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14 Oct 2009 : Column 960W—continued
There are likely to be additional smaller databases which contain personal information on members of the public, for example it is common practice for Military units to maintain lists of appropriate members of their local community to whom they will extend invitations to social and other occasions. Details of these and other equivalent databases are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
There are also a small number of databases whose details are being withheld for the purposes of safeguarding national security or whose disclosure would prejudice the prevention or detection of crime.
All information is collected and retained in accordance with the Data Protection Act. The following table provides details of known future MOD databases, subject to the same exemptions as above, which will hold personal information on members of the public.
These new databases becoming operational over the next five years are primarily upgrades and replacements for existing systems and do not substantially change the nature or volume of MOD's data holdings.
Nepal: Helicopters
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcomes were of his Department's investigation into alleged corruption linked to the gifting of two M1-17 helicopters from the Conflict Prevention Fund to the Royal Nepal Army in 2002; and if he will make a statement. [289328]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 2000W.
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 2000W, on helicopters: Nepal, whether the investigation found evidence of wrongdoing short of criminality in the procurement of the helicopters. [292911]
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 2000W, on helicopters: Nepal, what assistance was provided by the (a) government and (b) army of Nepal to the investigation. [292912]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The investigation had no direct engagement with either the Government or the army of Nepal. Any relevant documentation received from the Government or the army of Nepal was passed to the Ministry of Defence Police Fraud Squad by the UK Ministry of Defence.
Trident: Scotland
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 21 July 2008, Official Report, column 848W, on Trident: Scotland, (1) how many of the 589 civilians at HM Naval Base Clyde whose jobs directly rely upon the Trident programme are employed in (a) engineering and science, (b) logistics, (c) security, (d) health and safety, (e) outfitting and steel work and (f) other areas; [260953]
(2) how many of the 589 civilians at HM Naval Base Clyde whose jobs directly rely upon the Trident programme are resident in (a) Argyll and Bute constituency, (b) West Dunbartonshire constituency, (c) elsewhere in Scotland and (d) outside Scotland; [260954]
(3) what the (a) skills requirements and (b) geographic distribution of the 250 indirect civilian jobs relating to support activities for the Trident programme in Scotland are. [260955]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not held by my Department in that format.
Action is ongoing, however, to update the December 2006 figures as part of a broader package of work. I will write to my hon. Friend when this work is complete.
Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Katy Clark :
In answer to your Written Questions on 9 March, (Official Report, column 178W) the then Secretary of State undertook to write to you on completion of a package of work that was being carried out to update the number of civilian jobs in Scotland that directly rely upon the Trident programme.
This exercise has now been completed and a breakdown of civilian jobs by skill and home location at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, including Faslane and Coulport, directly reliant upon the Trident programme is provided below.
| Skill | Ministry of Defence | Babcock Marine | Total |
|
Lockheed Martin UK Strategic Systems: breakdown by skill set is unavailable | |||
Unfortunately, however, some of the information is not held in the format you requested. The revised figure of 464 civilian jobs that directly rely on the Trident programme in Scotland reflects the position as at March 2009. This excludes any Ministry of Defence Guard Service or Ministry of Defence Police posts because this figure is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security and defence.
It is estimated that there are a further 200 indirect civilian jobs in Scotland relating to support activities on the Trident programme. Officials have confirmed that information relating to indirect civilian jobs was derived using national multipliers as published by the Scottish Executive on 31 March 2009, for the ship building, weapons and ammunition, instruments industries and project management/business service as appropriate. It is, therefore, not possible to break out this information in terms of skills and location.
I hope this information is useful.
Communities and Local Government
Buildings: Retail Trade
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what best practice guidance his Department has issued on high quality architecture and design for retail premises. [292627]
Mr. Ian Austin: In March 2005 we published 'Planning for Town Centres: Guidance on Design and Implementation tools'. This guidance supports Planning Policy Statement 6 (PPS6): 'Planning for town centres' and deals specifically with design issues relating to planning for town centres, including retail premises.
Business Improvement Districts
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to publish guidance on the use of (a) business rate supplements (BRS) and (b) BRS business improvement district levies. [292634]
Barbara Follett: In January, CLG jointly with HMT, published for consultation draft guidance on BRS. This was followed in May by volume one of the statutory guidance, which focused on ballots and on how to assess compliance with the additionality test. CLG and HMT intend to publish shortly further statutory guidance on the use of BRS revenue and the governance arrangements for BRS projects. This final guidance will also incorporate the guidance published in May.
During the passage of the BRS Bill through Parliament, the Government made a commitment to consider and consult on the principle of BRS-BIDs and then to consult on the detail of the policy. Government will set out its intentions on BRS-BIDs in due course.
Community Development: Finance
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has provided to local community groups from the Communitybuilders fund to date. [292887]
Barbara Follett: No payments have been made from the fund to date. The fund opened for applications on 7 September 2009. Since then, the consortium led by Adventure Capital Fund (ACF), which is delivering the programme on behalf of Communities and Local Government and the Office of the Third Sector, has received about 1,500 inquiries. These are in the process of being assessed and the first offers of funding to community groups will be made in November.
Community Infrastructure Levy
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the notification of the provisions of section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 following the entry into force of the community infrastructure levy provisions of the Planning Act 2008; and if he will make a statement. [292713]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Government's policy on the use of Planning Obligations under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is set out in Government Circular 05/2005. As part of the Government's consultation on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which was launched on 30 July 2009 and will conclude on 23 October 2009, the Government have stated their intention to make changes to the operation of section 106 following the introduction of CIL. Details of the Government's proposals are set out in chapter 5 of the CIL consultation document.
Conferences
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which conferences held outside member states of the European Union have been attended by representatives of his Department in the last 12 months. [292873]
Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Council Tax
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) a local authority with a below-average council tax collection rate is compensated in the local government finance settlement formula for the reduced revenue from council tax and (b) a local authority with an above-average council tax collection rate has its additional revenue equalised away. [292549]
Barbara Follett: A council's performance on collecting council tax does not affect the amount of formula grant it receives.
Council Tax: Carers
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to publicise the council tax reduction available to those who care for a disabled person. [292823]
Barbara Follett: The Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (England) Regulations 2003 places a statutory duty on billing authorities to provide information with the council tax demand notice on the circumstances under which council tax can be reduced through a discount disregard or exemption.
Council Tax: Valuation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to repeal the legislation that allows him to initiate a council tax revaluation in England by statutory instrument. [292641]
Barbara Follett: Repeal of section 22(b) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 would require primary legislation. The Government have no plans to ask Parliament to approve such legislation.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a council is compensated via the local government finance settlement for a smaller tax base as a consequence of households successfully appealing against their council tax banding and moving to a lower band. [293356]
Barbara Follett: The distribution of formula grant to local authorities in England takes account of the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the authority, together with its relative ability to raise council tax, expressed in terms of the council tax base. We then ensure that every authority receives at least a minimum percentage increase (the 'floor') year-on-year on a like-for-like basis. In order to pay for the cost of the floor, we scale back the increase in grant above the floor for other authorities.
Since the introduction of multi-year settlements, we have used projected tax base data in the calculation of formula grant. The starting point for the tax base projections used in the current three-year settlement, covering 2008-09 to 2010-11, is the tax base as at 8 October 2007 adjusted for student exemptions. This is then increased annually by the Secretary of State's estimate of the average annual increase in the tax base for the authority between 10 October 2005 and 8 October 2007.
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