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30 Oct 2008 : Column 1258W—continued
Data Matching Exercises
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Audit Commission has (a) prepared and (b) consulted on a code of practice on data matching exercises, further to Schedule 7 of the Serious Crimes Act 2007. [230543]
John Healey: The draft code was issued for consultation on 7 March 2008 for a 12-week period, closing on 30 May 2008.
The Commission's Code of Data Matching Practice was laid before Parliament on 21 July. A copy is available on the Commission's website at:
This includes a list of the bodies consulted.
Departmental Assets
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department’s Information Asset Register. [230687]
Mr. Khan: Departmental Information Asset Registers are available on the Inforoute website maintained by OPSI at:
The CLG page is under construction and will be added shortly with revised and updated content.
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many invitations to tender her Department has issued in the last 12 months; and for what projects. [230655]
Mr. Khan: Communities has introduced an electronic tendering system that retains an audit trail of Invitations to Tender (ITT). In the last 12 months 111 tenders have gone through this system.
It should be noted that the systems has not yet rolled out fully throughout the Department and as the records of other ITTs are not held centrally the total of all ITTs issued could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has paid to external organisations to produce promotional materials over the last 12 months. [230872]
Mr. Khan: The Communications Directorate’s expenditure on public information campaigns and centralised print-buying is detailed in the Department’s annual report 2007-08, which is available in the Library of the House.
For details on expenditure with public relations agencies, I refer the hon. Member to information released on the Department’s website at:
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on entertainment by her Department in 2007-08; and how much of that sum is accounted for by expenditure on (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation. [231682]
Mr. Khan: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 27 October 2008, Official Report, column 717W.
The Department’s expenditure on hospitality could be broken down only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Property
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the (a) display energy certificates and (b) advisory reports in respect of each property occupied by her Department. [230892]
Mr. Iain Wright: From 1 October, buildings of more than 1,000 sq m occupied by public authorities and frequently visited by the public have had to display a Display Energy Certificate (DEC).
A copy of the Department’s DEC and associated Advisory Report for Eland House have been placed in House Libraries. Eland House is the only building over 1,000 sq m occupied by CLG and has been showing a DEC since July.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government further to page 162 of her Department’s Annual Report 2008, what the reason is for the increase in the unallocated provision in her Department’s budget from £0 to £104.4 million by 2010-11. [230683]
Mr. Khan: The increase over the period to 2010-11 is the contingency which the Department has set aside to deal with unforeseen spending pressures. This is in line with the Treasury’s consolidated budgeting guidance which encourages Departments not to allocate their departmental expenditure limits fully against their programmes at the start of a financial year.
Electromagnetic Fields
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether electromagnetic interference can be classified as a form of pollution for the purposes of Planning Policy Statement 23. [230684]
Mr. Iain Wright: Planning Policy Statement 23 does not include a definition of pollution and contains no reference to electromagnetic interference. An interpretation of whether electromagnetic interference can be classified as a form of pollution for the purposes of PPS23 would be a matter for the Courts to decide.
The Government’s Environmental Permitting Regulations define pollution by reference to “emission” which is itself defined as the release of “substances, vibrations, heat or noise”. The control of radio interference (including electromagnetic interference) through the planning system is covered in planning policy set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 “Telecommunications”.
Empty Property: Eastbourne
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty homes there are in the Eastbourne borough council area. [229994]
Mr. Iain Wright: The latest Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix submitted by the local authority to the Department shows the borough had 354 long-term empty homes on 1 April 2008. In 2007-08, the Empty Property Officer reported that 50 empty properties were returned to use as a direct result of action taken by the local authority and its partners, Eastbourne Homes Limited, using powers established by the Government.
Energy Performance Certificates
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what evidential basis her Department decided to allow an energy performance certificate to have a maximum duration of three years. [230662]
Mr. Iain Wright: The consultation on this matter set out a range of scenarios for the duration of an EPC. Following the consultation Ministers decided to set a validity period of three years to allow the gathering of further evidence.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what types of residential property have required an energy performance certificate (EPC) in order to be (a) sold and (b) rented since 1 October; what guidance she has issued to the housing industry on the matter; and at what stage of the transaction an EPC is required. [230882]
Mr. Iain Wright: An EPC is required for the sale of all homes from 1 October 2008. The EPC must be made available for any home, free of charge, to a prospective buyer from 1 October 2008, at the earliest opportunity and in any event where any of the following happens:
When the building is viewed (even if that means providing the EPC before any written information is provided);
If written information about the building is provided as a result of a request by a prospective purchaser;
Before contracts are exchanged.
It is not placing a property on the market that defines the point at which an EPC must be available, but any of the aforementioned circumstances.
For rented dwellings, an EPC is required for a building or part of a building where the part is designed or altered to be used separately. For residential purposes ‘designed or altered to be used separately’ describes a unit that is self-contained, meaning that it does not share essential facilities such as a bathroom/shower.
Guidance and leaflets are available on the CLG website on homes for sale and rent.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether display energy certificates are to be compulsory for large buildings in the private sector. [230893]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Government have no current plans to do so. However a commitment was given to consult on whether such an extension should be made.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirement there is for an energy performance certificate to be (a) produced and (b) commissioned before a private dwelling may be offered for (i) sale and (ii) rental. [230896]
Mr. Iain Wright: There has been a requirement to provide a Home Information Pack containing an EPC from August 2007 for the sale of dwellings of four bedrooms and over, September 2007 for dwellings of three bedrooms and all remaining dwellings from December 2007.
The EPC must be made available for any home, free of charge, to a prospective buyer from 1 October 2008, at the earliest opportunity and in any event where any of the following happens:
When the building is viewed (even if that means providing the EPC before any written information is provided);
If written information about the building is provided as a result of a request by a prospective purchaser;
Before contracts are exchanged.
It is not placing a property on the market that defines the point at which an EPC must be available, but any of the aforementioned circumstances.
You need to have commissioned the EPC in order for it to be available to ensure the aforementioned requirements set out are met.
For rented dwellings, the landlord must commission an EPC and ensure a copy of it, including the recommendation report, is available free of charge to prospective tenants at the earliest opportunity. As a minimum, this should be when prospective tenants are first given written information about a dwelling or are arranging to view it, and before any rental contract is entered into. A copy of the EPC must be given free of charge to the person who ultimately becomes the tenant before any rental contract is entered into.
Fire Services
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role Firebuy Ltd. will play in FiReControl (a) projects and (b) procurement. [230455]
Mr. Khan: Firebuy Ltd. currently plays no role in relation to the FiReControl or Firelink projects. Future management of the service contracts for the projects, once they are up and running, is currently under consideration. In our consultation on the 2008-11 National Procurement Strategy for the Fire and Rescue Service, we invited views on whether Firebuy should play a role in this. The consultation closes on 14 November 2008.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable she has set for the publication of the latest version of the national business case for the FiReControl project. [230913]
Mr. Khan: The 2008 FiReControl “Business Case Part 2: The National Case” will be published later this year and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
Fire Services: Pensions
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the projected savings are of the new Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2006 as compared to the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 1992 for new entrants. [230356]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 27 October 2008, Official Report, column 723W.
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many members of the fire service will have received payments from the Fire Service Pension Scheme in 2008. [231147]
Mr. Khan: Information is available in the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's publication, "Fire and Rescue Statistics". The most recent edition, published in December 2007, recorded the estimated number of pensioners from English fire and rescue authorities in the two Firefighters' Pension schemes as 35,423 at 31 March 2008, together with estimates indicating that there would be a further 1,247 retiring from English authorities in 2008-09.
Firebuy Ltd.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what forecast she has made of the (a) costs and (b) business-generated income of Firebuy Ltd. in 2008-09. [230459]
Mr. Khan: Firebuy Ltd. is forecasting (a) running costs of £2,000,000 and (b) business-generated income of £170,000 in 2008-09. Firebuy also estimates that it will help achieve £2,100,000 savings for fire and rescue authorities during this period.
Government Office for London
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of the Government Office for London is in 2008-09; and how many people it employs. [230480]
Mr. Khan: The budget for the Government Office for London in 2008-09 is £11,739,350; and the Government Office for London employs 231 people.
Home Information Packs
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements are in place for (a) examination and (b) searches for information on (i) home condition report and (ii) energy performance certificate registers; and which (A) individuals and (B) organisations are entitled to access to such information. [230881]
Mr. Iain Wright: Part 6 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2007 and subsequent statutory instrument on 1 October 2008 set out who can have access to the Register for Home Condition Reports and Energy Performance Certificates. Disclosure can be given to: the holder of a valid report reference number (RRN); an approved accreditation scheme operator; enforcement authorities; the Energy Saving Trust for domestic properties with an F or G rating; and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. In addition, energy assessors can search the domestic register by address. The commercial register may be examined to see whether a building has an EPC, although the EPC itself cannot be accessed or downloaded except by those who have access to EPCs as set out.
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