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9 Dec 2009 : Column 388W—continued
Rolling Stock: Procurement
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will exercise his option to order the remaining carriages for the Pendolino fleet before the end of 2009. [304272]
Chris Mole: The option to extend the remaining 21 Pendolino trains to 11 carriages is currently being considered by the Department for Transport and an announcement will be made in due course.
Speed Limits: East Sussex
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many speed cameras there were in East Sussex on the latest date for which information is available. [304281]
Paul Clark: Separate information about cameras operating in East Sussex is not held. The number of camera sites operating in Sussex at the end of the National Safety Camera programme, which ended on 31 March 2007, was 81. Since then, the deployment of safety cameras has been the responsibility of individual local partnerships. The number of cameras currently in place will therefore be a matter for East and West Sussex county councils and the local road safety partnership.
Communities and Local Government
Council Housing: Finance
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to announce the conclusions on his Department's review of the financing of council housing. [305568]
Mr. Ian Austin: Consultation on my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing's proposals to replace the housing revenue account subsidy system with a devolved system of responsibility and funding for council housing closed on Tuesday 27 October. We intend to set out our plans for implementing reform early next year.
Council Housing: Sales
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 10 (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords have sold the largest number of dwellings in the last five years; how many dwellings each sold in that period; and what the monetary value of such dwellings was. [304456]
Mr. Ian Austin: The following table shows which local authorities have sold the largest number of social homes to sitting tenants over the last five years, the number of properties sold, and the value of these sales:
| LA code | LA name | Number of sales (2004-05 to 2008-09) | Market value (£ million) |
| Source: P1B returns to CLG from local authorities | |||
The market value of these properties includes the capital receipts received and the value of any discounts available.
The following table shows which registered social landlords have sold the largest number of social homes to sitting tenants over the last five years, and the number of properties sold:
| RSL code | RSL name | Number of sales (2004-05 to 2008-09) |
| Source: Regulatory and Statistical Returns (RSR) to the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) from registered social landlords | ||
The RSR returns do not include details on the monetary value of RSL properties sold to sitting tenants. Details on RSL capital receipts are available from continuous recording (CORE) returns to the TSA, but these exclude sales by smaller RSLs and therefore under-record the number of RSL sales and the capital receipts.
These figures include all social housing sales to sitting tenants. They do not include sales of new-build properties through HomeBuy sales, or sales and transfers between local authorities and RSLs.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average yearly running costs of a photocopier in his Department, excluding value added tax and including all service fees and rental costs, was in the latest period for which figures are available. [305940]
Barbara Follett: The Department uses a variety of photocopying devices which we obtain from different suppliers through the Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions. The calculation of average running costs could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average purchase price, excluding value added tax, was of a 500-sheet ream of white A4 photocopier paper by his Department in the latest period for which figures are available. [305941]
Barbara Follett: As part of its commitment to the Government's sustainable procurement agenda the Department uses 100 per cent. recycled A4 80 gsm copier paper at a current average cost of £2.02 for a 500-sheet ream.
Departmental Freedom of Information
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department received in 2008; and how many of these received a substantive response within 20 days. [305500]
Barbara Follett: The information requested can be found in tables 1 and 2 of the Ministry of Justice's Report 'Annual Statistics on the Operation of the FoI Act in Central Government, 2008'. This can be located at:
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on (i) alcohol and (ii) entertainment in the last 12 months. [305541]
Barbara Follett: The Department does not hold this information centrally and it could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
The Planning Inspectorate has had no expenditure on alcohol and entertainment in the last 12 months.
Fire Service College has spent £1,531 on business entertainment in the financial year 2009-10 to date. Information on alcohol expenditure can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre has incurred £743 in entertaining expenditure during the last 12 months.
All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Departmental Scientists
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) scientific advisers and (b) civil servants in scientific posts there are in his Department. [302028]
Barbara Follett: There are currently 15 civil servants in scientific posts in Communities and Local Government. This does not include information on scientific posts in departmental agencies, which is not held centrally.
Departmental Sick Leave
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many days of staff absence as a result of (a) snow and (b) other weather conditions were recorded by local authorities in the last 12 months. [305563]
Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally.
Departmental Written Questions
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many questions tabled for answer on a named day his Department received in each of the last 12 months; and to how many such questions his Department provided a substantive answer on the day named. [305377]
Barbara Follett: The information requested is provided in the following table:
| Month | Number of questions tabled for answer on a named day | Number of questions provided a substantive answer on the day named |
Empty Property: Greater London
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of empty (a) residential and (b) commercial properties in the London borough of (i) Bexley, (ii) Bromley, (iii) Croydon and (iv) Greenwich in the last three years for which figures are available. [304995]
Barbara Follett: The number of empty domestic dwellings in the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon and Greenwich in 2007, 2008 and 2009 are shown in the following table. The data include both short-term and long-term empty dwellings.
| Number of empty domestic dwellings | |||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
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