Mr. Holloway:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make an assessment of the effect of the new home information pack rules on the housing market. [269457]
Mr. Iain Wright:
The Home Information Pack (Amendment) (No.3) Regulations 2008 were accompanied by a regulatory impact assessment setting out our assessment of the effect of the new rules which came into force on 6 April 2009.
Council Tax
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of unitary authorities which have set their absolute rate of council tax since the establishment of unitary local government arrangements. [268880]
John Healey:
All 56 unitary authorities in England have set their absolute rate of council tax in 2009-10. Details of the levels of council tax they set in 2009-10 are given in the statistical release Levels of Council Tax Set by Local Authorities : England 2009-10 that was published on the Communities and Local Government website on Thursday 26 March 2009. It can be found at:
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much revenue was raised in absolute terms through the fire precept on council tax in each precepting authority in the last year for which figures are available. [268924]
John Healey:
Information on the council tax requirement of precepting fire authorities in England in 2007-08 is as shown:
21 Apr 2009 : Column 536W
Fire authority
Council tax requirement in 2007-08 (£000)
Avon Combined Fire Authority
19,068
Bedfordshire Combined Fire Authority
15,159
Berkshire Combined Fire Authority
16,142
Buckinghamshire Combined Fire Authority
14,924
Cambridgeshire Combined Fire Authority
13,812
Cheshire Combined Fire Authority
22,376
Cleveland Combined Fire Authority
9,377
Derbyshire Combined Fire Authority
19,461
Devon and Somerset Combined Fire Authority
37,856
Dorset Combined Fire Authority
15,413
Durham Combined Fire Authority
14,852
East Sussex Combined Fire Authority
21,864
Essex Combined Fire Authority
37,688
Greater Manchester Fire and CD Authority
37,508
Hampshire Combined Fire Authority
34,567
Hereford and Worcester Combined Fire Authority
17,868
Humberside Combined Fire Authority
19,888
Kent Combined Fire Authority
37,925
Lancashire Combined Fire Authority
26,707
Leicestershire Combined Fire Authority
14,676
Merseyside Fire and CD Authority
24,519
North Yorkshire Combined Fire Authority
16,376
Nottinghamshire Combined Fire Authority
20,601
Shropshire Combined Fire Authority
11,782
South Yorkshire Fire and CD Authority
20,241
Staffordshire Combined Fire Authority
21,227
Tyne and Wear Fire and CD Authority
22,412
West Midlands Fire and CD Authority
34,767
West Yorkshire Fire and CD Authority
31,661
Wiltshire Combined Fire Authority
13,371
Total
664,088
Source:
Communities and Local Government 2007-08 Revenue Outturn Forms.
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average percentage change was in the council tax precepts levied by (a) district councils, (b) county councils, (c) London boroughs, (d) unitary authorities, (e) metropolitan boroughs and (f) police authorities since 1997-98. [268926]
John Healey:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 31 March 2009, Official Report, column 1043W.
21 Apr 2009 : Column 537W
Councillors: Vetting
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance (a) her Department and (b) the Standards Board has issued to local authorities on the undertaking of Criminal Records Bureau checks in respect of councillors who (a) have and (b) do not have responsibility for functions relating to children or vulnerable adults. [268923]
John Healey:
While neither my Department, nor the Standards Board for England, has issued such guidance to local authorities about criminal record checks, guidance is available from the Criminal Records Bureau.
21 Apr 2009 : Column 538W
Fires
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were rescued by the Fire and Rescue Service from (a) all fires and (b) dwellings fires in each (i) fire authority area and (ii) region in each of the last three years. [266400]
Mr. Khan:
Information on the number of people rescued (uninjured) from fires in England, by the Fire and Rescue Service, over the last three years is available in the table.
Rescues from fires in dwellings by FRS personnel( 1) by year, England, 2005-07( 2)
2005
2006
2007
FRS area
Total
Dwelling
Other location
Total
Dwelling
Other location
Total
Dwelling
Other location
England
3,590
3,173
417
3,838
3,366
472
3,504
3,084
420
North East
230
209
21
227
207
20
220
183
37
Cleveland
39
37
2
44
44
0
24
24
0
Durham
30
23
7
51
47
4
52
49
3
Northumberland
13
13
0
13
13
0
5
3
2
Tyne and Wear
148
136
12
119
103
16
139
107
32
North West
681
618
63
644
553
91
585
534
51
Cheshire
63
63
0
75
70
5
40
40
0
Cumbria
27
25
2
27
20
7
30
26
4
Greater Manchester
311
275
36
266
217
49
222
197
25
Lancashire
147
138
9
174
153
21
130
126
4
Merseyside
133
117
16
102
93
9
163
145
18
Yorkshire and The Humber
496
434
62
505
446
59
394
371
23
Humberside
102
97
5
179
153
26
109
100
9
North Yorkshire
48
47
1
41
36
5
26
24
2
South Yorkshire
101
94
7
112
98
14
139
132
7
West Yorkshire
245
196
49
173
159
14
120
115
5
East Midlands
271
240
31
247
215
32
209
194
15
Derbyshire
46
43
3
44
39
5
40
37
3
Leicestershire
42
42
0
43
40
3
48
46
2
Lincolnshire
17
15
2
35
22
13
38
37
1
Northamptonshire
53
47
6
19
18
1
22
21
1
Nottinghamshire
113
93
20
106
96
10
61
53
8
West Midlands
327
297
30
302
277
25
355
313
42
Hereford and Worcester
28
24
4
14
14
0
43
43
0
Shropshire
23
15
8
8
8
0
20
20
0
Staffordshire
53
48
5
67
65
2
107
79
28
Warwickshire
14
14
0
49
43
6
24
24
0
West Midlands
209
196
13
164
147
17
161
147
14
East of England
297
269
28
244
222
22
377
329
48
Bedfordshire
66
62
4
50
46
4
26
26
0
Cambridgeshire
34
32
2
33
33
0
36
30
6
Essex
65
52
13
34
33
1
163
150
13
Hertfordshire
49
47
2
61
49
12
82
80
2
Norfolk
37
30
7
43
39
4
60
34
26
Suffolk
46
46
0
23
22
1
10
9
1
21 Apr 2009 : Column 539W
21 Apr 2009 : Column 540W
Greater London
544
496
48
692
632
60
571
499
72
South East
469
373
96
534
474
60
439
363
76
Berkshire
41
38
3
62
49
13
56
42
13
Buckinghamshire
20
20
0
40
27
13
34
29
5
East Sussex
86
78
8
47
40
7
118
84
34
Hampshire
95
89
6
149
132
17
84
84
0
Isle of Wight
7
4
3
1
1
0
2
2
0
Kent
115
58
57
144
137
7
48
44
5
Oxfordshire
26
23
3
12
12
0
23
21
2
Surrey
40
31
9
47
47
0
28
16
12
West Sussex
39
32
7
32
29
3
46
41
5
South West
275
237
38
443
340
103
354
298
56
Avon
69
66
3
87
79
8
53
45
8
Cornwall
12
10
2
9
6
3
50
49
1
Devon
106
87
19
81
75
6
95
87
8
Dorset
7
7
0
28
27
1
23
22
1
Gloucestershire
25
23
2
40
28
12
34
18
16
Somerset
22
21
1
122
88
34
55
39
16
Wiltshire
34
23
11
76
37
39
44
38
6
(1) Rescue figures are based on sampled, weighted data (2) Data for 2007 are provisional and subject to change Source:
DCLG Ref: 2009021_PM (2005-2007p).sas on 23 March 2009
