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9 Feb 2010 : Column 870W—continued
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Audit Commission paid in (a) parking fines and (b) congestion charge fines in each of the last three years. [315551]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 9 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission has not paid any parking fines or congestion charge fines in the last three years. Responsibility for paying these fines falls to those members of staff that have incurred them.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what unsolicited communications the Audit Commission has made to Conservative (a) councillors, (b) hon. Members, (c) Prospective Parliamentary Candidates and (d) peers in relation to (i) Comprehensive Area Assessment and (ii) Conservative Party policy on the issue. [315552]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 9 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission has sent five communications in relation to Comprehensive Area Assessment to all elected members of English district, unitary, county, metropolitan district and London borough councils:
Councillor Update, an electronic bulletin, was sent to all councillors on 2 March 2009, 2 June 2009, 4 November 2009 and 22 January 2010 and included news items about Comprehensive Area Assessment.
On 28 September, the Audit Commission sent a flyer letting all councillors know that they could find out more information about Comprehensive Area Assessment and its role in holding local public services to account at the Conservative Party Conference in October 2009.
The Audit Commission has sent five communications in relation to CAA to Members of Parliament sitting for English constituencies as follows:
the first was sent out on 10 February and communicated final details of the Comprehensive Area Assessment framework;
the second was our Parliamentary Bulletin, an electronic bulletin, sent to all MPs on 22 July;
the third was on 28 September, and was a flyer to all English MPs regarding the Oneplace demonstration available at the autumn party conference;
the fourth was our Parliamentary Bulletin, an electronic bulletin, sent to all English MPs on 24 November; and
the fifth was the results of Comprehensive Area Assessment that was sent to all English MPs on 9 December.
In summer 2009, the Audit Commission's CAA lead inspectors wrote to MPs in the areas they were assessing seeking their views on the performance of local public services. Feedback from MPs formed a helpful element of the evidence base for the CAA assessments.
On 18 November 2009, Prospective Parliamentary Candidates from all parties seeking election for English constituencies were sent a communication that informed them of the date of the publication of the results for Comprehensive Area Assessment. The Comprehensive Area Assessment results were sent to them on 9 December.
On 27 February 2009, peers of all parties were sent the final details of the Comprehensive Area Assessment framework. On 24 November our Parliamentary Bulletin was sent to all peers with an email address. On 9 December peers with email addresses were sent the Comprehensive Area Assessment results.
We have not sent councillors, MPs, Prospective Parliamentary Candidates or peers any communications on Conservative Party policy towards Comprehensive Area Assessment.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments the Audit Commission has made to the Government Car and Despatch Agency in the last 12 months; and for what purposes. [315553]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 9 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission has paid the Government Car and Despatch Agency £9,379.50 (including VAT) in the last 12 months. The Audit Commission use the Government Car and Despatch Agency for the Chairman and senior staff to travel around London on Commission business. This is a greener and more cost effective alternative to black cabs.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what value and proportion of hotel bookings made by the Audit Commission were made through the Expotel Hotel Reservations facility in the last year for which figures are held. [315555]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 9 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
In the financial year 2008-09 the Audit Commission paid the Expotel Hotel Reservations facility £1.9m, which represented 68% of the total value of expenditure on hotel bookings.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the gross expenditure of the Audit Commission was in each year since 1996. [315556]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 9 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission's gross expenditure for each year since 1996 was as follows:
| £000 | |
The Commission changed its financial year end in 1997 from March to October therefore there are two sets of accounts for that year. Our financial year end was changed again in 2004, so the period 2002-2004 is for 17 months, from November 2002 to March 2004.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 December 2009, Official Report, column 1261W, on the Audit Commission: procurement, how much the Audit Commission has spent at Shepherd's of Marsham Street, London in each of the last 36 months; and on what dates. [315624]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 9 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission has spent a total of £2,955.91 (inc VAT) at Shepherd's in the last 36 months:
£352.25 on 18 July 2007
£634.50 on 30 January 2008
£490.06 on 27 February 2008
£730.97 on 9 July 2008
£78.13 on 19 November 2008 (this was a cancellation charge)
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 26 January 2010, Official Report, column 767W, on the Audit Commission: public relations, if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter written to the Department's executive public bodies. [315626]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The letters will be sent shortly and I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) associated non-departmental public bodies plan to sign up to the 10:10 campaign for cutting carbon usage in 2010; and if he will publish the (i) criteria and (ii) research upon which such a decision will be taken. [312750]
Barbara Follett: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Luton, North (Kelvin Hopkins) on 26 January 2010, Official Report, columns 768-69W.
Departmental Pay
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2009, Official Report, column 1266W, on departmental pay, how many and what proportion of staff of his Department received both an annual performance bonus and an in-year bonus in 2008-09; what the largest combined bonus payment to an individual was; what proportion of staff received no bonus; and who was responsible for awarding such bonuses. [313129]
Barbara Follett: In-year performance bonuses for staff in the Department of Communities and Local Government are not identified separately through our payroll system. As a result, providing information about individual employees who received both in-year performance bonuses and annual performance bonuses could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, an element of the Department's pay bill is allocated to the non-consolidated variable pay awards which is used to encourage and reward high performance. These are paid to members of staff who have performed exceptionally well by, for example, exceeding targets or meeting challenging objectives. These non-consolidated variable pay awards are made in line with the Department's annual pay award which are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets. As such, they do not add to future pay bill costs.
The Department also operates a scheme for staff below the senior civil service, under which individuals or teams may receive small non-consolidated awards in recognition of an outstanding contribution over a limited period. The maximum payment made under these arrangements is £600. Line managers are responsible for awarding these payments in line with CLG policy.
Departmental Travel
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the travel guidelines issued to staff of each of his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [315143]
Barbara Follett: Staff in the Department's three Executive Agencies use the travel guidelines outlines in the CLG staff handbook, with some local variations. Work is currently being done to make the handbook a publishable document. Our non departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which employ staff each produce their own handbooks and these include the terms on which their staff should travel on official business.
Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Audit Commission publication, Better information, better decisions, better services: frequency of household waste collection, what (a) guidance and (b) research the Audit Commission has produced on household waste collections. [315515]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 9 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission has produced a number of external and internal documents relevant to waste collection. These are listed in Appendix 1 to this letter. The Audit Commission's internal guidance for staff is also included.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Appendix 1
National Reports
"Securing Further Improvements in Refuse Collection", 1984
"Well disposed: responding to the waste challenge" 2008 (This is primarily about waste disposal).
Other publications
"Waste Matters: Good Practice in Waste Management", 1997
"Waste Management: the Strategic Challenge", 2001
Published guidance
"Better information, better decisions, better services: frequency of household waste collection" (Please note: this is not actually guidance on household waste collection, but guidance on the information members should consider when making decisions about waste collection).
"Value for money profile tool"-VFM is central to the Audit Commission's mission and one of our fundamental responsibilities is to ensure that public money is spent economically, efficiently and effectively in local government, housing, health, criminal justice and fire and rescue services.
The emphasis of VFM has changed through the years, from a focus on competition through Competitive Compulsory Tendering, to encompassing issues of quality and service improvement through best value, to achieving efficiencies and, most recently, to ensuring that issues of equity and sustainability are addressed. These are all different ways of looking at the same topic. More information is available at:
Environmental key lines of enquiry"-Key lines of enquiry (KLOEs) are detailed questions that help to inform our auditors' judgements when assessing the financial performance of NHS trusts. More information is available at:
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