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18 Jun 2009 : Column 469W—continued
| Accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses in England via PCAS 1986 to 1993 | ||||||
| UK domiciled students | ||||||
| England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | UK unknown | Total | |
| Source: PCAS annual published reports | ||||||
Communities and Local Government
Council Tax
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department’s policy is on who should be responsible for making council tax payments for private sector rented properties. [280909]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government policy on who is liable for council tax is set out in section 6 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. We have no plans to change this.
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance is provided to local councils on the level of council tax that should be paid on second homes. [280914]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Communities and Local Government has not issued any guidance to local councils on the level of council tax that should be paid on second homes. The administration of council tax is the responsibility of individual local authorities and it is they who set the levels of council tax, including any discounts or exemptions.
Council Tax: Overpayments
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward legislative proposals for local authorities to be required to pay interest to council taxpayers in respect of overpayments of council tax. [280742]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst on 12 February 2009, Official Report, 2214-15W.
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to which (a) magazines, (b) journals and (c) newspapers his Department subscribes; and what the cost of such subscriptions has been in each of the last three years. [280767]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Eco-Towns: Internet
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2009, Official Report, column 1690W, on eco-towns: internet, (1) how many (a) unique visitors and (b) page impressions have been received by the ecotownsyoursay.direct.gov.uk website to date; [280652]
(2) what the cost to his Department of the ecotownsyoursay.direct.gov.uk website has been to date. [280722]
John Healey: The full cost to the Department of the website
for the financial year 2008-09 will be published shortly after the Department’s annual report on the Department’s website.
Between 4 November 2008 when the
website was set up and 31 March 2009 it had received 33,220 unique visitors and 164,727 page impressions. Annual statistics on visits will be made available.
Local Government: Political Activities
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for changing the political restrictions on council group political assistants. [280018]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Any decision will be made as part of our continuing oversight of the framework for ensuring there is clarity about political roles in local government.
Non-domestic Rates
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent research his Department has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned on the effect of a universal business rate on local economies. [280740]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No such research has been commissioned or evaluated by Communities and Local Government.
Non-Domestic Rates
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department takes in respect of the performance of local authorities with national non-domestic rates collection rates below the national average. [280016]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The collection of council tax and business rates is a matter for local authorities. The 2007-08 in-year collection rate for non-domestic rates in England was 98.8 per cent.
Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent members of staff in (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; how many of them are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans he has for future staffing levels in each case. [279819]
Mr. Malik: For Communities and Local Government as at 1 July there will be approximately nine full-time equivalent staff working on different aspects of the Olympic programme within the central Department. Within this figure around three full-time equivalents work on project and legacy management; three on project oversight; and one on financial oversight. The remainder, two full-time equivalents, work on administration and specialist risk management. There are no immediate plans for a change in the staffing levels but this will be kept under review.
Within the Homes and Communities Agency and the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, work on London 2012 Olympic issues is carried out as it arises in the course of normal business.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer question 280051, tabled on 10 June 2009, on the Home Owner Mortgage Protection Scheme. [281287]
John Healey: I have replied to the hon. Member’s question.
Health
Benzodiazepines
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has evaluated on the safety of use of benzodiazepine tranquillisers in clinical practice; and whether it plans to (a) update product information for prescribers and patients and (b) take other steps in response to the findings of such research. [280202]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously monitors the safety of all medicines in routine clinical practice in the United Kingdom, and where necessary, takes suitable action to safeguard public health.
The MHRA uses a variety of methods of collecting information on medicines safety in clinical use. Health care professionals and patients are encouraged to report suspected adverse drug reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme, including the occurrence of dependence and addiction. Pharmaceutical companies are legally obliged to report such cases to the MHRA. These data are carefully and regularly screened to identify possible new drug safety signals.
No new safety signals have been identified recently in relation to benzodiazepines which would require further regulatory action individually or as a class. As new data become available the MHRA keeps the need for regulatory action under review.
The current product information for health care professionals and patients accurately reflects the information known about the risks associated with benzodiazepine use and includes extensive warnings. Patient information leaflets are now being user tested to ensure that the advice is clear and accessible for patients.
Carers: Telephone Services
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the hours of operation are of the Carers Direct hotline. [280626]
Phil Hope: The Carers Direct helpline is available from 8 am to 9 pm, Monday to Friday, and 11 am to 4 pm at weekends.
Healthy Start Scheme
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the relationship is between his Department's Healthy Start scheme and its Change4Life initiative. [280136]
Gillian Merron: Healthy Start is a United Kingdom-wide statutory scheme providing a nutritional safety net and encouragement for breastfeeding and healthy eating to pregnant women and families with young children getting one of a range of state benefits or tax credits. The Department manages delivery of the scheme on behalf of all four UK Governments, ensuring that nutritional messages given through the scheme, and any branding used, are acceptable to all of them.
Change4Life is an England-based communications campaign that encourages all families in England to eat healthily and engage in regular physical activity, so reducing levels of obesity. We ensure that both Healthy Start and Change4Life are delivered in a coherent way so that the impact of nutritional messages common to both can be maximised.
Heart Diseases: Health Services
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 1596W, on heart disease (1) how many finished consultant episodes for congenital heart disease in those aged 16 years old there were in each primary care trust area in 2007-08; [279998]
(2) how many of those consultant episodes involving a consultant whose specialism was paediatric cardiology there were in each NHS hospital trust. [279999]
Ann Keen: The following tables and notes show how many finished consultant episodes for congenital heart disease in those aged 16 years old there were in primary care trust areas (where data have been submitted) in 2007-08. They also show, for grown-ups with congenital heart disease, how many consultant episodes involved a consultant whose specialism was paediatric cardiology in each national health service hospital trust.
| Count of finished consultant episodes for congenital heart disease * for those aged 16 only, by primary care trust (PCT) of treatment, 2007-08. Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | ||
| PCT code | PCT name | Total episodes |
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