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Prisoners: St Albans
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted prisoners had a home address in the St Albans constituency on the most recent date for which figures are available. [52214]
Mr Blunt: Information on a prisoner's residence is provided by prisoners on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses include a prisoner's home address, an address to which they intend to return on discharge and next of kin and these figures are provided in the following table.
If no address is given, a prisoner's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which a prisoner is resident. These figures are provided separately in the following table. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of prisoners, these figures are excluded from the answer.
The following table shows the number of convicted prisoners as at 25 March 2011 who have a recorded residential address or proxy, as described above in the constituency area of St Albans.
|
|
Number of prisoners |
The figures include convicted male and female prisoners, adults, young offenders and juveniles that are held in prisons and young offender institutions.
Prisons: Education
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to increase educational opportunities at Her Majesty's Prison Latchmere House. [51820]
Mr Blunt: As a resettlement prison for about 200 prisoners, HMP Latchmere House has a primary focus on preparing prisoners for release. Currently, about 95 prisoners are engaged in internal employment or work-based training and there is an education department that accommodates a further 20. In addition 83 prisoners attend a range of external employment or training opportunities.
The education provision in the prison includes Careers Information and Advice Services and some learning and skills to assist offenders attending work and education in the prison while waiting for external opportunities on Release on Temporary Licence (RoTL). Additional support is offered, when needed, to those prisoners working and studying elsewhere in external provision.
The Virtual Campus, a highly secure computer web-based facility gives prisoners access to assessment, learning, career development, information services opportunities and courses while in custody. This is currently scheduled to be installed in the prison later this year, creating and expanding relevant learning for prisoners.
Together with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Ministry of Justice has undertaken a review of offender learning and we plan to publish the outcome in the near future.
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Prisons: Video Equipment
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the merits of using video-link equipment available in prisons to record interviews between police and imprisoned witnesses. [52406]
Mr Djanogly: None. However, we are looking at how video technology can improve criminal justice efficiency. As I announced on 14 December 2010, Official Report, columns 816-18, we plan to give witnesses the opportunity to give evidence in trials by live video link from a more convenient location. We have started to test the principle of police officers giving evidence in summary trials by live video link from a police station. If successful, this will pave the way for other witnesses to give evidence from a police station or other, more convenient, location rather than travelling to court.
Reoffenders: Females
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of women with a previous conviction reoffended in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [52265]
Mr Blunt: The one year re-conviction data cover all adult offenders released from custody or commencing a court order between January and March of each year. Table 1 as follows shows the one year re-conviction for female adult offenders with previous court convictions for which data are available.
| Table1: Re-conviction rates for female adult offenders with one or more previous court convictions (2000, 2002 to 2009) | |||
|
|
Number of offenders | Number re-convicted | Re-conviction rate |
| (1) Data are not available for 2001 due to a problem with archived data on court orders. | |||
More information on the re-conviction rates is available from the Ministry of Justice website.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffendingofadults.htm
Road Traffic Accident Scheme
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the future stability of the Road Traffic Accident Scheme of his proposals to remove the recoverability of success fees from provisions of the scheme. [52447]
Mr Djanogly:
The Government's position on this issue is set out at paragraph 26 of ‘Reforming Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's
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Recommendations: the Government Response’. The majority of claimants in road traffic accidents have before the event legal expenses insurance and will be able to pursue their claim at no additional cost. Claimant solicitors will still be able to charge their clients a success fee, but rather than receiving a fixed recoverable rate, they will be able to compete for business by setting a lower rate for claimants.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the capacity of the Road Traffic Accident Scheme portal to expand to other areas of personal injury cases; and if he will make a statement. [52448]
Mr Djanogly: The Road Traffic Accident Scheme portal was set up by the insurance industry in conjunction with claimant lawyers to coincide with the introduction of a protocol in April 2010 for road traffic accident personal injury cases. The protocol provided guidance on how claims in such cases should be handled. The portal allows the electronic exchange of documents and is financed and maintained by the insurance industry.
The Ministry of Justice is currently conducting a public consultation on whether the Road Traffic Accident Scheme should be extended to other types of personal injury cases. At the same time, my officials are liaising with the insurance industry to establish whether the current portal can be extended to cover other PI cases or whether an alternative option might be more appropriate.
Sentencing
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of prison sentences for (a) men and (b) women handed down in the last 12 months were for periods shorter than (i) 12 months, (ii) six months and (iii) three months; and if he will make a statement. [52263]
Mr Blunt: The number of persons sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence, by sex and sentence band at all courts, England and Wales for 2009 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
Please note that court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication on 26 May 2011.
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| (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. | ||
Sentencing: Appeals
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many successful appeals were made on human rights grounds against conditions or restrictions on a release licence following a custodial sentence for a terrorism offence in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010; [52028]
(2) how many successful appeals were made on the basis of Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 against conditions or restrictions on a release licence following a custodial sentence for a terrorism offence in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010; [52029]
(3) how many successful appeals were made on the basis of Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 against conditions or restrictions on a release licence following a custodial sentence in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010; [52032]
(4) how many successful appeals were made on human rights grounds against conditions or restrictions on a release licence following a custodial sentence in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010; [52033]
(5) how many successful appeals were made against conditions or restrictions on a release licence following a custodial sentence in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010; [52034]
(6) how many successful appeals were made against conditions or restrictions on a release licence following a custodial sentence for terrorism offence in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010. [52035]
Mr Blunt:
Prisoners, including those convicted of terrorist related offences, do not have an administrative right of appeal against the inclusion of conditions onto their licence. They are able to challenge the conditions of their licence, either by making representations to their probation offender manager and the probation trust which employs him or to the Parole Board or by applying for a judicial review. Information on the number of offenders who submit such challenges and/or do so successfully is not held centrally. To provide this information
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would require a manual interrogation of individual offender records. Such an exercise would incur disproportionate cost.
Sentencing: Offenders
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in what circumstances a sentencing judge may exceed sentencing guidelines when considering sentences on persistent offenders; and if he will make a statement. [51794]
Mr Blunt: The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 requires sentencers when sentencing offences committed after 6 April 2010 to follow guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales or its predecessor the Sentencing Guidelines Council, unless it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.
The requirement ‘to follow’ is a requirement to sentence within the offence range set in a guideline; it does not require the court to sentence within any category range set within that offence range. Typically an offence range is divided into category ranges for offences of different categories of seriousness. Sentencers are free to sentence outside the category range if they see fit. Sentencers may sentence above the offence range if it would be contrary to the interests of justice not to do so, provided that the top of the offence range in the guideline is set lower than the maximum penalty available in law for the offence. Where the sentencer departs from the guidelines he or she must explain the reasons for doing so in open court.
Any previous convictions, where they are recent and relevant, should be regarded as an aggravating factor which should increase the severity of the sentence. This statutory aggravating factor is reflected in sentencing guidelines. The guideline “Overarching Principles: Seriousness” issued by the Sentencing Guidelines Council in 2004 states that it will be an aggravating factor that an offender has previous convictions,
“particularly where a pattern of repeat offending is disclosed”.
Sentencers are required to have regard to the guidelines when sentencing offences committed before 6 April 2010.
Squatting
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to disseminate its recent guidance on the law in respect of squatting. [51595]
Mr Blunt: Guidance on “Dealing with squatters in your home” was produced jointly by the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). It was initially published in November 2010 but was strengthened on 21 March 2011. The revised version was accompanied by a press notice. Both the guidance and the press notice can be viewed on the DCLG website and a shorter version of the guidance is available on the ‘DirectGov’ website. The guidance has received widespread media coverage and we have also referred to it in on many occasions in responses to correspondence and parliamentary questions on this subject.
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Squatting: Scotland
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the merits of the legal framework in Scotland in respect of squatting. [51691]
Mr Blunt: We are aware of the provisions in the Trespass (Scotland) Act 1865. We will be considering these carefully as we develop our proposals in this area.
Vendside
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the eligibility for registration as a claims handler of Vendside Ltd. [51853]
Mr Djanogly: No assessment has been made since Vendside Ltd surrendered its registration as a claims handler under the Compensation Act 2006 in March 2010.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the charges imposed on clients for accessing files relating to miners’ compensation claims by Vendside Ltd; and if he will make a statement. [51855]
Mr Djanogly: The Secretary of State does not have the jurisdiction to assess such charges. However, Subject Access requests (SARS) made under the Data Protection Act 1998 to organisations for the personal information they hold on individuals, are normally limited to a £10 charge for each request.
Youth Justice Board
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice by what means he proposes to integrate the Youth Justice Board into his Department. [52261]
Mr Blunt: The transition of the functions of the Youth Justice Board into the Ministry of Justice is subject to the passage of the Public Bodies Bill.
The Government propose that the main functions of the Youth Justice Board should be delivered within an identifiable, dedicated section of the Ministry of Justice.
This dedicated section will be part of the Justice Policy Group and will set the coherent framework for youth justice, led by a member of the senior civil service and reporting directly to a director general and to the Minister with responsibility for youth justice.
The youth justice section will be outside of the National Offender Management Service ensuring that the commissioning of the youth secure estate continues to be driven by people who have a dedicated focus on the needs of young people.
The Ministry of Justice is working with the Youth Justice Board on the transition of their functions into the Department.
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International Development
Anguilla: Finance
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has disbursed to Anguilla from its economic diversification fund in the latest period for which figures are available. [51890]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not disbursed any funds for economic diversification in Anguilla in recent years.
Burma: International Assistance
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the government of Burma on restrictions on the delivery of aid to Burma. [51551]
Mr Duncan: Department for International Development (DFID) staff and the British ambassador in Rangoon are in frequent contact with the Burmese authorities regarding UK aid for Burma. All our aid is channelled through UN agencies, international non-governmental organisations and Burmese community-based organisations. With strict monitoring, we are confident that it reaches its intended recipients effectively. DFID also provides aid cross-border from neighbouring countries to people in conflict-affected areas of Burma who cannot be reached from within the country.
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received of the policy of the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on funding projects in Karen state, Burma; and if he will make a statement. [51552]
Mr Duncan: We expect the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to fund projects across Burma where its staff and agents are able to monitor its activities, including in parts of Karen state. It will not however fund projects in areas where access is restricted as a result of conflict.
A number of alternative means are available for delivering aid to conflict-affected areas of Burma cross-border from neighbouring countries. In 2010 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided £825,000 in cross-border health sector aid to ethnic minority groups inside Burma.
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received on changes made to aid delivery by the government of Burma in order to enable the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to operate in that country. [51554]
Mr Duncan:
The decision by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) in November 2010 to resume its work in Burma was informed by the success of the multi-donor Three Diseases Fund which was established following GFATM's withdrawal from the country in 2005. The Three Diseases Fund has demonstrated that it is possible to deliver aid effectively in Burma through United Nations agencies, international
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non-governmental organisations and local community-based organisations. GFATM's operations in Burma will be modelled on those of the Three Diseases Fund.
Burundi: Overseas Aid
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2011, Official Report, column 374W, on development aid, how much aid his Department provided to Burundi in the last year for which figures are available; and how much aid he plans to provide in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [51510]
Mr O'Brien: In the financial year 2009-10, the Department for International Development (DFID) provided £13 million for Burundi. The latest forecast for 2010-11 is £10.9 million. DFID plans to provide £10 million in bilateral support to Burundi in 2011-12.
From 2012-13, DFID will cease direct bilateral aid and will concentrate exclusively on furthering Burundi’s integration into the East African Community (EAC) through regional funding. DFID has initially contributed £6 million to a multi donor trust fund that will support the organisation TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) in all five EAC countries, including Burundi. This funding, among other things, will cover the remaining £5.4 million required by TMEA Burundi. We consider this to be the single most important contributing factor to Burundi’s economic growth in the medium term.
Burundi will continue to benefit from UK funding provided through the multilateral development organisations. This amounted to £12.7 million in 2008-09.
Commonwealth: Overseas Aid
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's aid budget was spent assisting Commonwealth countries in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion he expects to be spent assisting Commonwealth countries in the next three years. [51141]
Mr Duncan: Details of the Department of International Development (DFID) aid expenditure in developing countries, including Commonwealth countries, are published in Statistics on International Development (SID) which is available in the House Library or online at
www.dfid.gov.uk.
Indicative plans for future DFID bilateral spending were published in the “Bilateral Aid Review: Technical Report” also available on DFID’s website. The proportion of DFID’s country specific bilateral aid programme spent assisting Commonwealth countries in each of the last 10 years and plans for the next three years are laid out in the following table.
| Proportion of DFID aid to Commonwealth countries 2001 | |
|
|
Percentage of country specific bilateral aid programme |
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Departmental Manpower
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what public sector job reduction targets have been set for his Department and its non-departmental public bodies for each of the next 24 months; and what steps he plans to take to meet such targets. [51521]
Mr Duncan: We are working through the exact implications of the full spending review 2010 settlement. It is therefore not possible to estimate all of the workforce implications over the next 24 months.
We have forecast a reduction in the Department for International Development's (DFID's) corporate services of between 25% and 30%. Reductions in other areas have not yet been forecast.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in his Department are provided with mobile communication devices; and how much his Department spent on mobile telephones and related data services in the last year for which figures are available. [51424]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides 728 officials with mobile phone and communication devices in the UK. DFID’s overseas offices have devolved responsibility for purchasing mobile phones and communication devices. Collating the information on the number of mobile phones in use by DFID staff overseas would incur disproportionate cost.
The total spend on UK and overseas mobile communication devices was £222,789 in the 2010-11 financial year.
Public Bodies
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) women and (b) men no longer serve on public bodies sponsored by his Department because of decisions to merge, reorganise or abolish such bodies since May 2010. [51440]
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Mr Duncan: There are no women or men who no longer serve on public bodies sponsored by the Department for International Development (DFID) because of decisions to merge, reorganise or abolish such bodies since May 2010.
Departmental Vacancies
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the staff vacancy rate in his Department was in 2010-11; and what vacancy rate has been assumed in his Department's budget for 2011-12. [51384]
Mr Duncan: The vacancy rate in the Department for International Development (DFID) for 2010-11 was 2.8%.
DFID is currently refining operational plans for 2011-12 and the precise impact of this exercise in respect of staffing and vacancy rates is not yet known.
Developing Countries: Biodiversity
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department’s budget is spent on projects to protect biodiversity; and what plans he has for future expenditure on projects of this type. [50960]
Mr O'Brien: In 2009, the Department for International Development (DFID) disbursements on programmes with biodiversity related benefits were £41.3 million. This included our contribution to the Global Environment Facility.
Going forward, the Government have pledged a contribution of £210 million for the fifth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) from 2010 to 2014, which will be managed by DFID. The GEF is the financial mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity, with 28.6% of the GEF budget now being allocated to support biodiversity programmes in GEF eligible countries. The UK’s contribution to the GEF should be seen in the wider context of DFID’s programmes which will have significant benefits for biodiversity. For example; DFID’s support of £500,000 to The Economics of Ecosystem Services study; £24 million for the Forest Governance and Trade bilateral programme (FGT), which will continue to tackle illegal logging and related trade through governance and market reforms which will have dramatic impacts on the biodiversity of forests; ongoing support to the UN Poverty and Environment Initiative; and support to the Darwin Initiative.
Developing Countries: Climate Change
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the £735 million contributed by the Government to the multilateral banks’ climate investment fund has been spent on projects under the fund to date. [52393]
Mr O'Brien: The UK’s contribution to the climate investment funds (CIFs) is combined with other donors’ funds and it is not possible to track the UK’s contribution separately. As of 31 December 2010 the CIFs had endorsed a total of $4.6 billion for investment plans. Of this, the Trust Fund Committee has approved projects totalling $984 million and has disbursed $116 million to recipient countries.
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Developing Countries: Food
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking (a) unilaterally and (b) in partnership with other governments and international institutions (i) to avoid food price volatility and (ii) to reduce food prices in least-developed countries. [52237]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) is closely monitoring food prices in developing countries. Together with other members of the G20, the UK is developing measures to manage international food price volatility and mitigate the impact on the poorest. Measures being explored include better market information on grain stocks and strengthening international disciplines on export restrictions on food.
Though high prices harm consumers, higher prices can sometimes benefit producers by increasing their income. However, DFID’s bilateral programme is ensuring that the poor are better able to cope with higher food prices. For example, DFID support the Productive Safety Net Programme in Ethiopia which ensures that 8 million previously dependent on emergency aid maintain a basic standard of living. Improving agricultural production in developing countries will help to ensure food is affordable in the long term. For example DFID support in Malawi has helped over 2 million people access high yielding maize and legume seeds.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proposals he plans to make at the next G20 summit to (a) stabilise and reduce food prices and (b) promote long-term investment in agriculture in developing countries. [52238]
Mr O'Brien: Together with other members of the G20, the UK is supporting measures to manage food price volatility and mitigate its impact on the poorest. Measures to reduce volatility under discussion include: provision of better market information on grain stocks; strengthening international disciplines on export restrictions on food; and measures to minimise impact of high prices on the poorest, including potential mechanisms to assist developing countries to meet higher food import bills in times of crisis and to draw up plans for implementation.
The UK is also supporting G20 proposals aimed at strengthening international agricultural research and innovation as well as measures to ensure better governance, property rights regimes and a secure regulatory environment for investors.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what policies his Department is pursuing with the World Bank, regional development banks and the International Monetary Fund to encourage investment in agriculture to reduce food insecurity in least-developed countries. [52239]
Mr O'Brien:
The Department for International Development (DFID) has been working with the World Bank and other members of the G20 Food Security Experts Working Group to develop proposals for managing
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food price volatility and mitigating its impact on the poorest and most vulnerable people in developing countries.
DFID does not provide direct support to the African Development Bank (AfDB) or the Asian Development Bank (AsDB) on agriculture and food security policies. DFID does however work with AfDB to support Africa's own initiative, the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development programme (CAADP), which aims to raise agricultural growth to at least 6% and increase public investment in agriculture to 10% of the national budget. So far 18 African countries have drafted National Investment Plans which aim to provide an enabling framework for public and private investment in agriculture. In South Asia, DFID works with the World Bank on the South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (SAFNSI) which aims to tackle food security and nutrition by addressing issues of availability access and utilization of food.
Developing Countries: Forests
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department is providing funding to the Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries programme. [51984]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Yes. Around 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions result from deforestation, more than global emissions from all means of transport, so it is important that we work quickly to stem the loss of forests around the world.
The UK is playing a leading role in these efforts, providing £300 million over the period 2010-12 for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. This money is helping to reduce poverty in communities which depend on forests for a living and protect the rich biodiversity found in tropical forests, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The UK has also committed £2.9 billion for climate finance from 2011-15, and we will be reviewing how best to use part of this additional funding to complement our existing efforts to reduce global rates of deforestation. Long-standing UK support to combat illegal logging and curb the related trade in illegally harvested timber also makes an important contribution to global efforts to stem the loss of forests.
Developing Countries: Poverty
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent to promote awareness in the UK of global poverty in 2010-11; which organisations his Department has consulted in its review of using aid funds for this purpose; when he expects to publish the report of this review; what assessment he has made of the work of the review team to date; and if he will make a statement. [51461]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: In 2010-11 the Department for International Development spent approximately £17.2 million on projects designed to promote awareness in the UK of global poverty.
A review was launched in January 2011 to assess the impact and effectiveness of existing development awareness work and to provide evidence based advice on whether,
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and if so how, DFID should continue to use aid funds in the UK to promote awareness of global poverty and ways for the public to be involved in efforts to address it. The review is expected to report in late spring. The list of stakeholders interviewed in the course of the review will be included in the report when published.
I will make an assessment of the review once it has been completed.
Developing Countries: Syphilis
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action his Department is taking to reduce the (a) effects of and (b) number of deaths from congenital syphilis in developing countries around the world. [51297]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) new Framework for Results for improving reproductive, maternal and newborn health recognises the importance of strengthening integrated service delivery in developing countries. This means ensuring that evidence-based, cost-effective interventions—including syphilis screening and treatment—are a part of routine antenatal care and that there is improved access to this care by all pregnant women.
DFID’s action in support of developing country governments’ plans to strengthen health services and, in particular, to improve access for poor people is helping make these interventions more widely available.
Developing Countries: Water
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department’s most recent estimate is of the number of people worldwide who do not have access to safe water. [52056]
Mr O'Brien: According to the latest figures published in the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Report 2010, in 2008 884 million people worldwide did not have access to improved sources of drinking water. Figures for 2010 will be published in March 2012.
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the number of people worldwide who do not have access to adequate sanitation. [52060]
Mr O'Brien: According to the latest figures published in the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Report 2010, in 2008 2.6 billion people worldwide did not have access to improved sanitation. Figures for 2010 will be published in March 2012.
Overseas Aid
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the richest country is to which the UK provides development aid; and what form such aid takes. [51511]
Mr Duncan:
Provisional figures for 2010 show that Trinidad and Tobago was the richest country in receipt of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) in terms of gross national income per capita (GNI per capita).
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According to World Bank figures, in 2009 GNI per capita in Trinidad and Tobago was US$16,700. Provisional figures show that £30,000 of UK ODA was provided to Trinidad and Tobago in 2010. This relates to a legacy commitment made by the British Government in 1970, that it would assume responsibility from overseas governments for the payment of pensions due to expatriate colonial civil servants who had been appointed by or on behalf of the Secretary of State of the Colonies. A proportion of these pension payments are classified as ODA in line with the internationally agreed definition of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Final 2010 ODA figures will be published in the Department for International Development (DFID) publication Statistics on International Development (SID) later this year. Previous copies of this publication are available in the House Library or online at
www.dfid.gov.uk
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew: Finance
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department is providing funding to the Royal Botanic Gardens' Millennium Seed Bank. [52164]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not provide funding for the Kew Millennium Seed Bank, which collects and preserves wild plant species.
DFID does support the two crop seed banks of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) through our contribution to the Global Diversity Crop Trust and our core funding to CGIAR research centres. CGIAR seed banks currently store over 600,000 crop varieties.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Water
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department is providing to countries in sub-Saharan Africa to invest in (a) safe water and (b) sanitation. [52059]
Mr O'Brien: Providing clean water and sanitation was identified as a priority in the recent Bilateral Aid Review. The UK will support programmes in nine sub-Saharan African countries that are not on track to achieve the millennium development goal target on water and sanitation. DFID have allocated an indicative budget of £396 million bilaterally through our country programmes for the next four financial years to increase access to water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials from his Department are based in the Turks and Caicos Islands. [51243]
Mr Duncan: There are no Department for International Development (DFID) staff members currently based in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). UK-based staff make occasional visits to TCI to provide advice and assistance when necessary.
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DFID is funding a total of seven public finance and governance experts to assist the TCI Government, including the position of Chief Financial Officer.
Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing
Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to require Housing Options to give a copy of its advice to applicants in writing. [51255]
Grant Shapps: Housing options advice is a key part of local authorities' work to prevent homelessness. Housing options services are now standard practice among the great majority of local authorities. Local authorities recorded 165,000 cases in 2009-10 where homelessness was prevented or relieved.
It is accepted good practice that a person seeking assistance should receive a written summary of housing options discussed. However we know housing options advice works best when schemes are developed locally that take account of local needs and local markets, and focus on giving the individual appropriate housing advice. Requiring local authorities to provide advice in writing through legislation would be overly bureaucratic and risk creating a "tick box" exercise that focuses on the process rather than providing a person with high quality advice.
Arson: Death
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fatalities there have been as a result of arson in each of the last five years. [52192]
Robert Neill: The latest annual statistics for fatal casualties in deliberate fires in England are shown in the table.
| Fatal casualties in deliberate fires, England | |
|
|
Number of fatalities |
| (1 )Provisional Source: Fire and Rescue Incident Statistics Databases, DCLG | |
Audit Commission: Consultants
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Audit Commission spent on headhunters and recruitment consultants in the last 36 months; and in each such case (a) for which employment positions the services were sought, (b) which firms were used and (c) how much was paid from public funds, including bonus or reward payments for recruiting an individual. [50992]
Robert Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
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Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 26 April 2011:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The information you requested is set out below:
| Date | Employment position | Firm | Cost (£) |
|
Head of Policy and Assessment (Local Economies & Regeneration) |
|||
|
Head of Policy and Assessment (Environment and Climate Change) |
|||
Banks: Iceland
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the likely sums to be returned to local authorities from deposits in Icelandic banks which have ceased trading. [52236]
Grant Shapps: The Department has not made any such estimates. The resolution committees for Landsbanki and Glitnir, and the UK administrators for Heritable and KSF, have published information on likely rates of return. Local authorities are in direct contact with these administrators.
Community Development
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) with reference to the Plan for Growth, March 2011, paragraph 2.17, what plans he has to table amendments to the Localism Bill to make provision to enable businesses to bring forward neighbourhood plans and neighbourhood development orders; [51138]
(2) whether businesses will be required to have a local connection to an area in which they wish to bring forward a neighbourhood plan; [51139]
(3) with reference to the Plan for Growth, March 2011, paragraph 2.17, by what mechanism businesses bringing forward neighbourhood plans will be required to gain the agreement of the local community. [51140]
Greg Clark: As we made clear at the Committee stage of the Localism Bill, we regard the participation of business in neighbourhood planning as desirable, especially in areas—for example, a town with a high street or an industrial district—where local businesses are a significant part of the local community. We are committed to allowing businesses to bring forward proposals for neighbourhood, planning. Businesses will need to work with and gain the agreement of the local community and pass independent examination before neighbourhood plans or orders are formalised.
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As undertaken to the Committee, we will bring forward amendments to the Localism Bill to reflect these commitments.
Community Infrastructure Levy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference for the Plan for Growth, March 2011, paragraph 2.15, by what mechanisms he intends to require local authorities seeking to introduce the community infrastructure levy to assess the economic viability of the rates they set; and what criteria will be used to assess economic viability. [51144]
Greg Clark:
The community infrastructure levy regulations (SI. No. 948. 2010) require a local authority that is introducing the levy to have regard to the potential effects of proposed charges (taken as a whole) on the economic viability of development across its area. In undertaking their assessment, local authorities are required to have regard to the “Community Infrastructure Levy
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Guidance: Charge setting and charging schedule procedures” (DCLG, 25 March 2010). Both the regulations and the guidance were issued by the previous Government under powers at Part 11 of the Planning Act 2008. The Government are keeping this guidance under review.
Council Tax
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 10 local authorities had (a) the highest and (b) the lowest council tax collection rates in England in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available; and what the monetary value of the uncollected council taxes was in each such case. [50996]
Robert Neill: A list of the 10 local authorities in England that collected the highest and the lowest proportion of council tax due in 2009-10, the latest period for which data are available, along with details of the estimated monetary value of the uncollected tax are shown in the following table:
|
|
Estimated net collectable debit in respect of 2009-10 council tax (£000) | Total receipts of 2009-10 council tax in 2009-10 (£000) | Receipts of 2009-10 council tax by 31 March 2010 as a percentage of net collectable debit | Amount of 2009-10 council tax not collected by 31 March 2010 (£000) |
This information is available in Table 5 of the Statistical Release Collection rates for council tax and non-domestic rates in England 2009-10 that is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government's website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/counciltax/collectionrates
The in-year collection rate is the amount received by 31 March in respect of that financial year's council tax shown as a percentage of the net collectable debit in respect of that year's council tax i.e. the income authorities would collect if everyone liable had paid. The figures exclude council tax benefit as this is paid directly to the local authority by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Collection of council taxes continues once the financial year to which they relate has ended. This means that the final collection rate achieved is somewhere between the figures shown here and 100%.
Departmental Accountancy
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any ministerial directions have been issued to the accounting officer of his Department since his appointment. [52002]
Robert Neill: No ministerial directions have been issued in Communities and Local Government since the appointment of the Secretary of State.
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Departmental Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in his Department are provided with mobile communication devices; and how much his Department spent on mobile telephones and related data services in the last year for which figures are available. [51415]
Robert Neill: The Department currently has 725 mobile devices on issue to staff and spent £113,000 on mobile telephones and related data services in the financial year 2009-10.
The number of devices has been reduced from 767 phones on issue in August 2010. No new orders for BlackBerrys are being accepted and the number of devices will continue to be managed down.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on (a) silver service and (b) other waiting services through its integrated facilities management contract with MITIE between the date of initiation of the contract and 5 May 2010. [50669]
Robert Neill: The Department's integrated facilities management contract with MITIE commenced in June 2004. Detailed analysis from 2004 to May 2010 could be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would involve manual checking of historic invoices.
Departmental Public Transport
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on Government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on Government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [50076]
Robert Neill: Ministers in the Department do make use of bus and London Underground travel but a record is not kept of the journeys made. All travel is undertaken in line with section 10 of the Ministerial Code which provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of his ministerial team have been issued with (a) an Oyster card and (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on Government business. [50165]
Robert Neill:
Three of this Department's ministerial team have been provided with Oyster cards and one has been provided with an annual travel card. All travel is undertaken in line with section 10 of the Ministerial Code which provides guidance on travel for Ministers
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and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make and cost-effective travel efficient arrangements.
Departmental Theft
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what items with a value of over £100 have been taken without authorisation from his Department since his appointment; and what steps have been taken to recover such items. [48448]
Robert Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government has had ten lap top computers and one camera, each with a value of over £100, stolen from departmental premises since 6 May 2010.
Each case was investigated by the Department's Departmental Security Unit and the police were notified. Subsequent to the action taken the Department has not experienced a further theft of this nature from its premises since December 2010.
One departmental laptop was stolen from an official's home and reported to local police.
The following table provides a comparison with the two previous financial years:
| Item | Since 6 May | 2009-10 | 2008-09 |
Departmental Manpower
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the staff vacancy rate in his Department was in 2010-11; and what vacancy rate has been assumed in his Department’s budget for 2011-12. [51380]
Robert Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not record vacancy rates. Owing to the recruitment freeze implemented by this administration, the number of vacancies in DCLG has been very low.
The recruitment freeze is being extended into 2011-12, and DCLG is currently in a large-scale process of restructuring that will see around 700 posts go. The working assumption is that there will be no vacancies until October 2012.
There may be some very limited exceptions to this based in specialist areas of the Department. A small number of roles require particular specialist skills which must be recruited from outside the Department. Until the current restructuring process has been completed later this year, the numbers required are not known.
Departmental Video Recordings
Andrew Bridgen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2011, Official Report, column 1122W, on departmental video recordings, how many
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people viewed the August 2008 Hazel Blears video message on YouTube; and for what reasons the expenditure incurred on its production was considered justified. [51938]
Robert Neill: The August 2008 video fronted by Hazel Blears, launching the White Paper “Communities in Control: Real People Real Power” received 3,187 viewings on YouTube. It was also shown at an event launching the White Paper, attended by 200 community organisations.
As outlined in my original answer, the new Government have put tighter controls in place on such external communications and marketing spending.
Development Plans: Learning Disability
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he is taking steps to ensure that local authorities' area development plans recognise the needs and interests of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [51361]
Robert Neill: The Government are committed to planning policies which take account of the needs of a diverse population, including people with profound learning disabilities and those who look after them. Planning Policy Statement 1, ‘Delivering Sustainable Development’, asks local planning authorities to take into account the needs of all the community, including particular requirements relating to disability, when writing local plans. Local plans should promote development which helps to create socially inclusive communities, including suitable mixes of housing, and ensures access to health services, housing and community facilities (both in terms of location and physical access) for all.
Fires: Death
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fatalities there have been as a result of fires in commercial premises in each of the last five years. [52184]
Robert Neill: The latest annual statistics for fatalities in fires in commercial premises in England are shown in the following table.
| Fatalities in fires in commercial (1) premises, England | |
| (1) Commercial premises are taken to include restaurants, public houses, clubs, bars, warehouses, offices and call centres and premises used for retail, sale and repair of vehicles, transportation, communications, financial and business services and short-term accommodation including hotels. (2) Provisional. Source: Fire and Rescue Incident Statistics Databases, DCLG | |
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fatalities there have been as a result of industrial fires in each of the last five years. [52186]
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Robert Neill: The latest annual statistics for fatalities in fires in industrial premises in England are shown in the table.
| Fatalities in fires in industrial (1) premises, England | |
|
|
Number |
| (1) Industrial premises are taken to include industrial processing and manufacturing, public utilities and bulk storage. (2) Provisional. Source: Fire and Rescue Incident Statistics Databases, DCLG | |
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fatalities there have been as a result of fires in domestic properties in each of the last two years. [52500]
Robert Neill: The latest annual statistics for fatal casualties in dwelling and accidental dwelling fires in England are shown in the table.
| Fatal casualties in dwelling and accidental dwelling fires, England | ||
|
|
2008-09 (1) | 2009-10 (1) |
| (1 )Provisional Source: Fire and Rescue Incident Statistics Databases, DCLG | ||
Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department allocated to Gateshead Council in each of the last five years. [51593]
Robert Neill: The total grant funding allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government to Gateshead council is as follows:
| Gateshead | |
|
|
£000 |
The definition of central Government grant used here is the sum of:
formula grant (revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates)
specific grants inside aggregate external finance (i.e. revenue grants paid for council’s core services) (only includes grants from this Department)
specific grants outside aggregate external finance (only includes grants from this Department)
area-based grant (from 2008-09), and
‘other grants’ provided by all Government Departments.
These figures are taken from revenue out-turn forms provided by authorities after the end of a financial year.
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Figures for formula grant, area-based grant and other grants are aggregated grants for all Government Departments.
Comparison across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities and changes to funding methodology.
Government Procurement Card
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011, Official Report, column 736W, on the Government Procurement Card, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Audit Commission Government Procurement Card transaction data supplied to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood; and if he will publish with the transaction data a description of each item purchased under (a) level 3 and (b) enhanced transactions. [50876]
Robert Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 26 April 2011:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission does not receive (a) level 3 or (b) enhanced transaction information from our card provider.
The information showing the GPC spend for 2008/09 and 2009/10 as supplied to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Homeless
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what his estimate is of the number and proportion of (a) men and (b) women of Irish (i) birth and (ii) descent in (A) London and (B) England who were homeless and rough sleepers in (1) 2010, (2) 2000 and (3) 1990; [52517]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of homeless people from each ethnic background in (a) London and (b) England in (i) 2010, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 1990. [52518]
Grant Shapps: Information about local authorities' discharge of their duties under homelessness legislation is collected on quarterly PIE returns. Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as being statutory homeless, that is, eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to ensure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available and this information is also collected.
The following table gives the total number of households accepted as owed a main homelessness duty in 2000 and 2010 by ethnicity. The data were not collected in 1990. We cannot distinguish between households that are of Irish birth and those that are of Irish descent. Only data on the major ethnic groups were collected in 2000.
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| Number of households accepted as being homeless by ethnicity, 2000 and 2010, England and London | ||||
| England | London | |||
|
|
2000 | 2010 | 2000 | 2010 |
| (1) In 2000, data collected under ‘Other ethnic origin’ include both ‘Mixed and Chinese’ or ‘other ethnic group’. England and London figures were 6,870 and 4,970 respectively. (2) Data not collected. Source: Quarterly P1E returns | ||||
Data on households in temporary accommodation are not collected for detailed ethnic groups. The only information available is whether the applicant is from a Black or minority ethnic group. At the end of December 2010, the total number of households in temporary accommodation in England and London were 48,010 and 36,020, of which Black or minority ethnic applicants made up 26,530 and 24, 660 respectively. The figures were not collected in 2000 and 1990.
Data on English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996), including breakdowns by ethnicity, are published in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available in the House of Commons Library or via the DCLG website:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
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Rough sleeping figures are not available broken down by ethnicity. Rough sleeping figures are published by the Department on the DCLG website and are given by local authority in the table at the following link.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1845849.xls
The Government have introduced a new and more accurate way of evaluating rough sleeping levels. All areas across England now provide counts or robust estimates giving a clear national picture. Latest statistics show 1,768 rough sleepers in England on any one night. These figures are not directly comparable to previously published statistics on rough sleeping.
Homelessness
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless people were recorded as (a) residing in bed and breakfast accommodation, (b) residing in hostels and (c) sleeping rough in each of the (i) last three years and (ii) last three quarters; and if he will estimate the (A) number of and (B) cost of accommodation of such people in each type of accommodation in each local authority in each year to 2014. [50999]
Grant Shapps: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level. Data collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to ensure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available and this information is also collected. Data is published in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available in the House of Commons Library or via the DCLG website:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
Figures showing the number of households in temporary accommodation at the end of each quarter in bed and breakfast style accommodation and hostels are provided in Table 6 of the accompanying tables:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1861737.xls
These figures include households placed in temporary accommodation by their local authority, usually whilst the authority is discharging a main homelessness duty to secure suitable accommodation until a settled home becomes available for the applicant household. They do not include households who are not in priority need.
The department also holds information on Supporting People Client Records. These show the number of clients whose predominant needs relate to homelessness who enter direct access hostels funded by Supporting People. These statistics measure the flow of clients into hostels over the year rather than the total number of people residing in hostels. The data are available from the University of St Andrews:
https://www.spclientrecord.org.uk
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The Government have introduced a new more accurate way of evaluating rough sleeping levels. Previously only local authorities where there was a known, or suspected, rough sleeping problem were required to provide a count. All areas across England now provide counts or robust estimates giving a clear national picture. Latest statistics show 1,768 rough sleepers in England on any one night. The Government have also set up a cross-departmental ministerial working group on homelessness to address the complex causes and improve support for homeless people.
Rough sleeping figures are published by the Department on the DCLG website and are given by local authority in the table at the following link. These figures are not directly comparable to previously published statistics on rough sleeping.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1845849.xls
The Department has not made any estimates of the future numbers of households in each type of accommodation and the associated costs.
Housing
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference for the Plan for Growth, March 2011, paragraph 2.22, when he expects to publish the consultation on proposals to make it easier to convert commercial properties to residential use; and when he expects the consultation to close. [51143]
Greg Clark: The consultation paper, ‘Relaxation of planning rules for change of use from commercial to residential’, was published on 8 April 2011 and can be found on the Department's website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/relaxationchangeconsultation
The deadline for comments on the proposals is 30 June 2011.
Housing Associations: Freedom of Information
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration he has given to the merits of including housing associations within the categories of body subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [52291]
Grant Shapps: The Government are actively considering all options for increasing openness, transparency and accountability in the housing association sector. We have already taken steps to ensure that private bodies (including housing associations) that sign a contract for allocations of more than £3 million from the Affordable Homes programme must publish quarterly all expenditure in excess of £500 relating to delivery of schemes which form part of the contract.
Housing Revenue Accounts
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward amendments to the Localism Bill to provide that local authority housing revenue accounts are ring-fenced following the introduction of self-financing arrangements. [50817]
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Andrew Stunell: There is no need for such an amendment as the existing Housing Revenue Account ring-fence will continue after the introduction of self-financing. Abolition of the subsidy system does not end the requirement for local authorities to maintain a statutory, ring-fenced Housing Revenue Account. They will still be required to account to their tenants for income and expenditure on council housing separately from other functions and services. This ensures that council taxpayers do not subsidise services specifically for the benefit of tenants and that rent is not used to subsidise functions which are for the benefit of the wider local community.
‘Implementing self-financing for council housing’, which we published on 1 February, advised that we do not. intend to issue new guidance on its operation.
Housing: Construction
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will take steps to encourage those on council housing waiting lists to participate in the Community Right to Build programme; [52304]
(2) if he will bring forward proposals to link apprenticeship schemes to the Community Right to Build programme. [52305]
Grant Shapps: The Community Right to Build proposals contained in the Localism Bill, currently before Parliament, would provide an opportunity for communities to shape the area where they live by bringing forward community-led development proposals without the need for a separate planning application. Subject to parliamentary approval of the proposals, we will promote the benefits of the Community Right to Build to all who may wish to take advantage of them,
Community Right to Build proposals will be developed by communities themselves. Communities may wish to bring forward development proposals in partnership with housing associations or developers or as self-build or co-housing schemes. It will be for communities themselves, in agreement with any development partners, to decide if they wish to incorporate any apprenticeship schemes within their proposals.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with banks on the level of loan applications approved for self-build homes. [52365]
Grant Shapps: The Government are committed to increasing housing supply and supporting homeownership. Self-builders make an important contribution to housing supply and the Government are already reforming and simplifying the planning system and reducing the burden of regulation to support all house builders.
I have also set up a Government-Industry Working Group to examine the specific barriers that self-builders face. One of these groups, led by finance industry experts, is having continued detailed discussions with the lending community. They will report their recommendations back to me this summer.
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Housing: Crawley
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the potential benefits to the Crawley borough council area of the New Homes Bonus. [51617]
Grant Shapps: Commencing in April 2011, the New Homes Bonus will match fund the additional council tax raised on the net increase in effective housing stock for six years.
Final allocations for 2011-12 were announced on 4 April and rewards housing delivered between October 2009 and October 2010. Crawley borough council has received £477,309 for 2011-12. Over the six years this amounts to £2,863,856 based on year one delivery. The future rewards for Crawley will depend on the amount of net additional housing delivered in the coming years.
Full details of the calculation for the bonus can be found in the final scheme design document, available at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/finalschemedesign
Housing: Hastings
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the potential benefits to Hastings of the New Homes Bonus. [51943]
Grant Shapps: Commencing in April 2011, the New Homes Bonus will match fund the additional council tax raised on the net increase in effective housing stock for six years.
Final allocations for 2011-12 were announced on 4 April and rewards housing delivered between October 2009 and October 2010. Hastings borough council has received £194,710 for 2011-12. Over the six years this amounts to £1,168,263 based on year one delivery. The future rewards for Hastings will depend on the amount of net additional housing delivered in the coming years.
Full details of the calculation for the bonus can be found in the final scheme design document, available at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/finalschemedesign
Learning Disability: Swimming
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department has had with (a) the Local Government Association and (b) other organisations on the dissemination of good practice in the provision of access to public swimming pools for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [51273]
Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not discussed this with the Local Government Association. Sport England, however, has developed Design Guidance Notes which aim to promote a greater general understanding of overall design concepts, an appreciation of technical issues and the critical factors that need to be considered in developing a sports facility.
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The ‘Accessible Sports Facilities’ guidance note provides local authorities and other facility providers with advice about considering the needs of people with sensory, cognitive and mobility impairments, including wheelchair users.
Sport England has also developed guidance on swimming pools, which outlines the basic principles and concepts of good swimming pool design.
Legal Costs
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse has been of expenditure by his Department on external legal costs in relation to judicial reviews and associated appeals against his Department in relation to unitary legal restructuring since 2008-09; and if he will list each of the legal titles in each such case. [50994]
Robert Neill: One legal challenge has been brought since 2008-09 against the Secretary of State in relation to unitary local government restructuring—“The Queen on the application of Norfolk County Council and Devon County Council versus Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and (1) Exeter City Council (2) Norwich City Council (Interested Parties)”. The costs incurred by the Department for this case are £205,500 (this includes £121,000 that the Department had to pay for the claimants’ costs).
Legal Opinion
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 638W, on legal opinion, if he will place in the Library a copy of the data for expenditure on legal fees in 2008-09, based on the purchasing records and purchasing ledger data held by his Department for each supplier. [50805]
Robert Neill: The data for expenditure on legal fees in 2008-09, based on the purchasing records, has been placed in the Library of the House.
Local Enterprise Zones: Finance
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the (a) level and (b) type of financial support which will be offered to the second tranche of local enterprise zones will be the same as that offered to those in the first round of bids. [51146]
Robert Neill: Government have put forward a range of measures to develop Enterprise Zones and make them attractive places to do business. These include;
A business rate discount of 100%, or up to £275,000 over a five year period;
All business rate growth generated by the zone for a period of at least 25 years will be keep by that area.
In addition, Government will enable the use of Tax Increment Finance, borrowing against future business rates, to support the long-term viability of the area.
All of these measures will be available to both the first and second tranche of Enterprise Zones.
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Local Government Finance
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which tax increment financing projects are being monitored by his Department. [51502]
Robert Neill: There are currently no tax increment financing projects in England. As part of the Local Government Resource Review we are considering how to deliver tax increment financing proposals against a context of greater retention of business rate revenues.