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9 Feb 2009 : Column 1688W—continued
Departmental Plants
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent by her Department on (a) pot plants since 1 March 2008 and (b) flowers in each of the last three years. [254873]
Mr. Khan: A low level of internal planting within the CLG HQ buildings is maintained under our integrated facilities management contract. The cost of this is included within the fixed contract price for cleaning, grounds maintenance and pest control and is not separately identifiable.
Since 1 March 2008 additional new plants have been provided at a cost of £725.25.
It is not departmental practice to provide cut flowers for office use and so expenditure on this is nil.
Departmental Recruitment
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new recruits her Department took on in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 and (d) 2008-09, how many of these were taken on as (i) permanent, (ii) temporary and (iii) agency staff; and what estimate she has made of the equivalent figures for (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11. [254466]
Mr. Khan: Communities and Local Government have taken on the following number of staff since2005:
| Count of staff ID | |||||
| Staff Type | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | Grand Total |
In 2009-10 and 2010-11, as in the current year, our administration budget is planned to fall by 5 per cent. in real terms. There is also evidence that the rate at which permanent staff are leaving the Department is falling. Against this background, I would expect to see some reduction in recruitment.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer of 13 November 2008, Official Report, column 1326W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense Ministers in her Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008. [251313]
Mr. Khan: Other Ministers in Communities and Local Government have taken the following personal training courses at public expense since 1 January 2008: advice on continuing professional development; and advice on speeches.
Departmental Travel
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what expenditure her Department has incurred in providing transport for Ministers between Parliament and departmental premises in each year since her Department was established. [251882]
Mr. Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on Monday 26 January 2009, Official Report, column 6W. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the ‘Ministerial Code’.
Domestic Visits: Essex
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions the Minister for the East of England has visited areas of the administrative county of Essex other than those in the unitary authorities of Southend and Thurrock; and what the purpose was of each visit. [254835]
Mr. Khan: Since her appointment in July 2007, the Minster for the East of England has visited the administrative county of Essex on six separate occasions. The most recent visits were focussed around the economy such as the Regional Economic Forum held in Chelmsford and her visit to Jobcentre Plus and a local business in Basildon as part of the roll-out of the pre-Budget report.
The Minister has also visited Essex on skills related events including leading the East of England Talent Debate at Stansted, visiting Rickstones Academy in Witham as part of the Grand Schools Tour, and visiting a children's centre in Harlow.
The Minister recently chaired the Regional Partnership Group in Chelmsford.
Eco-Towns: Internet
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much it cost to set up the website http://ecotownsyoursay.direct.gov.uk; and what the monthly maintenance costs of the website are. [254126]
Margaret Beckett: The set up and development costs for the website
totalled £76,786 and to date £6,000 has been incurred in maintenance costs. The website has the specific aim of encouraging participation in the eco-towns consultation.
Eco-Towns: Pennbury
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether English Partnerships has been involved in the proposed eco-town bid near Leicester. [252950]
Margaret Beckett: Proposals for an eco-town at Pennbury, near Leicester have been put forward by the Co-operative Group in conjunction with English Partnerships, now part of the Homes and Community Agency (HCA), who are landowning partner and have contributed to the design ad preparation of the proposals.
English Housing Survey
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) households and (b) social housing households were identified by the English Housing Survey as having a non-UK national as head of household in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [253979]
Margaret Beckett: Over the two years 2006-07 and 2007-08 there were, in England, an estimated:
(a) 1.5 million households headed by a foreign national;
(b) 310 thousand social housing households headed by a foreign national.
These figures were derived from the Survey of English Housing. The English Housing Survey started in April 2008 and the first estimates from this survey will be available in January 2010.
The definition of "foreign national" used above is consistent with that used in published results from the Survey of English Housing; namely a foreign national is someone who is not a national of the UK or Ireland.
Fire Services
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on the FireControl project; and what further expenditure is expected until the time when all regional fire control centres become operational. [255296]
Mr. Khan: £139 million has been spent to date on FiReControl. The total project cost for FiReControl is expected to be £380 million. A significant proportion of the remaining expenditure is already committed through agreed contractual costs. Full details of the contract costs are set out in the FiReControl business case, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Fire Services: Contracts
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Hurd) of 26 January 2009, Official Report, column 810W, on Fire Service: contracts, what legal advice her Department sought prior to any advice given to contracting parties in respect of non-inclusion of break clauses in the contracts for regional fire control centres; and if she will make a statement. [254624]
Mr. Khan: The Department took advice from its own lawyers and from commercial property advisers and solicitors throughout the development of the building leases for regional control centre buildings. The fire and rescue authorities have taken and continue to take their own legal advice.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's policy is on the inclusion of break clauses in the contracts for regional control centres; and if she will make a statement. [254729]
Mr. Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Hurd) on 26 January, Official Report, column 108W.
Fire Services: Crimes of Violence
Mr. Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many recorded attacks on fire crews there were in each of the last three years, broken down by fire and rescue service area. [254215]
Mr. Khan: The Department collects figures on attacks on firefighters based on returns from fire and rescue authorities. The following table shows the number of attacks over the last three years by fire and rescue authority (FRA) for England.
| Number of attacks notified to CLG by year of incident and FRA | |||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| (1) Devon and Somerset FRS merged on the 1 April 2007. | |||
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