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17 Nov 2008 : Column 119W—continued
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/Pink Book_2008_final.pdf
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has estimated that remittances comprise at least 75 per cent. of the series published in the Pink Book for total payments and receipts by households and NPISH. The estimates for remittances from the UK, excluding the NPISH element, are given in the following table for each of the last three years. However, the ONS stresses that these estimates are highly uncertain. DFID is working closely with the ONS and multilateral partners to improve the data on remittances.
| Total personal remittances from the UK 2005-07 | |
| Remittances (£ billion) | |
According to DFID funded research, the five largest recipients of remittances from the UK to developing countries are India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Jamaica and Ghana. On average, black and minority ethnic (BME) households send remittances three and a half times a year, although this varies by ethnic group. DFID recognises the positive impact that these money transfers can make on people’s lives in developing countries, and has an active agenda to improve the developmental impact of remittances, seeking to help make remittances cheaper, safer and more accessible. Further information on DFID funded research into remittances is available on the DFID website:
Performance Appraisal
David Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department did not achieve an acceptable assessment
grade in their annual report in the latest reporting year for which figures are available. [235219]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Guidance on performance management arrangements for the senior civil service (SCS) is issued annually by the Cabinet Office. Currently there are four performance groups with Performance Group 4 being used for the Bottom 5 to 10 per cent. of performers. People in this group should not receive a bonus and have action taken to address under performance or ongoing poor performance, including the drawing up of a Performance Improvement Plan.
For performance during the reporting year 2007-08, 10 DFID senior civil servants were rated under Performance Group 4.
For staff below the SCS, DFID operates a three tier performance management system the lowest tier being allocated to those who are “Most In Need of Development”. This rating is used for the poorest performers and those who have contributed least.
For performance during the reporting year 2007-08, 73 members of staff below the SCS received a “Most In Need of Development” rating.
Programme Development Fund
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many applications were made to (a) the Programme Development Fund and (b) the Travel Bursary Fund in each of the last five years; how many successful applications were made to each in each year; and what the (i) value, (ii) destination, (iii) purpose and (iv) outcome was of each award made. [232823]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides funding to the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) to run a scheme to raise development awareness via the broadcast media. The scheme includes a Programme Development Fund (PDF) and a Travel Bursary Fund (TBF). The number of applications to the two funds in each of the last five years, and the number of successful applications with their value, destination and outcome is given in the following table.
Communities and Local Government
Audit Commission
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what reserves the Audit Commission holds; for what purpose the reserves are held; what the Commission's policy is on the management of its reserves; and if she will make a statement. [234424]
John Healey: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member directly.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated November 2008:
Parliamentary Question on what reserves the Audit Commission holds; for what purpose the reserves are held; and what the Commission's policy is on the management of its reserves
Your Parliamentary Question on what reserves the Audit Commission holds; for what purpose the reserves are held; and what the Commission’s policy is on the management of its reserves has been passed to me for reply.
The Audit Commission is a public corporation primarily funded by fees paid by audited and inspected bodies (AIBs). The Commission holds revenue reserves to fund working capital and meet expenditure in unforeseen and exceptional circumstances.
The Commission’s financial statement for the year ended 31 March 2008 show a revenue reserve of £28.152 million.
The Commission's policy on the management of its reserves is to manage its cash in such a way as to avoid exceptional fees, or the need to borrow for revenue purposes. In addition, our policy is to invest our reserves with institutions with a credit rating of at least F1, subject to a maximum of £5 million with any institution.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Council Housing: Rents
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average change in rents set by (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords was in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09; and in which year she expects the rents set by each category of landlord to converge. [234369]
Mr. Iain Wright: We cannot control actual rent increases by local authorities, we can only set guideline rents which they can choose to follow or not.
Average actual rent increases for local authorities in 2007-08 were 6.2 per cent. which equates to £3.56 per week, and for 2008-09 are 4.5 per cent. or £2.72 per week. These figures are based on un-audited housing subsidy claim forms submitted by local authorities to the Department.
Average increases in registered social landlord rents in 2007-08 were 4.9 per cent. which equates to an average increase of £3.27 per week. These figures are based on the Housing Corporation's latest annual Regulatory Statistical Return (March 2008). The increase in rents for 2008-09 will not be known until the March 2009 Regulatory Statistical Return is available.
We remain committed to the principle of rent restructuring, and forecast future falls in RPI should allow convergence to be achieved within a reasonable timeframe.
Deprivation Indicators
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) highest and (b) lowest level is for education, skills and training average achievement at lower super output level in each of the principal seaside towns in England and Wales in descending order, giving the name of the lower super output area affected. [235544]
John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him today (PQs 234939, 234950, 234944, 234943,234938, 234941 and 234942).
Fire Services
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the FireGuard project board meeting of 27 October 2008. [236067]
Mr. Khan: The FireGuard project is led by the Chief Fire Officers Association, and not by Communities and Local Government.
Home Ownership Incentive Schemes
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets her Department has adopted for take-up rates of (a) shared ownership and (b) shared equity products. [236093]
Mr. Iain Wright: We remain committed to the delivery of affordable housing. Our aspiration is to help 75,000 households into home ownership through our shared ownership and shared equity schemes by the end of 2010-11. We have not set individual targets for our products to ensure flexibility within the programme in light of current market conditions.
Homelessness
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for a main homelessness duty were (a) accepted and (b) not accepted in each local authority area in each of the previous five years, broken down by the applicant's (i) age, (ii) ethnicity, (iii) priority need category and (iv) reason for loss of last settled home. [234668]
Mr. Iain Wright: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level. Data collected include all decisions made on applications by eligible applicants, and the number of applicants accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). These households are known as ‘accepted’ households.
Data on accepted households are collected by age-band, ethnicity, priority need category and reason for loss of last settled home. A table showing data for the last five years, as reported by local authorities, has been placed in the Library. There are only three years of data for age-band as this was only collected from financial year 2005-06 onwards.
Data on households not accepted as owed a main duty are collected by ethnicity, but not the other variables requested. A table showing acceptances by reason for non-acceptance, by ethnicity, as reported by local authorities, has been placed in the Library.
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