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16 July 2009 : Column 645W—continued
Specialised Diplomas
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils he expects to enrol on a diploma course in each subject in September 2009; and if he will make a statement. [286958]
Mr. Iain Wright: It is too soon to say how many pupils will be enrolled on a diploma course from this September. Young people are still making choices about which course to study and will do so in part based upon examination results to be published in August.
Communities and Local Government
Council Housing: Standards
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many and what percentage of the housing stock in each local authority did not meet the Decent Homes Standard on the latest date for which figures are available; [287310]
(2) what percentage of housing stock in each local authority did not meet the Decent Homes Standard in each of the last five years. [287311]
Mr. Ian Austin: A set of tables containing the information requested has been placed in the Library.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many breaches of information security there have been at (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in the last five years. [281067]
Mr. Malik: In the five years to 31 March 2009, there have been four breaches of information security at Communities and Local Government.
The Department and its agencies report all significant personal data security breaches to the Cabinet Office and the Information Commissioner's Office. Information on personal data security breaches are published on annual basis in the Department's annual resource accounts as was announced in the data handling review published on 25 June 2008.
Additionally, all significant control weaknesses including other significant security breaches are included in the statement of internal control that is published within the annual resource accounts.
This answer does not include the Government Office for the English Regions, which carries out work for 10 Government Departments.
Departmental Databases
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what categories of personal information on members of the public are contained on each database that contains such data managed by his Department and its agencies; when each category of information was first collected; and if he will make a statement; [284894]
(2) what databases managed by his Department and its agencies hold personal information on members of the public; on what date each such database became operational; and if he will make a statement; [285983]
(3) which of the planned databases that will be managed by his Department or one of its agencies and which will hold personal information on members of the public are expected to become operational in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [286143]
Mr. Malik: Detailed information pertaining to all databases holding personal information in both CLG and its Government Office network is not held centrally. Communities and Local Government holds a variety of databases, including some containing personal data of members of the public and other stakeholders: details of some of these can be accessed via the Department's information asset register at:
These are required for the purposes of conducting its business and implementing its policy agenda. The personal data involved are mainly contact details for stakeholders who have been consulted on issues relating to departmental business and expressed a wish to be kept informed on policy developments, although some databases are more specialised. In the case of the majority of the databases the data collection is recent, and whenever new databases are set up steps are taken to ensure that they are compliant with the Data Protection Act.
New databases containing personal data are set up as and when policy development and implementation of policy dictate the operational need for them. It is not possible to plan or predict which areas of business or policy will require the setting up of a database up to five years ahead.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many policy advisers work for the Minister for Housing and Planning; [286643]
(2) what the job (a) title and (b) description is of each policy adviser, other than special advisers, who has been recruited by his Department in the last six months. [286684]
Mr. Malik: All civil servants in the Department provide policy advice to Ministers as necessary. Specialist staff are from time to time recruited on a time-limited basis to provide additional expertise and capacity as required.
Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department (a) has issued and (b) plans to issue to local planning authorities on planning applications for housing and schools located close to high voltage overhead power lines. [286726]
Mr. Ian Austin:
The stakeholder advisory group on extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (SAGE) published a report in April 2007 which made a number
of recommendations to Government on ways to reduce people's exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMF). The Government are currently finalising their response to the SAGE report.
Housing Revenue Accounts
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the level of housing revenue account subsidy was for each local authority in 2009-10. [287113]
Mr. Ian Austin: It is too early as yet to say what the individual subsidy position for each authority will be in 2009-10 as their first subsidy claims for that year do not reflect factors that impact on subsidy entitlement, such as major repairs allowances brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10.
Housing: Greater London
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) homeless, (b) statutorily overcrowded, (c) medical priority and (d) family quota households are on each London local authority housing waiting list. [284717]
Mr. Ian Austin: This information is not held centrally.
Housing: Low Incomes
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average market value was of a property designated as being available under the (a) HomeBuy Direct, (b) New Build HomeBuy, (c) Rent to HomeBuy and (d) First- time Buyers Initiative in each of the last three years. [285964]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the right hon. Member for Derby South (Margaret Beckett) on 19 May 2009, Official Report, column 1352W and the answer he was given by the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 5 May 2009, Official Report, column 137W.
In 2006-07 the average price of property designated as available under the NewBuild HomeBuy scheme was £163,460. Data for 2008-09 is not yet available from the Continuous Recording (CORE) returns to the Tenant Services Authority from registered social landlords.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what budget his Department initially set for 2009-10 for (a) HomeBuy Direct, (b) OwnHome, (c) OpenMarket HomeBuy, (d) the First Time Buyers Initiative, (e) MyChoice HomeBuy, (f) New Build HomeBuy, (g) Social HomeBuy and (h) Rent to HomeBuy. [286010]
John Healey: We have not set individual budgets for each HomeBuy scheme to ensure flexibility within the Homes and Communities Agency's programme.
Grant Shapps:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what target has been set for the number of new affordable homes to be
built in each region in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; how many he expects to be built in each region in each of those years; and how many he expects to be available for social rent in each case. [287305]
Mr. Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 July 2009, Official Report, column 905W.
Housing: Overcrowding
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the performance of each local authority against the statutory overcrowding standard for housing was in the latest period for which figures are available. [287390]
Mr. Ian Austin: This information is not collected by Communities and Local Government.
Islam
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department is giving to the independent Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board to raise standards in mosques; what objectives have been set for such standards; and how much his Department has budgeted for such support activities. [286106]
Mr. Malik: The Department for Communities and Local Government provided support to the independent Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB). MINAB is a community-led organisation and we supported it to develop standards for mosques, which were widely consulted on and piloted. In addition, we supported the development of its operational plan and its first Annual General Meeting.
We allocated the following sums to MINAB: £75,600 in 2007-08; £116,000 in 2008-09; and £58,000 between April and June 2009.
Further information about MINAB, including its five standards, can be found on their website:
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Radical Middle Way (a) roadshows and (b) other events have taken place in the UK and overseas since 2007; where they have taken place; what the cost of each has been; what assessment has been made of the outcome of each event; and for what dates future such shows have been scheduled. [286107]
Mr. Malik: From October 2007 to June 2008 the RMW held a total of 34 road show events and a number of other formal and informal meetings with domestic and international scholars and speakers in the following locations:
London; Luton; Leicester; Birmingham; Liverpool; Bradford; Peterborough; Milton Keynes; Woking; and Manchester.
CLG and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided funding of £250,000 to the project in 2007-08 to support the programme of events including support for the RMW website (£12,000) and external evaluation.
From June 2008 to May 2009 the RMW held a total of 48 road show events and a number of formal and informal meetings with domestic and international scholars and speakers in the following locations:
Blackburn; Bradford; Cambridge; London; Birmingham; Peterborough; Hounslow; High Wycombe; Leicester; Manchester; Milton Keynes; Slough; Derby; Bristol; Rochdale.
CLG has provided funding of £350,000 to the project to support the programme of events. This also included support for the RMW website and an external evaluation.
RMW held its first international road show to Sudan in April 2009, reaching an estimated 25,000 people through six large public events. The FCO provided £70,000 to support this road show and the RMW is planning further pilot road shows in Sudan, Indonesia and Pakistan by end October. The pilot phase of the international project will be evaluated by an independent company.
The RMW project is subject to an independent external evaluation following each phase. Communities and Local Government is currently in the process of determining the future direction of this particular work stream in its domestic context.
Islam: Faith Schools
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which community- based organisations are involved in the development of citizenship education in mosque schools; and where each such organisation is based. [286108]
Mr. Malik: The organisation that is leading this project is the School Development Support Agency based in Leicester.
The SDSA instituted an advisory group with representation from various community based organisations. They include the following:
Ahul Bayt Foundation (London)
Al-Khoei Foundation (London)
Al Mahdi Institute (Birmingham)
British Muslim Forum (National)
Building Bridges (Pendle)
Citizenship Foundation (London)
ContinYou (Coventry)
Islamic Foundation (Markfield, Leicestershire)
Karimia Institute (Nottingham)
Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (National)
Muslim College (London)
Muslim Council of Britain (National)
National Muslim Women Advisory Group (National)
NIDA Education Trust (London)
Sufi Muslim Council (Rochdale)
Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding was allocated under the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Scheme to local authorities in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and how much such funding has been (i) distributed to and (ii) spent by each local authority in each such year. [285731]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In 2008-09, £396 million in LABGI grants was allocated and distributed to local authorities, in respect of business growth in 2007-08. Details of how this funding was distributed are set out in the relevant Grant Determinations, which can be viewed on the Communities and Local Government website at:
Grant Determination No 2 (2008) [No 31/1238]
Grant Determination No2 (2009) [No 31/1287]
Paper copies of the above have been sent to the hon. Lady and copies have been deposited in the Commons Library.
I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given to the hon. Member for Rochdale (Paul Rowen) on 7 July, Official Report, column 835. The final details about the allocation and distribution of LABGI funds in 2009-10 and 2010-11 are currently being discussed with Treasury Ministers and an announcement will be made in the next few weeks.
Records are not kept centrally of how local authorities spend LABGI funding. The grants are not ring-fenced and it is for local authorities to decide how the money is best spent.
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