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13 Oct 2008 : Column 980W—continued
Government are currently inviting views on their proposed changes to the draft South East Plan and would welcome any comments submitted by the closing date of 24 October.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the latest proposed revision of the South East Plan has preferred development east of the M1 in Milton Keynes Unitary authority area over development to the south-east and south-west of the city. [225355]
Mr. Khan: The document setting out the Government’s proposed changes to the draft South East Plan contains a schedule of reasons for the changes, including a section on development east of the Ml motorway at Milton Keynes. These proposed changes are currently out for public consultation and views are being sought. The closing date for comments is 24 October. Copies can be viewed in the House of Commons Library or obtained from the Government Office for the South East.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from the Milton Keynes Partnerships on the proposed development east of the M1 in Milton Keynes contained in the most recent version of the South East Plan. [225857]
Mr. Khan: The South East Plan remains in draft form, and consultation on proposed changes to the plan is currently under way. Any representations to the draft consultation will need to be made through the formal consultation process, where they will be taken into account when Government finalise the plan. The closing date for comments to be made is 24 October. No representations have yet been received from Milton Keynes Partnership.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account was taken of views of local residents in the decision to approve the proposed development east of the M1 in Milton Keynes as part of the proposed revision of the South East Plan. [225858]
Mr. Khan: Development east of the M1 motorway at Milton Keynes is included in the Government's proposed changes to the draft South East Plan. These proposed changes are currently out for public consultation and views are now being sought. The closing date for comments is 24 October. Copies can obtained from the Government Office for the South-East (GOSE) or accessed through the GOSE website
Planning: Public Participation
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has commissioned on the extent to which people feel they are able to influence planning decisions (a) locally and (b) nationally since 2007. [225443]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department has not commissioned any research on this specific topic since 2007.
Powers of Entry
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation sponsored by her Department and its predecessors has (i) amended and (ii) enhanced existing powers of entry since May 1997. [221978]
Mr. Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker) on 8 October, Official Report, columns 663-64W.
Rates and Rating: Ports
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department has had with other Departments on the issuing of backdated bills by the Valuation Office Agency in respect of the change from prescriptive rating of docks and harbours to rating by conventional methods. [226319]
John Healey: Departments are in contact all the time, in the interests of gathering information about the impacts of Government policies, including between officials from Communities and Local Government, Treasury and Department for Transport on this matter.
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consultation was held before the decision to change from prescriptive rating of docks and harbours to rating by conventional methods; and when that consultation took place. [226376]
John Healey: Consultation about removal of the power of the Secretary of State to prescribe rateable values was undertaken in "Modernising Local Government Finance: A Green Paper" published by DETR in September 2000 available at:
in "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Service" a White Paper published by ODPM (CM 5237 December 2001); and through the Consultation Paper published by OPDM in June 2002 alongside the Draft Local Government Bill and scrutinised by the House of Commons Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee (the report (Fifteenth Report of Session 2001/02—HC 981-1) and proceedings of the Committee are available at:
Rented Housing: Private Sector
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the outcome of the Review of Private Rented Sector Housing announced by the former Housing and Planning Minister on 23 January 2008 will be published. [226573]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Review of the Private Rented Sector, carried out by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes at the Centre for Housing Policy at the university of York, will be published on 23 October 2008.
Supporting People Programme
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what budget was given to each local authority for the Supporting People programme in each of the last three years. [225441]
Mr. Khan: I refer my hon. Friend to the announcement on local government finance by the Minister for Local Government on 5 December 2005, Official Report, columns 627-30, for the two-year Supporting People settlement covering 2006-07 and 2007-08 allocations, and to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing on 4 February 2008, Official Report, columns 47-48WS, confirming Supporting People final grant allocations for 2008-09. Tables showing the Supporting People allocations were placed in the House of Commons Library following each of these statements, and in these my hon. Friend will find the Supporting People budget given to each local authority in each of the last three years.
Terrorism
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the implementation of point 11 of the then Prime Minister's 12-point counter-terrorism plan issued in August 2005. [226069]
Mr. Khan: On progress against the 12-point plan, I refer the hon. Member to the update provided by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 1 September 2008, Official Report, column 1594W.
On the consultation referred to in point 11 in the 12- point plan, I refer the hon. Member to the statement laid by the then Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Charles Clarke) on 15 December 2005. The Department for Communities and Local Government is supporting Muslim communities to build the resilience of mosques and Muslim faith leaders to violent extremism. I refer the hon. Member to a document published by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 18 July 2008: ‘Preventing Violent Extremism: Next Steps for Communities’. I have placed a copy of the document in the Library of the House.
Thames Gateway: Finance
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding is available to the Thames Gateway over the next three years; and what direct democratic controls are in place to monitor the use of that funding. [224614]
Mr. Iain Wright: The information is as follows:
| Departmental allocations to the Thames Gateway Programme as at 6 October 2008 | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Financial year | ||||
| Type of funding | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | Total |
The Minister for Housing and Planning (Margaret Beckett) has responsibility for monitoring the use of Thames Gateway funding and is answerable to Parliament. Further to this, local authorities monitor the use of funding through their local regeneration and economic development plans.
The Thames Gateway Executive publishes an annual report describing capital expenditure in the Thames Gateway. This is available to the general public on Communities and Local Government’s website, as well as to Members of this House in the House Library.
Urban Areas: Research
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 25 June 2008, Official Report, column 345W, on the INTERREG programme: finance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the final report or conclusions of the POLYNET project. [222895]
John Healey: The Department has investigated the scope to place a copy of the book "The Polycentric Metropolis", which contains the conclusions of the POLYNET project, in the Library. However, I am informed that the book is not a Government publication. It was written and edited by Peter Hall and Kathy Pain and was published by Earthscan Publications Ltd. in July 2006. Electronic copies of the book are unavailable. Hard copies of the book, priced £99, may be ordered online from them at:
Waste Management
Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what national guidance she issues on consultation of local residents on the construction of new waste management facilities. [222721]
Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
The Government reformed the planning system in 2005 with the publication of a new planning policy statement 10. It is too early for the benefits of this reform to have been fully felt, but actions to support local authorities remain a high priority for DEFRA and CLG. For example, in August 2007, DEFRA’s Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme published guidance on improving the interaction of local authorities with waste planning. It underlines that the approach to community engagement, taken by those seeking to secure permissions for waste infrastructure projects, is critical to all stages of both the planning process and preparation of the municipal waste management strategies by local
authorities. Furthermore, DEFRA requires local authorities, as part of the application process for PFI credits for residual waste treatment facilities, to set out their strategy relating to community engagement.
International Development
CDC
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if he will place in the Library copies of the reports containing the assessment of development impact produced by CDC for the consideration of the Best Practice and Development Committee; [225060]
(2) if he will place in the Library copies of the reports received by CDC from its fund managers under the CDC/Actis umbrella agreement on procedures to deliver policies. [225061]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The evaluation reports that the management of CDC produces for CDC's Business Principles and Development Committee and the reports it receives from its fund managers are produced for CDC's own internal use. The reports are prepared on the understanding that information provided by CDC's counterparties will not be disclosed, and contain information that is commercially sensitive. It would therefore not be appropriate to place these in the House of Commons Library.
China
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department allocated to cover expenses associated with employees, offices and funded projects in China in each of the last three years. [225413]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The costs of staff and facilities management are shown in the following table.
| £ | |
Departmental Aviation
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 10 July 2008, Official Report, columns 1831-32W, on departmental aviation, if he will place in the Library a list of the starting point and destination of each flight. [222209]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: A list containing the information requested will be placed in the Library.
Humanitarian Aid
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the principles of good practice in humanitarian aid are to which donors commit in the good humanitarian donorship process. [224137]
Mr. Michael Foster: In June 2003, 17 donor Governments met in Stockholm, and endorsed 23 principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship. These principles state that their humanitarian work will be;
Guided by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence;
Promote adherence to international humanitarian, refugee and human rights law;
Ensure flexible, timely and predictable funding
Allocate funding in proportion to needs;
Involve beneficiaries in the design and evaluation of humanitarian response;
Strengthen local capacity to prevent, prepare for and mitigate crises;
Support the UN, the Red Cross and NGOs; and affirm the primacy of civilian organisations in humanitarian action;
Support learning and accountability initiatives, and encourage regular evaluation;
The 23 principles of good humanitarian donorship are listed in full on the Good Humanitarian Donorship website:
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