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24 Mar 2009 : Column 210W—continued
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of accidents in England on untreated roads during wintry conditions since 19 December 2008. [265437]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not collected.
Traffic Lights: Greater London
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic lights there were in each London borough in each of the last three years. [265854]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Traffic signals in London are the responsibility of the London Mayor and Transport for London (TfL), and questions should be directed to them.
Communities and Local Government
Building Regulations
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will review the effectiveness of building regulations as they relate to the environmental performance of foundation systems. [265333]
Mr. Iain Wright: Part A (Structure) of the Building Regulations, and its supporting guidance, is primarily concerned with structural safety and performance. There is nothing currently in the regulations that relate to the environmental performance of foundation systems.
However, Government are keen to improve further the sustainability of the construction process and buildings as set out in the “Strategy on Sustainable Construction”, published by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. As part of the Site Waste Management Plan Regulations, which came into force in 2008, developers are required to identify a planned waste management action for each different type of waste, including on and off-site reuse, recycling and disposal. In relation to foundation systems this can include reusing materials. In addition, in April 2007 we introduced the Code for Sustainable Homes to encourage the development of more sustainable homes. To reach the minimum Code Standards, homes need to consider the environmental performance of all materials used in all elements of the building, which includes the foundations.
We are currently undertaking a review of Part A of the Building Regulations, and its supporting guidance documents, and we are due to consult on the proposed changes in the summer.
Community Relations
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department has provided to the Institute for Community Cohesion for its project gathering information on social cohesion through surveys and focus groups under the Prevent strand of Project Contest; and when the findings of the project will be published. [264886]
Mr. Khan: Communities and Local Government has not commissioned the Institute for Community Cohesion to gather information on social cohesion through surveys and focus groups under the Prevent strand of Project Contest, and as such has not provided any money to the institute for such a project.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2009, Official Report, column 476W, on community relations, what research other than that commissioned from the Tavistock Institute and De Montfort University has been commissioned by her Department into (a) social cohesion and (b) contributing factors to violent extremism in each year since 2005. [264901]
Mr. Khan: The programmes of research carried out by Communities and Local Government, to understand social cohesion, and to understand contributing factors to violent extremism, include both qualitative and quantitative research.
The Citizenship Survey, a large scale household survey collecting data on various community attitudes, continues to provide a range of relevant information. NatCen have managed this since 2005 and will continue to run this until 1 April 2009 when a consortium of Ipsos Mori and BMRB take over the contract. Headline data are published quarterly and the anonymised dataset is subsequently published on Essex Data archive.
We also commissioned the Change Institute to carry out research into 13 Muslim ethnic communities in England, to better understand the diversity of these communities in terms of history, characteristics, demography and potential pathways into the communities.
We have also worked closely with other Departments to ensure that government’s own analysis of violent extremism considers the range of possible contributing factors.
Research is vital to underpin policies with evidence, and as such, there is also a plethora of research that has been carried out in this field at the local level, run by local authorities.
Communities and Local Government also commissioned:
Ipsos-MORI to carry out qualitative case study work in six areas on ‘What works to improve Community Cohesion’.
SQW Consulting to do ‘Community Cohesion and Neighbourhood management: a pathfinder national evaluation’.
Ipsos-MORI to carry out local area cohesion surveys in a small number of areas (2005 and 2007). Reports are unpublished.
The National Community Forum to carry out a literature review on cross-community interactions.
Laurence and Heath of Oxford University to carry out research called ‘Predictors of Community Cohesion—multi-level modelling of Citizenship Survey data’.
In addition the Commission on Integration and Cohesion were tasked by Government to look at local and practical solutions to overcoming barriers to integration and cohesion
The Commission on Integration and Cohesion commissioned the following research and papers:
A think piece for the Commission on Integration and Cohesion—Professor Daniel Dorling
Belonging in contemporary Britain—Alessandra Buonfino with Louisa Thomson, Young Foundation
Bringing communities and people together—Comedia
Challenging attitudes, perceptions and myths—Miranda Lewis and Naomi Newman, IPPR
Community cohesion and deprivation—Asif Afridi, b:RAP
Community cohesion and the public interest—Professor Shamit Saggar
Evidence on Integration and cohesion—DTZ Consulting
French Lessons? A cross-channel look at Regeneration, Cohesion and Integration—Dr. Gareth Potts, British Urban Regeneration Association
Local decision-making and participation—Omar Khan and Rob Berkley, Runnymede Trust
New complexities of cohesion in Britain. Superdiversity, Transnationalism and Civil Integration—Professor Steven Vertovec, OMPAS
Public attitudes towards cohesion and integration—Ipsos MORI
Role of Faith as framing identity and influencing values, attitudes and behaviour of whole communities and the threat posed by ‘enclavisation’ in some northern towns Dr. Alan Billings and Dr. Andrew Holden, Lancaster University
The Practical Impacts of Translation: Findings and Recommendations Central Office of Information
All of this was made publicly available at:
Community Relations: West Midlands
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps her Department has taken to tackle extremism in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands. [265066]
Mr. Khan:
Regarding support that has been provided by my Department, Coventry was allocated £125,000 in 2008-09 through its area based grant to support work on preventing violent extremism. It has been allocated
£150,000 and £162,000 in 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively to develop activities outlined in their recently developed prevent action plan.
I understand that a Prevent Working Group has been developed in Coventry, made up of senior representatives from the police, council, other public agencies, universities and colleges, that will meet for the first time in April. The group will continue to steer and develop understanding of the national preventing violent extremism agenda; local issues and good practice from elsewhere.
Coventry has also recently developed a communications strategy to help mainstream messages to counter extremism and it is currently developing a programme of activities for young people from diverse communities, which explores issues of identity and challenging extremist ideology, and provides support to the most vulnerable.
West Midlands authorities will be allocated just under £5.5 million through area based grant between 2008-09 and 2010-11 to support activities to prevent violent extremism.
Examples of projects in the West Midlands that are helping to prevent violent extremism include work in Birmingham. The Capacity Building and Governance of Mosques programme aims to help build the capacity of Mosque Committees to improve leadership and ensure that women and young people participate in the development of the Mosque. In addition, the programme ensures that Mosques are in compliance with charity law and aware of the laws and regulations of the UK covering areas of Health and Safety, Child Protection and Criminal Record Bureau checks.
In addition since 2007, Communities and Local Government has funded over 70 projects to tackle violent extremism through the Preventing Violent Extremism Community Leadership Fund. Many of these projects have a national reach, however at least fifteen are working specifically in the West Midlands region. One of these projects has undertaken some focus groups with Muslim women in Coventry to discuss access to mosques for women. Further information on the Community Leadership Fund can be found at:
Three members of the Young Muslim Advisory Group (YMAG), which my Department supports, are based in the West Midlands. YMAG members have met with Government Office for the West Midlands to discuss how they can support activities working with young people to prevent violent extremism in the region.
There are also two National Muslim Women's Advisory Group (NMWAG) members in the West Midlands, who are both based in Birmingham. Tasneem Mahmood developed a national project called “Hear My Voice” that was launched in Birmingham. The project works with disaffected Muslim youth by providing them with social entrepreneur and business enterprise skills to tackle their problems. Shaista Gohir is currently working on a Role Models Project as part of NMWAG to raise the profile of Muslim Female Role Models in the UK.
West Midlands authorities would be able to provide further information on their recent activity to prevent violent extremism. Further information on funding being made available through Area Based Grant in 2009/10 can be found at:
West Midlands authorities would be able to provide further information on their recent activity to prevent violent extremism. Further information on funding being made available through area based grant in 2009-10 can be found at:
Council Tax
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the amount of uncollected council tax in England in each of the last five years. [266247]
John Healey: Details of the amount of council tax not collected in each of the last five years can be found in statistical releases published on the Community and Local Government website at:
It should be noted that collection of council tax continues after the financial year to which they relate has ended so the amount not collected will eventually be less than the figures derivable from the releases.
Departmental Electricity Generation
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent by her Department on (a) capital expenditure and (b) maintenance and running costs for standby diesel generators for backup electricity on the departmental estate in each year since March 1997. [264095]
Mr. Khan: Nil capital expenditure.
Expenditure on maintenance and running costs for the diesel back-up generator at the Department's HQ at Eland House since July 2004 is as follows.
| Financial year | £ |
| Note: Figures prior to 2004 are not available. | |
There has been nil expenditure incurred at other premises falling within the current CLG estate.
Departmental Finance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what expenditure her Department incurred as a result of overhanging debt repayments in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [265080]
Mr. Khan: The table lists the amount of overhanging debt the Department has paid to the Public Works Loans Boards in respect of completed transfers in each of the last five financial years.
| £ million | |
| (1) This includes overhanging debt for transfers we expect to be completed by the end of financial year 2008-09. | |
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in her Department in 2008-09 to date. [260350]
Mr. Khan: Costs incurred on reimbursable expenses in 2008-09, will be available only when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2009 summer recess.
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