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1 Sep 2008 : Column 1415W—continued
Motorway Service Areas: Public Lavatories
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance her Department provides on the (a) provision and (b) cleanliness of public toilets at motorway service areas. [214209]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Department for Transport Circular 01/2008 requires motorway service area operators to provide toilets and hand washing facilities for all road users, free of charge, every day of the year. The number of toilets operators are required to provide is linked to the traffic flow on the motorway which the facility serves.
Circular 01/2008 encourages motorway service area operators to comply with the Charter of the British Toilet Association.
Parking: Fines
Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will establish a mechanism whereby members of the public can request independent investigation of car park operating companies in respect of (a) alleged breaches of the relevant code of practice and (b) appeals against the issuing of parking fines. [218336]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Secretary of State has no power to establish such a mechanism relating to the use of private land for parking.
The independent British Parking Association publishes the voluntary code of practice for car park operating companies. Details are on the Association’s website at:
I am aware that the Home Office and the Security Industry Authority are currently considering the regulation of companies involved in vehicle immobilisation on private land.
Railways: Chorley
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to ensure an increase in the (a) number of trains stopping per day and (b) number of carriages per train stopping at (i) Chorley and (ii) Adlington. [214099]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are currently no plans to increase the level of services calling at Adlington. However, from December, First TransPennine Express will provide one additional service to Manchester calling at Chorley, together with additional capacity on two evening services.
Tamworth to Birmingham Railway Line
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to facilitate an increase in the number of trains travelling between Tamworth and Birmingham. [215773]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The service planned by Arriva Trains Cross Country (ATCC) to operate from 14 December 2008 complies with the Department for Transport’s specification for services on this route.
From this date, ATCC will provide a half-hourly service between Birmingham and Tamworth as part of the half-hourly Birmingham—Nottingham service, supplemented by one call every two hours in the Plymouth—Edinburgh service.
Communities and Local Government
Allotments: Gloucestershire
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many allotments there are in each local authority area in Gloucestershire. [218170]
Mr. Iain Wright: We do not require local authorities to provide figures for the number of allotments in their area, so it is not possible to easily provide the answer. Allotments can be in the control of many different parties: borough, district, parish, town councils, church bodies and private societies.
However, we have been able to obtain some information, which is summarised in the following table.
Arm’s Length Management Organisations
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consultation a local authority is required to undertake before any significant change is made to management arrangements with an arm's length management organisation; what consultation is required before an arm's length management organisation is established; and if she will make a statement. [219788]
Mr. Iain Wright: Under s105 of the Housing Act 1985 local authorities are required to consult with their tenants on any significant change in housing management arrangements. We would expect any such consultation to be as comprehensive as that undertaken to set up the ALMO. Tenants will have been fully involved in the decision to set up an ALMO, both as part of the options appraisal process and the consultation on the ALMO option itself.
We debated during passage of the Housing and Regeneration Bill whether a statutory ballot of tenants should be part of this consultation process. I did pledge during the passage of the Bill, that, although I disagreed with the amendments relating to this topic, when we look at the renewal of guidance, we might need to look at this issue again.
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she issues to local authorities on the resolution of failings in an arm's length management organisation through discussions between the organisation and the Audit Commission. [219789]
Mr. Iain Wright: Departmental ALMO guidance, updated in June 2006, and the “Review of Arms Length Management Organisations”, also published in June 2006 together with two other relevant documents, the “ALMO re-inspection framework”, and the “ALMO support framework” set out the Department's expectations around failing services in ALMOs.
The Audit Commission is one of a range of stakeholders who may be able to offer help should performance be an issue of concern to either the parent local authority or the ALMO itself. Local authorities can request this assistance on behalf of their ALMOs. The Commission has experience of offering such services to a wide range of local housing authorities that are looking at ways to improve their performance.
The Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 establishes the Tenant Services Authority (TSA). Initially, the TSA will only regulate housing associations but the Bill
includes an enabling power to allow it to regulate across the social housing domain via secondary legislation. In the longer term ALMOs will, via their parent local authority, be subject to the same regulatory regime as all social housing providers.
Carers
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to paragraph 3.11 in the Carers at the heart of 21st-century families and communities report, how much of the £150 million funding for breaks for carers of disabled children will be provided by her Department over each of the next two years. [220302]
John Healey: Resources for breaks for carers will be made available by the Department of Health.
Community Relations: Extremism
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what forums on extremism have been established by her Department in the last five years. [221535]
John Healey: Forums on extremism established since the commitment made in the 2006 Local Government White Paper, were listed in an answer given to the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) on 30 June 2008, Official Report, columns 619-20W. However, we recognise that local partners need arrangements suited to the needs and circumstances of their areas and that there are many approaches that can be adopted to engage effectively with communities. Many areas are taking forward alternative arrangements that involve forums which tackle broader issues linked to preventing extremism, some of which were listed in the answer of 30 June.
Council Housing: Offenders
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield, of 9 July 2008, Official Report, column 1629W, on council housing: offenders, what advice has been given on housing such individuals near residential areas with family dwellings. [221307]
Mr. Iain Wright: Relevant advice was included in guidance issued to local housing authorities in November 1999 about their role in the management of risks presented by sex offenders. This was placed in the Library of the House in November 2000.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield, of 9 July 2008, Official Report, column 1629W, on council housing: offenders, if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter to the housing authorities. [221308]
Mr. Iain Wright: A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Council Tax
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what guidance has been provided to local authorities on the application of the Limitation Act 1980 to repayments by local billing authorities for council tax bills in cases where there has been an error in the banding of a domestic dwelling; [221223]
(2) what her Department’s policy is on the limiting of backdated claims for over-paid council tax in cases where the domestic property was incorrectly banded by the Valuation Office Agency. [221229]
John Healey: Communities and Local Government has issued no guidance to local authorities on this matter. Decisions about the payment of backdated claims for over-paid council tax are a matter for individual billing authorities.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's policy is on improving the energy efficiency of the buildings which it (a) rents and (b) owns; what changes there have been in the energy efficiency of such buildings in the last (i) five and (ii) 10 years; and whether her Department has adopted targets on energy efficiency improvements in the buildings it occupies over the next (A) five and (B) 10 years. [220469]
Caroline Flint: The Department's policy on improving energy efficiency of the buildings it rents and owns is included in its Sustainable Operations Policy, a copy of which can be found in the Library of the House.
Numerous changes have been made to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings occupied over the last five to 10 years. Our records do not identify the years during this period in which specific measures were taken.
In 2006-07, the Department reported an energy efficiency improvement of 4 per cent. and 18 per cent. in the buildings occupied by its London HQ and its Executive agencies respectively, compared to 2002-03 levels.
The Department has mandatory energy efficiency targets which apply to all central Government Departments and their Executive agencies. These targets for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate require the Department to:
increase energy efficiency per m(2 )by 15 per cent. by 2010 and by 30 per cent. by 2020, relative to 1999-2000 levels; and
reduce carbon emissions by 12.5 per cent. by 2010-11, and by 30 per cent. by 2020 relative to 1999-2000 levels.
The Department also intends to act upon those opportunities identified in the Advisory Reports for its Energy Performance Certificates and Display Energy Certificates as a further means to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings it rents and owns.
Departmental ICT
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information technology projects initiated by her
Department and its predecessors have been cancelled prior to completion in the last five years; and what the cost of each such project was to the public purse. [221715]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable), of 18 December 2006, Official Report, column 1644W. The Department has nothing further to report by way of cancelled information technology projects since.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by press officers in her Department and its agencies in each of the last three financial years. [221183]
Caroline Flint: The amount claimed in travel and subsistence by press officers in the Department and its predecessor Department, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, for each of the financial years has been:
| Financial year | £ |
| (1) ODPM | |
Departmental Procurement
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's policy is on requesting discounts from its suppliers in return for swift payment of invoices. [220439]
Mr. Iain Wright: The primary Departmental Procurement Policy is to achieve value for money.
Procurement therefore considers a range of measures to achieve value for money, including the attainment of discounts in return for prompter payment of invoices.
Departmental Public Participation
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead, of 8 July 2008, Official Report, columns 1499-1500W, on departmental publication participation, if she will place in the Library a copy of the research and reports produced in relation to (a) the code for sustainable homes, (b) home information packs, (c) accountability of local services and (d) employee engagement workshop. [221306]
Caroline Flint: The following have been placed in the Library:
Code for Sustainable Homes, trade interviews
Home Information Packs, attitudes among buyers, sellers and estate agents
Accountability of Local Government Services omnibus poll, tables of the responses
Employee Engagement workshop: The workshop was part of a wider employment engagement survey with the Cabinet Office. The workshop outcomes were debriefed verbally to the Cabinet Office as an aid to the design of the questionnaire for the survey.
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