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21 July 2008 : Column 765W—continued
Departmental Official Cars
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which make and model of car the Minister for Housing has chosen as her ministerial car to be provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency; [217756]
(2) which make and model of car she has chosen as her ministerial car to be provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency. [217764]
Mr. Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport my hon. Friend the Member for Poplar and Canning Town (Jim Fitzpatrick) on 16 July 2008, Official Report, column 414W.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in her Department in each of the last 10 years. [215227]
Mr. Dhanda: Centrally held records of the amount claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in this Department are available for the previous five financial years, and are as follows. Information for earlier years would incur a disproportionate cost.
| Amount (£) | |
Procedures for reimbursing staff expenses are set out in the Department's staff handbook, and are in line with the provisions set out in the Civil Service Management Code. The code can be viewed at:
Derelict Land
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects on her programme to develop brownfield land of the loss in value of land banks acquired by commercial house builders. [218243]
Mr. Iain Wright: Neither the Barker Review of Housing Supply nor the Callcutt Review of Housebuilding Delivery found evidence to show that landbanking is a significant problem affecting housing supply. These conclusions are supported by the recent publication of draft research commissioned by Office of Fair Trading as part of their ongoing market study of the homebuilding industry, the final report of which is due to be published later this year.
Therefore, while we continue to monitor the housing market closely, we do not consider it necessary to make a specific assessment of any impact that loss in value of housebuilders' landbanks may have on the development of brownfield land. However, we would expect commercial housebuilders to continue to assess the viability of individual brownfield sites when considering the timing of commencing redevelopment schemes.
Economic Partnership Agreements: Dorset
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will respond to the application by the Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole economic partnership to run a pilot multi-area agreement. [220809]
John Healey: A multi-area agreement with Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole was signed on 14 July 2008, along with six other agreements. This fulfils a major commitment in the Sub-National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration. These agreements will lead to significant benefits and improved outcomes in the economies of the seven sub-regions.
Emergency Services: Gloucestershire
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) on what date the Tri-service centre at Quedgeley, Gloucestershire was opened; what the cost was of construction and other associated costs; and if she will make a statement; [220502]
(2) what the running costs of the Tri-service centre at Quedgeley, Gloucestershire have been since its opening; what share of that cost is allocated to each of the emergency services using it; and if she will make a statement; [220503]
(3) what estimate she has made of the cost of transferring the control of the fire service from the Tri-service centre at Quedgeley, Gloucestershire; whether these costs include money owing through any contractual obligations; how long she estimates that transfer will take; and if she will make a statement; [220504]
(4) if she will make a statement on the future use of the Tri-service centre at Quedgeley, Gloucestershire. [220505]
John Healey: The Gloucestershire tri-service centre was officially opened in May 2003. The Government awarded £2.6 million to develop the pilot scheme through the ‘Invest to Save’ budget.
Quedgeley was one of three tri-service pilot schemes in England. In each case, the Government have committed to meeting the specific costs of withdrawing the control room elements from these arrangements, including
withdrawal from contractual commitments. A payment of £1,069,142 has been agreed with Gloucestershire to cover these costs.
Details on the centre's running costs and local financial arrangements are matters for the local police, fire and ambulance services. Gloucestershire FRS is also free to decide what other functions it keeps at—or locates to—the tri-service centre.
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service is due to move the control room element to the regional control centre in November 2010.
Gloucestershire, like all fire and rescue authorities, receives new burdens funding for the work involved in preparing to move to the regional control centre. Over the comprehensive spending review period (FY 2008-09 to 2010-11) Gloucestershire FRS will get implementation funding of £167,249 directly and have access to their share of south-west implementation funding of £1.8 million.
European Charter of Regional Self-Government
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2008, Official Report, column 1356W, on the European Charter of Regional Self-Government, when she expects the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers will meet to consider its response. [219088]
John Healey: I understand that the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers is seeking possible comments from the relevant intergovernmental committee. Those comments are not expected before the end of 2008, after which the Committee of Ministers will respond to the Congress Recommendation.
Fire Services
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which fire services (a) own and (b) operate a helicopter. [220663]
Mr. Dhanda: None of the fire and rescue services in England owns its own helicopter. Responsibility for fire and rescue services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has been devolved.
A number of fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) in England participate in schemes utilising helicopters owned by other organisations, such as the private sector, the police, the ambulance service, HM Coastguard and the armed forces, for a range of operations, including fighting grassland, moorland and forestry fires, undertaking search and rescue, reaching inaccessible areas or grid-locked roads, and transporting equipment.
Information on which individual FRAs participate in such schemes is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research she has commissioned into the effectiveness of fire service helicopters in (a) urban and (b) rural areas. [220666]
Mr. Dhanda: No research has been commissioned by Communities and Local Government into the effectiveness of the use of helicopters by the Fire and Rescue Service.
The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) held a conference on Air Support in the Fire and Rescue Service on 8 May, which I attended, and in the light of those and other discussions CFOA is currently drawing up a business case for a national system of air support which will include proposals for the use of helicopters in both urban and rural areas.
Flats
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of new build dwellings were flats in each year since 1996-97. [212656]
Mr. Iain Wright: The following table shows estimates of the proportion of new build dwellings in England that were flats in each year since 1996-97.
| Percentage of new build dwellings that were flats | |
| Source: P2/P2a house building returns from local authorities and National House Building Council on new build completions. | |
Floods: Hull
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2008, Official Report, columns 140-1W, on floods: Hull, what Bellwin payments were made to recipients in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) Hull as a result of the 2007 floods, broken down by recipient; [218666]
John Healey: The following authorities received payments under the Bellwin Scheme operated by the Department for Communities and Local Government as a result of the 2007 floods:
Cotswold district council was paid £87,432 on 18 February 2008. Cheltenham borough council was paid £48,361,000 on 9 April 2008 and £20,638 on 10 July 2008. Gloucester city council was paid £114,000 on 20 December 2007, £46,995,000 on 26 February 2008 and £28,366 on 12 March 2008. Gloucestershire county council was paid £1,100,000 on 18 December 2007, £1,454,384 on 26 March 2008 and £253,260 on 9 April 2008. Gloucestershire Police Authority was paid £955,420 on 8 February 2008. Stroud district council was paid £8,673 on 25 February 2008. Tewkesbury borough council was paid £351,073 on 12 March 2008.
Humberside Fire and Rescue was paid £167,935 on 24 December 2007. Kingston upon Hull city council was paid £1,800,693 on 18 February 2008 and £297,124 on 7 May .
Floods: Insurance
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with insurers on areas adversely affected by the 2007 floods. [218668]
John Healey: As Minister for Flood Recovery, I have met the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and representatives of their members on a number of occasions since last summer's floods. Most recently, on 18 June, I addressed the ABI's conference ‘2007 Floods: One Year On’.
Homelessness
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many capital grants her Department has awarded under the Places of Change Programme. [219868]
Mr. Iain Wright: Capital grants from the £80 million Places of Change Programme have been allocated to 80 projects in 54 local authority areas across England.
Through this programme hostels and homelessness services will cease to be places of last resort, but instead become centres of excellence and choice which positively changes lives. They will provide good services so that people can access education, training and employment and move on to independent living in a settled home.
The Places of Change Programme builds upon the success of the £90 million Hostels Capital Improvement Programme which funded 178 projects in 62 local authority areas.
Homelessness: Greater London
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of homeless people in London in each of the last five years; what measures she plans to take to reduce the number of people who are homeless in London; and if she will make a statement. [218996]
Mr. Iain Wright [holding answer 15 July 2008]: Tackling homelessness is a key priority for this Government. We work closely with local authorities and voluntary sector organisations to drive forward our homelessness agenda. We have allocated over £75 million to local authorities and voluntary organisations in London over the next three years to tackle homelessness—the biggest ever cash injection for homelessness services. In addition, a further £19 million has been allocated to local authorities through our Places of Change programme to work in partnership with voluntary organisations to build on the success of improving hostels and day centres.
Homelessness prevention measures funded by Communities and Local Government have had a major impact. In the last five years we have more than halved the number of homeless households in priority need accepted by London authorities; we are now making serious inroads into the backlog of households in temporary
accommodation, and we are maintaining levels of rough sleeping at historical low levels.
In April, we published a discussion paper “Rough Sleeping 10 Years On: From the streets to independent living and opportunity” which set out our initial thinking on updating the Government's rough sleeping strategy this autumn. We have received a good response to the discussion paper, and are now analysing responses.
The following table summarises data for London in the last five years on (a) homeless households in priority need accepted by authorities, (b) households in temporary accommodation and (c) rough sleeping estimates.
| Homeless households in priority need accepted by local authorities, London | |
| Number of households | |
| (1) Provisional. Source: CLG PIE data. | |
| Households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts, London, at the end of each quarter | |
| Number of households | |
| (1) Provisional | |
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