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29 Jan 2009 : Column 767W—continued
Council Tax: Non-Payment
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of summonses issued by each local authority for non-payment of council tax were subsequently withdrawn in the most recent year for which information is available. [251331]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson) on 22 January 2009, Official Report, column 1657W.
Council Tax: Valuation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 15 October 2008, Official Report, column 1315W, on council tax: valuation, whether the observations on consequentials referred to were made in writing. [251970]
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the initial estimated (a) cost and (b) delivery date was of each
ICT project initiated by her Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997; what the (i) outturn cost and (ii) completion date was of each such project subsequently completed; which contractors were hired for each project; and how much has been paid to each contractor in respect of each project to date. [251378]
Mr. Khan: A full answer to the question could be given only at disproportionate cost. However I refer the hon. Member to the following answers given previously to questions covering some of the same ground:
Hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) on 19 January 2005, Official Report, columns 998-99W
Hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs. Villiers) on 9 February 2006, Official Report, columns 1420-21W
Hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 1938W
Hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 4 December 2006, Official Report, columns 182-84W
Hon. Member for Poole (Mr. Syms) on 3 September 2007, Official Report, columns 1644-46W
Hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 23 April 2008, Official Report, columns 2104-06W
Hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 5 November 2008, Official Report, columns 545-46W
Hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 17 December 2008, Official Report, column 786W.
Departmental Procurement
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) of 6 October 2008, Official Report, columns 302-3W, on departmental procurement, what the breakdown is of the associated costs of Euro RSCG London Ltd in relation to the fire campaign. [Official Report, 10 February 2009, Vol. 487, c. 13MC.][252791]
Mr. Khan: The breakdown of the costs paid to Euro RSCG London Ltd (and associated companies) in relation to the fire campaign in 2007-08 is as follows:
Departmental Public Relations
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of her Department's contracts with public relations consultancies was in each of the last five years. [251537]
Mr. Khan:
For contracts with public relations consultancies for the financial year 2006-7 and prior, I
refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela E. Smith) on 5 June 2007, Official Report, column 331W. For contracts during 2007-8, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 27 October 2008, Official Report, column 717W.
Eco-Towns
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008, Official Report, columns 1265-6W, on eco-towns, which external companies were engaged to perform communications work using the £385,200 referred to; and what the purpose of each such contract was. [251913]
Mr. Iain Wright: We commissioned a number of agencies through the Central Office of Information (COI) to support us on the communications aspect of the eco-towns programme. The names of the companies involved and their role is set out in the following table.
We also commissioned further agencies through our own framework contract and the details of these are set out in the following table.
| Agency | Role |
|
Graphic design and artwork for branding, advertorials and posters. | |
|
Qualitative research to explore national and local attitudes to the proposals for eco-towns |
Emergency Services: ICT
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which communications systems used by the different emergency services are not inter-operable. [252187]
Mr. Khan: The provision of radio communications is a local responsibility for each of the emergency services, the Department for Communities and Local Government does not maintain a central record of operational equipment locally procured. To promote inter-operability between fire and rescue services and the other emergency services, the Department for Communities and Local Government is exercising its powers under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 to procure and implement a new wide area radio communications network (the “Firelink” project) for the fire and rescue service. When Firelink has been implemented, the fire and rescue service will be able to communicate with the other emergency services at strategic and operational command level.
Energy Performance Certificates
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effects on (a) the environment and (b) those buying or renting houses of making energy performance certificates publicly accessible. [252144]
Mr. Iain Wright: The assessment made of the likely effects on (a) the environment and (b) those buying or renting houses of making energy performance certificates publicly accessible is contained in the “regulatory impact assessment energy performance of buildings directive articles 7-10”, published in March 2007. This was deposited in the House of Commons Library on 23 March 2007.
Fire Services
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether staff employed in regional fire control rooms will be eligible for the Fire Brigade's Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. [252730]
Mr. Khan: Staff in the new regional fire control centres which are local authority owned companies will not be in Fire Brigade employment and will not be eligible.
Fire Services and Local Government: Influenza
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the Audit Commission has made of the preparedness of (a) the fire and rescue authorities and (b) local authorities for an influenza pandemic. [252481]
Mr. Khan: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Your Parliamentary Question on what assessment the Audit Commission has made of the preparedness of (a) the fire and rescue authorities; and (b) local authorities for an influenza pandemic has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission has made no specific assessment of the preparedness of fire and rescue authorities or local authorities for an influenza pandemic.
Auditors appointed by the Commission undertake an annual use of resources assessment at each fire and rescue authority and local authority. One element of this assessment covers the risk management arrangements in place at the authority and auditors report any significant weaknesses they identify in those arrangements as part of their annual audit reporting.
Fire Services: Equality
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) advice and (b) guidance (i) her Department and (ii) the Fire Service College have given to fire services on diversity (A) quotas and (B) recommendations for operational fire and rescue roles. [252292]
Mr. Khan:
In June 2008 Communities and Local Government published the Fire and Rescue Service Equality and Diversity Strategy (the strategy). The strategy
provides advice for Fire and Rescue Services on equality and diversity issues. The Fire and Rescue Service national framework requires Fire and Rescue Services to implement the provisions of the strategy. A copy of the strategy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Guidance on setting specific local minority ethnic recruitment targets were provided to the Service under cover of Fire Service circular 55-2008 published on 23 October 2008. The circular is available at:
The Fire Service college does not issue advice or guidance to the Fire and Rescue Service on diversity targets or recommendations for operational fire and rescue roles.
Fire Services: Military Aid
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department classifies the withdrawal of armed forces’ emergency fire cover and the associated obligation to pay for alternative contingency cover as a new burden on the fire and rescue authorities. [252181]
Mr. Khan: The provision of the armed forces to provide emergency fire cover has always been discretionary. The 2003 White Paper ‘Our Fire and Rescue Service’ made it clear that no party should proceed on the basis that the armed forces would be available to provide emergency cover in the event of industrial action. Delivery of an efficient and effective fire service, including arrangements for the provision of emergency fire cover, is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities, which are expected to live within existing resources.
Government Offices for the Regions: Expenditure
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which programme budgets were administered by the Government offices for the regions in 2007-08, broken down by sponsoring Department; and what the amount of each was. [252387]
Mr. Khan: The Government offices do not undertake an annual exercise to collect information on the programme budgets administered on behalf of sponsor Departments. No information is therefore available for 2007-08.
The most recent year in which information on programme budgets was collected was in 2006-07 when the figures were as follows:
| Sponsor Department | Programme funding (£) |
Government Offices for the Regions: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the administration costs of the Government Offices for the Regions were in 2007-08; and what the budget for each is for 2008-09. [252482]
Mr. Khan: The administration costs for the Government Offices for the Regions in 2007-08 were as follows:
| GO | Final outturn 2007-08 (£000) |
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