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23 Feb 2010 : Column 477W—continued
Daventry
East Riding of Yorkshire UA
South Ham
South Lakeland
West Somerset
Details of the monetary value of these discounts are not collected centrally.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have used their powers to reduce the council tax discount on (a) empty and (b) second homes; what revised discount rate was set in each case; and what estimate has been made of the total additional council revenue raised as a result of such revisions in each year since 1993. [318062]
Barbara Follett: Since 1 April 2004, local billing authorities have been given the discretion to reduce the council tax discount offered on long-term empty homes and second homes.
I have placed in the Library of the House tables which show which authorities have, since 2004-05, used their power to reduce discounts for council tax on empty and second homes in their area as well as the revised rate applied.
The estimated total additional council revenue raised as a result of the reduction to discounts for long-term empty and second homes for each year since 2006-07 is shown in the following table:
| £ million | ||
| Long-term empty homes | Second homes | |
Estimates have not been provided for the years prior to 2006-07 due to the disproportionate cost in producing them.
Council Tax: Statistics
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 16 June 2009, Official Report, column 368W, on council tax: statistics, what decision was taken on the designation of council tax statistics. [317815]
Barbara Follett: Officials are currently working with the United Kingdom Statistics Authority (UKSA) on the assessment of council tax levels set by local authorities in England. When the assessment has been completed, details will be available on the UKSA website at the following link:
Departmental Advertising
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on advertising by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) Executive agency for which his Department is responsible in 2009. [318069]
Barbara Follett: The Department's expenditure on communications, including advertising, is set out in its annual reports, which include details of the initiatives communicated. Departmental annual reports are available on the Department's website at:
Additional detail on the most recent year (2008-09) is available at:
Information on advertising by the Department's non-departmental public bodies and Executive agencies is not held centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Computers
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much on average his Department paid for a typical (a) laptop and (b) desktop computer (i) including and (ii) excluding value added tax in the latest period for which figures are available. [317870]
Barbara Follett: The average price paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government in the financial year 2009-10 for a desktop computer is approximately £787 excluding VAT and £1,862 excluding VAT for laptops. The costs of individual desktop and laptop computers can vary considerably depending on the model required and whether it is purchased for network or standalone use. If it is to be networked the cost will include the price of ongoing support from our IT supplier and of providing security features to meet the relevant cross government requirements set by the Cabinet Office and Communications-Electronics Security Group (CESG).
Departmental Disabled Staff
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of staff in (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in (i) his Department and (ii) the executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff. [317908]
Barbara Follett: The information is as follows:
(a) The number and the average salaries of the disabled and non-disabled staff employed by the Department for Communities and Local Government who have made their disability status known, is shown in the following table:
| Full-time equivalent | ||
| Average salaries (£) | Staff number | |
(b) Information on the average salaries of disabled and non-disabled staff in the Department's agencies is not held centrally.
Departmental Energy
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated (a) amount and (b) cost was of energy used in his Department and its agencies in each year since 1997; what proportion of the energy used was generated from renewable sources in each of those years; and if he will make a statement. [317226]
Barbara Follett: The amount and cost of energy used by Communities and Local Government and its executive agencies in each year since 2004-05 is detailed in the following table. To provide data prior to 2004-05 would represent disproportionate costs to the Department.
| CLG c entral | |||||
| Electricity ( kWh ) | R enewable (%) | Cost (£) | Gas ( kWh ) | Cost (£) | |
| Executive a gencies | |||||
| Electricity ( kWh ) | R enewable (%) | Cost (£) | Gas ( kWh ) | Cost (£) | |
| (1) Full energy costs for CLG Central are not known for 2008-09 due to estate rationalisation and subsequent incomplete pro-rated costs from our landlord. | |||||
Mandatory cross-Government targets require Departments and their agencies to reduce carbon emissions from offices by 12.5 per cent. by 2010-11 against 1999-2000 levels and to source at least 10 per cent. of electricity from renewables by 31 March 2008. Performance is reported annually as part of the Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) process.
The latest assessment of Government's performance against these targets was published by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) on the 18 December 2009, and is available on the OGC website
http://www.ogc.gov.uk/sustainability_programme_ progress.asp
Information on reporting years prior to 2008/09 was collated and published by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) and can be found on the SDC website
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many employees in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in (i) his Department and its predecessors and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year. [313247]
Barbara Follett: The phrases 'in transition' and 'managed out' are not used in the civil service. However, we have taken the former to mean staff officially declared to be surplus, and the latter to mean surplus staff leaving the organisation, either through redeployment or compulsory redundancy.
In Communities and Local Government surplus staff are not necessarily managed out. The Department's redeployment pool, known as the Career Transition Centre, includes staff returning from loans, secondments, and career breaks, as well as those currently without permanent posts. Most of these staff are redeployed within the civil service.
The following table shows the length of the transition window, with associated salary costs, and the proportion of staff who were surplus for more than six months. The cost of surplus staff has only been centrally accounted for in Communities and Local Government since April 2008 so no data on this are available prior to this date. Similarly, the Department did not track staff redeployment before April 2008.
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