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2 Jun 2010 : Column 29W—continued
Credit Unions
Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is in respect of credit unions; and if he will make a statement. [253]
Mr Hoban: This Government recognise the role that credit unions have in our society. We have announced that we will bring forward detailed proposals to foster diversity, promote mutuals and create a more competitive banking industry.
Mutual Societies
Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of (a) banks and (b) building societies having mutual status. [254]
Mr Hoban: Banks and Building societies with mutual status both have an important role in the UK's financial sector. We will bring forward proposals to foster diversity, promote mutuals and create a more competitive banking industry.
Revenue and Customs: Finance
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what savings Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is expected to make (a) nationally and (b) in the North East in each of the next three years. [229]
Mr Gauke: The Government's spending plans, including those for HM Revenue and Customs, will be set out in the spending review.
Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing: Construction
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to devolve planning powers to local authorities to ensure local need for affordable housing is met. [671]
Robert Neill: Planning Policy Statement 3 (Housing) sets out the current planning requirements of local planning authorities to provide for affordable housing to meet local needs. We have committed, in the Coalition Government document 'The Coalition: our programme for government', to radically reforming the planning system to give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which their inhabitants live, based on the principles set out in the Conservative party publication 'Open Source Planning'. We have also committed, in the Coalition Government document, to publish and present to Parliament a simple and consolidated national planning framework covering all forms of development and setting out national economic, environmental and social priorities. We will provide the details of how we intend to do this shortly.
Council Housing Finance Review
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of the Housing Revenue Account Review. [65]
Andrew Stunell: We are committed to resolving this long-standing issue and will look closely at responses to the consultation 'Council housing: a real future' which closes on 6 July.
Council Housing: Construction
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of local authority homes which will be built in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each of the next four financial years; and if he will make a statement. [334]
Andrew Stunell: The Department does not make estimates of the number of new local authority homes (council houses) that will be constructed in future years. However the Department is currently supporting a number of local authorities to deliver new homes through a dedicated funding programme. Work on over 2,000 houses has already begun and will complete over this financial year and the next.
Council Tax: Religious Buildings
Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many private houses are classified as exempt from council tax as houses of prayer. [157]
Robert Neill: There is no exemption from council tax for private dwellings used for prayer.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) plasma and (b) LCD televisions there are in ministerial offices in his Department. [383]
Robert Neill: The number of televisions has not changed since the General Election. There are six LCD televisions in ministerial offices in Communities and Local Government.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his estimate is of the cost to the public purse of proposed reductions in numbers of non-frontline staff in his Department and its agencies. [484]
Robert Neill: Communities and Local Government is implementing an external recruitment freeze in line with the rest of Government. The recruitment freeze has no direct or underlying costs to the public purse.
Departmental NDPBs
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what savings each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible will be expected to make in each of the three years consequent on the announcement made by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 24 May 2010. [239]
Robert Neill: Communities and Local Government's contribution to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury's announcement of £6.2 billion savings in 2010-11 has been announced as £780 million. This includes £50 million savings this year from back office functions and arms length bodies' running costs. Revised budgets for arms length bodies for 2010-11 will be published at the time of the Budget. The full Spending Review in the autumn will determine budgets for future years.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the (a) implementation of penalty clauses and payments in its contracts and (b) potential legal action arising from the deferral and cancellation of contracts and projects under his Department's plans to achieve cost savings; and whether those estimates are included in the total cost savings to be achieved by his Department. [567]
Robert Neill: The Department has estimated that there will not be any additional costs arising from the deferral or cancellation of any contracts and projects.
Durham County Council: Cost-effectiveness
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contribution Durham County Council is expected to make to the target of £230 million efficiency savings to be made by local government. [232]
Robert Neill: It will be for individual local authorities to make decisions about where savings are found. To ensure that councils have maximum flexibility to deliver efficiencies and focus their budgets on the services that their residents value most, the Government have retained Formula Grant funding at the level approved by Parliament for 2010-11 (£29 billion). It has also lifted restrictions on how local government spends its money by de-ringfencing £1.7 billion of central Government revenue and capital grants in 2010-11.
Fire Services
Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of regional fire control rooms; and if he will make a statement. [737]
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of the South West Regional Fire Control Centre; and if he will make a statement. [571]
Robert Neill: The FiReControl project has been subject to delays and increasing costs.
We are looking closely at this project to establish what we can do to improve the situation. We are committed to ensuring value-for-money for the taxpayer, improving resilience and stopping the forced regionalisation of the fire service.
Government Offices for the Regions
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the Government Office in each region of England. [679]
Robert Neill: We announced in 'The Coalition: our programme for government' that we will abolish the Government office for London and consider the case for abolishing the remaining Government offices. Accordingly, the future of the remaining Government offices will be considered as part of the spending review.
Home Information Packs
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable he has set for ending the home information pack scheme; and if he will make a statement. [41]
Andrew Stunell: We plan to bring forward measures to abolish the home information pack (HIP) as part of legislation to devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over housing and planning decisions. Our aim is to introduce legislation later in the parliamentary session and achieve Royal Assent as soon as parliamentary time allows.
However, to prevent uncertainty and remove unnecessary bureaucracy and cost for sellers, we decided to act swiftly to suspend HIPs from 21 May. Sellers are still required to commission, but not necessarily to have received, an Energy Performance Certificate before they put their home on the market for sale.
Housing
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of the (a) Tenant Services Authority, (b) Homes and Communities Agency and (c) Housing Market Renewal programme; and if he will make a statement. [512]
Robert Neill: The Government are committed to reducing the number and cost of quangos and has set out plans to achieve this. The role of all CLG quangos is being examined closely, but no final decisions have been made about the future of the Tenant Services Authority and the Homes and Communities Agency.
The Housing Market Renewal programme was included with the savings announced by the Chancellor on 24 May, reducing the 2010-11 capital programme budget announced in December 2009 by up to £50 million. This reduction is subject to consultation. The budget review process has still to be concluded and as a result the final decision on individual allocations has still to be taken.
Housing: Construction
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to amend Planning Policy Statement 3; and if he will make a statement. [44]
Robert Neill: We have committed, in the Coalition Government document 'The Coalition: our programme for government' to radically reforming the planning system to give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which their inhabitants live, based on the principles set out in the Conservative party publication 'Open Source Planning'. We have also committed, in the Coalition Government document, to publish and present to Parliament a simple and consolidated national planning framework covering all forms of development including areas covered by current Planning Policy Statements and setting out national economic, environmental and social priorities. We will provide the details of how we intend to do this shortly.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that locally set house building projections meet national assessments of housing need. [675]
Robert Neill: We have committed, in the Coalition Government document 'The Coalition: our programme for government', that we would radically reform the planning system to give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which their inhabitants live, based on the principles set out in the Conservative party publication 'Open Source Planning'. In terms of planning the supply of housing, we have set out our intention in 'Open Source Planning' to abolish national and regional building targets and return decision-making powers on housing and planning to local councils. We will provide more details on our approach shortly.
Housing: Empty Property
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on returning empty houses to residential use. [352]
Andrew Stunell: We are currently exploring a wide range of measures to bring empty homes back into use.
Listed Buildings
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what protections will be afforded to harbours which have grade (a) 1, (b) 2 star and (c) 2 listed status in respect of major listed building consent applications. [694]
Robert Neill:
The listed building consent procedure ensures that all proposals to demolish a listed building, or to alter or extend it in a way that affects its special architectural or historic interest, are given due consideration by the decision-maker. Listed harbours are no different from other listed structures in that respect. In considering applications for consent the decision-maker has regard to the listing grade of the building concerned. Planning Policy Statement 5 (Planning for the Historic Environment)
advises that loss affecting any designated heritage asset should require clear and convincing justification, and that substantial harm to or loss of designated heritage assets of the highest significance, including grade I or II* listed buildings, should be wholly exceptional.
Local Government Finance
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) Durham county council and (b) all local authorities of publishing the details of each item of expenditure of £500 or more. [56]
Robert Neill: No estimate has been made of either figure.
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what reduction is expected in funding of the Working Neighbourhoods Fund in 2010-11 as a result of the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 24 May; and if he will make a statement. [476]
Robert Neill: Reducing the deficit and continuing to ensure economic recovery is the most urgent issue facing Britain.
It is fair that local authorities make a contribution to the £6.2 billion of savings in 2010-11, to enable Government to take immediate action to tackle the UK's unprecedented deficit in this financial year.
The Government will shortly provide local authorities with information on the revised allocations for specific grants including reductions in the area based grant. It will be for local authorities to make decisions about where savings are found.
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what reduction is planned in area-based grant in 2010-11 as a result of the announcement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 24 May; and if he will make a statement. [477]
Robert Neill: As part of the recent exercise to identify £6.2 billion of savings, Departments are currently establishing how the savings committed will impact on their funding to local authorities. When this process is complete, CLG will announce the Government's detailed funding proposals to local authorities as they affect area based grant.
Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the recent reductions in grant allocated to local authorities for 2010-11, whether authorities have the power to alter their council tax levels within this financial year to compensate; what assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of authorities undertaking such action; and if he will make a statement. [499]
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