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7 Apr 2010 : Column 1400W—continued
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many agency and temporary staff his Department employed in each of the last three years. [324331]
Barbara Follett: Over the last three years the Department has used several different suppliers to find temporary and agency staff and, the details of the many individual contracts involved can only be disaggregated at a disproportionate cost.
Details of the Department's staffing levels are published each year in its Annual Report and Resource Accounts, copies of which can be found on its external website:
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2010, Official Report, column 957W, on departmental temporary employment, what the total amount spent on employing temporary staff was in each of the last three years. [324332]
Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) today, PQ 322840.
Departmental Translation Services
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on translators in each year since 1997. [325591]
Barbara Follett: The Department have spent the following on language interpretation for the last four years. Figures for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| FY | Amount (£) |
Departmental Written Questions
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament. [325596]
Barbara Follett: Up to 30 March 2010, the Department had received 368 written questions for answer on a named day of which 303 (82 per cent.) were answered on the due date.
Disadvantaged
Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on each of the adults facing chronic exclusion pilots, which began in 2007; and which of them have been continued and included in other Government programmes. [325675]
Barbara Follett: All 12 of the adults facing chronic exclusion pilots continue to provide support to vulnerable people.
Two interim reports have been published on the Cabinet Office website, detailing the outcomes for clients; including improvements in accommodation, use of health services and overall wellbeing.
The complete findings of the ACE pilots-including cost-benefit analysis-are due to be published in the autumn.
Continued funding has been confirmed for:
Tyneside Cyrenians
Turning Point Connected Care
South West London and St. George's New Directions Team
Provisional funding has been agreed for:
NOAH Enterprise, Luton
Negotiations for the continuation of funding in the remaining eight areas are ongoing.
Housing: Prices
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost was of a dwelling purchased by a first-time buyer in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) each Government Office Region and (d) each local authority area in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the most recent period for which figures are available. [324617]
John Healey: The latest average mix-adjusted purchase price for first-time buyers from 1993 for England, Wales and Government Office regions are available on the Department's website.
Since 1997 over 160,000 households have been helped into home ownership through Government schemes. A full breakdown of low cost home ownership provision can be found on the Department's website.
Leasehold Valuation Tribunal
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many cases relating to major works affecting local authority leaseholders have been brought before leasehold valuation tribunals in each year since 2005-06. [325276]
John Healey: It is not possible without disproportionate cost to say how many cases relating to major works affecting local authority leaseholders have been brought before leasehold valuation tribunals in each year since 2005-06.
Local Government Finance: Home Care Services
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the Personal Care at Home Bill's compliance with the new burdens doctrine for local authorities. [325755]
Barbara Follett: As with all policies and programmes the Government are committed to assessing the costs to local authorities of the Personal Care at Home Bill. This will be funded through a combination of additional grant and from local authority efficiency savings and will only be introduced from April 2011.
It is right for local government to help central Government deliver this new commitment. We believe that councils can implement efficiency savings because:
the costs of delivering local services has fallen, with recent low levels of inflation and affordable pay settlements;
Budget 2010 announced new measures to free-up local resources by reducing burdens and targets and making reductions in ring-fencing;
we have made record amounts of investment in local government, with councils receiving £8.6 billion more over the current spending review period.
Non-Domestic Rates: Ports
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of 17 March 2010, Official Report, column 279WH, on port business rates, what steps have been taken to improve the Valuation Office Agency's fast-track process following his discussions with Treasury Ministers. [324780]
Barbara Follett: Under its fast-track arrangements for ratepayers with backdated bills, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has pledged to give an initial response to points raised in a proposal within 10 working days and a final decision within two months in all but the most complex cases. As at 4 November 2009, the VOA statistics show that they have met the fast-track timescales on 97 per cent. of proposals received.
Where the ratepayer is not in agreement with the decision, the VOA refers appeals to the independent Valuation Tribunal for England (VTE) for early listing. Once a proposal is transferred to the VTE as an appeal, it is outside the fast-track system and falls into the usual appeals process.
There are currently no plans to amend the fast track process.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fast track reviews of rating assessment of port companies were (a) initiated and (b) completed in 2009; how many will continue into 2010-11; how business rates are being collected from companies which have not yet been assessed; and whether such companies are deemed to be listed for business rates. [325558]
Barbara Follett: Under the fast-track arrangements for ratepayers with backdated bills, which it introduced on 24 November 2008, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) pledges to give an initial response to points raised about proposal within 10 working days and a final decision within two months in all but the most complex cases.
Up until 17 March 2010, 1,026 formal challenges have been subject to the fast-track arrangements, of these, 644 have been resolved and 382 are outstanding. 197 have been transmitted as appeals to the valuation tribunal following issue of the valuation officer's considered decision. In practice, although ratepayers and their agents have been invited to support early listing dates, very few have taken this offer up.
Rates are a tax on properties capable of beneficial occupation. When one appears on the ratings list, its occupier, which may be a business, becomes liable for this tax. All properties that appear on the ratings list are similarly liable and their rates will be collected by the billing authority in the usual way. However, if for any reason, including an exemption, a property does not appear on the ratings list, it means that rates are not being collected in respect of that property.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procedures were used to implement the separate rating of port companies in each year since 1999; and how many such companies were (a) visited and (b) notified of their rating by a representative of the Valuation Office Agency in each year since 1999. [325559]
Barbara Follett: The principles concerning separate rateability where there is 'exclusive occupation' and 'paramount control' are long established and predate the ports review as well as the end of prescribed rating. The lead case on this subject is a House of Lords decision which dates back to 1936-Westminster Council v. Southern Railway Company and W.H. Smith and Son. There was, therefore no 'implementation' of a new separate ratings policy either after or before 1999. In other words, any property, other than a statutory port authority, that met the separate assessment criteria, even before 1999, should have been rated separately.
The Valuation Office Agency have advised us that since May 2006, it has inspected over 800 properties (hereditaments) within 55 ports in England and Wales as part of the ports review.
Information was collected from the statutory port operators, ratepayers and through physical inspection of the property. In cases where the information supported separate assessment, the ratepayer was served a notice informing them of the assessment.
The agency does not maintain records of the number of properties within ports inspected and notified in each year since 1999. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Non-Domestic Rates: Ports
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes in rateable values in the 2005-10 Rating Cycle have been provided to port operators as a result of the new regime of retrospective business rates on firms operating in ports. [323082]
Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend Lord McKenzie of Luton to Lord Bates on 12 November 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, columns WA208-209.
Opposition
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has undertaken costings of the policies of (a) the Conservative Party and (b) the Liberal Democrat Party at the request of Ministers or special advisers in the last 36 months. [324402]
Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 30 March 2010, Official Report, column 1044W.
Planning Permission: Stoke on Trent
Mr. Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will call in for examination the decision of the Planning Inspectorate on the application for a development sited at Nashe Drive in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency; and if he will examine the consistency of the Inspectorate's decision in this case with the determinations in previous similar cases in the area. [325761]
John Healey: Once the decision of the Planning Inspectorate has been issued the Secretary of State cannot call in for his consideration either of the two appeals that have been determined in the Nashe Drive, Stoke on Trent area. The only way that the decision for the change of use to the hot food takeaway which had been refused planning permission could have been reconsidered was if it was successfully challenged in the High Court on a point of law. As the decision was not challenged it is final. The other appeal was allowed subject to conditions.
In respect of the consistency of the decisions each case would have raised different issues and policy considerations and would have been determined on their own planning merits.
Energy and Climate Change
Insulation: Housing
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes in Great Britain had cavity walls and no cavity wall insulation at the end of (a) 2008 and (b) 2009; and if he will make a statement. [325683]
Joan Ruddock: We estimate that by the end of 2008, approximately 10 million homes in Great Britain had received cavity wall insulation, leaving around 3.5 million homes with cavities still possible to be filled without significant practical difficulties. Approximately 600,000 cavities were treated during 2009, taking the total number of filled cavities to just over 10.5 million and leaving an estimated 2.9 million homes with cavities considered practical to fill. The Government have committed to filling all cavity walls, where practical, by the end of 2015.
Further information can be found in the 2008 English Housing Survey, and in the Government's recent Warm Homes, Greener Homes strategy and supporting documents.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Batteries: Waste Disposal
Mr. Greg Knight:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department issues on the criteria to be
applied to assess whether a battery is easily removable from an appliance under the requirements of the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009; and what guidance his Department has issued on whether models of the Apple iPhone on sale in the UK meet such requirements. [325745]
Ian Lucas: Government guidance notes to accompany the Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 were published by the Department in August of that year (URN 08/1130). These include an explanation of the requirement for appliances to be designed in such a way as to allow ready removal of their batteries, unless certain conditions relating to, for example, safety or performance, apply.
The notes also give answers to common questions regarding removability, but do not provide advice on every type of appliance, nor on individual products, such as the Apple iPhone. However, the appointed regulator, the National Measurement Office, has had contact with a number of companies, including Apple, to discuss the processes and procedures they have in place for ensuring compliance with the legislation.
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