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6 Jun 2008 : Column 1175W—continued
Sure Start Programme
Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to expand Sure Start projects to areas that do not have access to this service. [209611]
Beverley Hughes: As of 6 June 2008 there are 2,907 designated Sure Start Children’s Centres providing access to services for over 2.27 million children and their families. There will be 3,500 centres by 2010, a children’s centre for every community in England offering permanent universal provision.
Sure Start Programme: Leeds
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many childcare places are (a) available and (b) planned under the Sure Start programme in Leeds West constituency. [209212]
Beverley Hughes:
Sure Start Children's Centres offer a range of services to children under five and their families including, in the most disadvantaged areas, integrated early learning and childcare. There are forty seven designated children's centres in Leeds, seven of
which are located in the Leeds West constituency. Whilst we understand that all seven of these centres offer childcare, information is not held centrally about the number of childcare places in each centre. Further centres will be developed in Leeds so that by 2010 there will be a centre for every community. Details are not yet available on their precise location or the range of services that will be provided.
Communities and Local Government
Eco Towns
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of the proposed eco-town locations would involve development on land classed as green wedges or green gaps. [207557]
Caroline Flint: Designations of green wedges and green gaps may be held locally in old style local plans or unitary development plans that may have been brought forward into the new system of local development frameworks as ‘saved policies’. This information is not held centrally.
Eco-Towns: Planning Permission
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government against which criteria the application for an eco-town at Kingston-upon-Soar in Nottinghamshire was assessed; in which of these areas the application was deemed inadequate; and if she will make a statement. [207908]
Caroline Flint: The application for an eco-town at Kingston-upon-Soar in Nottinghamshire was assessed against the criteria set out in the ‘Eco-towns Prospectus’, published last July, and copies are available in the Library of the House. An initial summary of the issues for this location and the other shortlisted locations is set out in the consultation document ‘Eco-towns—Living a greener future’.
Eco-Towns: Public Participation
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in respect of proposals for eco-towns in (a) Leicestershire and (b) England, (1) what the open consultation procedure will entail; how local residents will be involved in the consultation process; and by what means local residents will be contacted; [208243]
(2) which stakeholders will be invited to contribute to the consultation on the proposed eco-town in Leicestershire; who is to lead the consultation process; and what arrangements will be made to notify local residents of the consultation. [208244]
Caroline Flint:
The consultation process in respect of the proposals for eco-towns shortlisted in ‘Eco-towns—Living a greener future’, including Leicester, will vary according to the location and the status of the schemes being developed. Bidders are publicising further details of schemes locally and holding consultation events to involve residents and stakeholders, with input from
local authorities who are also holding public events. As part of this they will also be identifying key stakeholders, and we would expect these to include local authorities, regional bodies, the Highways Agency, Natural England and Environment Agency.
In terms of the arrangements for consulting on the proposal in Leicester, I understand that the promoters are holding a series of consultation events and exhibitions on their proposals during June. They have also set up a consultation website and produced themed papers to support the events.
The Department will also be commissioning exhibition and consultation events about the eco-towns concept, the purpose of eco-towns and a national programme going forward, and this will include local people, local authorities and other stakeholders . The next key step for us in the process will be the publication in July—for further consultation—a draft planning policy statement and a draft Sustainability Appraisal on the locations, which will set out more detail for each location. When we publish the final shortlist of locations with potential to be an eco-town, individual schemes will need to come forward with planning applications and this will provide opportunity for further consultation with the public and stakeholders.
Home Information Packs
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it remains Government policy that the home condition report should be a component of the home information pack. [207394]
Caroline Flint: The home condition report remains an authorised part of the HIP.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many qualified and registered home inspectors are in practice; and how many are in training. [207397]
Caroline Flint: Our latest estimate is that there are 822 accredited home inspectors, and 6,756 people registered for training.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of qualified and registered home inspectors which would be needed if every home information pack contained a home condition report. [207398]
Caroline Flint: We estimated, in July 2006 that up to 7,500 home inspectors would have been required if every home information pack contained a home condition report (HCR). This estimate was based on the assumption that many will not work full-time on preparing HCRs, and on the state of the housing market at the time.
Housing: Leasehold
Lembit Öpik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps the Government are planning to make it easier for buyers
and sellers of leasehold homes and their agents to obtain information about service charges and other matters relating to the management of the property; [207392]
(2) what assessment she has made of the merits of requiring management information regarding leasehold homes to be held by the Land Registry in the same way as information held about commonhold homes. [207393]
Caroline Flint: As set out in the written ministerial statement made on the 8 May, Official Report, columns 37-39WS, we have established a working group of key industry and consumer representatives to develop proposals on the type and form of information to be required in a home information pack for a leasehold property. The working group will also report on establishing good practice for managing agents and landlords in the provision of leasehold information.
Local Authorities: Housing
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has provided for local authority capacity building; what definition she uses of capacity building; and which bodies received the funding in the latest period for which figures are available. [208093]
John Healey: Capacity building support is provided to enhance and develop authorities confidence leadership and skills to advance improvement and efficiency, as well as developing their capacity to learn, co-operate and share their knowledge and expertise about what works and how. It is ultimately about supporting authorities working with their local partners to deliver better outcomes, improve the quality of life in places and provide better public services. In December 2007, central and local government agreed and published the National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy (NIES). The document can be found at:
This strategy explains how central and local government will work together to transform and improve services and to build local leadership capacity.
In the CSR04 period (2005-06 - 2007-08), £150 million was allocated to local authorities, either directly or through partnerships, to fund capacity building. Additionally, £148 million Revenue Support Grant top-slice was provided to LGA central bodies to strengthen the capacity of local government.
In the CSR07 period, (2008-09 - 2010-11) up to £384 million has been provided to help fund capacity building. This includes 114 million of top-sliced Revenue Support Grant provided to the LGA central bodies and £270 million of support from Communities and Local Government.
Capacity building support is aimed at all counties, single-tier and district councils, as well as fire and rescue authorities. Other local bodies such as national parks authorities can also benefit from the programme. Since 2004, roughly 300 bodies have received funding for capacity building. A full list has been deposited in the Library of the House.
Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding will be allocated to local authorities through the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Scheme in 2008-09. [208104]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 23 April 2008, Official Report, column 2107W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles).
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding was given to each local authority through the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Scheme in each year that the scheme has been in operation. [208105]
John Healey: To date, local authorities in England have received £149,704,135 for 2005-06 and £384,751,482 for 2006-07 under the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme.
I announced provisional additional payments of £13,509,463 for 2005-06 and £37,348,549 for 2006-07, as well as provisional allocations of £246,075,319 for 2007-08, on 2 April. We gave local authorities a period
to raise queries on these provisional allocations, finishing on 16 May. I intend to announce the final allocations as soon as possible.
Decisions on public spending in 2011-12 will be made as part of the next spending review.
Local Government: Pensions
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 16 May 2008, Official Report, columns 1798-99W, on local government: pensions, if she will publish figures for the total cost broken down in each year for individual constituent local authority pension scheme groupings within the broader Local Government Pension Scheme. [208081]
John Healey: The information requested is shown in the following table. These data represent the actual amount of contributions paid by employers participating in the Local Government Pension Scheme based on SF3 annual returns submitted to Communities and Local Government by Scheme administering authorities in England. Statistical data relating to the LGPS from 1999-2000 onwards can be found at:
| £ million | ||||||
| Shire c ounties | Metropolitan d istricts | Inner London | Outer London | Other a uthorities | Total | |
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