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16 Jun 2009 : Column 197W—continued
Serious Organised Crime Agency: Manpower
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many liaison officers are employed by the Serious Organised Crime Agency; and what their average annual salary is. [278705]
Mr. Alan Campbell: As of 1 June 2009, the Serious Organised Crime Agency had 104 liaison officers based overseas. Liaison officer grades and salaries vary according to the post and responsibilities, but the majority of liaison officers are on a salary in the range of £40,586 to £54,050.
Serious Organised Crime Agency: Marketing
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on marketing and advertising by the Serious Organised Crime Agency in each of the last three years. [278442]
Alan Johnson: The only expenditure SOCA has incurred on advertising and marketing has been on recruiting for staff, on which the following was spent:
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UK Border Agency: Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK Border Agency plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 29 April 2009 on a constituent, reference B14712/9. [278498]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 8 June 2009]: The UK Border Agency wrote to my hon. Friend on 21 May 2009.
UK Border Agency: Telephone Services
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will allocate an 0300 telephone prefix to the UK Border Agency’s telephone numbers in order to reduce the cost of telephone calls to mobile telephone users; and if he will estimate the likely level of savings to (a) his Department and (b) service users of introducing such a change. [278374]
Mr. Woolas: The agency is currently reviewing moving all of its main contact centre numbers to 0300 numbers and has recently transferred its Sponsorship and Employer Helpline to an 0300 number.
From 1 August 2009 changes to 0870 numbers will come into effect. Ofcom has ruled that the cost to a caller of making an 0870 call must be the same as an 0300 call. UKBA callers will therefore be charged the same irrespective of whether they call an 0870 or an 0300 number from 1 August 2009.
The actual cost to the caller will depend upon their agreement with their service provider according to their geographic 01 or 02 rates, whether they call from a mobile or a landline.
The UK Border Agency does not receive revenue from 0870 or 0300 numbers.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to answer question 262469, tabled on 5 March 2009, on fines imposed on those selling alcohol to underage people. [278298]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The hon. Member’s question was answered on 8 June 2009, Official Report, columns 709-12W.
Communities and Local Government
Chorley Borough Council: Bank Services
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information he holds on the sum to be repaid to Chorley Borough Council from its deposit with Landsbanki; and when he expects the repayment to be made. [280053]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Central Government do not hold the information requested. The resolution committee for the bank, on which local authorities are represented, has published information on likely rates of return. The timetable of the administration process is a matter for the administrators. The Government have been doing everything they can to help local authorities, along with other creditors, get their money back. High-level discussions continue to ensure the fair and transparent treatment of UK creditors.
Chorley Borough Council: Complaints
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints have been received by Chorley Borough Council on council services in each of the last four quarters. [280410]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This information is not held centrally. This information can be obtained from the local authority.
Council Housing: Property Transfer
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) turnout and (b) result was of each local authority large-scale voluntary transfer of housing ballot since 1997. [279267]
Mr. Ian Austin: A table has been deposited in the Library setting out the turnout and the result of each local authority large-scale voluntary transfer of housing ballot since 1997.
Council Housing: Waiting Lists
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average waiting time for a person to obtain local authority housing with disabled access in Stockport was in the latest period for which figures are available. [279756]
Mr. Ian Austin: The information requested is not supplied via the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), nor through any other central reporting system submitted to Communities and Local Government, and as such the Department does not hold this information.
Councillors: Thames Gateway
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments have been made by Thames Gateway to councillors for participation in Thames Gateway meetings and activities in the last 12 months. [275631]
Derelict Land: Property Development
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of new homes were built on brownfield sites in (a) Tameside and (b) Stockport in each year since 1997. [279760]
Mr. Ian Austin: The proportions of new dwellings built on previously developed land by local authority area are published in the Department's Land Use Change Statistics Live Table 213. This table can be found at
The statistics are shown as for averages for the following periods 1992-95, 1996-99, 2000-03, 2004-07. Estimates for individual years at district level are not regarded as reliable.
Eco-Towns
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account the regional spatial strategy planning process will take of eco-town sites. [280033]
Mr. Ian Austin: The draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS)—Eco-towns—consultation published in November 2008 sets out that eco-towns are one of a range of options regions should consider when determining the overall level and distribution of housing in future RSS reviews. The draft PPS adds that where an eco-town location has already been identified in the eco-towns programme or in a development plan document or where a planning applications for an eco-town has been approved, regions should consider the location or the longer-term growth options for the eco-town.
The consultation period for the draft PPS concluded on 30 April and Government are currently considering the responses to the consultation.
Empty Property: Merseyside
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009, Official Report, columns 512-14W, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of long-term empty dwellings in Merseyside. [278596]
Mr. Ian Austin: We work closely with the independent Empty Homes Agency to encourage local authorities to tackle empty homes in their areas. Through the Housing Act 2004, we have introduced new powers to allow local authorities to take over the management of private sector empty homes (Empty Dwelling Management Orders) where a voluntary approach is not successful. We are supporting the Empty Homes Agency’s new guidance on EDMOs, which was launched on 10 March. The guidance is internet based and interactive and takes local authorities through the EDMO process step by step. My right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) provided a foreword for the guidance.
The Department hosted an empty homes seminar for a number of local authorities on 23 April to provide an opportunity to discuss the obstacles facing authorities in dealing with empty homes, share examples of best practice, and encourage them to take action to tackle empty homes in their area.
Fires
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009, Official Report, column 749W, on fires, what categories of household items are included in the statistical reporting of fire incidents as (a) item first ignited and (b) other. [280364]
Mr. Malik: Under the previous system of reporting fires, which ended in March 2009, the main headings of household items categories are as follows:
cooking
heating
lighting
other (electrical appliances)
clothing and textiles
furniture and furnishings
waste, other (mostly paper items).
All categories are listed on pages 40 to 49 of the “Fire Data Report Code List (version 5)”.
Similar categories are in use under the new Incident Recording System, and these are listed on pages 67 to 72 of “Incident Recording System Questions and Lists (version 1.1)”. Copies of both documents have been placed in the Library of the House.
Home Information Packs
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 8 May 2009, Official Report, columns 441-3W, on home information packs, for what reasons the public relations work relating to home information packs undertaken by Blue Rubicon was contracted out. [276922]
Mr. Ian Austin: The public relations work relating to home information packs undertaken by Blue Rubicon was contracted out in order to provide value for money. The agency selected was from the Central Office of Information public relations framework.
Homes and Communities Agency: Finance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much the (a) Homes and Communities Agency and (b) Tenant Services Authority spent on administration in 2008-09; [280402]
(2) what the budget of the (a) Homes and Communities Agency and (b) Tenant Services Authority was for 2008-09. [280405]
John Healey: In respect of the Homes and Communities Agency, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) gave him on 26 January 2009, Official Report, columns 113-14W.
The Tenant Services Authority’s final budget figures will be published in their annual report and accounts to be laid before Parliament later this year.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects the (a) Tenant Services Authority and (b) Homes and Communities Agency to publish accounts for 2008-09. [280403]
John Healey: The 2008-09 accounts for the Tenant Services Authority and the Homes and Communities Agency will be published later this year.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated to the (a) Homes and Communities Agency and (b) Tenant Services Authority for (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [280404]
John Healey: Funding for 2009-10 and 2010-11 for the Homes and Communities Agency will be set out in the HCA’s corporate plan.
For the Tenant Services Authority’s funding, I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 23 March 2009, Official Report, column 78W, to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow).
Housing: Construction
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes were built in Milton Keynes in each of the last 48 months. [280347]
Mr. Ian Austin: New house building statistics are not collected on a monthly basis, but on a quarterly basis. The number of new build homes completed in Milton Keynes in each of the last eight quarters is shown in the table.
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