Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Olympics
Departmental Postal Services
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Minister for the Olympics with which providers her Office held contracts to provide postal services (a) in 2007, (b) in 2008, (c) between 1 January and 1 July 2009 and (d) after 1 July 2009. [298768]
Tessa Jowell: My Office has been part of the Cabinet Office since July 2007. I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 27 October 2009, Official Report, column 252W.
Olympic Games 2012: Essex
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) has made of the economic effects of the London 2012 Olympics on (a) Essex and (b) Southend, West constituency since May 2009; what recent discussions she has had with the GOE on this issue; and if she will make a statement. [296562]
Tessa Jowell: Further to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 19 May 2009 , Official Report, column 1261W, there has been no further assessment of the economic benefits of London 2012 on Essex and Southend, West.
I am however delighted that Hadleigh Farm has been chosen to host the Olympic mountain biking competition in 2012.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions the Government Olympic Executive has had with Southend Borough Council since May 2009 on its (a) participation in and (b) legacy from the London 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement. [296564]
Tessa Jowell: Further to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 18 May 2009, Official Report, column 1119W, I have had no discussion with Southend borough council on participation in, and legacy resulting from, London 2012.
I am however delighted that Hadleigh Farm has been chosen to host the Olympic mountain biking competition in 2012.
House of Commons Commission
Oils
David Taylor: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much used cooking oil was produced by the Refreshment Department in each year since 2001; and what percentage was recycled in each year. [298369]
Nick Harvey: All used cooking oil produced by the House of Commons is recycled as biofuels. We do not have reliable figures to show the amounts produced since 2001.
Wales
Christmas
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on Christmas (a) cards, (b) parties and (c) decorations in the last 12 months. [299260]
Mr. Hain: In the last 12 months my Department spent £385 on Christmas cards and £1,054 on receptions. We did not purchase any Christmas decorations.
Departmental Energy
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the (a) energy rating and (b) energy band of each building occupied by his Department was in each of the last five years. [299172]
Mr. Hain: For the Wales Office's main building in London, the available information is given in the following table.
| (a) energy performance rating | (b) energy band | |
My Department also leases serviced office space in a modern building in Cardiff. Assessments of the building's energy rating are not undertaken by the landlord.
Departmental Freedom of Information
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in his Department were employed on the management of freedom of information requests submitted to his Department in each year since 2005; and how much his Department spent on the management of such requests in each such year. [299131]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office has a correspondence unit whose primary function is to co-ordinate the correspondence the Department receives. A small part of their role is also to manage Freedom of Information requests. From 2005 until 2008, the Unit consisted of three members of staff. Since 2008, the unit has been staffed by two members.
As much of the work of the unit covers other responsibilities, the information requested on the cost of managing requests can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
An assessment of the cost of freedom of information within Government can be found in Frontier Economics 2006 report "Independent Review of the Freedom of Information Act". A copy of this report is available in the House of Commons Library.
Departmental Procurement
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether there has been any nugatory cost to his Department on procurement
under tender because the tender process had been cancelled prior to the award of the contract in the last 12 months. [299359]
Mr. Hain: No, my Department has not undertaken any tender processes.
Departmental Travel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many miles (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department and its predecessor travelled by (i) car, (ii) rail and (iii) air on Government business in each year since 1997. [298549]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office does not have records in the detail requested going back to its inception in 1999. The records that we do have are in the following table. All other records could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Wales Office is co-located in Cardiff and London, resulting in the majority of rail journeys undertaken being between Cardiff and London.
| Mileage | ||
| Officials | Ministers | |
Church Commissioners
Church Commissioners: Land
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2009, Official Report, column 1442W, on Church Commissioners: land, what criteria govern decisions by the Church Commissioners to transfer land from the rural let land portfolio to the rural strategic land portfolio. [298426]
Sir Stuart Bell: Land with significant development potential is transferred into the strategic land portfolio.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2009, Official Report, column 1442W, on Church Commissioners: land, what the location is of each parcel of land transferred from the rural let land portfolio in each of the last five years. [298427]
Sir Stuart Bell: The strategic land portfolio consists of sites throughout England in the counties of: Bedfordshire (three sites), Cambridgeshire (eight sites), Cheshire (four sites), Cumbria (one site), Devon (one site), Durham (two sites), Hampshire (one site), Herefordshire one site), Kent (five sites), Lincolnshire (three sites), Norfolk (one site), North Yorkshire (one site), Nottinghamshire one site), Tyne and Wear (seven sites), and West Sussex one site).
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2009, Official Report, column 1441-42W, on Church Commissioners: land, which sites are included in the Church Commissioners' strategic land portfolio. [298428]
Sir Stuart Bell: The strategic land portfolio includes land at various stages in the planning process. Some has scope for allocation in a development plan; some is already allocated for development; some has planning permission; and some is being developed. The location of the various sites is set out in my previous answer (question no. 298427).
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2009, Official Report, column 997W, on departmental land, how many files the Church Commissioners store (a) on-site and (b) off- site; and which firm provides the off-site ordering services to the Church Commissioners. [298429]
Sir Stuart Bell: My estimate is that the Church Commissioners' Property Investments Department holds approximately 2,400 files at the Commissioners' Westminster office and approximately 70,000 at the Church of England Record Centre in south London. They do not use a firm to transport files between these sites as this is carried out by the Church's own staff.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what legal advisers the Church Commissioners retain in respect of the sale and development of land. [298432]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Commissioners are advised by their own official solicitor as well as a number of external legal firms including Lovells, Cripps Harries Hall, Bond Pearce, Ashurts and Farrers.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much the Church Commissioners spent on legal services relating to the sale of land in each of the last five years. [298433]
Sir Stuart Bell: We do not record as a separate sub-category expenditure on legal advice relating specifically to land sales although we are currently implementing a financial computing package that will enable this kind of detailed cost analysis to be undertaken in future.
We do publish in our annual report total external asset management costs which include the cost of various professional advisers, including legal advisers.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the policy of the Church Commissioners is on the consultation of residents close to land developments proposed by the Church Commissioners. [298507]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Commissioners take public consultation very seriously and welcome feedback, which plays an important part in achieving high quality schemes. We undertake the appropriate level of public consultation commensurate with the proposals in question and local circumstances.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much the Church Commissioners have spent on legal services in relation to the proposed development of land to the west of Chalcraft Lane in Bognor Regis. [298508]
Sir Stuart Bell: Information regarding the cost of taking an individual site through the planning process is commercially sensitive. In reference to my earlier answer (question no. 298433), it is intended that such information will be available for the portfolio as a whole in the future.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what consultation the Church Commissioners carried out with residents of Bognor Regis prior to submitting a planning application for the proposed development of land to the west of Chalcraft Lane in Bognor Regis. [298509]
Sir Stuart Bell: Before the planning application was submitted the Commissioners carried out two public exhibitions close to the site and in Bognor as well as two workshops at Jubilee Hall for community representatives. Thousands of local residents were personally invited to the exhibitions, which were also advertised in the press.
The public has also been consulted on major development north of Chalcraft Lane as part of the local Council's work on its core strategy.
The public also had the opportunity to comment on the regional spatial strategy which includes an urban extension proposal at Bognor.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what representations the Church Commissioners have received on the proposed development of land to the west of Chalcraft Lane in Bognor Regis; and if he will make a statement. [298425]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Commissioners have received a number of representations from local groups and individuals in the form of letters, telephone calls and engagement at public events. In addition we have answered a number of Questions from, and had meetings with, the hon. Gentleman.
By way of a statement, sites such as the proposed Eco Quarter at Bognor Regis are promoted through the planning system, usually in response to a district planning authority needing to find land for housing or other uses that would provide regeneration and new jobs. Therefore the Commissioners work very closely with local councils to help them provide the development needed to sustain local communities.
By promoting strategic developments that involve housing, we try to help local authorities provide new homes as part of sustainable new communities in their area. All such proposals have to be carefully planned, providing a mix of social and open market housing, as
well as comprehensive social infrastructure such as schools, shops, recreation and so on. The scheme proposed at Bognor Regis goes one step further, by putting forward a step change in urban design and sustainable living, offering the town a very high quality new community which will help Bognor grow and regenerate.
At any one time the Commissioners have about 40 strategic sites throughout England, all at various stages in the planning process, many of them in the Government's designated growth areas. The Church Commissioners have considerable experience in the planning and development of land for affordable and private housing and other uses, and always seek to work with local councils to bring forward schemes that all parties can be proud of.
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