
| £ | |
These costs do not include ongoing software licenses, domain name rental, hosting, telecoms and in-house staff costs.
Most of the work was completed in house, by the existing Ministry of Justice web team.
Departmental Sick Leave
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many working days were lost by his Department due to stress-related illness in each of the last 24 months. [198942]
Maria Eagle:
Detailed monthly information on sickness absence for the whole of the Ministry of Justice is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. The only Department that holds this information is the public sector Prison Service and is included in table 1 as follows. Information for NOMS and OCJR and for the former DCA for 2006-07 is derived from a Cabinet Office report on sickness absence in the civil service published on 7 February 2008 and is set out in table 2. Earlier data are not available. The Cabinet Office report for
2005 did not provide a detailed breakdown of reasons for sickness absence by individual Department. The tables include data on days lost that were classified as mental and behavioural disorders, a high proportion of which will be stress related.
| Table 1: Working days lost due to mental and behavioural disorders in the public sector Prison Service | |
| Working days lost attributed to mental and behavioural disorders | |
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