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29 Mar 2010 : Column 836W—continued
The data are taken from the Quarterly Return of Council Tax and Non-domestic rates returns completed annually by all billing authorities in England and the real terms data are given at 2008-09 prices.
Council Tax: Valuation
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Valuation Office Agency's pre-release announcement on council tax of 10 March 2010, if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent list of dwelling house and value significant codes used by each local authority. [323542]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked reply.
I refer the hon. Member to the Valuation Office Agency's Property Details Guide, which is available in the Library and the most up-to-date version is available on its website at:
Departmental Advertising
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its agencies spent on advertising via Google Adwords in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and for what keywords. [324699]
Barbara Follett: The Department purchases its digital marketing through the COI framework appointed agency i-Level.
i-Level have confirmed that from 1 April 2009 to 24 March 2010, the Department spent a total of £212,825.94 advertising via Google Adwords.
In this period the Department bought against 868 different keywords.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its agencies have spent on rooms for staff leisure in each of the last five years. [324434]
Barbara Follett: This information is not centrally available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department provides subsidised gym facilities for its staff. [324566]
Barbara Follett: The Department does not provide subsidised gym facilities for staff.
Departmental Computers
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2010, Official Report, column 479W, on departmental computers, what software is included in the average price for a (a) desktop and (b) laptop computer; and what the typical make, model and specification is for (i) desktop and (ii) laptop computers purchased for such prices. [323106]
Barbara Follett: Included within the average price, which was given in the answer I provided on February 23rd 2010, both desktops and laptops are loaded with Microsoft Window XP operating system as well as a suite of security software. We are unable to provide details on the suite of security software loaded due to security reasons.
Typical make, model and specifications within the estate are as follows:
DELL Optiplex 745 SF
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (667 MHZ DDR2 DU)
19 inch LCD Monitor, 2 x 512 MB memory, 80GB hard drive (72000 RPM), Floppy Disk Drive : 3.5" 1.44MB INTERNAL, 24 x DVD-ROM and CD/RW, Keyboard.
DELL Latitude E6400
Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz, 10066MHz, 3MB)
14.1 inch screen, 2 x 1 GB memory, 80 GB hard drive, 8X DVD-ROM and 24X CD+/-RW, Modem: UK Internal 56.6K.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2010, Official Report, column 479W, on departmental computers, whether the average price for (a) desktop and (b) laptop computers includes (i) catalogue management, (ii) new order authorisation, (iii) disc imaging and software installation, (iv) delivery and removal of old kit, (v) installation, (vi) field engineering support and (vii) removal and disposal. [323107]
Barbara Follett: Yes, the average price-provided under our answer of 23 February 2010-for desktop and laptops does include these costs.
Departmental Food
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by his Department and its non-departmental bodies are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme. [323044]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and its non-departmental public bodies encourage its catering contractors to follow the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA) guidance for Public Sector Food Procurement Initiatives.
The initiative aims to deliver a world class sustainable farming and food sector. It also provides data on the domestically produced food used by, and supplied to, Government Departments. CLG reports to DEFRA on the procurement of food, catering services and catering equipment, indicating the proportion of United Kingdom produce supplied from farm assured, organic, fair trade tea and coffee and seasonal produce. The reports are published on the "Raising Awareness" page of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiatives website at:
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department, its predecessor and its agencies spent on promotional items carrying the Department's branding and logo in the last five years; and what those items were. [324720]
Barbara Follett: The Department does not retain information on spending on promotional items in a fashion which distinguishes between those carrying the Department's branding and logo and those which do not.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the five most expensive hospitality events hosted by his Department and its agencies were in the last three years; and what the (a) cost and (b) purpose of each such event was. [324666]
Barbara Follett: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Pay
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 1 March 2010, Official Report, column 956W, on departmental pay, what the average annual salary is of special advisers in his Department. [323990]
Barbara Follett: The average annual salary is of special advisers in this Department is £72,000.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average pay and pension cost, including employer national insurance contributions, is for a press officer in his Department. [324037]
Barbara Follett: The average pay and pension cost for a press officer (including salary, employer's national insurance contributions and pension costs) in this Department is £48,214.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding under each programme to improve (a) levels of employment, (b) levels of income, (c) health levels, (d) educational achievement, (d) the living environment, (e) crime levels and (f) access to housing and services his Department allocated to each London borough in each year since 2000; and what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of that funding in each case. [323773]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Improvements to the outcomes listed in parts (a) to (e) are encompassed within the aims of the Department's area-based programmes. In line with devolutionary principles, many of the funding arrangements allow for local flexibility in identifying priorities within the local authority area.
The main area-based programmes which have allocated funding to London boroughs since 2000 are:
Safer and Stronger Communities Fund, comprising: Neighbourhood Element and Cleaner, Safer, Greener Element
Liveability Fund
Neighbourhood Renewal Fund
New Deal for Communities
Local Enterprise Growth Initiative
Working Neighbourhoods Fund
Thames Gateway Programme
Inspiring Communities Grant.
Funding allocated from these programmes to London authorities is included in tables 1 to 6 which have been laid in the Library of the House.
(f) The main programmes which seek to improve access to housing in London boroughs include:
Choice Based Letting
The Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing Programme
The Supporting People programme.
Funding information for these programmes is included in tables 7 to 10 which have been laid in the Library of the House.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of funding for programmes under (a) to (f) have not been conducted at the local authority level. Completed national level evaluations are available from the Department's website.
Departmental Records
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's guidance to staff on records management and filing for private offices [324017]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government follows the guidance issued by the Cabinet Office and the National Archives in June 2009 for the management of private office records. I have arranged for a copy of this to be placed in the Library.
Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which of its (a) best value inspection reports, (b) audit letters, (c) comprehensive performance assessment reports and (d) comprehensive area assessment reports the Audit Commission has recommended a local authority to consider introducing alternate weekly collections of household rubbish. [324498]
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.
Without reviewing over 2,000 documents, which would only be possible at disproportionate cost, the Audit Commission is aware of only two audit, inspection or assessment reports since 2004 which recommend that a local authority considers alternate weekly collections of household rubbish.
These are:
Waste Management inspection report for West Devon District Council (January 2005)
Waste Management inspection report for Cannock Chase District Council (September 2005)
Both reports are available on the Commission's website
The Commission's approach to this issue is the same as for other questions of public service delivery. It is for local authorities to decide how best to deliver their services. We expect them to consider all relevant options, to make their decision on the basis of accurate information and to be accountable for the cost and service outcomes achieved.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) the email from the Audit Commission to Southampton City Council of 26 August 2004 on fortnightly rubbish collections and (b) the associated best value inspection report. [324499]
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 Gareth Davies, dated 29 March 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question was passed to the Chief Executive who has asked me to reply in his absence.
A copy of the Audit Commission's best value inspection report on Southampton City Council's waste management service (published 2004) has been placed in the House of Commons Library. The email from the Audit Commission to Southampton City Council of 26 August 2004 has also been placed in the Library.
The inspection report can also be found on the Audit Commission's website at:
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 873-4W, on domestic waste: waste disposal, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Audit Commission's (a) waste management quick guide and (b) draft letter to local authorities on controlled waste regulations guidance. [324825]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Gareth Davies, dated 29 March 2010:
Parliamentary Question: pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 9 February 2010, Official Report, columns 873-4W, on domestic waste: waste disposal, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Audit Commission's (a) waste management quick guide and (b) draft letter to local authorities on controlled waste regulations guidance.
Your Parliamentary Question was passed to the Chief Executive who has asked me to reply in his absence.
A copy of the Audit Commission's waste management quick guide has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Our response to PQ 1532 09/10, from the Honorary Member for Brentwood and Ongar on 9 February 2010, incorrectly stated that the draft letter to local authorities on controlled waste regulations guidance was an Audit Commission letter. This draft letter was a DEFRA document and should not have been included in our response to PQ 1532 09/10.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
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