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23 Apr 2009 : Column 889W—continued
Non-Domestic Rates: Fire Services
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much money was raised by charging business rates on fire stations in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) England in each of the last five years. [270692]
John Healey: This information is not held centrally.
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what bookings the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre has arranged at (a) commercial and (b) discounted rates for Whitehall-based Government departments in the last 12 months. [270567]
Mr. Iain Wright: During the last 12 months the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre arranged 29 bookings from central Government Departments. The policy of the Centre is not to offer discounted rates. All these events were charged at the standard list price.
Regional Spatial Strategies
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to paragraph 6.5 of her Department's document entitled Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill: policy document on regional strategies, if she will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each meeting of the SNR Transition Steering Group to date; and what the membership of the Steering Group is. [268690]
John Healey: The discussions had at SNR Transition Steering Groups were held in confidence and in part relate to advice to Ministers. Summaries of Steering Group discussions and outcomes of meetings I will place in the Library of the House in the near future.
The current membership of the Steering Group consists of officials from:
Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Department for Communities and Local Government
Regional Development Agencies Network
English Regions Network
Government Office Network
Local Government Association
DEFRA, Treasury and DfT receive agendas and notes of meetings, and attend when issues of interest are to be discussed.
Rents
Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will introduce legislation to limit private sector rent increases in respect of small businesses. [270202]
Mr. Iain Wright: Rents of business premises are set in the market by agreement between the parties. The Government do not plan to limit increases. However, when business tenancies expire, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 gives the tenant the right to a new tenancy and restricts the rent to the market value. The new rent will be fixed by the courts if the parties cannot agree. This protection is not available in cases where the tenant agrees to 'contract out' of the protection of the Act before the grant of the original lease.
More generally, the Government are keen to promote more flexible leasing arrangements in the commercial sector, along with greater awareness among small businesses about the implications of lease terms. It is important that, subject to market conditions, tenants should be able to negotiate terms reflecting their business needs. The Government remain committed to lease reform and, dependent upon the impact of the 'Code for Leasing Business Premises in England and Wales 2007', has not ruled out legislation as an option in the longer term.
Temporary Accommodation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost of housing a homeless household in temporary accommodation in terms of (a) accommodation costs for households in social rented housing and (b) housing benefit for households in private rented housing was in the latest period for which information is available. [270244]
Mr. Iain Wright: This information is not collected centrally.
Tenant Services Authority
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009, Official Report, column 79W, on the Tenant Services Authority, what the cost under each budget heading was of each regional National Conversation event for tenants. [268917]
Mr. Iain Wright: The TSA held 11 tenants events in various parts of the country; the location and cost of each are set out in detail in the following table. Where venues were charged a ‘delegate rate’ this included refreshments. In those circumstances, we are unable to disaggregate these costs.
The TSA organised five landlord events and 11 tenant events. In order to reduce costs, the TSA used the services of a venue funding agency called Crème Conferences who renegotiated the total venue costs and saved the TSA a total of £44,214.76.
| £ | |||||||
| Venue | Location | Room hire | Day delegate rate | Catering | Extras | Refund | Total cost including VAT |
| (1) Refund in Durham for room not appropriately prepared. (2) Extras in Twickenham for extension leads. (3) Refund in Twickenham for a catering change. (4) Extras in Plymouth for broadband service and refreshments (tea and coffee) for TSA personnel. | |||||||
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009, Official Report, column 79W, on the Tenant Services Authority, how much was spent on each National Conversation event for landlords (a) in total, (b) on venue hire and (c) on food and drink. [268918]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (PQ 268917).
The TSA held five landlord events in Birmingham, Exeter, Durham, Manchester and London. Where venues were charged a ‘delegate rate’ this included refreshments. In those circumstances, we are unable to disaggregate these costs.
The TSA organised five landlord events and 11 tenant events. In order to reduce costs, the TSA used the services of a venue funding agency called Crème Conferences who renegotiated the total venue costs and saved the TSA a total of £44,214.76.
| £ | ||||||
| Venue | Location | Room hire | Day delegate rate | Catering | Refund | Total cost including VAT |
| (1) Refund in Durham for a catering change. | ||||||
Travelling People: Caravan Sites
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department issues on the land area to be allocated to a Traveller’s pitch on a local authority site. [270527]
Mr. Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government does not specify the land area to be allocated to a Traveller’s pitch on a local authority site. However, “Designing Gypsy and Traveller Sites: Good Practice Guide” provides guidance on what an average family pitch should be capable of accommodating. The site design guidance, which is aimed at socially rented sites, makes clear that there is no one size fits all measurement for a pitch and this will depend on the size of families and their needs. The guide is available on our website at:
Zero Carbon Hub
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the performance of the Zero-Carbon Hub against its objectives to date. [270118]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department receives regular reports from the Zero Carbon Hub on progress against its objectives and is satisfied with the progress being made.
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