Regional Development Agencies
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts were awarded to social enterprises by each regional development agency (RDA) in each of the last five years; and what percentage of the RDAs budget this represented in each such year. [314859]
Ms Rosie Winterton: When awarding contracts, the regional development agencies (RDAs) do not record whether or not a business is a social enterprise. To filter the information to obtain the 'type' of organisation would require the RDAs to examine every agreement and the awardee individually (for each of the last five years) in order to ascertain whether or not they fall under the category of 'social enterprise'. Undertaking such an activity would incur disproportionate cost.
Sandwell
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the borough of Sandwell, the effects on that borough of changes to the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997. [316475]
Barbara Follett: The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at:
http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/
Communities and Local Government statistical publications can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/researchandstatistics/statistics/
This includes time series data across the Department's remit at various geographic levels.
Details of research projects commissioned by Communities and Local Government and its predecessors are available from our Research Database (RD) at:
http://www.rmd.communities.gov.uk/
This includes evaluations of key policies.
Over the last year, Communities and Local Government has:
Played a critical role responding to the recession ensuring people, business and communities receive the practical help they need, including: helping people avoid repossession; Real Help Now; supporting the construction industry, critical regeneration projects, jobs through Future Jobs Fund; and businesses with the business rates deferral scheme.
Set in place a platform for greater local devolution for more effective decision making through local area agreements (LAAs)—including slashing central performance standards from over 1,200 to fewer than 200.
Continued building on this through Total Place pilots, leading innovation across public services—cutting out waste, overlap and duplication, meaning more and better quality services at less cost to the taxpayer.
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Established the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) set out in the Planning Act 2008—which will make the major Infrastructure Planning decisions for the country, delivering a faster, fairer and more transparent planning regime.
Announced the £1.5 billion Housing Pledge to deliver an additional 20,000 units of affordable housing, creating 45,000 jobs in the construction industry over this year and next, including 1,300 new apprenticeship schemes.
During the period since 1997, the Department's achievements include:
Working with local housing authorities to reduce the number of people accepted as owed a main homelessness duty by 71 per cent. since the peak in 2003—the lowest level since the late seventies—through greater emphasis on the prevention of homelessness.
Launching the Local Government White Paper ‘Strong and Prosperous Communities’ which set out a new stage of public sector reform, significantly strengthening leadership and devolving power to local government as well as providing a major expansion of opportunities for local people to influence local decision-making and improve their lives.
Helping reduce accidental fire-related deaths—the lowest level since 1959.
Reducing by 1.2 million the number of non decent social homes.
Investing through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund £1.87 billion for England's 88 most deprived local authorities—leading to real positive change.
Sheltered Housing and Care Homes
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in (a) sheltered accommodation and (b) care homes in each year since 1997. [316031]
Mr. Ian Austin: Estimates of the number of people living in sheltered accommodation in England for each year from 1997-98 to 2007-08 are provided in Table 1. These estimates are based on data from the Survey of English Housing.
| Table 1: Individuals in sheltered accommodation, England | |
|
| Number |
| Source: Survey of English Housing. | |
Communities and Local Government does not collect data on the number of people in care homes. Data on the number of adults (aged 18 and over) in local authority funded residential and nursing care are collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
Data on the number of self-funded residents or residents supported by means other than support by Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs) are not collected centrally.
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Table 2 shows the numbers of adults aged 18 and over in local authority funded residential and nursing care as at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2009. The data for 2009 are provisional; final data are expected to be published in spring 2010.
| Table 2: The total(1) number of clients aged 18 and over in receipt of local authority funded residential or nursing care as at 31 March | |
| Year (at 31 March) | Total of all supported residents, England |
| (1 )This includes social care funded clients in voluntary and private registered residential, general and mental health nursing homes, unstaffed homes and adult placements. (2 )Includes clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights. (3) Includes Boyd loophole residents. (4) Data for 2009 are provisional and sourced from the Adult Social Care—Combined Activity Return (ASC-CAR). Sources: 1. Supported Residents (SR)1 Table S1. 2. ASC-CAR Table S1. | |
Smoke Alarms
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dicon smoke detectors have been purchased through Firebuy; what assessment his Department has made of the performance of dicon smoke detectors; and if he will make a statement. [315939]
Mr. Malik: Up to December 2009 25,000 Dicon smoke alarms had been purchased from Firebuy's current framework contract and a further 853,000 through a previous contract. The tender evaluation process for the current contract, which was undertaken by Firebuy and representatives of the fire and rescue service, assessed product quality and performance against a number of criteria including independent certification to the relevant British and European standards for domestic smoke alarms. These standards include test methods and performance criteria.
Charter Trustees
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers he has to designate previously parished and unparished areas as mixed Charter Trustee areas consequent on the creation of a unitary authority; and if he will make a statement. [315756]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The Secretary of State may, by order under section 7 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, establish Charter Trustees for those local authority areas that are to be abolished, and where no suitable local government body such as a parish council exists, in order to preserve
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historic property, privileges rights and traditions presently enjoyed by local residents in those areas.
In some places, although parishes exist in the area of the outgoing council, there is no obvious parish candidate to preserve the traditions since those parishes are not closely related to the (unparished) city centre. In such cases, Charter Trustees have been established for the whole of the previous city council area. However, once a parish is created for the core city area, the arrangements protected by Charter Trustees would automatically transfer to that body and the Charter Trustees would be disbanded under the Local Government (Parishes and Parish Councils) (England) Regulations 2008.
House of Commons Commission
Computer Software
Stephen Pound: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what consideration the House of Commons Commission has given to the installation of Windows 7 on computers on the House of Commons part of the Parliamentary estate; and for what reason Windows Vista is being installed on such computers. [315960]
Nick Harvey: The support service for Windows 2000 expires in June 2010. Windows 7 was launched by Microsoft on 23 October 2009 and is now being tested by PICT. If the tests prove successful and it can be financially justified Windows 7 will be used when new equipment is issued to Members. Given the timescales for the withdrawal of Windows 2000 support and the relatively recent availability of Windows 7 the move to Windows Vista for administrative staff was considered the best option given the circumstances.
Health
Asthma: Drugs
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether an audit has been carried out on the effects on general practitioner prescribing patterns of the March 2008 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidance on inhaled corticosteroids. [316122]
Ann Keen: The Department has not conducted such an audit.
Autism
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish an adult autism strategy under section 1 of the Autism Act 2009. [316173]
Phil Hope: The legislation mandates a timeframe for the publication of the strategy by 1 April 2010.
However, we will be publishing the strategy shortly, in advance of this date.
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Bridlington Hospital: Closed Circuit Television
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the closed circuit television equipment at Bridlington Hospital to be fully operational. [316446]
Ann Keen: The provision and management of local health services is a matter for the national health service locally. It is the responsibility of the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust to protect and maintain the facilities on its hospital sites. This includes the provision of closed circuit television equipment.
Bridlington Hospital: Mental Health Services
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mental health services will be available at Bridlington Hospital from November 2010; and if he will make a statement. [316449]
Ann Keen: It is the responsibility of the national health service locally to plan, develop and improve health services according to the healthcare needs of their local populations. This information can be obtained directly from the Humber NHS Foundation Trust.
Cancer
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the causes are of cancer of the (a) mouth, (b) oesophagus and (c) larynx; and what proportion of cases of each was attributable to each such factor in the last 12 months. [316296]
Ann Keen: Research, which is helpfully summarised on the website of Cancer Research UK, shows that the main causes of oral cancer are tobacco usage and excess consumption of alcohol with their combined usage having a synergistic effect. These factors together account for about 75 per cent. of the 5,300 cases of oral cancer occurring annually in the United Kingdom. There is also evidence of an association with the human papillomavirus and low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. Tobacco usage and alcohol consumption are also associated with cancer of the oesophagus and larynx, together with diet and family history, but information is not available on which to base estimates of their relative significance.
Departmental Accountancy
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any written instructions have been provided to his Department’s Accounting Officer in accordance with paragraph 5.5 of the Ministerial Code since May 1997. [315564]
Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Exchequer Secretary (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) on 8 February 2010, Official Report, column 760W.