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10 Nov 2009 : Column 288W—continued
Social Rented Housing: Standards
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been transferred from the ALMO decent homes programme budget in order to fund new build in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [299156]
Mr. Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 October 2009, Official Report, column 776W.
Valuation Office: Buildings
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the Valuation Office Agency made of the rateable value of its offices on Shaftesbury Avenue, London in (a) the 2005 Ratings List and (b) the latest provisional estimates for the draft 2010 Ratings List. [294461]
Barbara Follett: The 2005 list rateable values and the 2010 draft list rateable values for all properties in England and Wales are shown on the VOA website:
Wind Power: Market Harborough
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the scale of hazard presented by the erection of wind turbines in proximity to the high pressure gas distribution pipe line by HM Prison Gartree near Market Harborough. [298282]
Mr. Ian Austin: Where a planning authority is considering a planning application for wind turbines an assessment would be made by the planning authority as part of their determination of the planning application.
Wind Power: Planning Permission
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has provided to planning authorities considering applications to erect wind turbines on requirements not to introduce unacceptable hazards to local communities. [298265]
Mr. Ian Austin:
We have set out a comprehensive framework of national planning policy and guidance on renewable energy which includes our Planning Policy Statements (PPS) on climate change and renewable energy. This is in addition to the body of guidance for planning authorities on handling planning applications that will also be relevant to proposals to erect wind turbines. The companion guide supporting the PPS on renewable energy provides detailed advice to planning
authorities on the issues that might arise in considering applications for wind turbines including on matters relating to safety.
Solicitor-General
Offences against Children: Internet
Margaret Moran: To ask the Solicitor-General whether guidance is provided to the Crown Prosecution Service on the relationship between viewing online child abuse images and child abuse. [298912]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) publishes legal guidance for prosecutors on the prosecution of offences involving child abuse, and indecent images of children. I can confirm that the child abuse guidance makes reference to offences relating to indecent images of children. The guidance is available on the CPS's website:
Margaret Moran: To ask the Solicitor-General how much and what proportion of the budget of the Law Officers' Department for 2009-10 has been allocated to the prosecution of offences of viewing online images of child abuse; and if she will make a statement. [298913]
The Solicitor-General: Although the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is able to identify the number of offences of possessing an indecent photograph of a child and of making an indecent photograph of a child which proceeded to a first hearing, it is not possible to identify from CPS sources how many of these offences related to online images and how many to images in other media.
It is also not possible to assess how much the CPS spends on prosecuting offences of viewing online child abuse images generally.
CPS areas are allocated budgets taking into account their overall caseload and other pressures. The budget allocation process does not seek to assess caseload at a detailed level in terms of individual offences.
Work and Pensions
Benefit Rules: Care homes
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will take steps to ensure that residents of care homes have regular access to benefits and pension advice from her Department. [297138]
Jonathan Shaw
[holding answer 2 November 2009]: The Pension Disability and Carers Service operates Local Service, a visiting arm, working in local communities to support vulnerable customers who cannot access the Department's services through the other routes. Local
Service provides face to face contact in a customer's home giving a holistic service which covers full benefit entitlement discussions and provides help with completion of benefit applications.
To raise older people's awareness of what is available to them Local Service joins up a wide range of services by working in partnership with local authorities and voluntary organisations; increasingly through integrated teams. Through this local partnership working, these teams also provide benefit entitlement take-up activity and benefit advice information sessions within care and residential homes.
Crisis Loans
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many and what proportion of calls made to crisis loan application lines at each benefit delivery centre were answered in each of the last six months; and if she will make a statement; [298851]
(2) how many and what proportion of calls made to crisis loan application lines which were answered after a wait of (a) under one minute, (b) between one and two minutes, (c) between two and three minutes, (d) between three and four minutes, (e) between four and five minutes, (f) between five and six minutes and (g) over six minutes. [298852]
Helen Goodman: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked the acting chief executive to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many and what proportion of calls made to crisis loan application lines at each benefit delivery centre were answered in each of the last six months and how many and what proportion of calls made to crisis loan application lines were answered after a wait of (a) under one minute, (b) between one and two minutes, (c) between two and three minutes, (d) between three and four minutes, (e) between four and five minutes, (f) between five and six minutes and (g) over six minutes. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The following tables provide information on the total number and proportion of calls to Crisis loan application lines answered at each Jobcentre Plus Benefit Delivery Centre and Contact Centre Directorate in each of the last six months.
A breakdown of the total number and proportion of calls to Crisis Loan application lines answered within each time interval is not available.
The average waiting time for Crisis Loan customers during the first 6 months of the operational year (since April 2009) was 11 minutes and 40 seconds. Average wait times have shown significant improvement in recent weeks, falling to under 6 minutes by the start of October 2009. During October, Jobcentre Plus has consistently answered over 80% of Crisis Loan calls offered and will continue to strive towards further improvements.
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