| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
1 Dec 2009 : Column 638W—continued
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions the Secretary of State had with the Permanent Secretary of his Department on the Ministerial Code prior to meeting Saif al-Islam Gaddafi; and what advice the Secretary of State received from the Permanent Secretary on that matter. [303188]
Mr. McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) on 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 2077W.
Strategic Investment Fund
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the Strategic Investment Fund has been (a) disbursed and (b) allocated to projects in each (i) constituency, (ii) local authority area and (iii) Government Office region since the inception of that Fund. [301874]
Mr. McFadden: Over £720 million has already been allocated from the Strategic Investment Fund for specific projects and investments. We expect that in the region of £200 million will have been spent by the end of this current financial year.
The SIF is a UK-wide fund, and many of the projects supported by the SIF are themselves UK-wide in geographical scope. This includes for example achieving universal access to broadband, as part of the Digital Britain programme, and the UK Innovation Investment Fund. It is not possible at present to provide information on the geographical distribution of spend under these projects.
A number of other projects supported under the SIF can be identified to specific geographical locations, though the benefits of the projects will often be felt over a much wider area. Projects of this kind include the following, which will receive either full or part funding from the SIF:
| Project | Geographical location | Total BIS support (£ million) |
Further details on these projects and other investments being funded from the SIF are contained in the Interim Report the Department published in October, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
Telephone Services
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward measures to reduce the costs of operating national telephone helplines to (a) Government agencies and (b) charities. [303427]
Mr. Timms:
The cross-Government Service Transformation programme, led by Cabinet Office, is working to improve helpline services delivered to citizens and business while reducing costs. This covers helplines provided by central Government, agencies and charities. Where it makes sense to bring helplines together to make it easier for people to access the support they need, there will be opportunities to reduce operating
costs. Ensuring that helplines align with advice provided on the web helps to manage demand, which can in turn reduce costs.
Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2009, Official Report, columns 70-1W, on the Homes and Communities Agency, how much the Homes and Communities Agency has received in proceeds from resales under the (a) First Time Buyer's Initiative, (b) HomeBuy Direct, (c) New Build HomeBuy and (d) Open Market HomeBuy Scheme in each of the last three years; and what the average amount received by the Agency was in respect of such a transaction. [302955]
John Healey: For (a), the following table shows repayments received by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) in 2008-09:
| FTBI repayments received by the HCA 2008-09 | |
| £ | |
For (b), HomeBuy Direct became operational in February 2009. There were no resales in the last three years.
For (c) and (d), grant invested in Open Market HomeBuy and New Build HomeBuy properties, through Registered Social Landlords (who own the properties) is credited to the Recycled Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) for provision of new social lets or other low cost homes when the properties are sold whole or through shared ownership terms.
The total proceeds received by the HCA from sales of grant funded properties in the last three years are as follows:
| Recovered gran t (£) | |
| Source: HCA. | |
Audit Commission: Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments the Audit Commission has made to Connect Public Affairs in the last 12 months; for what purposes; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the contracts under which such payments have been made. [302205]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 1 December 2009:
Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission has contracted work from Connect Public Affairs over the last 12 months totalling £55,616.76 (details attached).
The total cost includes work carried out under contract and ad hoc commissioned work. There is not one overall contract, but an example of the individual contract used is attached and has been placed in the Library.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
| Purpose | Amount (£) | |
|
One off project fee to identify key prospective parliamentary candidates | ||
|
Connect fee, analysis and overview of local election results | ||
Capita
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any contracts between Capita Group plc and his Department and its predecessors have been cancelled before completion since 1997; and whether Capita Group plc has been liable for any penalties arising from failings in the administration of contracts with his Department and its predecessors since 1997. [303082]
Barbara Follett: The Department, and its predecessors, have no record of contracts with Capita plc being cancelled before completion. Capita Group plc has not been liable to any penalties from failings in the administration of contracts since 1997.
Departmental Domestic Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions he visited (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [303483]
Barbara Follett: The Secretary of State has not been to Scotland or Northern Ireland since his appointment in June. He has been to Wales, participating in a Regional Cabinet in Cardiff on 23 July 2009.
Departmental Legislation
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criminal offences have been (a) abolished and (b) created by primary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008. [303247]
Barbara Follett: The Department has sponsored four Acts that have received Royal Assent since 1 May 2008.
Housing and Regeneration Act 2008;
Planning Act 2008;
Business Rate Supplements Act 2009; and
Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.
(a) 10 criminal offences were abolished by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008; and
(b) 20 criminal offences were created-13 by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 and seven by the Planning Act 2008.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |