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17 Jun 2010 : Column 525W—continued
Public Sector: Manpower
Mr Redwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many employees there are in the UK public sector. [2128]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, 1 have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning, how many employees there are in the UK public sector. (2128)
Estimates of employment for the UK public sector are published on a quarterly basis by the Office for National Statistics. The latest date for which information is available is March 2010.
The number of UK public sector employees as at March 2010 was 6.090 million.
Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's announcement of 24 May 2010 and pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2010, Official Report, column 69W, on public expenditure: Wales, which of his Department's non-devolved public expenditure savings will be incurred in Wales; and what estimate he has made of the likely financial savings. [2966]
Mr Maude: The information requested is not available centrally and therefore is available only at disproportionate cost. The Cabinet Office's share of the public expenditure savings has been recorded in the HM Treasury COINS database.
Communities and Local Government
Air Conditioning
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of air conditioning systems operating at over 250 kilowatts had been inspected for energy efficiency by 4 January 2009; and what proportion of such systems operating at over 12 kilowatts had been inspected on the most recent date for which figures are available. [2610]
Andrew Stunell: The information is not currently available. Air conditioning inspections are not currently lodged onto the England and Wales non-domestic energy performance register on a mandatory basis.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements for local authority trading standards officers to monitor the inspection of the energy efficiency of air conditioning systems. [2611]
Andrew Stunell: This Department has calculated that an additional 171 trading standards officers would be needed across England and Wales to enforce compliance with all energy efficiency regulations including the inspection of air conditioning systems. Additional funds were allocated to local authorities to recognise the new duties imposed by the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average cost to businesses of compliance with the arrangements for inspecting the energy efficiency of air conditioning systems. [2612]
Andrew Stunell: This Department has estimated that the average cost of air conditioning system inspections over a five year period would be about £600 for complex systems and about £75-£100 for packaged units.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the likely reduction in emissions from the use of air conditioning systems arising from full compliance with regulations for their inspection. [2613]
Andrew Stunell: The Regulatory Impact Assessment of Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Articles 7-10, The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 estimated that there would be savings of approximately 930,000 metric tonnes of carbon during the period from 2008-20.
Fire Services
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to continue with the FireControl project; and what assessment he has made of the effects of the project on (a) the quality of service offered by control rooms and (b) the staffing levels of control centres in (i) England and (ii) the West Midlands. [2773]
Robert Neill: The previous Government's 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.
We will carefully consider the implications of any decisions before announcing the next steps.
Responsibility for providing an effective call handling and mobilisation service remains the responsibility of local fire and rescue authorities, including ensuring adequate staffing levels.
Housing: Regeneration
Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse has been of the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder programme in each year since 2008. [2926]
Andrew Stunell: Totals for 2007-08 to 2009-10 are given in the following table:
| HMR funding (£ million) | |
The Housing Market Renewal Programme was included in the £6.2 billion of savings from Government spending in 2010-11 announced on 24 May. The budget for 2010-11 announced in December 2009 has been reduced by £50 million. The mechanism by which this reduction is achieved will be subject to consultation and individual allocations for 2010-11 will be confirmed after the emergency Budget is completed on June 22.
Land Use: Agriculture
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will issue revised planning guidance to prevent the development of the best and most versatile farmland in all but exceptional circumstances. [2493]
Robert Neill: The Government will publish and present to Parliament a simple and consolidated national planning policy framework setting out our national economic, environmental and social priorities. An announcement on how we propose to take forward the national framework and the implications for specific areas of planning policy will be made in due course.
The protection of a valuable national resource such as good quality farmland is clearly an appropriate topic to include in the national framework.
Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to replace the Local Authority Business Growth Initiative. [2965]
Robert Neill: The Government have confirmed that it will provide incentives for local authorities to deliver sustainable development, including for businesses. We are considering how we will take this forward.
Local Development Frameworks
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will undertake a review of local development frameworks in light of the ending of regional spatial strategies. [2664]
Robert Neill: The Secretary of State has already signalled the Government's intention to revoke the regional spatial strategies and he has written to all local planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate to remind them that this emerging policy is a material consideration in dealing with applications and appeals. We will be providing more details on our proposals and the implication of the abolition of regional spatial strategies, for local development frameworks soon but it is our intention that local authorities should be able to revise their local development framework to reflect this change.
The coalition agreement also included a commitment to radically reform the planning system and give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of places in which their inhabitants live. In the light of this we will review some elements of the local development framework system itself to ensure it reflects our policy on decentralisation and a simpler planning system.
Local Government Finance
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the future of the local area agreement process following changes he announced to Reward Grant Funding; and if he will make a statement. [2964]
Robert Neill: We are committed to a radical devolution of power and financial autonomy to local government and community groups. The future of local area agreements will be considered in this context and we will make further announcements in due course.
Local Government Finance: Barnsley
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the likely change to his Department's capital investment allocation for Barnsley in (a) percentage and (b) cash terms in 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [2974]
Robert Neill: The announcement on 24 May set out the immediate savings of over £6 billion that needed to be made as down-payment on the public deficit. We continue to review the position on all budgets and any further decisions on funding for 2010-11 will be taken at the Emergency Budget on 22 June. A full review of capital projects will be undertaken once the final funding position for 2010-11 is clear.
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the likely change to his Department's aggregate external finance allocation for Barnsley in (a) percentage and (b) cash terms in 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [2975]
Robert Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State laid in the House on 10 June 2010, Official Report, columns 15-17 WS.
Local Government: Manpower
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent assessment is of the effect on staffing levels of (a) Tameside metropolitan borough council and (b) Stockport metropolitan borough council of the implementation of the local government savings programme. [2850]
Robert Neill: We have asked local authorities to make a contribution of £1.166 billion to the £6.2 billion of cross Government savings in 2010-11 to enable the Government to take immediate action to start to tackle the fiscal deficit. Local government are free to make their own decisions about where savings are found. We have ensured that councils have the flexibility to take decisions locally on how to deliver the savings needed without impacting on essential frontline services.
Mayors
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce the 12 English cities which he is to propose should have an elected mayor. [2861]
Robert Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 10 June 2010, Official Report, column 239W.
Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to retain the £18,000 rateable value below which empty property rates are not payable; and if he will make a statement. [3151]
Robert Neill: We will keep this matter under review.
Planning
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government plan to implement the draft Planning Policy Statement on (a) Planning for a Healthy and Natural Environment and (b) Planning for a Low Carbon Future. [2659]
Robert Neill: The Government will publish and present to Parliament a simple and consolidated national planning policy framework setting out our national economic, environmental and social priorities. An announcement on how we propose to take forward the national framework and the implications for specific areas of planning policy will be made in due course.
Social Rented Housing: Finance
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2010, Official Report, column 454, on affordable housing, whether the £170 million of funding announced by the Government for social rented housing is in addition to funding agreed by the previous administration. [2930]
Andrew Stunell: Given the unprecedented size of the budget deficit we have had to identify savings across Government. We have identified £6.2 billion of savings this year as announced on 24 May. As part of this Treasury identified some £500 million by recycling efficiency savings, and have used £170 million of this to safeguard delivery of social rented homes.
The previous Government made commitments that were not fully and securely funded. This includes a total £780 million towards housing priorities including towards the Housing Pledge. In order to address this, and emphasising Government's commitment to housing provision, Government made £170 million available to safeguard delivery of around 4,000 otherwise unfunded social rented homes to start on site this year, protecting 3,500 jobs and prioritising provision for the most vulnerable.
The Homes and Communities Agency will not enter into any new or further commitments against its uncommitted budgets until the position is clarified at the Budget on 22 June. We are working with colleagues in HMT to secure the necessary funding at Budget and the HCA will continue with committed programmes as usual.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Accidents: EU Law
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made in complying with the European Union requirement under Article 18 section 2b of Regulation (EC) No. 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council, with regard to reporting of injury statistics; and if he will make a statement. [2699]
Mr Prisk: Discussions have been taking place in the European Commission's advisory group (the Senior Officials Group on Standardisation's ad hoc Market Surveillance Group) involving BIS officials, the Commission and other Member States with a view to developing a consistent approach towards implementation of the article 18(2b) provision. They have highlighted the need for the Commission to take the lead in developing a Europe-wide consensus on the correct understanding and application of the provision. We understand that the services of the Commission are sympathetic to this approach and would like to take it forward possibly via a multi-annual programme for market surveillance.
This Department will play a full part in helping to establish a consensus and in doing so will take account of other developments taking place in the United Kingdom and across the European Union on the collection of injury statistics.
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