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17 Mar 2009 : Column 1097W—continued
Visas: Overseas Students
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions the UK Border Agency applies in determining the length of student visas for foreign students wishing to study at educational institutions in the UK. [258631]
Mr. Woolas: The period of leave granted to overseas students depends on the type of course they are studying and our policies are set out in full in Chapter 3, Section 3, paragraph 27 of the Immigration Directorates' Instructions, which can be accessed on our website at: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk. For the majority of students, however, leave is granted for the duration of the course or period of study, followed by an additional period of up to four months to await exam results, attend graduation, and either enrol on another course, make an application to switch into an employment route, which is possible for up to two years, or else leave the UK.
Work Permits
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1834-35W, on work permits, if she will break down each category of occupation by nationality of permit applicant. [257553]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 23 February 2009]: The tables placed in the House Library provide a breakdown of the top 20 occupations by nationality and the associated number of individual approved work permit applications for the period 1 January 2006-31 December 2008 with the appropriate caveats.
Communities and Local Government
Angling
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will assess the effect of the increases in planning fee charges on firms constructing fishing lakes. [263925]
Mr. Iain Wright: Planning application fees were increased in April 2008. In its response to the public consultation on the proposed fee increases, “Planning Fees in England: Proposals for Change" (November 2007), the Government committed to review the impact of the increases and take a further look at planning fees in 2009.
We are currently conducting a review of planning application fees and will assess the effect of the increases on the fee category which includes the construction of fishing lakes.
Building Regulations
Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to include guidance on the installation and use of circulation pumps in the revision of Parts L1A and L1B Building Regulations. [263607]
Mr. Iain Wright: We are currently reviewing part L of the building regulations and are considering the potential introduction of minimum provisions for circulation pumps in both domestic and non-domestic buildings in 2010. The eventual proposals will be the subject of a formal public consultation that we expect to issue shortly.
Buildings: Disabled
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which planning (a) policy statement and (b) guidance notes issued by her Department contain information on the provision of access for disabled people. [264322]
Mr. Iain Wright: The following planning policy statements and guidance notes issued by CLG (and predecessor Departments) contain information on the provision of access for disabled people:
Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development (PPS1) (2005)
Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3) (2006)
Consultation Paper on new Planning Policy Statement 4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Development (2007)
Urban Design in the Planning System: Towards Better Practice (2000)
Planning and access for disabled people: a good practice guide (2003)
Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres (PPS6) (2005)
Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas (PPS7) (2004)
Planning Policy Guidance 13: Transport (PPG 13) (2001)
Guidance on Transport Assessment (2007)
Using the Planning Process to Secure Travel Plans: Best Practice Guidance for Local Authorities, Developers and Occupiers (2002)
Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (PPG15) (1994)
Assessing Needs and Opportunities: A Companion Guide to PPG17 (2002)
Planning Policy Statement 25: Development and Flood Risk (PPS25) (2006)
Planning Policy Statement 25: Development and Flood Risk - Practice Guide (2008)
DCLG Circular 01/2006 Guidance on Changes to the Development Control System Diversity and Equality in Planning: A good practice guide (2005)
The Manual for Streets (2007)
Better Places to Live by Design: A Companion Guide to PPG3 (2001)
Safer Places: The Planning System and Crime Prevention (2004)
The Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004.
Community Development
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department is providing to each of the regional neighbourhood training and resource centres in 2008-09. [262670]
Mr. Khan: CLG is providing a total of £2,267,142 to Neighbourhood Training and Resource Centres (NTRCs) in 2008-09, broken down as follows:
| Region | Comment | £ |
|
Funding is split between the Resource Centre and the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership. | ||
Community Relations: Finance
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has provided for Radical Middle Way in each year since 2005; how much funding was for the support of (a) domestic programmes, (b) overseas programmes and (c) website costs; and what funding has been allocated to Radical Middle Way in 2008-09 for expenditure in each category. [263549]
Mr. Khan:
From December 2005 to February 2007 (Phase 1), the Radical Middle Way (RMW) was funded
by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Home Office at a cost of £460,000. £35,000 of this was for their website.
From October 2007 to May 2008 (Phase 2), the RMW was funded by both the FCO and Communities and Local Government equally at a total cost of £250,000. £12,000 of this was for their website.
From October 2008 to April 2009 (Phase 3), the RMW’s domestic work is being funded exclusively by Communities and Local Government at a cost of £350,000. During this third phase, £7,000 was for their website.
Separately, the FCO has provided £615,458 for RMW in 2008-09 to deliver a programme of work in countries overseas.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department has provided for the Mosaic Muslim Mentoring Scheme in each of the last five years; and what estimate she has made of such expenditure in 2008-09. [263550]
Mr. Khan: The Mosaic Mentoring Scheme was launched in November 2007.
Communities and Local Government has awarded funding of £51,700 in 2007-08 to the Mosaic Mentoring Scheme through the Preventing Violent Extremism Community Leadership Fund. Funding allocations for 2008-09 and 2009-10 will be announced shortly.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of programmes funded under the Prevent strand of Project CONTEST are independently evaluated by social regeneration companies for their effectiveness and value for money. [263551]
Mr. Khan: The majority of Prevent funding from Communities and Local Government has been allocated to local authorities to fund programmes at the local level. Following the £6 million Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder in 2007-08:
We commissioned a report by the independent company BMG mapping the key outputs from the Fund and drawing together the results from local evaluation activity that had taken place. This was published on 10 December 2008, at the Prevent08 conference, and is available at
Key learning from the Pathfinder year, including from evaluation by independent companies, was drawn together in the publication Delivering Prevent—Responding to Learning, also available on CLG’s website at
Moving forward, the key performance indicator for local Prevent work, National Indicator 35, puts effective evaluation at the centre of local Prevent work. It is for individual local authorities to determine the nature and scope of local evaluation and to tender for providers. Communities and Local Government has also commissioned the Tavistock Institute to develop a national evaluation framework and evaluation guidance.
Prevent programmes funded by Communities and Local Government at the national level which are being evaluated by independent companies are: Radical Middle
Way (APEX consulting); the Faith and Social Cohesion Unit in the Charity Commission (currently out to tender); and the Islam and Citizenship Education programme (ICoCo) which is jointly funded by DCSF.
This response captures evaluation of programmes of Prevent work funded by Communities and Local Government. The Home Office now holds lead responsibility for the cross-government Prevent programme.
Council Housing: Construction
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward proposals to increase the rate of council house building. [263825]
Mr. Iain Wright: We want local authorities to play a bigger role in the delivery of affordable housing where this can be done cost-effectively. My Department is currently consulting on new freedoms that would help councils build more council homes. Under the proposals, councils would keep all the rental income from new homes they build, and the full capital receipts if those homes were sold in future under the right to buy. This extra revenue and capital could be used by councils to help build more council housing. We are also inviting councils to bid for Social Housing Grant. Previously local authorities have not been able to get this funding.
Council Housing: Rents
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 March 2009, Official Report, columns 71-72WS, on local authority rents, for what reasons the announcement was not made as part of the local government finance settlement. [263032]
Mr. Iain Wright: The housing revenue account system is independent of the Local Government Finance Settlement 2009-10. The announcement of help for local authorities to reduce their proposed rent increases for 2009-10 was made on 6 March as soon as was possible to do so after listening to the concerns of tenants and local authorities.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department plans to issue a new methodology for retail price inflation to be used for calculation of rent restructuring from 2009-10. [263034]
Mr. Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government will be issuing a draft Amending 2009-10 Determination for consultation shortly. This will explain the calculations for revised 2009-10 guideline rents.
Changes in retail price inflation will be considered when we review guideline rents for 2010-11.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 March 2009, Official Report, columns 71-72WS, on local authority rents, what the estimated administrative costs are of rebilling of rents for 2009-10 by participating local authorities. [263035]
Mr. Iain Wright: No such estimate has been made.
Local authorities’ spending allowances were set in the subsidy determination issued in December 2008, with higher inflation factors incorporated in the calculations than would apply now. We do not propose to revisit and reduce these assumptions in the same way that we are looking to reduce rent increases for 2009-10. Our priority and focus has been on helping council house tenants. We would expect, therefore, that local housing authorities will have the resources necessary to cover any such additional cost.
A letter was sent to councils on 11 March explaining how the revised arrangements will be taken forward.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 March 2009, Official Report, columns 71-72WS, on local authority rents, what estimate she has made of the proportion of local authorities which will bid for additional subsidy. [263036]
Mr. Iain Wright: No estimate has been made of the proportion of local authorities that will take advantage of the announcement made in the written ministerial statement. This is a matter for individual authorities to decide according to local circumstances.
Council Tax
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average council tax requirement levied per resident by each county council in England is for 2009-10, ranked from highest to lowest. [263396]
John Healey: This information will be available after the publication of the statistical release “Council tax levels set by local authorities in England—2009-10” on 26 March 2009, and I will place a copy of the data requested in the Library of the House.
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