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12 May 2009 : Column 725W—continued

Planning Permission: Costs

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the effect of recent changes to the planning appeals system in relation to extending the costs regimes on local authorities' expenditure for paying out cost claims to applicants who make a planning application and are refused but who win on appeal. [273718]

Mr. Iain Wright: An assessment of the impacts of the guidance in Circular 03/09 ‘Costs Awards in Appeals and other Planning Proceedings’ and the extension of the costs regime to appeals dealt with on the basis of representations in writing can be accessed via the following link:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/impactassessmentcosts

12 May 2009 : Column 726W

Parties to an appeal are normally expected to meet their own expenses. Costs will normally be awarded where the following conditions have been met:

a party has made a timely application for an award of costs;

the party against whom the award is sought has acted unreasonably; and

the unreasonable behaviour has caused the party applying for costs to incur unnecessary or wasted expense in the appeal process—either the whole of the expense because it should not have been necessary for the matter to be determined by the Secretary of State or appointed Inspector, or part of the expense because of the manner in which a party has behaved in the process.

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 23 April 2009, Official Report, column 889W, on Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, which public body made each of the 29 bookings; what the date and purpose of each booking was; what rooms were hired on each occasion; and what the aggregate revenue to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre was from those bookings. [272147]

Mr. Iain Wright: This is an operational matter for the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and I have asked the chief executive of the Agency to respond to the hon. Member direct.

Letter from Ernest Vincent, dated 12 May 2009:

Your Parliamentary question asking the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 23 April 2009, Official Report, column 889W, on Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) Conference Centre, if she will list the public bodies that made each of the 29 bookings; what was the date and purpose of each booking; what rooms were hired on each occasion; and what was the aggregate revenue to the QE2 Conference Centre from those bookings has been passed to me for reply.

The information you request is listed below and the aggregate revenue from these bookings has been calculated as £766,320.00:

12 May 2009 : Column 727W

12 May 2009 : Column 728W

	Public bodies	Rooms
22 April 2008	Scheme 2009: Identity Cards for Airport Workers (Identity and Passport Service)	Churchill Auditorium and Pickwick Suite
28 April 2008	OSC Info Sharing Day (Department for Children, Schools and Families)	Mountbatten Room, Mountbatten Lounge, Keats Room, Robert Burns Room, Shelley Room and Wordsworth Room
19 May 2008	National Pandemic Influenza Workshop (Cabinet Office)	Westminster Suite, St. James’s Suite, Chaucer Room, Keats Room, Robert Burns Room, Shelley Room, Wesley Room, Wordsworth Room
28 May 2008	Making the Difference: Equality, Diversity and the Fire and Rescue Service (Department for Communities and Local Government)	Mountbatten Room and Mountbatten Lounge
11 June 2008	Trust Schools Conference 2008 (Department for Children, Schools and Families)	Mountbatten Room and Mountbatten Lounge, Crown Room, Sovereign Room, Wesley Room, Wordsworth Room
15-20 June 2008	Financial Action Taskforce Conference (HM Treasury)	Fleming Room, Benjamin Britten Lounge, Guild Room, Caxton West, Chaucer Room, Whittle Room, Churchill Auditorium, Crown Room
26 June 2008	MoJ IT Profession (Ministry of Justice)	Mountbatten Room and Mountbatten Lounge, Abbey Room, Elizabeth Windsor Room, Henry Moore Room, Rutherford Room, St. James’s Suite, Westminster Suite
2 July 2008	Healthcare for London Stakeholder Event (NHS London)	Mountbatten Room and Mountbatten Lounge
16 July 2008	NHS Press Conference (NHS London)	Fleming Room and Benjamin Britten Lounge
23 September 2008	SCS Forum (Department of Health)	Churchill Auditorium and Pickwick Suite
29 September 2008	D C & L Away Day: Making Connections (Ministry of Justice)	Fleming Room and Benjamin Britten Lounge, Whittle Rooms
8 October 2008	NHS Consultants Contract Conference (NHS Employers)	Churchill Auditorium and Pickwick Suite, Abbey Room, Elizabeth Windsor Room, Henry Moore Room, Rutherford Room, St. James’s Suite
9 October 2008	REACH Role Model Sift Event (Department for Communities and Local Government)	Henry Moore Room and Rutherford Room
9 October 2008	Celebrating Success 2008 (Department for Children, Schools and Families)	Churchill Auditorium and Pickwick Suite
22 October 2008	DCLG: Collaborative Procurement Forum (Department for Communities and Local Government)	Henry Moore Room and Rutherford Room
31 October 2008	Skills for Life Conference 2008—Building on Success: Meeting New Challenges (Department for Children, Schools and Families)	Fleming Room and Benjamin Britten Lounge, Abbey Room, Byron Room, Chaucer Room, Crown Room, Elizabeth Windsor Room, Guild Room, Henry Moore Room, Keats Room, Robert Burns Room, Rutherford Room, Shelley Room, Sovereign, St. James’s Suite, Wesley Room, Westminster Suite, Whittle Room, Wordsworth Room
17 November 2008	Above and Beyond (The British Council)	Mountbatten Room and Mountbatten Lounge, Abbey Room, Byron Room, Elizabeth Windsor Room, Henry Moore Room, Rutherford Room, St. James’s Suite, Wesley Room, Westminster Suite
7-8 December 2008	NHS Chief Executives Video Conference (Department of Health)	Mountbatten Room and Mountbatten Lounge
9 December 2008	PREVENT 08 (Department for Communities and Local Government)	Fleming and Whittle Rooms and Benjamin Britten Lounge, Abbey Room, Byron Room, Caxton Lounge, Chaucer Room, Elizabeth Windsor Room, Guild Room, Henry Moore Room, Keats Room, Robert Burns Room, Rutherford Room, Shelley Room, Sovereign Room, St. James’s Suite, Wesley Room, Westminster Suite, Wordsworth Room
22 January 2009	GEO SSG Meeting (Government Equalities Office)	Henry Moore Room
28 January 2009	UKBA Senior Manager’s Event (Home Office)	Fleming Room and Benjamin Britten Lounge, Crown Room, Guild Room
5 February 2009	Local Involvement Networks (Links) ‘Getting Better Together Conference’ (Department of Health)	Fleming and Benjamin Britten Lounge, Abbey Room, Henry Moore Room, Rutherford Room, St. James’s Suite, Wesley Room
9 February 2009	UK Border Agency: Assisted Voluntary Returns Seminar (Home Office)	Mountbatten Room and Mountbatten Lounge, Wesley Room, Wordsworth Room
10 February 2009	HPV Implementation Immunisation Programme National Conference (Department of Health)	Mountbatten Room and Mountbatten Lounge
26 February 2009	Information about Children, Education and Schools Conference (Department for Children, Schools and Families)	Fleming Room and Benjamin Britten Lounge, Abbey Room, Henry Moore Room, Rutherford Room
20 March 2009	RC (S) Senior Officials Meeting (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)	Whittle Room and Caxton Lounge
23-24 March 2009	FCO Leadership Conference 2009 (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)	Fleming Room and Benjamin Britten Lounge, Caxton Lounge, St. James’s Suite, Westminster Suite, Whittle Room, Fleet Room, Guild Room
24 March 2009	Home Office Senior Civil Service Conference (Home Office)	Churchill Auditorium and Pickwick Suite, Sovereign Room
20 March 2009	Care Quality Commission ‘Kick Off’ Event (COI)	Churchill Auditorium and Pickwick Suite, Abbey Room, Henry Moore Room, Shelley Room, St. James’s Suite, Westminster Suite

A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2009, Official Report, column 889W, on the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, what the title was of each conference held at the centre by Central Government Departments was; which Department sponsored each event; and how much was charged for each event. [272555]

Mr. Iain Wright: This is an operational matter for the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and I have asked the chief executive of the agency to write to the hon. Member direct.

Letter from Ernest Vincent, dated 12 May 2009:

Your Parliamentary question asking the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2009, Official Report, column 889W, on Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, what the title of each conference held at the centre by central government department was; which Department sponsored each event; and how much was charged for each event has been passed to me for reply.

As has been stated in the reply to the Answer of 23 April 2009, the policy of the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre is not to offer discounted rates. Complimentary room hire is offered on very rare occasions and only with my authorisation. There also must be good reason to do so. The meetings below were, bar one, charged at the standard list price. The amounts below are exclusive of VAT.

12 May 2009 : Column 729W

12 May 2009 : Column 730W

Date	Conference	Department	Cost (£)
22 April 2008	Scheme 2009: Identity Cards for Airport Workers	Identity and Passport Service	10,230.00
28 April 2008	OSC Info Sharing Day	Department for Children, Schools and Families	12,502.50
19 May 2008	National Pandemic Influenza Workshop	Cabinet Office	7,345.00
28 May 2008	Making the Difference: Equality, Diversity and the Fire and Rescue Service	Department for Communities and Local Government	7,485.00
11 June 2008	Trust Schools Conference 2008	Department for Children, Schools and Families	9,505.00
15-20 June 2008	Financial Action Taskforce Conference	HM Treasury	84,485.00
26 June 2008	MoJ IT Profession	Ministry of Justice	15,020.00
2 July 2008	Healthcare for London Stakeholder Event	NHS London	8,685.00
16 July 2008	NHS Press Conference	NHS London	13,545.00
23 September 2008	SCS Forum	Department of Health	9,645.00
29 September 2008	D C & L Away Day: Making Connections	Ministry of Justice	17,815.00
8 October 2008	NHS Consultants Contract Conference	NHS Employers	15,788.50
9 October 2008	REACH Role Model Sift Event	Department for Communities and Local Government	2,090.00
9 October 2008	Celebrating Success 2008	Department for Children, Schools and Families	11,805.00
22 October 2008	DCLG: Collaborative Procurement Forum	Department for Communities and Local Government	Chief Executive’s invitation to DCLG colleagues to use QEII Conference Centre for a discussion about collaborative procurement
31 October 2008	Skills for Life Conference 2008	Department for Children, Schools and Families	30,815.00
17 November 2008	Above and Beyond	The British Council	16,616.00
7 December 2008	NHS Chief Executives Video Conference	Department of Health	12,930.00
9 December 2008	PREVENT 08	Department for Communities and Local Government	30,710.00
22 January 2009	GEO SSG Meeting	Government Equalities Office	1,005.00
28 January 2009	UKBA Senior Manager’s Event	Home Office	12,775.00
5 February 2009	Local Involvement Networks (Links) ‘Getting Better Together Conference’	Department of Health	15,740.00
9 February 2009	UK Border Agency: Assisted Voluntary Returns Seminar	Home Office	8,745.00
10 February 2009	HPV Implementation Immunisation Programme National Conference	Department of Health	6,885.00
26 February 2009	Information about Children, Education and Schools Conference	Department for Children, Schools and Families	16,335.00
20 March 2009	RC (S) Senior Officials Meeting	Foreign & Commonwealth Office	7,515.00
23-24 March 2009	FCO Leadership Conference 2009	Foreign & Commonwealth Office	43,700.00
24 March 09	Home Office Senior Civil Service Conference	Home Office	9,850.00
19-21 April 2009	Care Quality Commission ‘Kick Off’ Event	COI	45,447.50

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