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2 Mar 2010 : Column 1133W—continued
Driveways: Planning Permission
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to expedite the implementation of new planning regulations to allow the resurfacing of driveways with permeable paving materials without the requirement for planning permission. [318502]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Government's online service for planning, the planning portal, includes advice and guidance on how to implement the new planning regulations which allow surfacing of driveways with permeable paving materials. Similar advice together with the regulations is also on the departmental website. Ultimately it is for local authorities to encourage householders to make use of permeable materials, especially where there are particular risks of surface water run off leading to flooding. Local authorities are also responsible for enforcement where the new regulations are not observed.
Empty Dwelling Management Orders
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish a copy of the assessment undertaken for the Housing Act 2004 on whether the Act's provisions on empty dwelling management orders were compatible with the right to property in the European Convention on Human Rights. [319043]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Housing Act 2004 is fully compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights as stated by Lord Rooker when introducing the provisions during the passage of the Bill.
Energy Performance Certificates
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many actions for non-compliance with energy performance certificates had been issued to landlords in the public sector by training standards officers on the latest date for which figures are available. [319482]
Mr. Ian Austin: No information is collected centrally about the number of penalty notices that have been issued by trading standards officers for non-compliance with the requirements of the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/991).
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many display energy certificates for public buildings were recorded with the Landmark Agency in (a) 2008 and (b) 2009. [319771]
Mr. Ian Austin: The number of display energy certificates (DEC) for public buildings recorded on the DEC register operated by Landmark Information Group Ltd in (a) 2008 is 12,832; and (b) 2009 is 27,379.
Exeter and Devon (Structural Changes) Order 2010
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 26 of the Explanatory Memorandum to the Exeter and Devon (Structural Changes) Order 2010, (1) for what reason the 600 performance items have not been incorporated into the National Indicator Set; [319308]
(2) what each of the 600 performance items requested by the Government and inspectorates is; and what each of the 200 indicators referred to in his Department's press release of 20 January 2010 is. [319309]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The reference to 600 performance items is from a research document "Mapping the Local Government Performance Landscape." The research was commissioned by DCLG, carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers and published in July 2006. We do not hold the data which underpinned the research. The findings of the research is available at:
The 2006 Local Government White Paper "Strong and Prosperous Communities" committed to establishing a new local performance framework to replace the performance landscape of the time and streamline the separate performance arrangements at the local level. This new local performance framework was introduced from April 2008.
The press release referring to the National Indicator Set, is one element of the new local performance framework. The 2006 Local Government White Paper "Strong and Prosperous Communities" committed to establishing a single set of indicators of around 200 indicators measuring national priority outcomes delivered by local authorities working alone or in partnership. The National Indicator Set was introduced from April 2008 and currently contains 188 indicators. Further detail on the National Indicator Set is available at:
Fire Services: Industrial Disputes
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any fire authorities beside London have entered into contracts to provide fire cover in the event of industrial action according to records held by (a) the Chief Fire Adviser, (b) Firebuy and (c) the Fire Service College. [319297]
Mr. Malik: The Office of the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, Firebuy and the Fire Service College have no record of any fire and rescue authorities, other than London, which have entered into contracts with third parties to provide fire cover during industrial action.
Floods: Gardens
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 20 July 2009, Official Report, column 812W, on floods: gardens, if he will place in the Library a copy of the research report on permeable and impermeable surfacing. [319316]
Mr. Ian Austin: The research report 'Understanding permeable and impermeable surfaces' was published on 14 September 2009. It can be accessed on the Department's website at:
I have arranged for a copy of the report to be placed in the Library of the House.
Government Office for London: Expenditure
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2010, Official Report, column 634W, on Government Offices for the Regions: procurement, how much the Government Office for London spent on (a) Digby Trout Restaurants, (b) Marks and Spencer and (c) The Peace Alliance; and (i) on what dates and (ii) for what purpose that expenditure was incurred. [319366]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Details of the Government Office for London's procurement are below. All costs relate to 2008-09.
| Company | Invoice date | Purpose of Expenditure | Cost (£) |
Government Office for the East of England: Expenditure
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2010, Official Report, column 634W, on Government Offices for the Regions: procurement, how much the Government Office for the East of England paid to the Cambridge Hog Roast Company; on what dates; and for what purpose. [319129]
Ms Rosie Winterton: GO-East paid £920 to the Cambridge Hog Roast Company to supply catering at an event involving all staff at the Government office, held at the Cass Centre in Cambridge on the afternoon of 9 July 2008. Reflecting the changing role of the organisation, the event was held to give staff the opportunity to learn more about each other's work and share examples of their achievements.
Government Office for the South West: Expenditure
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2010, Official Report, column 634W, on Government Offices for the Regions: procurement, how much the Government Office for the South West spent on Lyngford House in 2008-09; on what dates the venue was hired; for what purposes the venue was hired; and how many officials attended on each occasion. [319329]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government office for the south-west spent £816.50 on Lyngford House in 2008-09 for development sessions for 11 senior (Grade 6) staff. Sessions took place on 19 September 2008 and 12 January 2009.
Government Offices for the Regions: Expenditure
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much programme expenditure was directed through each Government Office in the last year for which figures are available. [319219]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 23 February 2010, Official Report, columns 485-86W.
Government Offices for the Regions: Finance
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has contributed to the (a) administrative and (b) programme expenditure of each regional Government Office in each year since 2003; and what the equivalent forecast figures are for (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12. [319034]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The contributions from Communities and Local Government to the Government offices administrative budget are as follows:
| £ | |
| (1) Not yet determined | |
Programme expenditure which passes through the Government office network remains the responsibility of the Secretaries of State for the individual sponsor Departments and is accounted for by those Departments so a full picture of programme funding could be identified only at a disproportionate cost.
Government Offices for the Regions: Mass Media
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government Office in each region has spent on media monitoring services in each of the last five years; and what companies were used by each office. [319217]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In the past, a number of Government Offices have taken media monitoring contracts to inform their role, including provision of regional intelligence to Whitehall Departments.
The means of doing this has varied between in house and use of contracted services. As of this year (2009-10) following a review of GO communications activity, there has been one media monitoring contract with TNS Media Monitoring Services which covers the whole GO Network. That contract operates from 2 June 2009 to 31 March 2010 with a total cost of £ 110,000 paid for by the Network centrally.
| Media monitoring providers for Government Offices in the last five years | |||
| GO | Year | Provider | Costs (£) |
| n/a = Not available. (1) Plus VAT. (2) In 2008-09 the Network contracted media monitoring services on behalf of five Government Offices at a cost of £28,793.38. | |||
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