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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 16 March 2011
Wales
Devolution of Powers: Referendum
13. David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment she has made of the outcome of the referendum on devolving primary law-making powers to the National Assembly for Wales. [45743]
Mrs Gillan: I refer my hon. Friend to my earlier answer to the hon. Member for Woking (Jonathan Lord) and the hon. Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire (Simon Hart).
National Laboratory Services
14. Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the future of the Environment Agency's national laboratory services located in Wales. [45744]
Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a range of issues.
DEFRA is currently reviewing its science agencies to examine sustainable business models and the potential for more efficient operations. The review includes the Environment Agency’s National Laboratory Service. I sympathise with the staff involved for whom this must be a worrying time but note that the Environment Agency is committed to the future of the Llanelli laboratory.
Rail Electrification: West Wales
15. Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on the implications for the economy of west Wales of the Government's proposed programme of rail electrification. [45745]
Mrs Gillan: I have had regular discussions with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government and with fellow Cabinet members on the benefits of rail electrification for all of south and west Wales.
We have worked hard to create a robust business case for this part of the electrification of our rail network. This is why I believe that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport’s announcement on St David’s Day of the electrification of the Great Western Main Lines was excellent news for all parts of south and west Wales.
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Rail Electrification: Wales
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with the (a) Welsh Assembly Government and (b) Secretary of State for Transport on electrification of the Cheltenham to Maesteg railway line; and if she will make a statement. [45792]
Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), and I have had numerous discussions with both our ministerial colleagues and Assembly Government Ministers about the electrification of railway lines in Wales over recent months.
Following the announcement on St David’s Day by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), regarding the Great Western mainline, we now intend to work with the Welsh Assembly Government to develop a full business case for further electrification within South Wales.
The Government’s policy is to support the progressive electrification of the railway. Both the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Transport will continue to keep the business case for further electrification of the Great Western Mainline beyond Cardiff under review.
Departmental Public Bodies
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which public bodies sponsored by her Department (a) have been and (b) are to be closed, merged or reorganised following her appointment; and how many (i) women and (ii) men who are public appointees at each body will no longer hold such an appointment in consequence. [47096]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office does not sponsor any public bodies.
The coalition Government are committed to increasing the accountability of public bodies, and this involves reducing their number and their cost to the taxpayer. The proposals for the majority of bodies across all Departments was announced and published on 14 October 2010. An updated list reflecting changes since October 2010 has been published on the Cabinet Office website this month.
Summary information on public appointments is published annually by the Cabinet Office. This includes data on gender. Copies of the most recent report can be downloaded from
www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Health: Finance
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the budget of the Animal Health Agency (a) was in each of the last five years and (b) will be in each of the next four years. [46797]
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Mr Paice [holding answer 15 March 2011]: Animal Health's budget has been and is projected to be as follows:
|
|
£ million |
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish a bovine TB eradication programme for England. [45849]
Mr Paice: We received a large number of responses to our consultation on a badger control policy, which we are considering carefully. This is a difficult and sensitive issue and we need to get it right. We will announce our decision as part of a comprehensive and balanced TB Eradication Programme for England as soon as possible.
Carbon Emissions: Business
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 30 November 2010, Official Report, column 68WS, on greenhouse gas emissions, when she expects to make an announcement on her Department's plans for the introduction of mandatory carbon reporting for businesses; [46358]
(2) what recent assessment she has made of her Department's ability to meet the deadline for the introduction of regulations on carbon reporting for businesses set out in Section 85 of the Climate Change Act; [46359]
(3) what recent assessment she has made of the potential benefits for companies and investors of comprehensive and transparent company reporting on carbon emissions. [46360]
Mr Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is currently considering options for a public consultation on company reporting of greenhouse gas emissions which we will aim to launch before the end of May.
The introduction of regulations by 6 April 2012 will depend on a number of factors including a decision that the introduction of regulations is the best option.
In November 2010 the Secretary of State laid a report before Parliament that considered the potential benefits of reporting for both companies and investors. The report can be accessed on the DEFRA website at:
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/reporting/pdf/corporate-reporting101130.pdf
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Environment Agency
Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the future of the Environment Agency. [45950]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA has reviewed all its arm’s length bodies as part of Government’s commitment to radically increase accountability, improve efficiency and reduce costs of public services. It has been concluded that the Environment Agency should be retained and substantially reformed.
DEFRA has been working closely with the Agency to develop a package of measures spanning structural, process and cultural change, continuing to transform them into a leaner, more efficient front-line delivery body that is focused on Government’s ambitions for the environment and green economy.
Food: Origin Marking
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the draft Regulation on food labelling adopted by the Council of Ministers on 21 February 2011; and whether it reflects the Government’s policies on country of origin food labelling. [46855]
Mr Paice: The UK has been actively involved in EU negotiations on the new regulation for food labelling, the Food Information Regulation.
We have been pressing for improved origin labelling in negotiations and have successfully included in the current text an extension making origin labelling compulsory to all fresh meat with the possibility, subject to a review, of extending origin labelling for other foods. We have also secured a requirement for origin information to be given for main ingredients when origin claims are made on food products (eg the origin of the steak in a steak pie labelled as made in the UK).
EU member states have reached political agreement on this text and it will now be sent to the European Parliament for further consideration. We are not expecting the regulation to be adopted and published until early 2012. In the meantime, we continue to work with the food industry, retailers and others to encourage better labelling. Indeed, I am pleased that food industry launched its own voluntary principles on origin labelling on 24 November 2010. These principles have been agreed by trade associations representing manufacturers, retailers and the food service sector (British Retail Consortium, Food and Drink Federation, British Hospitality Association, Dairy UK, British Meat Processors Association). All of the major supermarkets have signed up to this approach. We will be carrying out an evaluation of the effectiveness of these voluntary principles for meat and dairy products over the next few months to provide a baseline for future assessments of the effectiveness of the voluntary approach to origin information.
Food: Production
Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many certified organic arable food producers there were in Kent in each of the last 10 years. [47159]
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Mr Paice: DEFRA collates organics data which can only be split by crop or livestock producers. It has only been possible to provide those data at a county level since 2008 due to improvements in methodology. Table 1 following shows the number of certified organic crop producers and crop producer/processors in Kent in 2008 and 2009.
| Table 1: Number of crop producers and processors in Kent | ||
| Numbers | ||
|
|
2008 | 2009 |
| Source: Organic Certifier Bodies collated by DEFRA Statistics | ||
Forestry
Mr Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ensure that sport and recreation organisations are represented on her proposed independent advisory panel on forestry. [47244]
Mr Paice: The panel’s membership is still being considered. It will include representatives of key environmental and access organisations, alongside representatives of the forestry industry. It will need to draw on a broad range of expertise to inform its work.
Forestry Commission: Public Finance
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent from the public purse on the consultation on the proposed disposal of Forestry Commission land. [43267]
Mr Paice [holding answer 2 March 2011]: DEFRA and the Forestry Commission used existing staff to prepare the consultation process and produce the consultation document. The cost to DEFRA was £2,952 for the production of the consultation. The cost to the Forestry Commission was £5,640 for planning stakeholder events and preparing accompanying material.
National Wildlife Crime Unit: Finance
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2011, Official Report, column 177W, on the National Wildlife Crime Unit: finance, when she plans to announce the funding to be provided to the National Wildlife Crime Unit in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [46794]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 15 March 2011]:DEFRA has confirmed funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit for a further two years.
Timber
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will set targets to limit the use of high grade timber for energy production; [46726]
(2) what her policy is on the use of high grade timber for energy production. [46727]
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Charles Hendry: I have been asked to reply.
We do not support the use of core timber for energy and do not expect significant quantities of high grade timber to be used as more cost-effective types of wood are available. As announced last week, should evidence show that the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme is resulting in a diversion of high grade timber into heat generation, measures will be introduced to prevent this.
International Development
Developing Countries: Females
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what method his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of his Department’s projects designed to assist women and girls. [47162]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The coalition Government are committed to putting girls and women at the heart of our development assistance.
On 8 March the Department for International Development (DFID) launched its new strategic vision for girls and women, which sets out four pillars for greater and more effective action to improve and transform the lives of girls and women. Country offices will report against a range of indicators in order to monitor progress towards this goal and evaluate the effectiveness of our programmes.
DFID continues to mainstream gender issues across all our programmes and indicators to measure their impact on girls and women are regularly assessed. We use sex-disaggregated and gender sensitive indicators to measure the benefits to women, girls, boys and men whenever possible, and the impact of our programmes on these groups are formally assessed in annual reviews. Innovative approaches that directly involve girls and women in designing interventions, monitoring and evaluating progress will also be encouraged by my Department.
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms his Department use to (a) regulate and (b) evaluate microfinance projects supported by his Department. [47164]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) works through specialist partners to strengthen the regulation of the microfinance sector globally, regionally and at country level. For example, DFID funds the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), which has supported the development of new guidelines by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision on the regulation of depository microfinance; partnered with the West African Central Bank to harmonise the microfinance laws of its eight member nations; and provided technical advice to the Government of Afghanistan for regulating e-money transfers.
All microfinance projects funded by DFID must demonstrate how funding will be used to reduce poverty. All programmes are reviewed annually to track performance against set indicators—including income, assets, consumption, and business growth—and on completion to evaluate development impact. External evaluations such as the Pakistan Microfinance Network’s “The
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Impact of Microcredit: A Summary of Evidence from Pakistan” (October 2010) also provide independent assessments of DFID-funded microfinance projects.
Developing Countries: Microfinance
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2011, Official Report, columns 396-7W, on developing countries: microfinance, what tools will be included in the toolkit to strengthen the design, implementation and measurement of programmes to empower women through improved financial inclusion. [47161]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The toolkit, which will be published in May 2011, provides a range of technical diagrams, checklists, indicators and other information to assist practitioners develop and monitor financial services to enhance women’s financial inclusion and contribute to their empowerment. These tools are designed to encourage practitioners to analyse the factors that impact on women’s access to financial service; identifying target groups and actions to address gender based barriers; and develop relevant indicators to measure different dimensions of women’s financial inclusion.
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has received on the effectiveness of his Department’s microfinance projects. [47163]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has received 18 parliamentary questions on microfinance since the beginning of 2011. Ten of these questions specifically related to the effectiveness of microfinance projects funded by DFID in alleviating poverty, increasing women’s empowerment and improving financial sustainability in developing countries.
The Under-Secretary of State for International Development met with representatives of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Microfinance on 2 March 2011 to discuss DFID’s microfinance strategy. DFID will participate in the oral evidence session of the APPG on Microfinance’s Global Inquiry on Microfinance in early April. DFID will also shortly publish the results of a public consultation on the Microfinance Capacity Building Facility for Africa, which received over 400 responses.
Pakistan: Overseas Aid
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) projects and (b) organisations in Pakistan his Department funded in the latest period for which figures are available. [47165]
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Mr Andrew Mitchell: In 2009-10 the Department for International Development (DFID) spent £140.4 million in Pakistan. 33% of this was spent on humanitarian programmes; 20% on governance; 18% on education; 15% supporting economic growth; 8% on health programmes; 5% on social services; and 1% on other programmes. The most up to date information on all of our projects in Pakistan, including implementing partners, is available on DFID’s Projects Database on the Department’s website:
http://projects.dfid.gov.uk
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts Council England: Operating Costs
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England spent on administration in 2009-10. [45856]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England has supplied in the table 2009-10 spend on administration:
| Administration | £000 |
Arts Council England: Pay
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much was paid in bonuses to staff by Arts Council England in 2009-10. [46058]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England inform us that the amount paid in bonuses to staff in 2009-10 was approximately £133,731.
Arts: Finance
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England provided in grants per head of population to projects in each parliamentary constituency in the Greater London authority area in 2009-10. [45804]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England has supplied the information in the table for their projects spend 2009-10 per head in each Greater London authority. The population figures are sourced from “2002-2008 Revised Mid-Year Population Estimates”, a Greater London authority (GLA) Intelligence Update published by the Data Management and Analysis Group Demography Team, GLA, June 2010.
| Constituency (as listed in 2008) | Population | Grants for the arts (£) | Regularly funded organisations (£) | Total (£) | Per head (£) |
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Sky News
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport who will be responsible for monitoring the independence of Sky News in the next decade; who will be responsible for recruiting Sky News editorial staff; whether the bundling of content from News Corporation newspapers and Sky News will be permitted; and what steps the board of Sky News would be required to take if it wished to sell Sky News or allow BSkyB to increase its shareholding. [46990]
Mr Jeremy Hunt [holding answer 15 March 2011]: The proposed undertakings in lieu would be given to me as the Secretary of State and under the relevant statutory framework I have power to enforce them. Under the undertakings, the directors of Sky News (of which a majority are independent, including the Chairman), are responsible for ensuring the independence of Sky News. The requirement is embedded in the constitution of the new company, which of course the directors must uphold in accordance with their duties under company law. Transparency of Sky News' independence is secured by the undertakings' requiring that the editorial committee report on it in the annual report.
The undertakings require that the Board, which of course has a majority of independent directors and an independent chairman, approve the appointment of the Head of Sky News. It is envisaged that he or she will recruit the other editorial staff.
Competition aspects of the proposed merger were considered and approved by the European Commission. As a result of the proposed undertakings, the possibility of bundling content from News Corporation newspapers with Sky News content would not be changed by the merger.
In the first 10 years, any increase in News Corp's shareholding in Sky News would have to be agreed by me—or my successor. I would carefully consider it taking into account all relevant considerations at the time. If Sky News were to be sold to any other media enterprise, or anyone with other interest in the media were to purchase Sky News shares, this could potentially trigger another public interest intervention.
Tourism
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what mechanism he plans to put in place to evaluate the effectiveness of his tourism strategy. [46991]
Mr Jeremy Hunt [holding answer 15 March 2011]: Indicators to measure the performance of our tourism policies are being developed. Over the next four years, we are also aiming to attract 4 million extra visitors to Britain, £2 billion additional expenditure and create 50,000 jobs through the new £100 million overseas tourism marketing fund; increase the proportion of UK residents who holiday in the UK to match those who holiday abroad each year which, for longer stays, would mean an increase from 20% to 29%; and improve the sector's productivity to become one of the top five most efficient and competitive visitor economies in the world.
Scotland
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on (a) salaries and (b) pension entitlements for special advisers in the financial year 2010-11 to date. [46571]
David Mundell: I refer the hon. Member to the statement on the Cabinet Office website, published on 10 March 2011, which lists special advisers' pay bands, actual salaries if £58,200 or higher, and an estimate of the total pay bill costs for 2010-11. The estimated pay bill costs include pension costs. Details of pension arrangements are set out in the ‘Model Contract for Special Advisers’.
The aforementioned Cabinet Office statement can be viewed via the following link:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases
Glasgow Children's Heart Surgery Unit
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of those who received treatment at the Glasgow Children's Heart Surgery Unit were normally resident in England in the last three years. [44864]
David Mundell: Health is a matter devolved to the Scottish Government and therefore this request should be directed to the NHS Information Services Division at:
Gyle Square
1 South Gyle Crescent
Edinburgh
EH12 9EB
Telephone: 0131 275 7777.
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Northern Ireland
Big Society Bank
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the operation of the big society bank in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [46740]
Mr Swire: This matter has been discussed at the informal ministerial group on the big society and decentralisation of which I am a member. However, the operational details are still the subject of discussion.
I also refer the hon. Lady to the answer provided on 2 March 2011, Official Report, column 285, to the hon. Member for Foyle (Mark Durkan), by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).
Departmental Land
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to reduce the size of his Department’s estate; and if he will make a statement. [46743]
Mr Swire: My Department has already taken steps to reduce its accommodation in both London and Belfast and will continue to look for opportunities to minimise accommodation costs.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on (a) salaries and (b) pension entitlements for special advisers in the financial year 2010-11 to date. [46572]
Mr Swire: I refer the hon. Member to the statement on the Cabinet Office website regarding special advisers pay:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases
The estimated pay bill includes pension costs. Details of pension arrangements are set out in the “Model contract for Special Advisers” which is also available on the Cabinet Office website.
Elections
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support his Department is providing to the Northern Ireland Executive in preparing for the (a) Northern Ireland Assembly and (b) local elections in 2011. [46711]
Mr Swire:
Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly and District Councils in Northern Ireland are excepted matters. The UK Government, not the Northern Ireland Executive, is therefore responsible for these elections and the chief electoral officer for Northern Ireland is appointed by the Secretary of State to administer all elections in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Office has worked very closely with the chief electoral officer in planning for the May 2011 elections, including
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ensuring that the legal framework is updated and that proper funding is made available, and will continue to do so in the coming weeks ahead.
Irish Language
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will hold discussions with the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland on the introduction of legislative proposals on the Irish language. [47172]
Mr Swire: The Government remain committed to working, as appropriate, with the Northern Ireland Executive on language issues. The Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006 made statutory provision in relation to the Northern Ireland Executive's duty to adopt a strategy setting out how it proposes to enhance and protect the development of the Irish and Ulster Scots languages.
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made on the commitment made in the St Andrews Agreement on introduction of an Irish Language Act. [47173]
Mr Swire: Since the restoration of devolution in May 2007, language issues are now mainly the responsibility of the devolved Administration. The Government remain committed to working, as appropriate, with the Northern Ireland Executive on language issues and have made a significant commitment to increasing the availability of the Irish language station TG4 in Northern Ireland by the end of 2012.
Communities and Local Government
Bus Services: Concessions
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on the potential effects on shire county councils of changes to funding for concessionary fares. [44697]
Robert Neill: We have received a series of representations. To reflect representations we have received, the final Local Government Finance Settlement provides a further £10 million to compensate shire districts for their loss of concessionary travel funding following the transfer of responsibility to shire counties.
Council Tax
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2010, Official Report, column 569W, on public expenditure, how many households not in receipt of council tax benefit paid council tax in 2009-10. [46208]
Robert Neill: The number of households not in receipt of council tax benefit in England, who paid council tax, was estimated from the Family Resources Survey to be 17.4 million in 2008-09.
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Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what regulations his Department introduced between 24 November 2010 and 8 February 2011; [42086]
(2) what regulations his Department removed between 24 November 2010 and 8 February 2011. [42092]
Robert Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government is committed to removing bureaucracy and unnecessary burdens contained within existing secondary legislation and other forms of regulation.
In this context, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr Redwood) of 24 November 2010, Official Report, columns 304-05W, illustrating how the core programme of the Department is deregulatory.
We have scrapped planning rules which forced up parking charges and imposed artificial caps on parking spaces in new homes.
We have made changes to the regulations governing Homes in Multiple Occupation to allow areas experiencing problems with Homes in Multiple Occupation to put in place local solutions without imposing unnecessary burdens on the whole of the country.
We have cut red tape to make it easier for communities to hold street parties for the Royal Wedding.
The Localism Bill has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill seeks to achieve a substantial and lasting shift in power away from central Government and towards local people. Reducing bureaucracy is one of the key aims of this Bill and we have committed to a number of bold and transformative measures in order to achieve this aim.
We have also carried out an extensive review to identify the changes that are needed to Building Regulations and are working up detailed proposals for consultation towards the end of this year, taking forward the spending review 2010 commitment to reduce the overall regulatory burden on house-builders.
We are also working to remove bureaucratic barriers that hold back local action, and have opened up a ‘Barrier Busting’ website for communities to identify them.
All future regulations will be developed in full compliance with the Government’s one-in, one-out rules—meaning that new regulatory burdens we impose on businesses will be given full consideration to ensure that the costs being imposed are offset by reductions in the overall cost of regulation imposed by the Department.
In the period from 24 November 2010 to 8 February 2011, we have introduced 19 new statutory instruments. Although these are ‘regulations’ in the technical sense of the word, many of these are deregulatory in function and intent, and others are purely technical with no adverse impact whatsoever on business or local government. A table with details of the statutory instruments that have been introduced has been placed in the Library of the House.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions his Department has consulted representatives of small businesses on the effects of proposed new regulations since 6 May 2010. [46150]
Andrew Stunell:
My Department places great importance on consulting businesses when developing new regulatory
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and deregulatory proposals. That is why DCLG's consultations go further than just publishing a formal consultation on our website.
DCLG adopts an approach of regular, and early, engagement with our external partners, including small business and their representative bodies. This helps us gather industry views on our proposals, including the introduction of new regulations, before they are taken forward.
For example, in 2010 we invited the public and industry to submit their ideas and evidence on ways to improve the Building Regulations, on ways of reducing the associated regulatory burdens, and on ways to deliver even better levels of compliance. We received over 200 emails, in addition to the contributions we received on the Cabinet Office's ‘Your Freedom’ website and the Department's own ‘Cut Red Tape’ website. These contributions, together with those gained from a variety of events we hosted and attended with organisations and representative bodies, informed the ongoing programme of work to review the Building Regulations that was announced on 16 December 2010, Official Report, columns 114-15WS. Officials continue to engage with external partners as they develop further the options that will be considered for consultation later this year.
My officials also keep an open dialogue with external partners affected by our regulations. Unfortunately, this informal approach, because of its very nature, does however mean that records of engagement are not held.
Domestic Waste: Complaints
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what complaints on the frequency of household waste collections the Local Government Ombudsman has considered in the last three years; and what the Ombudsman's finding was in each case. [46209]
Robert Neill: In 2010, the Ombudsman considered 42 complaints relating to household waste collections, of which 31 were not proceeded with, for example because of insufficient evidence. In the remaining 11 cases the council addressed the problem to the satisfaction of the Ombudsman before he issued a formal report.
In 2009, the Ombudsman considered 26 such complaints of which 17 were not proceeded with and in nine cases the problem was addressed. Corresponding figures for 2008 are 54 complaints—42 not proceeded with and 12 cases where the problem was addressed.
Government Offices for the Regions: Redundancy
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on measures to avoid compulsory redundancies arising from closure of the Government Office Network; and if he will make a statement. [45882]
Robert Neill: DCLG, working with all Government office sponsor Departments, and following the in principle decision to close the Government offices for the regions in July 2010, has put in place the following measures to avoid or minimise any compulsory redundancies which may arise from the closure of the Government offices for the regions:
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(i) Access to job search facilities and support and career counselling in each Government office;
(ii) Priority status to apply for vacancies across the civil service in advance of the formal decision to close the government offices for the regions in October 2010;
(iii) The opportunity to apply for a voluntary release and a separate voluntary redundancy scheme;
(iv) Exclusive access, in the first instance, to apply for those posts which were or are currently carried out in Government offices and which will continue in other Government Departments after the closure of the Government offices for the regions;
(v) The opportunity for one to one meetings for staff to set out their views and preferences.
In addition DCLG has developed an innovative and new ‘redundancy swaps’ scheme which it is actively promoting across the civil service which will fund the voluntary release of staff in other Departments in exchange for that Department offering a post to a Government office member of staff. In the event that it proves necessary to issue formal notices of redundancy, every effort will continue to be made, throughout any notice period, to redeploy those staff who wish to remain in civil service employment.
Local Government Finance
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been paid to each local authority in planning grant in financial year 2010-11. [44539]
Robert Neill: Planning Delivery Grant was paid over the period 2003-04 to 2007-08 which was superseded by Housing and Planning Delivery Grant; this was last paid in financial year 2009-10.
In 2010-11, four local authorities received £25,000 per authority under the Sector Led Support Programme to support the delivery of local plans:
Newark and Sherwood district council
Stockport metropolitan borough council
Braintree district council
South Gloucestershire council.
The spending review has allocated almost £1 billion of central funding to support the New Homes Bonus.
Planning
Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to increase the efficiency of the planning process for large infrastructure projects. [45782]
Greg Clark: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement on 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 72-73WS, which is available in the Library of the House.
Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
Hilary Benn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department issues on (a) the responsibilities for maintenance of roads, drains and associated services on new housing developments, (b) the circumstances in
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which services should be adapted by local authorities and
(c)
responsibility for such services when firms which operate them enter receivership. [43396]
Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply.
The Government do not issue guidance on these issues. A wide range of approaches may be appropriate for different developments, and these are primarily matters for housing developers and their customers. We would advise potential buyers to investigate these issues carefully before buying a home on a new development.
The Highways Act 1980 contains provisions detailing responsibilities for maintenance of roads by highway authorities, and powers for them to adopt new streets. Which streets are adopted by highway authorities is a matter for them to decide.
Responsibility for individual house drains on new housing developments remains with the home owner. Currently developers of new housing developments may enter into voluntary agreements with the appropriate water company to have certain defined sewers adopted. In such cases each water company defines its own requirements.
Sports: Finance
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will put in place measures to ensure that the reduction in funding for local authorities will not result in the closure of local sports and leisure facilities; [46270]
(2) if he will put in place measures to ensure that the reduction in funding for local authorities will not result in a rise in (a) discretionary rates paid by sports and leisure clubs (b) charges for entry and (c) fees for hiring facilities. [46271]
Robert Neill: Local authorities are democratically elected and, as such, they are independent from central Government and are responsible for their own finances. It is for individual councils, in consultation with their communities, to decide on what local sports and leisure facilities to provide according to local circumstances.
The Government have urged councils not to increase charges as “an easy” alternative to cutting back on waste and making back office savings. A sensible approach would ensure that local people support creative trading, particularly when it helps to protect other services, or keep council tax bills down.
The Government recognise the benefits of local sport facilities. The Inspired Facilities strand of the mass participation Olympic Legacy programme will see the investment of £50 million lottery funding to help upgrade local sports facilities. The first of five £10 million funding rounds will be launched in the summer.
We would also encourage every club to consider registering as a Community Amateur Sports Club. The scheme has provided valuable funding to sports clubs which allows them to benefit from certain tax reliefs, similar to those normally given to charities.
Home Department
Burglary
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to help reduce the incidence of burglary. [46764]
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James Brokenshire: Cutting crime, including burglary, is the core responsibility of the police. By cutting bureaucracy and red tape we are reducing the burden on the police to focus on tackling those crimes, such as burglary, which matter most to their communities.
We know that some opportunistic burglaries may be preventable, so we have made advice on burglary prevention available directly to members of the public via online crime maps and the directgov website and through partners in the voluntary sector. We are also updating the good practice available for frontline staff.
Driving Offences: Speed Limits
Mr Ruffley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) convictions, (b) cautions
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and
(c)
fixed penalty notices were issued to people arrested for speeding offences in each police force area in each year since 1997. [46940]
James Brokenshire: Data from 1997 to 2008 (latest available) on fixed penalty notices issued for speeding offences in each police force area are provided in table A.
Data for fixed penalty notices issued in 2009 are due to be published in April 2011.
Data provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of convictions for speeding offences can be viewed in table B.
Cautions are not issued by the police for speeding offences.
| Table A: Number of fixed penalty notices issued for speed limit offences by police force area, England and Wales, 1997 to 2008 | ||||||
| Total FPNS for speed limit offences | ||||||
| Police force | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
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| Total FPNS for speed limit offences | ||||||
| Police force | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Table B: Findings of guilt at all courts for speed limit offences by force 1997 to 2009 | |||||||
| Off 816 (speed limit offs ) | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
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