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31 Mar 2009 : Column 1048W—continued
Departmental Empty Property
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the change in the annual cost to his Department of maintaining the empty public buildings owned by his Department as a result of the April 2008 changes to empty property rate relief. [267136]
Kevin Brennan: The additional cost to the Cabinet Office in 2008-09 introduced by the changes to empty property rate relief in 2008-09 was £44,219.
Departmental Publications
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the (a) production and printing and (b) other costs to his Department of producing its most recent (i) departmental annual report and (ii) autumn performance report. [266700]
Kevin Brennan: The publication and printing costs of the Cabinet Office's most recent Annual Report and Accounts for 2007-08 was £47,022 (excluding VAT) and for the 2008 Autumn Performance Report, £8,047.
Other costs to the Department of producing the reports would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Standards
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of measuring compliance with its targets under its public service agreements in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [266562]
Kevin Brennan: Cabinet Office leads on one public service agreement (PSA) announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007. This is PSA16, ‘Increase the Proportion of Socially Excluded Adults in Settled Accommodation and Employment, Education or Training’.
Progress is measured by eight indicators using existing data sets. PSA 16 required three additional indicators to be added to the Mental Health Minimum Data Set. The cost of these changes was met by the Department of Health. In addition two new indicators for the learning disabled group were added to the Key Statistics 1 data set at no cost to central Government Departments. All other PSA 16 indicators were part of existing data collections.
Non-profit Making Associations
Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the recession on not-for-profit organisations in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) England. [267299]
Kevin Brennan: The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) is working with key partners to understand the impact of the economic downturn on third sector organisations. At present the available evidence is incomplete and somewhat inconsistent, indicating it is too soon since the start of the downturn to fully evaluate the impact on the sector at a national or constituency level.
The Government continue to take the difficulties many third sector organisations face during this recession very seriously, which is why the £42.5 million package announced in “Real help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises” provides targeted help for the sector to face these challenges. This package of support was designed together with third sector leaders and took into account submissions from over 80 charities. This action plan builds on the wide range of measures the Government have put in place to support people through the economic downturn, and on the Government’s long-term commitment to voluntary organisations and social enterprises.
The OTS will continue to monitor this situation closely and work with its partners to share evidence on this issue and will host a sector-wide summit on the economic downturn on the 2 June. In addition, the Third Sector Research Centre will also be factoring the impact of the downturn into its analysis of the sector.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many not-for-profit organisations have closed in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) England since the start of the recession. [267303]
Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office does not systematically collect data on the number of not-for-profit organisations that have closed since the start of the recession either in the Ribble Valley constituency or across England.
Personal Income: Essex
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the average annual income per household was in (a) Castle Point and (b) Essex in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [267054]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average annual income per household was in (a) Castle Point and (b) Essex in each of the last five years. (267054)
Table 1 shows the average net weekly equivalised household income for the East of England, both before and after housing costs, at 2004/05 prices, since 2000/01-2002/03. These figures are based on the Department for Work and Pensions' Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series which is produced using the Family Resources Survey. It is not possible to present results from the HBAI series below the level of Government Office Regions. While HBAI more commonly presents median incomes, mean incomes are also shown here in order to be more comparable with the mean incomes shown for Castle Point Constituency and Essex.
Table 2 shows average net weekly equivalised household incomes for Castle Point and Essex, before and after housing costs, for the year 2004/05 (in 2004/05 prices). These are based on experimental small area statistics published by the ONS. Figures for other years are unavailable.
It should be borne in mind that the Government Office Region statistics and the small area statistics are based on different methodologies. It is not possible to separate out methodological differences from real differences. Small differences or changes over time should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error.
| Table 1: Average net weekly equivalised household income in the East of England, at 2004 - 05 prices( 1,2,3) | ||||
| £ per week | ||||
| Before housing costs( 5) | After housing costs( 5) | |||
| 2000 - 01 to 2006 - 07( 4) | Median income | Mean income | Median income | Mean income |
| (1) Incomes are presented net of income tax payments, national insurance contributions and council tax. (2) East of England as defined by Government office region. (3) All figures have been rounded to the nearest pound. (4) Three-year averages have been presented, as single year estimates would be subject to volatility. (5) Housing costs include rent (gross of housing benefit), water charges, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance, ground rent and service charges. Source: ‘Households Below Average Income’, Department for Work and Pensions | ||||
| Table 2: Average weekly household income for Castle Point constituency and Essex( 1,2) , 2004-05 | ||
| £ per week | ||
| Net weekly equivalised household income (before housing costs)( 2) | Net weekly equivalised household income (after housing costs)( 2) | |
| (1) Net income is gross income minus income tax payments, national insurance contributions, contributions to occupational pension schemes, all maintenance and child support payments. (2) Housing costs include rent (gross of housing benefit), water charges, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance, ground rent and service charges. Source: Office for National Statistics and Department for Work and Pensions | ||
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Further Education: Capital Investment
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 4 March 2009, Official Report, column 55WS, on capital investment (further education colleges), which colleges have been granted approval in principle; which colleges have pending bids to the national Learning and Skills Council for approval in principle; and which colleges have been given funding by the Learning and Skills Council to carry out feasibility studies into proposed capital building projects. [263870]
Mr. Simon: Capital funding for Further Education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested pertains to decisions and records held by the Council, I have asked Geoff Russell, the LSC Acting Chief Executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Holland and the Deepings of 16 March 2009, Official Report, column 904W, on further education: finance, when he plans to place in the Library the copy of the letter. [267913]
Mr. Simon: I understand that Mark Haysom, the then chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council, wrote to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) on 23 March. A copy of that letter should be available in the House Libraries shortly.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which Parliamentary constituencies have further education colleges with capital funding bids awaiting final approval by the Learning and Skills Council; and how many such bids there are for colleges within each of those constituencies. [267914]
Mr. Simon:
Capital funding for Further Education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested pertains to records held by the Council, I have asked Geoffrey
Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 4 March 2009, Official Report, columns 55-6WS, on capital investment (further education colleges), what steps the Learning and Skills Council has taken to keep interested hon. Members informed on the progress and status of schemes in their area. [267915]
Mr. Simon: Capital funding for Further Education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested pertains to communications activity undertaken by the Council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.
Further Education: Governing Bodies
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many times the Learning and Skills Council has used its powers under section 11 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 since 1 January 2001; and if he will make a statement. [263275]
Mr. Simon: The power set out at Section 11 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000, enables the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to appoint up to two persons to the governing body of a further education (FE) college. This power is a general power which enables the LSC to appoint additional governors to a college corporation to provide additional skills, knowledge or expertise as appropriate.
The power may also be used as part of an intervention response. However, the power is independent of the LSC’s powers of intervention and evidence of failure is not a pre-condition for the power to be used.
The LSC has confirmed that, since its creation on 1 April 2001, it has used the power on 33 occasions, appointing a total of 51 governors.
Culture, Media and Sport
British Library
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the digitisation of manuscripts held by the British Library; how many manuscripts held by the British Library have been digitised in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [266971]
Barbara Follett: The digitisation of its manuscripts is a matter for the British Library. The British Library advises that it has digitised 11,000 manuscripts in the last five years. The figure is made up of material digitised primarily from the mediaeval and earlier manuscripts projects and the international Dunhuang project.
Departmental Buildings
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what buildings are owned or operated by his Department under a private finance initiative (PFI) arrangement; and which companies are involved with each such PFI arrangement. [267415]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department does not have any buildings that are owned or operated under a private finance initiative.
Departmental Cost-effectiveness
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to his Department’s most recent simplification plan, what reductions were made to its total administrative burden in each year since 2005-06. [261621]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Administrative burdens reductions in each year since 2005-06 were as follows:
| £ million | |
The baseline figure for administrative burdens as a result of DCMS regulation at the start of 2005-06 was 343.3 million.
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