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14 Jan 2009 : Column 768W—continued
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children lived in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty in each year between 1979 and 1997. [246581]
Kitty Ussher: The available information on the number of children living in relative and absolute low income since 1979 is given in tables 4.3tr and 4.4tr of the Households Below Average Income publication, published in June 2008, which is available in the Library.
Information is not available for all years requested.
Social Fund
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Social Fund cases are currently being handled clerically; and if he will make a statement. [245450]
Kitty Ussher: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the monetary value of all social fund loans awaiting recovery. [245456]
Kitty Ussher: Recoveries from social fund loans are recycled in the form of new loans. This means that, at the end of a financial year, the amount outstanding on all social fund loans is the total that the Government have invested in the social fund since its inception (apart from write-offs).
At 31 March 2008, the amount outstanding on all social fund loans in Great Britain was £906 million.
Notes:
1. social fund loans consist of Budgeting Loans and Crisis Loans.
2. The figure includes amounts outstanding on loans which have been partially repaid.
Source:
Social Fund Account 2007-08.
Social Fund: Funerals
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time taken to process a funeral payment was in the latest period for which information is available; what the target time is; and if he will make a statement. [245816]
Kitty Ussher: The information requested is given in the table.
| Average length of time taken to process a funeral payment claim in Great Britain | ||
| Time period | Achieved (working days) | Standard (working days) |
| Notes: 1. The processing time for an individual claim is measured in whole working days from the date of receipt of the claim to the date of the decision, inclusive. The minimum processing time recorded for an individual claim is one day, even if the claim is processed immediately. 2. The figures are based on claims processed in the relevant time period not on claims received in that time period. Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System. | ||
Communities and Local Government
Allotments
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 22 July 2008, Official Report, column 236WH, on allotments, if she will make it her policy to extend the legislative protections which prevent allotments from being classified as previously developed land to residential gardens. [246036]
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable she has set for her Department's review of the practice known as garden grabbing; and whether she plans to appoint an independent panel to conduct the review. [246383]
John Healey: As I confirmed to the House during the passage of the Planning Act, on 24 November 2009, Official Report, column 532, we are committed to a review of the evidence on the extent of development on back gardens to establish whether or not there is a clear and genuine problem. If there is a problem, we will consider action to remedy the situation, only if it would not undermine our objectives on housing.
The terms of the review are due to be decided shortly, and we will publish the information.
Community Development
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's 2005 publication,
“Citizen Engagement and Public Services”, what progress has been made on plans to introduce neighbourhood improvement districts. [245989]
John Healey: We have no plans to legislate for neighbourhood improvement districts at this time.
Community Relations
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many local authorities have set up the multi-agency tension monitoring groups referred to in the document, “Guidance for local authorities on community cohesion, contingency planning and tension monitoring”, published in May 2008; what the estimated running cost will be of such monitoring groups is; and if she will make a statement; [245550]
(2) how many local authorities have submitted to their Government Office monthly tension monitoring reports referred to in paragraph 66 of the publication, “Guidance for local authorities on community cohesion, contingency planning and tension monitoring”, published in May 2008; and what use the Government make of these monthly reports; [245551]
(3) what safeguards exist to prevent people from misusing the tension monitoring groups referred to in the report, “Guidance for local authorities on community cohesion, contingency planning and tension monitorin”, published in May 2008, in relation to local grievances; [245553]
(4) what procedures will exist to enable individuals to appeal against inaccurate data about themselves gathered under the tension monitoring arrangements referred to in the report, “Guidance for local authorities on community cohesion, contingency planning and tension monitoring”, published in May 2008. [245554]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 13 October 2008, Official Report, column 983W, on local authorities: surveillance, which local authorities are now undertaking tension monitoring according to records held by her Department. [245937]
Mr. Khan: Communities and Local Government does not hold a record of the number of local authorities who have set up multi-agency monitoring groups. Tension monitoring and contingency planning is about local partnership working and it is for local authorities to determine the systems they have in place and budget allocation needed to ensure they are able to effectively monitor tensions in their local areas.
The number of local authorities that submit monthly tension monitoring reports can vary each month. Communities and Local Government is therefore unable to keep a consistent record of the number of local authorities who submit monthly tension monitoring returns. We use the monthly reports to identify challenges to cohesion and to identify possible trends; this information is used to inform our strategy for supporting local authorities.
All contributors to the tension monitoring process are required to adhere to the principles of data collection set out in the Data Protection Act 1998. Each organisation that makes a contribution to tension monitoring should have local information sharing protocols in place.
The personal details of individual details are not required for tension monitoring reports. If an individual was mentioned it would be in the context of any civil arrangements brought by the local authority or as a result of any criminal procedures through the police/courts.
Council Tax
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable her Department has set for council tax bills to be issued which include efficiency information. [245902]
John Healey: The first council tax demand notices served on a person in respect of the 2009-10 financial year will be required to include efficiency information. The Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (England) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/3264), which implement this requirement, were laid before Parliament on 22 December.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the specification for the Valuation Office Agency's council tax banding support tool. [245907]
John Healey: The specification of the Valuation Office Agency's council tax banding support tool is subject to commercial confidentiality. Accordingly, it will not be placed in the Library.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of the IT systems in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies are fully accredited to the Government’s security standards. [245382]
Mr. Khan: All IT systems within CLG and its agencies that handle protectively marked data are subject to Government security standards and processes. All such systems are accredited to the appropriate Government security standard.
Departmental Surveys
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department's central media and communication unit spent on public surveys in each of the last three years. [248033]
Mr. Khan: This information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Eco-Towns: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 122W, on eco-towns, how much funding has been (a) provided to date and (b) committed for the future to the Town and Country Planning Association in relation to work on eco-towns; and for what purposes. [245926]
Mr. Iain Wright:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 25 November 2008, Official Report, column 1266W. This set out details about the
funding and work undertaken by the Town and Country Planning Association in relation to the eco-towns programme.
Fires
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many electrical fires have occurred in newly rewired or newly built properties in England in each of the last five years. [247115] [Official Report, 27 February 2009, Vol. 488, c. 3MC.]
Mr. Khan: Fire and rescue services in England do not collect information on property construction dates or a history of electrical maintenance in buildings when attending fires. Information on the number of building fires started by electrics is available in the following table. The latest statistics available are for 2007.
| Fires started by electrical appliances/wiring in buildings, by source of ignition, England, 2003-07( 1) | |||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| (1) Provisional | |||||
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