Written Answers to Questions
Monday 6 September 2010
Prime Minister
Departmental Responsibilities
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 20 July 2010, Official Report, column 12WS, on machinery of government changes, which of the changes will require legislation in order to have full effect. [12615]
The Prime Minister: I refer the right hon. Member to the machinery of government changes explanatory document which I placed in the Library on 27 July 2010.
Departmental Visits Abroad
Caroline Flint: To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) civil servants, (b) press officers and (c) special advisers in his Office accompanied him on his visit to the United States between 19 July 2010 and 23 July 2010. [12695]
The Prime Minister: As set out in the Ministerial Code, details of all my overseas travel will be published at least quarterly.
Gaza
Ian Austin: To ask the Prime Minister for what reasons he described Gaza as a prison camp; what advice he sought on his description before making it; and if he will make a statement. [12962]
The Prime Minister: The UK continues to press for peace in the middle east, and I welcome the resumption of peace talks in Washington. We and the international community have called for the blockade of Gaza to be lifted. I have therefore welcomed the change Israel has made to allow more goods to be transported into Gaza.
Iraq Conflict: Legal Opinion
Frank Dobson: To ask the Prime Minister what advice he has received on the legality of the invasion of Iraq. [11934]
The Prime Minister: The coalition Government have not asked for advice on the legality of the 2003 Iraq conflict.
Ministerial Duties: Prime Minister
Mr Bone: To ask the Prime Minister who would undertake his Prime Ministerial duties in circumstances in which he was unable to do so. [11735]
The Prime Minister: I will continue to undertake my duties as Prime Minister.
Oil Rigs: Libya
Robert Halfon: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings (a) his predecessor and (b) his predecessor's officials held with (i) BP and (ii) the government of Libya on oil drilling off the coast of Libya between July 2007 and March 2008. [12936]
The Prime Minister: I have asked the Cabinet Secretary to review all the papers relating to this issue, and we will report shortly on his conclusions.
House of Commons Commission
Departmental Manpower
Mr MacShane: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many (a) permanent and (b) temporary staff the House of Commons Commission employed in the latest period for which figures are available. [12125]
Sir Stuart Bell: As at 30 June 2010, the House of Commons Commission employed 1,639 full-time equivalent staff, of whom 80 were temporary.
Departmental Publications
Mr MacShane: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the House of Commons Commission has made of the cost of editing and producing Commons Quarterly in the latest period for which figures are available. [12126]
Sir Stuart Bell: The estimated cost of editing and producing the July 2010 edition of Commons Quarterly was £2,091 or £1.39 per copy (for a print run of 1,500). This figure includes the cost of printing and distribution and an estimated proportion of the staff time spent on design and editing. The July edition, the first of the new Parliament, was longer than usual: the usual cost is lower. The publication, which began in 2009, replaced a number of separate departmental newsletters.
Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr Knight: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, by what date the House of Commons Commission expects all scaffolding to be removed from Commons Court in the Palace of Westminster; and if he will make a statement. [12613]
Sir Stuart Bell: This initial phase of the work to refurbish the cast iron roofs has progressed well and it is anticipated that the access scaffolding will be removed from Commons Court by the end of 2010.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Committee
Communication: Finance
Richard Burden: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how much funding the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has allocated in respect of communications in the next 12 months. [9500]
Mr Charles Walker: IPSA's allocated funding for communications in the next 12 months is £278,200. This is broken down as follows:
£232,200 staff costs (including basic salaries at £172,000, pension contributions and earnings related national insurance contributions (ERNIC));
£30,000 website maintenance;
£16,000 publications.
Departmental Sick Leave
Alison Seabeck: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many staff of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority have taken sick leave in each month of its operation; how many hours of work have been lost in consequence; and whether any temporary staff have been recruited to cover such absences. [12178]
Mr Charles Walker: A total of nine IPSA members of staff have taken sick leave since May 2010. The numbers of staff absent in each month and the consequent number of working hours lost is as follows:
May: One (five days or 37.5 hours)
June: Four (10 days or 75 hours)
July: Five (32 days or 1,200 hours).
IPSA has not recruited any temporary staff to cover sick absence.
ICT
Mr Liddell-Grainger: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which firm (a) developed and (b) supplied the IT system for hon. Members' claims used by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; and what the cost of the contract was. [11822]
Mr Charles Walker: The expenses@work system was supplied as part of a wider IT contract with Calyx (UK) Ltd. It was originally developed by systems@work.
The capital cost of the software expenses@work was £126,000 (which is inclusive of VAT at 17.5%). The estimated annual running cost of expenses@work is not identified separately. The support contract for all IT software support at IPSA, which includes support for Microsoft Office, the Financial Accounting System "Great Plains", the payroll software "Jane HR" as well as expenses@work, is £116,000 (which is inclusive of VAT at 17.5%) per annum.
Leave
Mr Liddell-Grainger: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many staff of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority have been authorised to be absent from work owing to (a) sickness and (b) other reasons in the last three months. [11825]
Mr Charles Walker: There are currently 27 permanent members of IPSA staff. Of these, nine have had authorised sick absences in the past three months. There have been no absences for study leave or unpaid leave over this period.
Due to the nature of temporary employment, there are no equivalent figures available for temporary staff.
Members' Staff: Pay
Richard Burden: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's policy is on the public disclosure of individual salary details for staff of (a) the Authority and (b) hon. Members. [9502]
Mr Charles Walker: The consultation on IPSA's publication policy, including salary details for MPs' staffs, has recently closed. IPSA is working to analyse responses, and draw up the final policy on publication, which will include details of the publication of MP staff salaries. This policy will be announced shortly.
IPSA intends to publish salary details of its own staff in its annual report. IPSA intends to comply both with the upcoming Government procedures on senior salary publication for staff earning over £58,200 and with the principles of the publication scheme for Members' staff.
Members: Allowances
Mr MacShane: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many right hon. and hon. Members have received payments from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in the current Session. [10424]
Mr Charles Walker: Up to 26 July 2010, 374 Members have received expense payments from IPSA, totaling £1,024,487.82.
Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, for what reason the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has informed certain hon. Members that they may claim other accommodation costs without claiming mortgage payments; whether the Authority plans to allow backdated claims for such costs from other hon. Members; and what arrangements the Authority intends to make to compensate hon. Members who have incurred demonstrable financial loss as a result of following advice from officers of the Authority which was at variance with the Authority's policy. [11844]
Mr Charles Walker: IPSA apologises for any incorrect information that was given to Members with regard to claiming associated expenditure.
During June and July 2010, IPSA consulted on various proposals to amend the MPs Expenses Scheme, including a proposal to allow Non-London Area MPs who own their property but who are not claiming mortgage interest subsidy to claim associated expenditure. This has now been incorporated into the revised scheme which was published on 26 July 2010. The online system will be updated to support this change by 16 August 2010 and all scheme changes and claims can be backdated to 7 May.
Where demonstrable financial loss has occurred, IPSA will look at evidence submitted in writing and will make decisions on a case by case basis.
Members: Claims
Miss McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the average time taken to (a) validate a claim and (b) effect payment of a claim by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has been since its inception; and if he will make a statement. [10008]
Mr Charles Walker: Up to 23 July 2010 the average length of time to scan and validate a claim by IPSA was 10 days once IPSA had received the accompanying receipts. Once approved for reimbursement, payment was made within three days.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the (a) purpose of and (b) procedure is for validation of claims undertaken by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; and what the reasons are for the time taken for validation of claims. [10234]
Mr Charles Walker: The purpose of the validation process is to ensure expenses claimed by Members are eligible for reimbursement under the MPs' Expenses Scheme and that documentary evidence has been presented to support each expense. The type and nature of evidence required in relation to each expense is set out in our published guidance.
The validation process commences when IPSA receives the receipts or other supporting evidence to support the claim. The receipts are then scanned into the system and IPSA staff review each claim to assess eligibility for reimbursement. At present, all claims undergo a three-stage review process by IPSA staff before they are then released for payment. IPSA anticipates moving to a two-stage review process in due course.
Members: Correspondence
Richard Burden: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's target time is for the provision of a substantive reply to correspondence received from hon. Members (a) in hard copy and (b) electronically; and what percentage of such correspondence has been replied to within these times to date [9501]
Mr Charles Walker: At present, IPSA aims to respond to all e-mails and letters within five working days. It cannot readily provide data regarding the percentage of queries which have been answered within this time frame to date because it has recently introduced a new case management system. This will both improve the response time to e-mails, and ensure accurate records of correspondence between Members and IPSA. Once this system is fully rolled out across IPSA, it will provide Members with information on its performance against these and other service targets.
Standards
Hugh Bayley: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has taken steps to assess the level of satisfaction with its service among (a) hon. Members and (b) their staff; and if IPSA will publish a Charter of Service Standards to guarantee service users prompt, accurate and helpful answers to their requests for information and advice. [9617]
Mr Charles Walker: IPSA has not conducted a systematic assessment of satisfaction levels with its services among MPs or their staff. It does, however, record both complaints and compliments to inform its reviews of the expenses system. There are also plans for further liaison with representative groups of MPs, which will provide opportunities for feedback about IPSA's services. At this early stage of operations, IPSA has not decided whether or when to publish a Charter of Service Standards.
Travel Cards: Applications
Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what reports the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has received of difficulties in using the travel cards issued by the Authority for making claims; and what steps the Authority is taking in consequence. [11729]
Mr Charles Walker: To date, IPSA is not aware of any major problems experienced by Members when using the travel card. Minor problems such as lost or locked PIN numbers have been resolved on an individual basis.
Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, for what reason the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has issued electronic copies of travel claim forms to the proxies of hon. Members only; and what consideration the Authority gave to notifying hon. Members that such forms had been issued. [11730]
Mr Charles Walker:
All Members who have incurred expenditure on the travel card within the month will receive a paper copy sent to their home address. The paper copy will be sent at the end of each month. All Members who have a registered proxy on the online expenses system will also receive an electronic copy, sent
to their proxy. Where Members do not have a proxy, they may use an alternate logon to access the electronic statement. We are working on a system change to develop an improved IT solution to this issue.
Scotland
Commonwealth Games 2014
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the leader of Glasgow city council on (a) economic growth in Glasgow and (b) the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow since his appointment. [12123]
David Mundell: I met with the leader of Glasgow city council to discuss, among other issues, the Scottish economy, and how the Government could best support the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Our plan to cut the record budget deficit, which this Government inherited, goes hand in hand with our determination to return sustained growth to the Scottish economy.
Departmental Allowances
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department and its predecessor spent on (a) reimbursement of staff expenses and (b) the 10 largest staff expense reimbursement claims in each year since 1997. [13037]
Michael Moore: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date, the spend on the reimbursement of staff expenses, and the largest 10 claims in each year, are shown in the following table. In many cases individual claims will cover multiple occasions.
| Reimbursed (£) | 10 largest claims (£) | |
Departmental Assets
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which former (a) buildings and (b) land owned by (i) his Department and (ii) (A) non-departmental public bodies and (B) agencies for which his Department is responsible have been sold since May 2005; what the sale price of each was at the time of sale; and to which body the funds from the sale accrued in each case. [12356]
Michael Moore: The Scotland Office and the Boundary Commission for Scotland have not sold any buildings or land since May 2005.
Departmental Consultants
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by his Department in each year since 2005. [12492]
Michael Moore: Scotland Office expenditure on external consultants and advisers since 2005 is shown as follows.
| Expenditure (£) | |
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the (a) average and (b) highest daily rate paid to consultants by his Department was in each of the last five years. [13063]
Michael Moore: The Scotland Office does not hold this information.
Departmental Empty Property
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department and its predecessor spent on vacant properties in each year since 1997. [13018]
Michael Moore: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date, the Office has incurred the following expenditure on vacant properties.
| Expenditure (£) | |
Departmental Furniture
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many chairs his Department and its predecessor purchased in each year since 1997; how much was spent in each such year; and what the five most expensive chairs purchased in each such year were. [12798]
Michael Moore: The Scotland Office does not separately record the purchase of chairs.
Departmental Rents
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was paid by his Department in rent for properties in (a) total and (b) each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK in each of the last five years. [12357]
Michael Moore: The rent paid in each of the last five years is set out in the following table:
| £ | |||
| Total | Scotland | London | |
Economic Growth: Glasgow
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he plans to take to increase levels of economic growth in Glasgow. [12124]
Michael Moore: Reducing the record budget deficit, which this Government inherited, is vital for creating the conditions needed for businesses to grow and to support the economic recovery. Our plan to reduce the budget deficit goes hand in hand with our determination to return sustained growth to the Scottish economy.
Glasgow
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has visited Glasgow on official business since his appointment; when he next plans to visit Glasgow; and whom he plans to meet. [10347]
Michael Moore: My colleague the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State visited Glasgow on 8 July and I visited on Thursday 29 July. I met with Thales Optronics and the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.
Internet
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many entries he has posted on his Twitter account since taking office; and how many people have subscribed to the Scotland Office Twitter feed in each of the last three months. [11269]
Michael Moore: I have made one post on the Scotland Office Twitter account since taking up office.
The Scotland Office does not hold details on the numbers of people who have subscribed to the feed in the last three months.
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hits there were on the Scotland Office website in (a) March, (b) April, (c) May, (d) June and (e) July 2010. [11270]
Michael Moore: The number of visits and page views for the Scotland Office website for the months March to June are as follows:
| Visits | Page views | |
The following July figures are up to the 22 July 2010 and are not the complete figures for the month.
| Visits | Page views | |
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when his Department ceased hosting a ministerial blog; and for what reasons. [11271]
Michael Moore: The Scotland Office stopped running the ministerial blog on 13 May 2010, when the new Secretary of State was announced. Following later discussions between the Secretary of State and officials it was decided not to reinstate the ministerial blog.
Referendums
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what criteria the Government used to determine the eligible electorate for the referendum on Scottish devolution in 1997. [12535]
Michael Moore: A person was entitled to vote in the 1997 referendum in Scotland if, on the date of the referendum, they were eligible to vote in local council elections in Scotland and were registered to vote.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Executive on the entitlement to vote of EU citizens other than residents of England and Wales in referendums held in Scotland. [12536]
Michael Moore: I have had no discussions with the Scottish Executive on the voting entitlement of EU citizens other than residents of England and Wales in referendums held in Scotland. Where the Government hold a referendum on a reserved matter, the franchise is for the Government to determine.
Social Security Benefits
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effects on people in Scotland of proposed reductions in welfare expenditure. [12562]
Michael Moore: Welfare and benefits will be reformed in a way that protects those in genuine need, those with disabilities and those who can not work, but also encourages those who can work to get into work. The "Spending Review Framework" document issued by HM Treasury on 8 June states that the Government will look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, across the United Kingdom.
Attorney-General
Civil Service Live Conference
Graham Evans: To ask the Attorney-General what the cost to the public purse was of the Serious Fraud Office stand at Civil Service Live 2010. [12833]
The Attorney-General: The cost for the Serious Fraud Office's stand at Civil Service Live was £9,000 (excluding VAT) for three days, with an additional cost of £169.67 for the provision of a light for the stand.
Domestic Violence and Homicide: Prosecutions
Maria Eagle: To ask the Attorney-General what percentage of the Crown Prosecution Service's budget was spent on bringing prosecutions against those charged with offences related to (a) domestic violence and (b) homicide in the latest period for which figures are available. [11783]
The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not analyse expenditure by offence type and the information sought could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Trade Unions
Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers' Departments has paid to trade unions in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of the monetary value of facilities provided by the Law Officers' Departments for use by trade unions in each year since 1997. [11718]
The Attorney-General: No money was paid by TSol or AGO to trade unions during the last six years. Expenditure records are not held for any earlier period but it is unlikely that any direct payments would have been made to trade unions.
TSol does provide trade unions with accommodation to enable them to meet privately with their members, and store records/information relating to union activities. Since 2005 the trade unions have been provided with two rooms (one for PCS and one for FDA). The value of that accommodation is approximately £8,400 per annum.
HMCPSI make no direct contributions to the trade unions and does not involve itself if staff wish to join a union and make their own payment arrangements. HMCPSI has a Whitley Council which meets quarterly and is attended by FDA and PCS representatives. The video-link conference is facilitated by HMCPSI, however to identify costs of individual meetings over the period asked would be disproportionate to cost.
The Serious Fraud Office does not hold details on the number of days spent by staff engaged on trade union activities and the facilities provided for their use. It would only be possible to provide such data at a disproportionate cost.
The National Fraud Authority has not made any payments to or provided facilities for use by trade unions since it launched in 2008.
The following table displays the total value of invoices paid by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to unions by financial year since 1997. These are aggregated invoices paid to the Professional and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the First Division Association (FDA) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
| Financial year | £ |
The CPS is a devolved organisation and no central records are held that relate to sites where rooms have been allocated for trade union activity. It is estimated that there are 10 sites with dedicated rooms, each of which are estimated at 10 square metres. At an average cost of £346 per square metre the current value of these facilities is estimated at £34,600 per annum. The following table therefore estimates costs to 1997 by deflating at the rate of 2.7% each year:
| Financial year | £ |
Communities and Local Government
Civil Service Live Conference
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse was of the Improvement and Development Agency stand at Civil Service Live 2010. [12837]
Robert Neill: The Department does not hold this information. The Improvement and Development Agency is part of the Local Government Association group; we expect the LGA to adopt the same standards of openness, transparency, and accountability as councils. The LGA has committed to publish details of all future expenditure over £500 from 1 September 2010. The LGA already seeks to abide by the principles of the Freedom of Information Act and is to be formally subject to the same FOI rules as central and local Government.
Council Housing: Repairs and Maintenance
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding each local authority received from his Department and its agencies for maintenance and repair of social housing in the latest period for which figures are available. [12888]
Andrew Stunell: Details of the total housing revenue account subsidy allowances for maintenance and major repairs are given in the following table. The figures given are for 2008-09, the latest for which we have audited data.
| £ | ||
| Maintenance allowance | Major repairs | |
| (1) No data | ||
Council Tax: Tax Collection
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the amount of council tax which remains uncollected by local authorities; what steps he is taking to increase collection rates; and if he will make a statement. [12595]
Robert Neill: As reported in the statistical release "Collection rates for council tax and national non-domestic rates in England 2009-10", published on 22 June 2010, in 2009-10 local authorities collected £21.4 billion out of a possible £22.1 billion which was a national in-year collection rate of 97.1%. This release is available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
Collection of council taxes continues once the financial year to which they relate has ended. This means that the amount outstanding will be reduced and the final collection rate achieved is somewhere between the figures shown here and 100%.
The collection and enforcement of council tax is a matter for individual local authorities.
Every penny of council tax that isn't collected means higher council tax for the law-abiding citizens who do pay up on time. Councils with an efficient collection service are able to set lower council tax bills for everyone or spend more money on frontline services such as bin collections. The new Government will be making councils become more open and transparent about what they are spending. It is important that councils are sympathetic to the vulnerable and families who are struggling in the recession, and don't overuse bailiffs, but a lot more could be done to improve the back office service, especially in inner-city areas which have the worst collection rates.
Departmental Assets
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which former (a) buildings and (b) land owned by (i) his Department and (ii) (A) non-departmental public bodies and (B) agencies for which his Department is responsible have been sold since May 2005; what the sale price of each was at the time of sale; and to which body the funds from the sale accrued in each case. [12332]
Robert Neill: The former (a) buildings and (b) land owned by Communities and Local Government, its non-departmental public bodies and agencies that has been sold since May 2005 is as follows; it does not include land and property acquired by organisations for operational purposes such as regeneration.
| Building | Land | Price (£) | Funds accrued to Agency |
Departmental Buildings
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much office space per employee his Department and its predecessors occupied in each year since 1997. [13004]
Robert Neill: The amount of office space per employee for the Department for Communities and Local Government for 2008 and 2009, that includes data on CLG Central, the Government Office Network and its arm's length bodies has previously been published in the Office of Government Commerce's State of the Estate report.
The FTE per square metre for CLG was reported as 15.9 m2 in 2008 and in 14.9 m2 in 2009.
The reports can be accessed electronically using the following links:
The requested data for the period prior to 2008 are not available.
Departmental Communication
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what instructions have been issued by the private office of each Minister in his Department on the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to official correspondence. [9662]
Robert Neill: Private offices maintain guidance on the departmental intranet which provides general advice for officials working with Ministers.
Departmental Empty Property
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its predecessors spent on vacant properties in each year since 1997. [13023]
Robert Neill: Since the creation of the Department for Communities and Local Government in May 2006 the total cost of vacant property has been £503,000. The following table details the annual cost of vacant space for the period:
| £ | |
The detail requested prior to 2006 is unavailable.
The costs above for the financial year 2009-10 relate to two properties. These are the first floor of Sheffield House in Stevenage. The Department has been unable to secure further tenants for the space. The lease expires in March 2011.
The remainder of the cost relates to the ground floor of Hempstead House, which was vacated by the Highways Agency in November 2008. CLG Finance occupies floors one and two. Due to the difficult market situation the space has been set up for business continuity purposes in the event of the emergency closure of Eland House.
The Department continues to look for new tenants for the space to mitigate the cost exposure for the Department. The lease expires in 2014.
Departmental Motor Vehicles
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the expenditure on vehicles of (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible in each region of England was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is in each case for 2010-11. [12472]
Robert Neill: The Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have published their spending data for 2009-10 on the Department's website:
Details of spending on vehicles including purchase, lease, maintenance and hire are categories within these data sets.
We intend to publish spending data for 2008-09 in due course as part of our continuing transparency initiatives but details of expenditure in earlier years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
The information for planned expenditure is not held centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental NDPBs
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with public bodies within his Department's area of responsibility on the proposals to be contained in the Public Bodies (Reform) Bill. [12506]
Greg Clark: The Government are committed to increasing the accountability of public bodies and reducing their number and cost. I am currently working with the Minister for the Cabinet Office and other partners across Government to assess the public bodies that fall under my Department's area of responsibility against three tests: do they perform a technical function; do they require political impartiality; or do they act independently to establish facts. We expect to make an announcement by the autumn. Informal discussions of potential scenarios have been held with some public bodies in order to inform planning.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in (a) May and (b) June 2010. [10106]
Robert Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 27 July 2010, Official Report, column 82WS.
Departmental Public Consultation
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to increase the involvement of young members of the public in the making of decisions that affect them taken by (a) Ministers in his Department, (b) officials in his Department and (c) public bodies which fall within his Department's area of responsibility. [12272]
Andrew Stunell: My Department is facilitating a range of activities to increase the involvement of young people in decisions made by its Ministers, officials and public bodies. Ministers recently met the Young Advisors Charity and a number of its young advisors to talk about young people's contribution to the Big Society agenda; and officials hold regular meetings with representative organisations to ensure the views of young people are properly taken into account when developing policy. Although we do not hold information centrally on the work of this Department's public bodies with young people, we are aware of a number of different engagement programmes, including the Olympic Legacy Company's establishment of a Youth Panel made up of young people from the host boroughs, to get them involved in shaping the plans for the park after the Games; and the Tenants Service Authority work with the Young Advisors Charity to recruit young people to participate in their national structures for tenant voice. The Department for Communities and Local Government is also working with the Department for Education and the Office for Civil Society to support the National Citizen Service programme. The National Citizen Service programme is a key component of, and will seek to galvanise young people's interest in the Big Society. The programme is aimed at 16-year-olds and will be piloted in summer 2011 and will seek to develop a more cohesive, responsible and engaged society.
Departmental Rents
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid by his Department in rent for properties in (a) total and (b) each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK in each of the last five years. [12333]
Robert Neill: The rent paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government in (a) total, (b) each (i) Government office region and (ii) nation of the UK and (c) London in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. The figures include VAT where charged.
| £ | |||||
| Government office region | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
Departmental Training
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his (a) Department and its predecessors and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on training for its employees in each year since 1997. [7639]
Robert Neill: The Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have published their spending data for 2009-10 on the Department's website here:
Details of spending on training will be a subset of learning and development services expenditure but could be further broken down only at disproportionate cost.
We intend to publish spending data for 2008-09 in due course as part of our continuing transparency initiatives but details of expenditure in earlier years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Travel
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken in an official capacity by each Minister in his Department in (a) May 2010 and (b) June 2010. [8224]
Robert Neill: As set out in the Ministerial Code, the Department will publish, at least quarterly, details of all travel overseas by Ministers. Information for the first quarter will be published as soon as it is ready.
I also refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for York Central (Hugh Bayley) on 26 July 2010, Official Report, column 625W.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
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