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6 May 2009 : Column 228W—continued
Communities and Local Government
62 South Eaton Place
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department owns the property at 62 South Eaton Place, London for the purposes of the Land Registry. [253890]
Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
My Department holds this property by way of a leasehold interest although as is normal legal title is vested in the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government as the property forms part of the Government's civil estate.
Angling: Planning Permission
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 17 March 2009, Official Report, column 1096W, on angling, if she will ensure that the review of planning application fees takes into account the effect on the construction of fishing lakes by commercial enterprises of changes in the levels of (a) planning fees and (b) mineral extraction charges. [273472]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Government are currently conducting a review of planning application fees and as part of that review, we are assessing the effect of recent increases on the construction of fishing lakes.
Audit Commission: Public Relations
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 12 March 2009, Official Report, column 752W, on publicity, what projects were undertaken by each of the public relations companies hired by the Audit Commission; and for what reason the Commission did not use its own staff in each case. [272332]
Mr. Khan: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 6 May 2009:
Your Parliamentary question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
Geronimo Communications—£45,600
The Audit Commission contracted with Geronimo, an advertising and communications company, to supply an interim Director of Communications to cover the gap between the resignation of Jenny Grey, who left the Audit Commission to become Director of Communications at the Cabinet Office, and the appointment of a successor. The payment covered the services of a senior executive with board level experience, Marina Pirotta, from June to October 2008. Ms Pirotta brought experience and knowledge that was, by definition, not available within the commission.
Consolidated Communications—£137,700
The Audit Commission contracted with Consolidated Communications, a communications and public relations company, in 2006 and 2007 during a period of substantial reorganisation of its publishing and media relations. Consolidated offered advice and support, replacing functions that, temporarily, were not available in house.
Fishburn Hedges—£141,900
In order to set up Comprehensive Area Assessment, the Audit Commission is creating, in collaboration with other inspectorates, new ways of reaching out to the general public, and providing them with information about how their areas are fairing. Graphics and branding specialists from Fishburn Hedges were appointed in autumn 2008 to carry out research and graphical development. The Audit Commission did not have these skills in house.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Community Development: Finance
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many community projects formerly funded by her Department have had their funding from her Department discontinued in the last 12 months; [272869]
(2) how many community projects funded by her Department have started in the last 12 months. [272870]
Mr. Khan: The Department provides funding to local authorities and national or regional third sector organisations for a range of projects and initiatives designed to support communities. However most community projects are funded locally and so information about the total number of projects started in the last 12 months or those which are no longer funded is not held centrally.
Community Relations
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many groups receiving funding from local authorities in support of work to prevent violent extremism use subcontractors; what measures are in place to monitor the work of such subcontractors; and if she will make a statement. [271516]
Mr. Khan: As the hon. Member will know, funding in support of the preventing violent extremism agenda is provided through Area Based Grant to local authorities. Area Based Grant is a mechanism for providing non-ring fenced funding to local authorities to enable them to deliver their area priorities. Local authorities are responsible for monitoring the use and performance of subcontractors and have their own mechanisms in place for doing so.
Community Relations: Religion
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 4 March 2009, Official Report, columns 1644-5W, on community relations: religion, which organisations each of the regional faith forums has funded to date. [272150]
Mr. Khan: Funding is provided to the forums by Communities and Local Government for them to take forward the regional strand of the inter faith framework, “Face-to-Face and Side-by-Side”. The regional faith forums are not grant making bodies. However we are aware that in some circumstances they may fund third party organisations to support the wider regional implementation of the inter faith framework. We do not routinely collect this information but believe this to amount to no more than £10,000.00 nationally during 2008-09.
Conveyancing: Fees and Charges
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department holds on (a) the property search fees levied by each local authority and (b) variance between local authorities in property search fees. [272341]
Margaret Beckett: The Department holds information on those local authorities who made available information on the fees charged for local inquiries (CON29) search of 1 April 2007, which showed that the average fee charged for a CON29 search was £114 and ranged from £28 to £244. We are currently collecting data on the fees charged by local authorities as of 1 April 2009 following the implementation of the Local Authorities (England)(Charges for Property Searches) Regulations 2008.
Council Housing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing units were held by (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords in each region in each year since 1997. [273347]
Mr. Iain Wright: The following table shows the total number of dwellings owned by local authorities and registered social landlords in each region in each year from 1997.
| Thousands of dwellings | |||||||||
| North East | North West | Yorkshire & Humber | East Midlands | West Midlands | East | London | South East | South West | |
| Sources: 1. Census 2001; 2. Housing Flows Reconciliation and joint returns by local authorities; 3. Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) submitted to Communities and Local Government by local authorities; 4. Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR) as reported to the Housing Corporation by registered social landlords | |||||||||
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