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18 Mar 2009 : Column 1170W—continued
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place for an individual to appeal if he or she is determined as part of the Channel Project as vulnerable to becoming involved in violent extremism. [262910]
Mr. Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
Channel is about providing support to protect and safeguard an individual from being drawn in to violent extremism. Individuals are not compelled to engage with any support provision and therefore there are no appeals procedures within Channel.
Community Relations: Finance
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to Annex E of The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England, 3 June 2008, whether any local partners have taken action to (a) withdraw funding from and (b) terminate funding agreements with organisations they have previously given money to under the Prevent strand of Project CONTEST. [263603]
Mr. Khan: We are aware that Tower Hamlets council terminated the funding agreement they had in place with Cordoba Foundation for 2007-08.
We are not aware of any other funding contracts being withdrawn or terminated.
Council Housing: Rents
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to ensure that the funding made available to local authorities to implement guideline rent increase meets the full cost of implementation; and if she will make a statement. [264423]
Mr. Iain Wright: Local authorities are responsible for setting their own rents, having regard to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy determination, local resources and affordability issues.
We have maintained expenditure allowances in line with the previous inflation forecast of 2.75 per cent. for 2009-10, to help authorities absorb implementation costs.
We will meet the fall in assumed income of those authorities that reduce their actual average increase in rents in 2009-10 in line with the reduction in the national average guideline rent. It is our intention that the funding available should be passed on in full to tenants in the form of reduced rent increases.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the decision was taken to halve the guideline rent increase for local authority tenants; what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of meeting the costs incurred by local housing authorities in implementing the new guideline rent increase; what timetable she has set for implementation of the new guideline rent increase and funding scheme to assist local authorities; and if she will make a statement. [264424]
Mr. Iain Wright: The decision to halve the national average guideline rent increase was taken shortly before the announcement was made by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning on 6 March.
Local authorities asked us to reconsider the existing average guideline rent increases to help protect their tenants in the current difficult economic conditions particularly the adverse impact on rent increases given the very sharp fall in inflation since September. We have listened and responded promptly to their request. It is our intention that the funding available for the reduction to the national average guideline rent should be passed on in full to tenants in the form of reduced rent increases.
After a short period of consultation on new guideline rents for each authority, we envisage issuing the final 2009-10 amending HRA subsidy determination with reduced rental income for participating authorities in May. It would then be for those authorities to introduce the changes to their own timetables for reducing their tenants’ rents. Whether they do so is entirely a matter for local authorities.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the cost to local authorities of halving their proposed rent rise. [264701]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department has made no assessment of the administration costs to local authorities of reducing their proposed rent rises in 2009-10.
Local authorities asked us to reconsider the existing average guideline rent increases to help protect their tenants in the current difficult economic conditions. We have listened and responded quickly to their request. It is our intention that the funding available for the reduction to the national average guideline rent should be passed on in full to tenants in the form of reduced rent increases.
Council Tax: Empty Property
Mr. Stewart Jackson: 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 10 December 2007, Official Report, column 117W, on council tax: empty property, what the conclusion of the research commissioned by her Department on the exercise of discretionary council tax power by local authorities in respect of long-term empty homes was; and whether she plans to review Government policy in light of this research. [263822]
John Healey: The report, including its conclusions, by Roger Tym Partnership in association with Three Dragons, “Application of discretionary council tax powers for empty homes”, is available on Communities and Local Government’s website at the following link:
The Government have no plans to review their policy on local authorities’ discretionary power to reduce the council tax discount on empty properties.
Councillors: Vetting
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the provision of Criminal Record Bureau checks on councillors. [263824]
John Healey: The Department has issued no such guidance to local authorities about criminal record checks on persons due to their being councillors.
Departmental Catering
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge of 26 January 2009, Official Report, column 107W, on departmental catering, what the policy on using genetically modified food in (a) the Eland House staff restaurant, (b) the Ashdown House snack bar, (c) the catering facilities at the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol, (d) the catering facilities at the Fire Service College and (e) the canteen facility at the QE2 Conference Centre is. [262586]
Mr. Khan: The catering providers at the premises mentioned have confirmed that it is their policy not to use genetically modified food or ingredients.
Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether regional improvement efficiency partnerships have issued guidance to local authorities on (a) the frequency of bin collections and (b) the size of household bins. [263593]
John Healey: The regional improvement and efficiency partnerships (RIEPs) are devolved partnerships of councils and other local services. Information on whether RIEPs have issued guidance to local authorities on frequency of bin collections and size of household bins is not held centrally. The national improvement and efficiency strategy devolves responsibility to RIEPs for identifying where resources should be spend and using their resources in the best way to obtain the help they may need to assist councils and support to drive LAA outcomes.
Economic Situation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) summits, (b) conferences and (c) seminars her Department has hosted since January 2008 at which a primary subject of discussion was the effect of the economic situation on matters within her Department's responsibility. [258863]
Mr. Khan: Responding to the economic situation is a priority for the Government. Summits, conferences and seminars are some of the methods used to engage stakeholders in this work and ensure action is coordinated and effective. A list of events hosted by Communities and Local Government since January 2008 is shown in the table.
Eland House
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date Eland House first became an operational building for her Department’s predecessor. [262376]
Mr. Khan: Staff of the then Department of the Environment moved into Eland House on a phased relocation basis starting in December 1996, with final moves completed in March 1997.
Energy Performance Certificates
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to (a) measure and (b) maintain the quality of energy performance certificates for (i) domestic and (ii) non-domestic properties; and if she will make a statement. [263237]
Margaret Beckett: The Department maintains technical and business operating standards that energy assessors are expected to adhere to in creating energy performance certificate (EPCs). We also approve accreditation schemes who are responsible for accrediting energy assessors and ensuring that they comply with our standards in creating the EPCs. Accreditation schemes are required to check a sample of EPCs for both domestic and non-domestic properties to ensure that they are within specific quality limits.
CLG has also commissioned an independent audit of the performance of the accreditation schemes in ensuring that the quality standards are attained and maintained.
Technical and business standards are available on the CLG website at:
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the role of data collectors is in the production of energy performance certificates for (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic properties. [263238]
Margaret Beckett: The Department accepts that an accredited energy assessor may require professional assistance in carrying out assessments of portfolios of large numbers of similar types of properties (such as local authority housing stock) and of large non-domestic properties. We have accordingly issued guidance on the use of such assistants in the undertaking of assessments of non-domestic and rental properties, and in advice notes to accreditation schemes. This guidance makes clear that where assistants are used that they should be closely supervised by an accredited energy assessor, who is always responsible for the quality of the underlying data and the certificate.
Details of guidance are available on the CLG website:
Homebuy Scheme
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many developers were invited to participate in the Homebuy Direct scheme; [264069]
(2) how many developers have agreed to participate in the Homebuy Direct scheme; and how many properties are on offer for sale through the scheme. [264068]
Margaret Beckett: Following a competitive bidding process, 130 developers were approved by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to offer the HomeBuy Direct scheme, which is designed to help up to 18,000 first time buyers into home ownership. Nearly 7,000 HomeBuy Direct properties are currently available to purchasers, and a further 11,000 properties will become available very soon.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been sold under each type of Homebuy scheme in each region of England in each year. [264071]
Margaret Beckett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 3 March 2009 , Official Report, column 1540W.
In addition, the table shows Social HomeBuy sales by region for 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 to end January 2009.
| Region n ame (by location) | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008 -09( 1) |
| ( 1) To 31 January 2009 Source: Homes and Communities Agency Investment Management System and local authority returns | |||
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