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12 Oct 2009 : Column 313W—continued
Departmental Sick Leave
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many sick days were taken by staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse was of such absences in each such year. [290579]
Barbara Follett: Information on sickness absences and costs for 2004, 2005, 2006-07 for the Department for Communities and Local Government is published by the Cabinet Office on the civil service website:
Data for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are not yet available but will be published later in the year. For years prior to 2003 data are not held electronically and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average length of employment of staff of his Department at each civil service payband. [290580]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government came into existence on 5 May 2006 replacing the former Office for the Deputy Prime Minister. The average (median) years in post, by grade level, for staff in Communities and Local Government as at end of March 2009 is set out in the following table:
| Average years (median) | |
Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been issued by his Department and its agencies on the siting of household waste collection facilities in new dwellings. [289548]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Government provide a requirement and guidance for the provision of and access to storage for solid waste, such as waste bins, in part H6 of schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 2000, and in category 5-waste, of the code for sustainable homes (the code.)
The guidance in the Building Regulations sets out that the requirement in Part H6 will be met if the solid waste storage is:
designed and sited so as not to be prejudicial to health;
of sufficient area having regard to the requirements of the waste collection authority for the number and size of receptacles under sections 46 and 47 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990;
sited so as to be accessible for use by people in the building and of ready access for removal to the collection point specified by the waste collection authority under sections 4 and 47 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The code is the voluntary national standard for the design and construction of sustainable new homes. To obtain a code certificate there are certain minimum standards that must be observed which include the storage of household waste. These standards are based on British Standard 5906 (100 litres for the first bedroom and then a further 70 litres for each additional bedroom) and will be met if:
space is provided for storage of containers for separated waste, with a combined capacity of 0.25m(3) or in agreement with the waste collection authority;
all the containers are accessible to disabled people.
The code also provides credits for the provision of dedicated storage for recyclable household waste and for composting.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any advice or guidance has been given to local authorities on the use of wheeled refuse containers in conservation areas. [290463]
Mr. Ian Austin: Further to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Wansdyke (Dan Norris), to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 10W, no advice or guidance has been given to local authorities on the use of wheeled refuse containers in conservation areas.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department or its agencies have (a) funded or (b) supported the production of guidance on the use of (i) alternate weekly collections and (ii) charges for the collection of household waste in eco-town developments. [290466]
John Healey: Neither the Department nor its agencies have funded or supported specific guidance on either alternate weekly collections or charges for the collection of household waste in eco-towns. In "Planning Policy Statement: Eco-towns" (PPS), which we published on 16 July 2009, we set out the standards that eco-towns will have to meet, including standards for waste. Copies of the PPS are available in the House Library.
Also as part of their work with us on eco-towns, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) have produced a series of best practice guidance worksheets
to support those taking forward eco-towns, including one on waste management, and these are available on the TCPA's website at:
Empty Dwelling Management Orders
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many empty dwelling management orders have been made in each local authority area since the introduction of such orders; [291578]
(2) how many empty properties have been returned to use through an empty dwelling management order in each local authority area since the introduction of such orders. [291579]
Mr. Ian Austin: To date, 27 Interim Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) have been approved by the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS) since the legislation came into effect in April 2006. However, local authorities claim that in many cases the threat of an EDMO has been sufficient to make owners take action to bring long-term empty homes back into use.
We do not hold information on the number of properties returned to use through an EDMO, however, we are confident that the legislation is beginning to work well. We always intended that the legislation should be used only as a last resort where other measures have proved unsuccessful. We want to encourage voluntary re-occupation of empty homes but this can only work well where there is realistic compulsion to back them up. EDMOs provide this compulsion and should therefore be a key component of a comprehensive empty property strategy.
| Local authority | Number of interim EDMOs authorised |
Energy Performance Certificates
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to extend requirements for energy performance certificates to existing housing stock which is not brought to market. [289806]
John Healey: We have no current plans to extend requirements for Energy Performance Certificates to existing housing stock which is not being brought to market.
Fire Services: Industrial Disputes
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the training facilities at the Fire Service College will be made available to train private sector contractors who would provide contingency fire cover in the event of industrial action by fire brigades. [291068]
Mr. Malik [holding answer 14 September 2009]: The Fire Service College provides training and training facilities, on a commercial basis, for fire and rescue services, the wider public sector and the private sector.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contingency fire cover arrangements, other than the use of retained fire fighters, there are in the event of a (a) local and (b) national firefighters' strike. [291115]
Mr. Malik [holding answer 14 September 2009]: The provision of emergency fire cover during local and national strikes is the statutory responsibility of fire and rescue authorities. Past experience has shown that fire and rescue authorities utilise a range of personnel to provide emergency fire cover, including officers and whole time duty system firefighters who are not in the union which is in dispute. In London, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority has entered into a contract with AssetCo plc, for the provision of an Emergency Fire Crew Capability Service to the London Fire Brigade.
Fire Services: Managers
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the salary is of the (a) chair and (b) vice chair of each fire authority in England. [291981]
Barbara Follett: This information is not held centrally.
Fire Services: Medals
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2009, Official Report, column 454W, on fire services: Greater London, for what reasons (a) staff in the London regional control centre will be eligible and (b) staff in other new fire control rooms will not be eligible for the Fire Brigade's Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. [291069]
Mr. Malik [holding answer 14 September 2009]: Only staff employed by a Fire Brigade are eligible for the Fire Brigade's Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. Staff employed in the London Regional Control Centre are eligible for the medal as they continue to be employed by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. Staff in the other Regional Control Centres, which are controlled by local authority owned companies, will not be in Fire Brigade employment and will therefore not be eligible for the medal under the terms of the Royal Warrant.
Government Office for London: Finance
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) salary and (b) non-salary administration budget of the Government Office for London is for 2009-10; how many members of staff the Office has in 2009-10; and what the Office's budget for each of its programmes is in 2009-10. [289820]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The 2009-10 administrative budget for Government office for London (GOL) is:
| £ | |
The gross accommodation budget for GOL for 2009-10 is £4,592,154 and related tariff/minor occupier income of £753,900. The net accommodation budget is £3,838,254.
GOL staff in post as at the end of August 2009 = 204.
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