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18 Jan 2010 : Column 107W—continued
Government Departments: Energy
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment
he has made of the level of compliance with the requirement to provide display energy certificates in Government buildings over 1,000 square metres in size; and if he will make a statement. [310667]
John Healey: Information about the number of Government buildings that have Display Energy Certificates can be found on the Office of Government Commerce website at the following address:
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of Government buildings have a G rating in their display energy certificates; and if he will make a statement. [310626]
John Healey: Information about the number of Government buildings that have Display Energy Certificates, including the proportion that have a G rating, can be found on the Office of Government Commerce website at the following address:
Housing: Bexley
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home information packs have been issued in the London borough of Bexley since their introduction. [310689]
John Healey: The Department does not have a record of the number of HIPs produced. As HIPs must include an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), we can estimate their number on the basis of the number of EPCs lodged on the EPC Register.
There were 6,901 EPCs lodged on the EPC Register between 1 August 2007 and 12 January 2010 for homes located in the London Borough of Bexley.
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of key workers resident in the London borough of Bexley who are eligible for assistance with housing costs. [310693]
John Healey: We have made no estimate of the number of key workers residents in the London borough of Bexley who are eligible for assistance with housing costs.
Data on the number of key workers in the London borough of Bexley will be held by the relevant employers of key workers. A full list of eligible key worker roles for the homebuy scheme can be found in the Capital Funding Guide on the Homes and Communities Agency's website at;
The homebuy scheme enables first time buyers with a household income of less than £60,000, who cannot afford to purchase without assistance, to buy a share of a home and get a first step on the housing ladder. Key workers are a priority group for this scheme.
Housing: Dorset
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on the proposed construction of 2,750 homes in the vicinity of Lytchett Minster, Dorset under the revised South West Regional Spatial Strategy. [310662]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Secretary of State's proposed changes to the South West Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) include an 'area of search' for 2,750 new homes at Lytchett Minster. Representations about this proposal, made during the public consultation between July and October 2008, will be taken into account before the Secretary of State decides on the final form of the RSS. Additional sustainability appraisal work is currently being undertaken, which will look at the areas of search proposed in the RSS. I expect that work to be completed in March.
It is not the role of the Secretary of State to allocate land for future development. This is a matter for local authorities to consider through their local development frameworks. It is also for the local authority to consider any planning application that arises in respect of development in the vicinity of Lytchett Minster.
Local Government: Inspections
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the comprehensive area assessment results dataset for each local authority. [311532]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The full Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) results dataset for each local authority and local area is held on the Oneplace website:
Planning Inspectorate: Fees and Charges
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the potential revenue to accrue to the Planning Inspectorate from planning appeal charges in their first full year of operation. [311512]
John Healey: The Planning Act 2008 provided powers to charge for planning appeals. However, I have decided that in view of the current economic circumstances, we should not impose an appeal charge at this time. In addition, I have considered the case for increasing planning fees generally but have decided that for the same reason it would be wrong at this time to increase the costs of those seeking to invest in housing and development. Planning fees will therefore remain at their current levels and we shall review them again in a year's time.
Regional Planning and Development: South West
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish a timetable for making his response to the (a) consultation and (b) further environmental assessment relating to the South West Regional Spatial Strategy; and if he will make a statement. [310661]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Government wish to be satisfied that the Sustainability Appraisal of the Proposed Changes to the South West Regional Spatial Strategy tested reasonable alternatives to those areas of search for strategic housing, business and other development which were added or amended following consideration of the Examination-in-Public's Panel's report. Further work on Sustainability Appraisal has been commissioned and this is expected to take until March 2010.
If the Secretary of State decides to propose further changes, that will necessitate a further period of consultation on those changes and consideration of representations before the final RSS is published.
Social Rented Housing: Greater London
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty homes there were in (a) private and (b) social housing stock in each London local authority in 2008-09; and what percentage change this represents in comparison with 2007-08. [311210]
Mr. Ian Austin: A table showing estimates made of the number of empty dwellings in each London local authority area in each tenure group for 2009, and the percentage change in comparison with 2008, has been placed in the House Library.
The London Plan
Mr. Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of his response to the Mayor of London's plan; and if he will make a statement. [311394]
John Healey: I have placed a copy of the Government's response to the Mayor's London Plan in the Library of the House.
Health
Baby Care Units
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is provided to maternity units on the provision of resuscitation cover for those units by a (a) paediatrician and (b) midwife trained in advanced resuscitation. [310357]
Ann Keen: The Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts requires as a minimum:
"Resuscitation equipment that is available and ready for use at all times in all care settings where births occur; this must include the emergency department where there is one. A process for the availability of a clinician (doctors, advanced neonatal nurse practitioner, midwives) with advanced neonatal life support skills (including endotracheal intubation) at a delivery if required. A process for 24 hour availability in obstetric units, within 30 minutes, of a consultant paediatrician (or equivalent staff and associate specialist grade) trained and assessed as competent in neonatal advanced life support."
Brain Injuries: Prisoners
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he has discussed in the Council of Ministers the policy of other EU member states on prisoners with acquired brain injuries; and if he will make a statement; [311490]
(2) what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the proportion of the prison population with an acquired brain injury; and if he will make a statement; [311491]
(3) what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of prisoners with an acquired brain injury; and if he will make a statement; [311493]
(4) what his policy is on the assessment of prisoners commencing a prison sentence for evidence of an acquired brain injury; and if he will make a statement. [311494]
Phil Hope: There have been no discussions in the Council of Ministers regarding the policy of other European Union member states relating to prisoners who have acquired brain injuries.
Since 2006, national health service primary care trusts have been responsible for commissioning health services for their offender health population. No research has been commissioned and evaluated on the proportion of the prison population who have acquired brain injury and no information is collected centrally on the number and proportion of prisoners who have acquired brain injury.
For prisoners commencing a prison sentence, Prison Service Order 0500 and subsequent Prison Service Instruction 27/2006 states that:
First receptions into custody will have undergone an initial health assessment to determine any immediate health needs before they commence their first night in custody.
The initial evidence based health assessment of first receptions will include a triage that must take place before the prisoner's first night, to primarily detect:
(a) Immediate physical health problems
(b) Immediate mental health problems
(c) Significant drugs or alcohol abuse
(d) Risk of suicide and/or self-harm.
As a follow up to this, they must also be given a general health assessment in the week immediately following reception, by an appropriately trained member of the health care team, in order to plan any subsequent care/treatment.
Bridlington and Scarborough Hospitals: Ambulance Services
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the effect on response times of ambulances travelling between Bridlington and Scarborough Hospital of snow and bad weather was in (a) December 2009 and (b) January 2010. [311110]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not collected centrally. The latest available data for Yorkshire Ambulance Service response times are shown in the following table:
| Ambulance emergency and urgent incidents: response times by ambulance service and category of call, 2008-09 | ||||||
| Category A calls | Category B calls | |||||
| Ambulance service | Total number of incidents with emergency response (Thousand) | Response within 8 minutes (Percentage) | Total number of incidents with ambulance vehicle arriving (Thousand) | Response within 19 minutes (Percentage) | Total number of incidents with ambulance vehicle arriving (Thousand) | Response within 19 minutes (Percentage) |
| Notes: 1. Category A: presenting conditions, which may be immediately life threatening and should receive an emergency response within eight minutes irrespective of location in 75 per cent. of cases. Presenting conditions which require an ambulance vehicle capable of transporting the patient to attend the incident must receive that response within 19 minutes of the request for transport (being made by the initial responder or being identified by the call taker, whichever is earlier) in 95 per cent. of cases. 2. Category B: presenting conditions, which though serious are not immediately life threatening and must receive a response within 19 minutes in 95 per cent. of cases. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care. | ||||||
Cancer: Staffordshire
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust on cancer services in 2009. [310413]
Ann Keen: Information on the estimated expenditure on cancer and tumours by South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) in 2008-09 has been set out in the following table.
| Estimated expenditure on cancer and tumours , South Staffordshire PCT | |
| £ | |
| Notes: 1. The programme budgeting data collection is complex, therefore expenditure figures are best estimates rather than precise measurements. Year on year comparisons are not straightforward due to annual refinements to the data collection methodology and changes to underlying data sources. 2. Figures include expenditure across all sectors. Disease specific expenditure do not include expenditure on prevention, or general practitioner expenditure, but do include prescribing expenditure. 3. Source of data are annual PCT Programme Budgeting financial returns. Programme Budgeting data for 2006-07 to 2008-09 is published on the Department of Health website. Source: Annual PCT Programme Budgeting financial returns. | |
Departmental Buildings
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) area and (b) estimated value is of (i) vacant and (ii) occupied office space (A) owned and (B) rented by his Department. [310527]
Phil Hope: The area and estimated value of vacant and occupied office space, owned and rented by the Department is as follows:
| Area square metres | Estimated value/rent paid for leasehold properties (£) | |
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