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8 May 2009 : Column 440W—continued
Schools: Construction
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of the budget required for school building provision in the academic year 2009-10. [273991]
Jim Knight: The Department’s information on forecast spend is held on a financial year basis. Most capital projects are delivered over more than one financial year, and the Department’s financial planning is based on a three yearly spending cycle. For 2009-10 financial year, our current forecast is to support investment in schools of around £7.5 billion. This forecast is under continuous review and will be subject to change. In addition, £1.3 billion of PFI credits are available to be allocated through Building Schools for the Future.
Special Educational Needs
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs who attended mainstream schools took an unauthorised absence from school in each year since 1997. [271830]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The available information is shown in the table.
Data on pupil characteristics linked to absence was collected in the School Census for the first time in 2005/06, but was collected from secondary schools only, therefore information on absence for pupils with statements of special educational needs prior to 2005/06 cannot be provided. In 2006/07 data was also collected from primary and special schools.
Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need for behavioural, emotional and social difficulties received (a) a fixed-period and (b) permanent exclusion from a mainsteam school in the most recent year for which figures are available; [273642]
(2) how many and what proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need were given (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five, (f) six, (g) seven, (h) eight, (i) nine and (j) 10 or more fixed-period exclusions in the most recent year for which figures are available. [273644]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. This is because the special educational needs status can change between periods of exclusion and the Department is currently working on a methodology for the analysis of this information.
Communities and Local Government
Derelict Land: Gardens
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam of 2 April 2009, Official Report, columns 1503-5W, on gardens, if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter requesting data on planning provisions sent to local planning authorities. [273366]
Margaret Beckett: A copy of the letter was placed in the Library (reference DEP2009-1135) on 17 April 2009.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam of 2 April 2009, Official Report, columns 1503-5W, on gardens, what timetable she has set for the report of the garden land review. [273367]
Margaret Beckett: Our aim is to conclude the second stage of the review by the summer.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam of 2 April 2009, Official Report, columns 1503-5W, on gardens, what arrangements she has made for external analysis of the data. [273368]
Margaret Beckett: We will publish further details of the second stage of the review when the results of the first stage are clear.
Eco-Towns: Publicity
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what external (a) companies and (b) consultants her Department has retained for the purpose of promoting eco-towns; and at what cost. [273434]
Margaret Beckett: The Department has retained no public affairs companies and consultants in relation to the promotion of eco-towns.
In order to promote the public consultation on eco-towns, the Department contracted the Central Office of Information to provide a range of marketing and public relations services, elements of which they allocated to agencies on their frameworks.
The Department also contracted the following marketing services agencies in relation to this work:
Redhouse Lane
Skyline Whitespace
Transmedia
Louise Burston
The Department will publish a breakdown of expenditure in relation to promoting the eco-towns public consultation on its website in conjunction with the publication of its next annual report.
Energy Performance Certificates
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect on the effectiveness of energy performance certificates of enabling the Act on CO2 advice line to contact home buyers and sellers to advise on support in improving the energy rating of their homes. [271570]
Margaret Beckett: No such assessment has been made. We are working with the Energy Savings Trust, who operate the Act on CO2 advice line, to identify homes with poor energy efficiency ratings and to better target their advice.
Home Information Packs
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what external (a) companies and (b) consultants have been contracted by her Department to promote home information packs; and at what cost. [273471]
Margaret Beckett: In the financial year (2008-09) the Department conducted a campaign to meet its duty to inform industry and consumers of changes to HEPs as of 6 April 2009 and also to promote wider Government information for those buying or selling homes. The Department contracted the following activity through the Central Office of Information who engaged appropriate suppliers through their framework.
| £ | |
In addition the Department contracted Blue Rubicon for Public Relations activity.
Public Relations—£232,400
Homes and Communities Agency: Finance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much was received by the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessor bodies in asset sales in each of the last five years; and how much grant-in-aid each such body received in each of those years; [270572]
(2) how much was spent by the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessor bodies on administration in each of the last five years. [270605]
Margaret Beckett: The predecessor bodies for the Homes and Communities Agency were English Partnerships, the investment arm of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities. A range of departmental programmes also transferred to the Agency from Communities and Local Government.
For the years 2004-05 to 2007-08 inclusive, figures for (i) asset sales receipts, (ii) grant in aid received, and (iii) spend on administration for English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation can be found in their published annual report and accounts each year.
With regard to the Academy for Sustainable Communities (which did not come into being until 2005-06), asset sales receipts were consolidated within the annual report and accounts of its parent organisation, Yorkshire Forward. The Academy was not funded on a grant in aid basis. Spend on administration (including staff costs, rent, rates, travel and marketing) by the Academy was as follows:
| Amount (£ million) | |
Figures for the HCA will be published in its annual report and accounts 2008-09. Figures for 2008-09 for English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation will appear in what will be their final annual reports and accounts in light of their wind up.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many asset sales by the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessor bodies involved receipts of (a) between £500,000 and £750,000, (b) between £750,000 and £1 million and (c) over £1 million in each of the last five years; how much was received in each case; and how many such sales involved the disposal of assets (i) purchased, (ii) developed and (iii) improved with public funds. [270574]
Margaret Beckett: The predecessor bodies of the Homes and Communities Agency were English Partnerships, the investment arm of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities. A range of departmental programmes also transferred to the Agency from Communities and Local Government.
The following table shows the number of development asset sales by the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessor bodies over the last five years and the total amount received for those receipts in the categories shown.
| (a) Between £0.5 million and £0.75 million | (b) Between £0.75 million and £1 million | (c) Over £1 million | ||
Audited information is not yet available for the amount received in 2008-09.
The answer to the latter part of the question could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what losses attributable to overpayments of (a) grants and (b) subsidies the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessor bodies incurred in each of the last five years. [270602]
Margaret Beckett: The predecessor bodies for the Homes and Communities Agency were English Partnerships, the investment arm of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities. A range of departmental programmes also transferred to the agency from Communities and Local Government.
The HCA and its predecessor bodies did not incur any losses through the overpayment of grant over the last five years.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the agreed administration budget for the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessor bodies was in each of the last five years. [270606]
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