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2 Feb 2009 : Column 952W—continued

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much capital expenditure has been brought forward in response to the economic downturn by her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies to (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; from which years such expenditure has been brought forward; and if she will make a statement. [251403]

Margaret Beckett: On 2 September 2008 we announced a £1 billion market rescue package to increase confidence, stability and fairness in the housing market. On 24 November we brought forward additional capital spending as part of the 2008 pre-Budget report fiscal stimulus. Considering together the September housing announcement and the pre-Budget report, we are making £350 million, £1,275 million and £55 million of capital available for expenditure in years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively. In addition, £95 million has been made available for 2009-10 and 2010-11 to support reforms to Support for Mortgage Interest announced in the September 2008 housing package. £25 million of the total £1,775 million package has been brought forward from 2009-10 and £1,750 million from 2010-11.

This includes the additional flexibility offered by the Government, at the pre-Budget-report, to the regional development agencies to bring forward £100 million of capital expenditure from financial year 2010-11 to 2009-10. Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform are currently working closely with the regional development agencies to take this forward.

It also includes the flexibility offered by the Government to local authorities in England to bring forward up to £175 million of planned major housing repairs expenditure from 2010-11 to 2009-10. Communities and Local Government will invite local authorities in England to bring forward up to this amount to enable councils to invest in a way which will maximise investment in the housing stock in 2009-10.

Departmental Publicity

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much expenditure her Department incurred under general ledger account number 40001 (advertising) in the last year for which audited figures are available. [251792]

Mr. Khan: The Department's finance system records a total expenditure of £511,458.93 under General Ledger Account Number 40001 (advertising) for the financial year 2007-08.


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Departmental Standards

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of its nine public service agreement targets from the Comprehensive Spending Review her Department has met. [251825]

John Healey: We set out the latest reporting on our SR04 Public Service Agreements in Annex A of our Autumn Performance Report, published on 28 November 2008:

Deprivation Indicators

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government further to the answer of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 760W, on deprivation indicators, which lower layer super output areas (LSOAs) fell within the 15 per cent. most deprived wards on the Index of Multiple Deprivation in each of the principal seaside towns in England in (a) 2004 and (b) 2007 for each field of the Index, listed (i) alphabetically by name of the town and (ii) by most to last deprived LSOA. [253556]

John Healey: I have placed in the Library of the House a table that lists the Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) in principal seaside towns which fall within the 15 per cent. most deprived on the Index of Multiple Deprivation for 2004 and 2007, for each domain of the index. This table lists all the LSOAs within the bottom 15 per cent. of the indices within local authority districts which are, or include, seaside towns. This table also identifies the ward in which each LSOA is located.

Energy Performance Certificates

Mrs. Spelman: 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 19 May 2008, Official Report, column 41 W, on energy performance certificates, how many of the home condition reports were produced with the assistance of funding provided by her Department. [252753]

Margaret Beckett: Our records show that 1487 HIPs with HCRs were subsidised as part of the first phase of the Home Information Pack area trials.

European Regional Development Fund

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 315W, on the European Regional Development Fund, what further fines or financial corrections for programme irregularities her Department (a) is expected to receive and (b) has budgeted for. [252173]

John Healey: The European Commission is considering the imposition of two financial corrections in respect of ERDF programmes that operated in the late 1990s.
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Details are given in the Communities and Local Government Resource Accounts 2007-08 (HC791) published in July 2008.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 316W, on the European Regional Development Fund, for what reason each financial correction has been imposed; and what each of the programme irregularities was, further to the contingent liabilities referred to in her Department's accounts. [252743]

John Healey: The financial corrections imposed in 2007-08 related to the Commission's view on information and audit in relation to two English programmes.

The Commission has not yet notified the Department of its final findings arising from audits of English programmes. Therefore it is not yet known what irregularities, if any, will need to be covered by the contingent liabilities referred to in CLG's accounts.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what consultations she had with (a) local authorities, (b) regional development agencies and (c) other stakeholders prior to the decision not to agree to an extension in respect of unspent Objective 1 and 2 European Regional Development Fund monies for England; and if she will make a statement; [253083]

(2) what assessment she made of the merits of accepting the European Commission’s proposed extension to the deadline for disbursement of unused monies from the 2000 to 2006 European Regional Development Fund Objectives 1 and 2 in respect of England; and if she will make a statement. [253084]

John Healey: Government took into account views from the regions, including on the extent to which any additional resources resulting from programme extension could be used given the lack of flexibility in the EC’s offer of extension, and decided that there was insufficient benefit to justify changing existing spending plans.

Fleishman-Hillard

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments English Partnerships (a) has made and (b) is contracted to make to Fleishman-Hillard; and for what purposes. [252642]

Margaret Beckett: English Partnerships made one payment to Fleishman-Hillard of £3,500 plus VAT in June 2008. This was in relation to public affairs work on the Blackwall Reach project, commissioned by English Partnerships' Thames Gateway Team. Fleishman-Hillard were just one of a number of companies on the English Partnerships Public Relations Panel. Members of this panel are selected through a competitive tender process. There are currently no further contractual payments due.


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Home Information Packs

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what monitoring her Department undertakes on the number and type of house sales involving home information packs. [251809]

Margaret Beckett: The Department does not monitor the sales of residential homes. However, we estimate that over 1.2 million home information packs have been produced since their introduction on 1 August 2007.

Homes and Communities Agency: Eco-Towns

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of its growth budget the Homes and Communities Agency has allocated for expenditure related to eco-towns. [251725]

Margaret Beckett: No allocations from the Growth Fund have been made by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) towards eco-towns as responsibility for eco-towns currently rests with Communities and Local Government. After decisions have been taken on which eco-town locations are going forward, we see the HCA being able to take a leadership role in helping to deliver some of the eco-towns and playing a major role in supporting local authorities on delivery.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to announce (a) the results of the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Review and (b) the Government response to the Taylor Review; and if she will make a statement. [253239]

Mr. Iain Wright: The Review of Council Housing Finance and Rents Policy, which is considering the future of the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy System and related issues, will report to the Chief Secretary and Communities and Local Government Ministers in the spring. The Government expects this will be followed by the issue of a consultation paper later in the year.

The Government expects to make their formal response to the Taylor Review shortly.

Housing: Low Incomes

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 767W, on housing: low incomes, which 134 local authorities provided information via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; and whether authorities were required to provide the information. [252200]

John Healey: Information, which was requested rather than required, was provided by the following local authorities:


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