4 WORKING
PRACTICES
29. It is our standard practice to hold seminars
in advance of major inquiries. During the year we held three such
seminars, in preparation for our inquiries on Refuse Collection,
our two inquiries on aspects of local government finance and our
new inquiry Community Cohesion and Migration. We also held
a seminar in March 2007 with Baroness Ford and CLG officials to
examine proposals for the establishment of the new Homes and Communities
Agency. These seminars are a useful means of informally exploring
topics and assist us in identifying issues to pursue through the
more formal means of an inquiry.
30. We are committed to involving a wide range of
organisations and individuals in our inquiries. For instance,
our approach to the Coastal Towns inquiry was one of close
engagement with the stakeholders involved in coastal town regeneration,
in addition to attempting to influence Government directly. Our
Report was launched in Scarborough at a conference attended by
many of the key stakeholders involved in coastal regeneration.[53]
This approach has had unforeseen benefits in galvanising action
on coastal towns beyond central Government, with a number of organisations
now pursuing actions to support coastal communities. English Heritage
has taken up the issue of seaside regeneration through heritage,
with the publication of a Report on the subject.[54]
The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is committed
to a coastal strategy and action plan to regenerate its coastal
communities.[55]
31. We have been successful in securing extensive
media coverage on our inquiries. Our Reports on Coastal Towns
and on Refuse Collection generated considerable publicity
in both print and broadcast media. The Coastal Towns Report
was the subject of 30 articles in the national and local press
in the days immediately following its publication. The Report's
publication was also covered on television and radio, including
BBC television news. All national daily newspapers and most major
regional dailies covered the publication of our Refuse Collection
Report. Interviews with Dr Phyllis Starkey MP, Chair of the Committee,
featured on, among others, BBC Breakfast News, ITV and Sky News.
32. This year, for the first time, we systematically
requested feedback from the 42 organisations who gave oral evidence.
We were pleased that all 17 organisations who responded were satisfied
with the level of practical guidance given, the quality of the
briefing on the likely questions, and the arrangements and facilities
for the meeting. We will continue securing witness feedback in
the future, and will consider responses received when reviewing
our working practices. A summary of witness responses is provided
in Annex 2.
DEPARTMENTAL
RELATIONS
33. We are pleased with the positive response from
Ministers and officials in terms of attendance at Committee meetings
and the provision of information this year. We are also, on the
whole, pleased with the timeliness of Government responses to
our Reports. We were not, however, satisfied with the Government's
delay in responding to our Report on Equality. We requested
a response by 2 October 2007—allowing the conventional two
months for the Government to respond—yet the Government
published its response six weeks later, on 13 November 2007.[56]
We also found it necessary specifically to request a response
to our conclusions and recommendations on the Supplementary
Business Rate, following publication of the White Paper. When
it arrived, the Government's brief memorandum failed to respond
to a number of crucial conclusions on financial devolution to
local government. We are continuing to pursue this matter.
34. In our Report on the Department's Annual Report
2007 we commented on the Department's improvement upon previous
years in the provision of information to Parliament. During our
Annual Report 2006 inquiry we drew attention to concerns on the
CLG's handling of parliamentary questions relating to its predecessor,
the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.[57]
A number of questions seeking information for the period before
May 2006 received answers indicating that no information was available
prior to the creation of the CLG. We are pleased that new guidance
to civil servants on answering such questions, issued as a result
of our inquiry, appears to have solved the problem: full answers
have since been given to questions relating to the period before
May 2006.[58]
53 British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA),
Seaside Network conference, held on 7 March 2007. Back
54
English Heritage, An Asset and a Challenge; Heritage and Regeneration
in Coastal Towns in England, October 2007 Back
55
www.seeda.co.uk/news_&_events/press_releases/2007/20071017b.asp Back
56
Government Equalities Office, Equality, The Government's response
to the Report of the Communities and Local Government Committee,
Cm 7246 Back
57
Third Report of Session 2006-07, DCLG Annual Report 2006,
HC 106, paras 10-13 Back
58
Second Report of Session 2007-08, CLG Annual Report 2007,
HC 170, para 42 Back
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