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29 Mar 2010 : Column 823W—continued
(d) The average length of a call in call centres run by the Student Loans Company in the latest period is set out in table 3.
| Table 3 | |
| Average length of call | |
Students: Loans
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many graduates have had their student loan debt recovered by the Student Loans Company through EU Regulation 14/2001 since 2006. [324309]
Mr. Lammy: EC Regulation 44/2001 enables the Student Loans Company (SLC) to obtain judgments in UK courts, which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries. EC Regulation 44/2001 is not required where court action is raised in the country of domicile.
In early 2009, the SLC contacted 54 EU borrowers in order to start the legal process. Experience suggests that the majority of cases are resolved satisfactorily when the SLC advise borrowers that legal action will be taken, and where appropriate student debt has been recovered before court action has been raised. However, there remain a small number of cases which may be subject to court action under Regulation EU 44/2001 where action is ongoing. Student loan debt has so far been recovered from two students where court action was raised in their country of domicile, where the relevant local law is applicable.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in what circumstances the Student Loans Company would expect to enforce the provisions of EU Regulation 14/2001. [324310]
Mr. Lammy: Effective collection across the EU is underpinned by EC Regulation 44/2001 which allows the Student Loans Company (SLC) to obtain judgments in UK courts, which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries. SLC will use this whenever necessary.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cash cost of (a) fee loans and (b) maintenance loans in higher education in England is in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [324991]
Mr. Lammy: The current estimated cash provision for fee loans and maintenance loans given to students domiciled in England is £5.2 billion in 2009-10 and £5.7 billion in 2010-11.
It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the figures as fee loans and maintenance loans are a combined budget.
Students: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students (a) currently resident in City of York constituency, (b) studying at the university of York and (c) studying at the university of York St. John receive (i) grants towards their university fees and (ii) non-repayable bursaries towards their maintenance costs. [324218]
Mr. Lammy:
Since academic year 2006/07 students have been able to defer payment of tuition fees by taking out a Tuition Fee Loan. Tuition fee grants have
not been available to new students since then and are only available to those who began their study before 2006/07.
In academic year 2008/09 100 students with home addresses in the York local authority area were awarded tuition fee grants. Reliable information is not available at constituency or university level.
The information requested on bursaries is not available centrally as they are the responsibility of higher education institutions.
Supermarkets: Alcoholic Drinks
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to prevent sales promotions by supermarkets selling alcohol at below cost price. [324784]
Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
The Government consulted last year on banning the sale of alcohol below duty plus VAT, a form of loss-leader.
We continue to look at how we can tackle the problems caused by cheap alcohol, while respecting the rights of responsible consumers and the Government have commissioned further research in this area.
Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing: Construction
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many (a) homes and (b) affordable homes have been built in each London borough in each year since 1997; [323593]
(2) how many (a) homes and (b) affordable homes were built in each London borough in each year since 1997. [324028]
Mr. Ian Austin: I have today placed tables in the Library of the House showing for each London borough since 1997-98 the number of new house building completions and also the number of additional new build affordable dwellings.
Not all affordable housing is provided through new build completions, supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. In 2008-09, for example, a total of 12,890 additional affordable homes were provided in London.
Audit Commission
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 9 February 2010, Official Report, columns 867-8W, on Audit Commission, what the (a) date and (b) purpose was of each meeting of the Audit Commission for which external meeting venues were booked in the last 24 months. [324513]
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.
There have been four occasions in the last 24 months when external meeting venues have been booked for Audit Commission meetings. These are listed as follows:
23-24 April 2008: Strategic Board Meeting
11 December 2008: Board Meeting (external venue was used during downsizing work to Millbank offices)
22-23 April 2009: Strategic Board Meeting
17 December 2009: Board Meeting (external venue was used due to lack of heating at Millbank offices)
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 9 February 2010, Official Report, column 868W, on Audit Commission, for what purposes (a) Lexington Communications and (b) Consolidated Communications were hired by the Audit Commission; what public affairs and lobbying activity each undertook; and what documents and other briefing materials each produced for the Commission. [324514]
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 Eugene Sullivan, dated 29 March 2010:
Parliamentary Question: pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for on Audit Commission, for what purposes (a) Lexington Communications and (b) Consolidated Communications were hired by the Audit Commission; what public affairs and lobbying activity each undertook; and what the documents and other briefing materials each produced for the Commission
Your Parliamentary Question was passed to the Chief Executive who has asked me to reply in his absence.
Lexington Communications and Consolidated Communications were contracted to provide parliamentary and political monitoring research support.
The Audit Commission ceased its contract with Lexington Communications in 2005. There are no retained briefing notes produced for the Audit Commission by Lexington Communications.
In response to a recent Parliamentary Question by Bob Neill MP (PQ02427), we advised that the contract with Consolidated Communications had ceased in October 2008 and copies of all retained briefing notes were placed in the House of Commons Library.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 9 February 2010, Official Report, columns 870-1W, on Audit Commission, for what reason only 68 per cent. of hotel bookings were made through the Expotel facility; and what proportion of such bookings made through the Expotel facility were for hotels at five stars or above in 2008-09. [324608]
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 Eugene Sullivan, dated 29 March 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question was passed to the Chief Executive who has asked me to reply in his absence.
The Expotel contract is predominately used to book overnight hotel accommodation. There is the facility to use the Expotel service for external meetings but there is flexibility to negotiate directly with venues to secure better rates. The remaining 32% of spend identified as not going through Expotel relates to external meeting bookings and a small proportion of those are for hotels that do not accept bookings through Expotel.
Ten five star hotels were booked in 2008/09, which equates to 0.6% of total spend.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 9 February 2010, Official Report, column 870W, on Audit Commission, which senior Audit Commission officials had use of a Government driver in the last 12 months; and on how many occasions in each such case. [324609]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 29 March 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question was passed to the Chief Executive who has asked me to reply in his absence.
Government chauffeurs are not used by the Audit Commission. The Government Car and Despatch Agency is used as it is a greener and more cost effective alternative to black cabs.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 9 February 2010, Official Report, column 872W, on the Audit Commission, what the purpose was of each of the meetings at Shepherd's of Marsham Street, London; and who attended each. [324611]
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 Eugene Sullivan, dated 29 March 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question was passed to the chief executive who has asked me to reply in his absence.
On 18 July 2007 the purpose of the dinner was to discuss issues that would be relevant to the work undertaken by the Commission in the coming six months. The attendees were the Audit Commission Management Team (Chief Executive, MD Audit, MD Communications & Public Reporting, MD Corporate Services, MD Health, MD Human Resources, MD Local Government, MD Policy, Research & Studies), the Head of the Chief Executive's Office and an external speaker. The external speaker on this occasion was the Chief Executive of the National Consumer Council.
On 30 January 2008 the purpose of the dinner was to discuss issues that would be relevant to the work undertaken by the Commission in the coming six months. The attendees were the Audit Commission Management Team, the Head of the Chief Executive's Office and an external speaker. The external speaker on this occasion was the Director of Policy Exchange.
On 27 February 2008 the event was a lunchtime seminar to discuss issues on Devolution vs Centralisation since 1983 to aid the production of a paper on the subject. From the Audit Commission the attendees were the Chief Executive and the MD Policy, Research & Studies. The attendees were David Curry MP, David Heath MP, Sir Peter Soulsby MP, Peter Brokenshire, Jake Arnold-Forster and Sir Brian Briscoe & Paul Rigg, Local Government Association.
The purpose of the dinner on 9 July 2008 was to discuss issues that would be relevant to the work undertaken by the Commission in the coming six months. The attendees were the Audit Commission Management Team, the Head of the Chief Executive's Office and an external speaker. The external speaker on this occasion was the Senior Policy Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 9 February 2010, Official Report, columns 870-71W, on the Audit Commission, which bookings for hotels were not made through the Expotel hotel reservations facility in 2008-09; and for what reasons they were not made through the facility. [324612]
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 29 March 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
In 2008/09, we made bookings with 34 hotels outside of the Expotel hotel reservations facility. The Expotel contract is predominately used to book overnight hotel accommodation, but we also use Expotel for events, some of which may include overnight accommodation. The bookings with the other hotels were made, in some cases, after direct negotiation to secure better rates and in others because of attendance at events at specific non Expotel hotels.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 10 February 2010, Official Report, column 1023W, on the Audit Commission, for what occasion Roleplay UK was engaged by his Department on each date in 2008 and 2009 given in the answer; and for what reason in each case. [324818]
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 Eugene Sullivan, dated 29 March 2010:
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