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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Attorney-General
GPT: Saudi Arabia
Helen Goodman: To ask the Attorney-General what (a) meetings and (b) discussions he has had on allegations of corruption in the case of the GPT contract with Saudi Arabia. [79386]
The Attorney-General: The Law Officers and the directors of the Law Officers' departments speak regularly on a wide range of issues, including progress on high profile cases. We do not comment on what was discussed.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Serious Fraud Office is investigating allegations of bribery involving GPT, the UK subsidiary of EADS. [79448]
The Attorney-General: The SFO can confirm that a number of allegations have been made against GPT Special Project Management Ltd and that these allegations are being considered by the SFO. The SFO has engaged with EADS, the parent company, on how these issues are to be addressed.
Transport
Aviation: Security
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the UK's trial of the swabbing of religious and cultural headgear at airports. [78278]
Mrs Villiers: I have written to my EU counterparts and the European Commission setting out the cultural sensitivities of the screening of religious headgear, outlining the UK approach and encouraging them to put similar processes in place. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Bus Services: Finance
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether her Department has assessed the potential effect on journeys to work of her Department's reduction in financial support for bus services in April 2011; [78941]
(2) what estimate her Department has made of the level of bus services (a) in England, (b) in Cheshire, (c) in Merseyside and (d) nationally following her Department's funding reduction in April 2011. [78942]
Norman Baker:
The Department for Transport did not make any reductions in funding services effective from April 2011. However, following last year's spending
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review the Government announced that the rate at which Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) is paid to operators would be reduced by 20% from April 2012. At the time of the announcement, the Confederation of Passenger Transport, who represent the bus industry, indicated to me that, in general, this cut was manageable and would not result in a loss of services or a rise in fares.
Changes to individual bus services are a matter for bus operators and local transport authorities. The Government do not and cannot make an assessment of every individual change but are working with local transport authorities to get an overall picture.
The latest statistics on bus services can be found at the Department for Transport website and are updated periodically:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/series/buses/
East Coast Railway Line: Rolling Stock
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work her Department has undertaken on replacing the (a) HST and (b) IC 225 rolling stock on the East Coast passenger rail franchise; and if she will publish the results of all such work. [78347]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 3 November 2011]: The previous Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announced to the House on 1 March 2011, Official Report, columns 185-187, that the Department was resuming the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) procurement with Agility Trains as the preferred bidder, and officials are working to bring the contract to a financial close as soon as is practicable. The trains procured within the IEP replace high speed trains on the Great Western and East Coast Main Lines. There is an option within the contract to replace the IC225 trains on the East Coast Main Line. Officials also engage with East Coast Ltd on matters relating to their rolling stock.
It is not possible to publish details of this work for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
Great Western Railway Line: Overcrowding
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of people who are required to stand on train services between London and Swindon because of a lack of capacity between (a) 7.00 am and 10.00 am and (b) 4.00 pm and 7.00 pm. [78401]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport would not routinely undertake an analysis of the number of people required to stand on a particular route, and figures are not available for services between London and Swindon.
Statistics showing the proportion of standard class passengers standing on a typical weekday in autumn 2010 on services arriving at London terminals during the morning peak (07:00 to 09:59) and on services departing from London terminals during the afternoon peak (16:00 to 18:59) are published by the Office of Rail Regulation in the National Rail Trends Yearbook. These
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include figures for London Paddington, to which services from Swindon travel, but the figures are for all routes into Paddington combined and are not disaggregated.
Under the terms of the franchise agreement with the Department, operators, in this case First Great Western, have an obligation to make best use of the trains they have to meet demand and provide the best passenger experience possible.
Railways: Standards
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of (a) the projected change in passenger numbers on rail services and (b) the number of carriages required to accommodate these numbers. [78351]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 3 November 2011]: A number of estimates have been made of the projected demand changes in passenger numbers on rail services. Projected demand figures were used in setting the outputs required to be delivered under the 2007 HLOS statement. Estimates of future demand continue to play a part in decisions made on HLOS programme for delivering additional carriages to relieve crowding. The overall number and deployment of carriages on the network are dependent on a range of factors managed by the rail industry and no total has been determined.
Scotland
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
11. Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps the Government is taking to help small and medium-sized enterprises to grow in Scotland. [78433]
Michael Moore: The Government fully recognise the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises to the Scottish economy.
We have put in place a wide range of measures under our Plan for Growth to ensure that Scottish SMEs, which are at the heart of our plans, are supported in their efforts to grow and export.
Businesses: Economic Environment
12. John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps the Government plans to take to ensure a stable economic environment for businesses in Scotland. [78434]
David Mundell: The actions the Government took at the last spending review has brought stability, confidence, and the lowest interest rates in over 100 years to the UK economy. The Government's decisive action to tackle our deficit has put the UK ahead of the curve, and helped mitigate the risks that are weighing down on confidence elsewhere. The Government will stick to their course.
Apprenticeships
13. Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on cross-border recognition of apprenticeship qualifications. [78435]
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David Mundell: Apprenticeships are underpinned by vocational qualifications like SVQs and NVQs, which in turn are based on national occupational standards. National occupational standards are developed on a UK-wide basis in conjunction with employers.
Welfare Reform Bill
14. Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the potential effects in Scotland of implementation of the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill. [78436]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in contact with Scottish Ministers on this matter. Social security is a reserved matter, however a Legislative Consent Motion is required from the Scottish Parliament to cover some delivery aspects of the reforms in Scotland. I hope that through our ongoing dialogue Scottish Ministers will see the benefits of supporting a Legislative Consent Motion now.
Parliamentary Questions
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister. [79561]
David Mundell: Draft answers to parliamentary questions in the Scotland Office are routinely seen by the special adviser.
Written Questions
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010. [79559]
David Mundell: This information is not available in the form requested. However, the following table shows the number of named day parliamentary questions answered in each month:
|
|
Answered on time | Answered Late |
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The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010. [79560]
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Unemployment: Females
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to reduce the level of female unemployment in Scotland. [78428]
David Mundell: The Government want to reduce unemployment whether it affects women or men, young or old, able-bodied or disabled people.
That is why we are taking action to create the environment for sustained economic growth, which is necessary for the creation of secure, sustainable jobs.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps her Department plans to take to address levels of alcohol-related incidents resulting in deaths and personal injuries; [79124]
(2) what steps her Department is taking to reduce levels of alcohol-induced violence. [79119]
James Brokenshire: The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 ("the 2011 Act"), introduced by this Government, rebalances the Licensing Act 2003 ("the 2003 Act") in favour of local communities. The new package of measures will give them the powers they need to reduce alcohol-related violence, deaths and personal injuries. They will make it easier for licensing authorities to remove licences from, or refuse to grant licences to, premises that are causing problems.
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The 2011 Act will, for example, extend the scope of Early Morning Restriction Orders, which are an additional tool for licensing authorities to reduce levels of alcohol-induced crime and promote public safety in their area by restricting alcohol sales late at night.
The Act also contains provisions which give licensing authorities the power to introduce a 'late night levy' in their area. This will mean that businesses which profit from supplying alcohol late at night make a contribution towards the costs of policing the late night economy.
It will also make licensing authorities and health bodies responsible authorities under the 2003 Act.
We will bring together the Government's approach on alcohol strategy (published by the Department of Health) later this year. It will address the full range of harm from alcohol and all those partners with a direct role to play in tackling them.
Asylum
David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many legacy asylum seekers are resident in Ashton-under-Lyne constituency; in each year since March 2007; and how many such asylum seekers receive support from the National Asylum Support Service. [77396]
Damian Green: 130 legacy asylum seekers have been resident in Ashton-under-Lyne since March 2007, of these 40 cases have been identified as asylum seekers receiving support from the National Asylum Support Service.
All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to the nearest 5 (‘-’= 0, * = 1 or 2). Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding.
2. Figures were extracted on 26 October 2011.
Crimes of Violence: Nightclubs
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps she plans to take to reduce the number of violent incidents involving glass bottles in nightclubs; [79106]
(2) whether she has made an assessment of the likely effect of a ban on glass bottles in nightclubs with a history of violent offences. [79105]
James Brokenshire: The Government recognise the importance of glassware bans in limiting alcohol-related violence and the harms it causes. We have taken steps, through the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act), to ensure that the police and licensing authorities have the powers they need to do impose them.
The Licensing Act 2003 allows licensing authorities (LAs) to impose conditions that promote public protection objectives, including the prevention of crime and disorder; and public safety. Bans on the use of bottles by customers; requirements for the use of safer alternatives to traditional glassware; and bans on customers exiting with glassware are common conditions. Other types of condition, such
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as those that require the use of security staff, or regular glass collections, can also reduce the potential for violent incidents involving glassware.
The 2011 Act put communities and the police in a much better position to prevent alcohol-related crime and disorder, including the imposition of conditions restricting glassware at specific premises. For example, the 2011 Act will lower the test that applies to LAs' decisions from
“necessary for the promotion of the licensing objectives”
“appropriate for the promotion of the licensing objectives”.
This will mean, for example, that if the police have a concern about a particular premises, due to its nature or history, they will be able seek the imposition of appropriate conditions. We do not consider that a ban on glass bottles should apply to all premises of a particular type, because we recognise that many premises operate responsibly, and without violent incidents.
Driving Offences: Speed Limits
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women aged (i) between 17 and 21, (ii) between 22 and 24, (iii) between 25 and 30, (iv) between 31 and 35, (v) between 36 and 40 and (vi) over 41 years who were identified by a police force as having exceeded the speed limit opted to attend a driving safety course in lieu of penalty points in each police authority area in the last 12 months. [R] [78682]
James Brokenshire: This information is not collected centrally.
Licensing Laws: Olympic Games 2012
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to take steps to ensure that sufficient late night licences are made available to pubs and restaurants to enable visitors to the London 2012 Olympics to use their services. [78945]
James Brokenshire: Licensing hours are determined by local authorities under the Licensing Act 2003. Pubs and restaurants that already have a licence to open late will be able to open as they do now. Those that wish to open longer during the Olympics can do so by applying for an extension using a Temporary Event Notice (TEN). TENs are administered by local authorities and, under the current system, the police can object on crime and disorder grounds. We considered whether to use the powers available to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) under section 172 of the 2003 Act to make a licensing hours order in relation to the Olympics period. This would have allowed licensed premises to open for longer without needing a TEN. In consultation with the police and others, we decided it would not be appropriate to do so.
Sexual Violence
Mr Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Statements of 1 November 2011, on gang-related violence, which Department will
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be responsible for services for young victims of sexual violence and what the territorial extent is of her proposals. [78721]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office will be investing at least £1.2 million of additional resource over the next three years in improving services for young people under 18 suffering sexual violence in our major urban areas—with a new focus on the girls and young women caught up in gang related rape and abuse. This funding will commence in 2012-13. Further proposals for how funding will be distributed will be developed with the Home Office Sexual Violence Forum. A decision on which areas will be supported has therefore not yet been taken.
UK Border Agency: Training
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new training initiatives to maintain expertise the UK Border Agency has undertaken in 2011. [78559]
Damian Green: There is a range of new and continuing training initiatives in the UK Border Agency to maintain operational skills, refresh and build on expertise, and increase the competence and capability of civil servants who deliver a service to the public. The subjects covered by new initiatives in 2011 have included, among others, asylum claims from minors; cases involving trafficking and torture victims; lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual applicants; family removals; and interview techniques.
Over 1,000 staff from across the Agency have been trained to enable them to undertake essential operational duties in the case of a critical incident. Training is also being given to existing and retired staff as well as others on loan from other Departments, to serve at the border control during the test and real events of the Olympics and Paralympics next year.
In addition, the UK Border Agency is continually strengthening the skills and behaviours of its leaders and managers through a range of learning and development activities; and all staff are required to undertake regular refresher training in relation to the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Culture, Media and Sport
Adam Werritty
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether (a) he, (b) any Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have met (i) Mr Michael Hintze, (ii) Mr Tony Buckingham, (iii) Mr Michael Davis, (iv) Mr Poju Zabludowicz, (v) Jon Moulton and (vi) Stephen Crouch; and where any such meetings took place. [78651]
John Penrose:
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), attended and spoke at the opening of the Wandsworth Museum on 1 September 2010, invited by Michael Hintze. He also attended a Victoria and Albert Museum dinner for
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Raphael: Cartoons and Tapestries for the Sistine Chapel which was hosted by Dorothy and Michael Hintze on 6 September 2010.
The Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries (Mr Vaizey), had an informal meeting with Michael Hintze on 21 July 2011. He also accepted an invitation from Michael and Dorothy Hintze to attend a private reception and view of the Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery on 14 November 2011.
No other Ministers or departmental officials have had meetings with Michael Hintze, Tony Buckingham, Michael Davis, Poju Zabludowicz, Jon Moulton or Stephen Crouch.
Broadband
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how he proposes that the recently announced £530 million to support the UK's broadband network will be allocated. [78558]
Mr Vaizey: I announced the allocation of funding to support roll-out of superfast broadband on the following dates: Wales on 12 July, Northern Ireland on 15 August and England and Scotland on 16 August 2011. Details of the allocations can be found on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) website, using the link:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/telecommunications_and_online/7763.aspx
Charities
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years. [79069]
John Penrose: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane) on 28 March 2011, Official Report, columns 25-28W.
Chief Scientific Adviser
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects to fill the position of chief scientific adviser in his Department. [78754]
John Penrose: This matter is still being considered. While we do so, the Department is supported in accessing expert scientific advice by its Evidence and Analysis Unit and Scientific Research Advisory Committee.
Freedom of Information Requests
Jon Trickett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department has received in each month since May 2010; how many responses given in each such month disclosed (a) the full information requested, (b) part of the information requested, with some information withheld under exemptions in the Act and (c) none of the information requested; and in respect of how many requests received in each such month (i) (A) substantive and (B) holding
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responses were issued within 20 working days of the date of receipt, (ii) no substantive response was issued within 40 working days of the date of receipt and (iii) no substantive response has yet been issued. [78888]
John Penrose: The Ministry of Justice publish quarterly statistics on the handling of requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act in central Government. The information you have requested can be found within these publications, which are available at the following link:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/foi/implementation-editions.htm
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport in respect of how many responses to requests for information received by his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the reason of (a) commercially sensitive information, (b) information not held, (c) information too costly to provide and (d) vexatious or repeated requests has been given in response since January 2010. [78889]
John Penrose: The information you have requested can be found in the following table:
| Reason cited in FoI response | Number |
| (1 )This category applied to just one part of a request for various pieces of information. | |
Public Appointments
Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of those appointed to public bodies sponsored by his Department who declared a political affiliation declared affiliation to the (a) Conservative and (b) Labour party between May 2010 and October 2011. [79087]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 6 July 2011, Official Report, column 1252W.
Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of appointments to public bodies sponsored by his Department were women in the period from May 2010 to October 2011. [79088]
John Penrose: The number of the Department's ministerial public appointments, including reappointments, made from 1 May 2010 to 31 October 2011, was 162, of whom 37% were female.
Information on the Department's individual public appointments is published on our website:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/about_us/public_appointments/1006.aspx
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Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of women on the boards of public bodies sponsored by his Department. [79135]
John Penrose: The Department has an established programme of work to encourage individuals from under-represented groups to apply for public appointments. This includes publicising vacant roles widely and running a number of targeted networking events each year for women and other potential applicants from diverse backgrounds to meet board members of the Department's arm's length bodies and officials, to learn more about public appointments and other opportunities within those bodies.
Written Questions
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010. [79583]
John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport aims to give all named day parliamentary questions a substantive reply on the specific named day.
The following table shows the details requested since May 2010:
|
|
Total number of named day questions | Answered on the named day | Answered within five days | Answered within 10 days | Answered within 20 days | Answered after 30 days |
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis
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and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010. [79584]
John Penrose: Since May 2010, in DCMS there have been no occasions where either ordinary written parliamentary questions or named day parliamentary questions have remained unanswered for a period of two months.
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister. [79585]
John Penrose: As part of the Department's processes, answers to parliamentary questions are initially approved by special advisers before they are cleared with the relevant Minister, who is ultimately responsible for answering.
Mobile Telephone Coverage
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to work with (a) Ofcom and (b) mobile telephone network operators to increase 3G phone signal coverage in (i) East Cleveland, (ii) Redcar and Cleveland and (iii) the North East. [79138]
Mr Vaizey: The Government recently announced that they were providing an additional £150 million to improve mobile phone coverage in the UK. The principal consideration when considering the optimal use of the £150 million for mobile masts will be to fill in not-spots in the national 2G mobile coverage and raise the coverage level to 99% and we will be working with Ofcom and other stakeholders to determine where best to site these new masts.
No decisions on locating masts have yet been made. In making those decisions, consideration will be given to the requirements of hosting other technologies such as 3G to improve the coverage of that technology too. Looking further in the future we envisage that 4G could be hosted on the new structures as well.
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Olympic Games 2012: Voluntary Work
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will agree to publish by region the number of volunteers accepted for the Olympic Games when the process of recruitment is complete. [79327]
Hugh Robertson: There are a number of London 2012 related volunteer schemes in place. The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG)'s Games Makers scheme will recruit up to 70,000 volunteers, and is conducting 100,000 interviews across the United Kingdom, which will continue through until April 2012. The Greater London Authority's London Ambassador scheme will recruit up to 8,000 volunteers. There are also volunteer schemes in place in games venue cities at Cardiff, Coventry, Essex, Eton Dorney, Glasgow, Kent, Newcastle, Manchester, Surrey, and Weymouth and Portland. In addition the British Airports Authority, British Airways, Network Rail, the British Olympic Association and a number of local authorities are intending to run their own volunteer schemes connected to the games, either recruiting externally or redeploying existing staff. We are also aware that other local authorities are intending to use existing volunteer schemes to support games-related activity such as the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays. The publication of figures relating to the regional distribution of the volunteers recruited are a matter for each individual scheme, but it is clear that a number of opportunities exist for those across the entire UK to volunteer to support the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Radio Frequencies
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had to discuss the proposed auction of the 4G spectrum. [79627]
Mr Vaizey: My officials and I have regular meetings with Ofcom to discuss the 4G auction. Additionally, there have been meetings with all mobile operators and with Research in Motion (RIM), Intellect (a trade body that represents the telecommunications industry), British Entertainment Industry Radio Group, Intel, the Federation of Communication Services, Motorola, the Broadband Stakeholders Group and other Government Departments. The auction has also been discussed with the European Commission and officials from other countries. Meetings with these stakeholders have taken place on a number of occasions.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the revenue from annual licence fees forgone due to the time taken to hold the proposed auction of the 4G spectrum. [79651]
Mr Vaizey: I have made no assessment of foregone annual licence fees. Operators liable to pay these fees will do so at the current rates set by Ofcom, who will reassess these fees after the auction, as required by the Direction that came into force in December 2010.
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Sign Language
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the number of British Sign Language interpreters in the UK. [78590]
Mr Vaizey: This Department has not commissioned any research into the numbers of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in the UK. According to the UK register of Sign Language Interpreters there are currently 682 BSL interpreters who meet the minimum standard required for commercial video relay provision (‘Member of the Register’ level). The register also lists 163 junior trainee interpreters and 114 trainee interpreters. The register is a public document available at:
http://portal.nrcpd.org.uk/search/
Work and Pensions
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the efficiency of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. [77656]
Maria Miller: The Government inherited a situation where, as a result of a failure of IT systems, two child maintenance schemes are running in parallel. Also, weaknesses in the IT systems mean around 100,000 cases have to be managed off the system. More than three million children live in separated families, but only around 50% of those benefit from an effective maintenance arrangement. In addition the annual running costs of the statutory maintenance scheme are approximately £450 million, on average a cost of around 40p for each £1 of child maintenance collected or arranged. This represents neither efficiency nor cost-effectiveness.
The consultation document published in January—‘Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance’—outlines our assessment of some of the issues of the current system and sets out our plans for the radical reshaping of the child maintenance system. The Government's response to the consultation was published on 12 July.
We want to make it the norm in society that parents take responsibility for putting in place financial support for their children post separation. Research suggests that just over half of parents currently using the statutory maintenance scheme feel they could make their own financial arrangements for their children with the right help. For those families who cannot make a family-based arrangement, the Government are continuing to invest in a new streamlined child maintenance scheme to replace the existing CSA schemes in order to deliver a significantly improved service.
Employment Schemes: Contracts
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's risk assessment of Work programme contractors. [78257]
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Chris Grayling: All organisations selected as Work programme contractors were required to satisfy the Department that they have the capacity, including the financial capacity, to implement and deliver their contracts. Individual assessments include commercially sensitive information that the Department cannot publish.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he proposes to take to ensure the Merlin Standard supports organisations named in successful prime provider bids for the Work programme but which have subsequently (a) been unable to agree a contract with the successful prime provider and (b) received no payments under a contract agreed with the successful prime provider. [79626]
Chris Grayling: The Merlin Standard™ is a Department for Work and Pensions and Welfare to Work industry developed standard of excellence in supply chain management.
The Merlin Standard provides a mechanism to measure that Primes are following through on the commitments signed up to with their supply chain partners; it does not directly set the parameters or define the content of those discussions.
DWP has implemented the Merlin Standard to ensure fair treatment of sub-contractors by prime providers. Providers will be penalised for non-compliance with the standard.
Employment: Disability
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps his Department has taken to support people with learning disabilities into sustainable work; and if he will make a statement. [79208]
Maria Miller: The Government are committed to ensuring that all disabled people, including people with learning disabilities, have the opportunities, chances and support that they need to get a job and remain in employment.
For example, the Work programme, launched on 10 June 2011 is the biggest single Welfare to Work programme which will provide more personalised back-to-work support for unemployed people, including disabled people.
For disabled people with more complex needs which cannot be met through the Work programme, they can access Work Choice, which provides tailored support to help disabled people who face the most complex barriers to employment, find and stay in work and ultimately help them progress into unsupported employment, where it is appropriate for the individual. Work choice contracted providers aim to help around 9,000 disabled people into work per annum. In addition to the contracted provision, Remploy Employment Services has a target to deliver 7,500 hob outcomes through Work Choice in 2011-12. Support can also be provided through Access to Work, Remploy and Residential Training.
In December 2010, the Government asked Liz Sayce, the chief executive of the disability organisation RADAR to undertake an independent review of specialist employment support for disabled people, specifically Remploy, Residential Training Colleges and the Access
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to Work programme. The Government's response and a separate public consultation was launched on 11 July 2011. I as the Minister for Disabled People welcomed the central theme of the review, that resources for supporting disabled people into employment should be focused on disabled people themselves rather than on specific institutions. The consultation closed on Monday 17 October 2011. We are currently analysing responses and will produce a summary of responses as soon as practicably possible.
DWP is also working with Department for Education through the SEN Green Paper to look at how we can improve transition from education to work, so that young people with special educational needs (including learning disabilities) are better prepared and supported when looking for employment.
Independent Living Fund
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to bring forward a replacement for the Independent Living Fund. [78611]
Maria Miller: The ILF is a discretionary trust and payments do not take precedence over the responsibility of the local authority to meet the eligible care and support needs of local people.
As announced in my written ministerial statement of 13 December 2010, Official Report, columns 85-86WS, we are committed to consulting on how current recipients of payments from the Independent Living Fund will be supported from 2015.
Major Projects Authority
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library any evaluation of his Department's programme conducted by the Major Projects Authority. [79151]
Mr Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
There is currently no formal evaluation of the Greater London Authority (GLA) offender employment pilot projects.
Motability
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what savings he expects to accrue to his Department on expenditure on the higher rate mobility element as a result of recent changes announced to the Motability scheme. [78686]
Maria Miller: The criteria for receiving a Motability vehicle, is receipt of the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance or war pensioners mobility supplement. Provided they have at least 12 months remaining of their award, recipients may choose to exchange all or part of that component for a Motability vehicle. Motability vehicles are therefore not supplied at public expense and Motability is largely self-financed.
This benefit remains payable whether or not the recipient chooses to lease a Motability vehicle, therefore changes made to the scheme by Motability will not have any impact on departmental expenditure.
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Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he had with the trustees of Motability on the recent changes made to the scheme; and on what dates such discussions took place. [78688]
Maria Miller: Motability administer the Specialised Vehicles Fund on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. DWP officials meet with Motability to discuss the performance of the Specialised Vehicles Fund and the operation of the scheme more widely on a regular basis.
DWP Ministers also meet with Motability on occasion to ensure they remain well informed about a scheme which many recipients of the DLA mobility component rely upon.
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation the trustees of Motability undertook with disabled people before introducing recent changes to the scheme. [78689]
Maria Miller: While this Department works closely with Motability, it is an independent charity and is wholly responsible the administration of the Motability scheme.
Specific questions relating to scheme policy or the operation of the scheme should be directed to Motability and can be sent to: Declan O'Mahony, Director, Motability, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex CM19 5PX.
Motability have agreed to write separately to the right hon. Lady with such information as they have available regarding consultations they may have undertaken.
Personal Income
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate has been made of the average income of (a) social rental, (b) private rental and (c) all households in (i) each region of the UK, (ii) Dudley borough and (iii) Dudley North constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [78297]
Steve Webb: We use Households Below Average Income data to provide estimates of median incomes. However, the sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide estimates for Dudley borough and Dudley North constituency.
The following tables show the median equivalised disposable household income by tenure and for all households for the regions and countries of the United Kingdom, before and after housing costs.
| Table 1: Median equivalised disposable household income, by tenure and for all households for the regions and countries of the United Kingdom, three year average 2007-08 to 2009-10, before housing costs | |||
| Weekly median equivalised disposable household income (£) | |||
| Region of the UK | Social rented | Privately rented | All households |
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| Table 2: Median equivalised disposable household income, by tenure and for all households for the regions and countries of the United Kingdom, three year average 2007-08 to 2009-10, after housing costs | |||
| Weekly median equivalised disposable household income (£) | |||
| Region of the UK | Social rented | Privately rented | All households |
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| Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been presented on a before housing cost and an after housing cost basis. For before housing costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for after housing costs they are. 4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 5. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year. For countries and regions within the UK, three survey years have been combined because single year estimates are not considered to be sufficiently reliable. 6. Weekly incomes are presented in 2009-10 prices and have been rounded to the nearest pound. 7. Analysis has been carried out at the household level. 8. The estimates for all households include those households who are owner occupiers, as well as those in the social and privately rented sector. Source: Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 2007-08 to 2009-10 |
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Coastal Areas: Access
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding (a) her Department and (b) Natural England plans to provide for coastal paths in each of the next three years. [79212]
Richard Benyon: Natural England is responsible for the delivery of the right of coastal access under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. It has estimated that the costs to deliver coastal access at Weymouth and in the five lead stretches where it has started work will be £34,000, £40,000 and £165,000 in the years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively.
These estimated costs include payments to access authorities for their contribution to the delivery of coastal access (principally staff time), and the physical establishment of the coastal route, such as the costs of gates, steps and signs. There will be additional costs of Natural England staff involved in delivering the Weymouth stretch and the other five lead stretches.
Japanese Knotweed
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to prevent the spread of Japanese knotweed. [75476]
Richard Benyon: A controlled release of the highly specialist psyllid Aphalara itadori is currently under way to help control Japanese knotweed. If successful, this should restrict its growth, slow its capacity to spread vigorously and enhance the effectiveness of management effort.
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Because of its invasive nature Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 and subject to section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it an offence to plant, or cause this species to grow, in the wild.
Under cross-compliance rules, farmers in receipt of the single farm payment are required to take reasonable steps to prevent its spread.
Japanese knotweed is regarded as controlled waste and as such its disposal is governed by waste disposal regulations.
Communities and Local Government
Animal Experiments
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if his Department will consult local planning officials on B&K Universal's plans for a new beagle breeding facility and the requirements for establishments and for the care and accommodation of animals in Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. [79360]
Robert Neill: B&K Universal Ltd's planning application to expand its animal breeding facilities at Grimston Park near Hull was refused by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council in June and an appeal lodged with the Planning Inspectorate. Because the proposals have given rise to substantial regional or national controversy the appeal will be decided by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles). He will take into account all material considerations before coming to his decision.
Audit Commission
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under what budget headings he expects the estimated savings resulting from the abolition of the Audit Commission to be made. [77293]
Robert Neill: The abolition of the Audit Commission will benefit local authorities directly by removing the need for a “topslice” of audit fees to fund the commission's corporate centre, as well as ending government grants allocated to the commission to undertake certain other functions. The abolition of burdensome inspection, such as comprehensive area assessment, is already saving taxpayers money. Further detail on savings and costs will be included in the impact assessment accompanying the draft legislation that we intend to publish in due course.
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate the Audit Commission has made of the cost of its abolition arising from (a) redundancy payments, (b) pension liabilities, (c) lease termination and (d) other costs. [77294]
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Robert Neill: The details will be included in the impact assessment accompanying the draft legislation that we intend to publish in due course.
Bell Pottinger Group
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in his Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed. [80063]
Robert Neill: The information requested is not held centrally and to assemble it would entail disproportionate cost.
Freedom of Information Requests
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department has received in each month since May 2010; how many responses given in each such month disclosed (a) the full information requested, (b) part of the information requested, with some information withheld under exemptions in the Act and (c) none of the information requested; and in respect of how many requests received in each such month (i) (A) substantive and (B) holding responses were issued within 20 working days of the date of receipt, (ii) no substantive response was issued within 40 working days of the date of receipt and (iii) no substantive response has yet been issued. [78891]
Robert Neill: Figures at the level of detail requested for Freedom of Information requests by month are not readily available because our systems are designed to report on a quarterly basis. Quarterly figures for departmental performance in granting or refusing requests and timeliness of handling are published by Ministry of Justice on its website. The statistics for each quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011 can be found in reusable form in tables 1, 2 and 3 at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/foi/implementation-editions.htm
and those for the second quarter of 2011 at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/foi/implementation.htm
Ministry of Justice will publish corresponding figures for the third quarter of 2011 later this year or early in 2012.
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines in 2010-11. [74995]
Robert Neill: The Department spent £113,308 on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines in 2009-10; this was reduced to £93,601 in 2010-11, and my Department is taking further steps to reduce administrative spending across the board.
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I also refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 31 January 2011, Official Report, column 530W, outlining how Ministers have consolidated seven separate sets of newspapers and how the Department has reduced the cost of the press cuttings services compared to the level of spending under the last administration.
Departmental Regulations
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many regulations his Department has introduced (a) in the six months prior to 1 September 2010 and (b) in the six months after 1 September 2010 which it has determined do not impose costs on businesses; [65318]
(2) how many regulations that impose costs on businesses his Department has (a) introduced and (b) removed since 1 September 2010; what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was; and what regulations have been excluded from the one-in one-out system because they address (i) emergencies and (ii) systemic financial risks since 1 September 2010; [65335]
(3) how many regulations that impose costs on businesses his Department (a) introduced and (b) removed in the six months prior to 1 September 2010; and what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was. [65352]
Robert Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr Redwood), on 24 November 2010, Official Report, columns 304-05W; my answer to the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (Gordon Banks) on 22 March 2011, Official Report, columns 911-12W; and my answer to the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (Gordon Banks) on 3 November 2011, Official Report, columns 777-80W.
More detail on the impact, or lack of regulatory impact, of statutory instruments can be found in their associated Explanatory Memorandum, which are available in the public domain at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi
Statutory instruments should not necessarily be viewed as regulations—they are pieces of secondary legislation which ensure policy and functional measures have parliamentary oversight.
I also refer him to my Department's Statement of New Regulation of September 2011, which outlines measures to reduce the burdens on business by an estimated £4.26
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/secondstatementregulation2011
Capabilities Programme
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many full-time equivalent staff work on the (a) regional response and (b) site clearance workstream of the Capabilities programme; and what the staffing level was in each of the last 10 quarters; [79595]
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(2) who the lead Minister in his Department is for the (a) regional response and (b) site clearance workstream of the Capabilities programme; [79596]
(3) what the budget was for the regional response workstream of the Capabilities programme in each year since 2005; and what the budget will be during the comprehensive spending review period. [79597]
Robert Neill: I am the Minister for Fire and Resilience in the Department. Following the closure of the Government offices for the regions on 31 March 2011, the functions of the former regional resilience teams transferred to the Resilience and Emergencies Division in my Department. The division comprises 53 FTE staff (which can be augmented by volunteers from elsewhere in the Department when necessary). This is approximately 20% fewer staff than employed in the former regional resilience teams, but provides the same Government support to local responders in emergency preparedness and response (the ‘regional response capability’), as well as continuing to discharge the Department's lead Government Department responsibilities. This includes the site clearance workstream. It is not possible to apportion staff time to individual workstreams as at any one time resilience advisers will be contributing to the full range of workstreams in the Capabilities programme according to the risks faced in a given locality. There is no budgetary provision for specific workstreams.
Ex-servicemen: Finance
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statutory funding his Department provides for veterans' organisations. [77154]
Grant Shapps: There is no statutory funding that my Department is obliged to provide to veteran organisations, although a number of measures have been put in place to support serving and ex-service personnel and their families.
We are improving access to housing for service personnel. We have ensured that members of the armed forces are placed at the top of the priority list for Government funded home ownership schemes. For example, FirstBuy homes became available in September and members of the armed forces are already being helped through the scheme to purchase a home of their own.
Government are also working with the credit reference agencies and the Royal Mail on standardising British Forces Post Office addresses, so that service and ex-service personnel who serve overseas or previously lived on army bases with non-standard British Forces Post Office addresses, are not disadvantaged when applying for a mortgage.
We plan to consult on proposals to ensure that former service personnel who have urgent housing needs are always given high priority for social housing—so they will be at, or near the top, of any waiting list—and that service personnel who move from base-to-base do not lose their qualification rights. We also plan to consult on statutory guidance to local authorities on the allocation of social housing, setting out the different ways in which provision can be made in councils' allocation schemes for all serving, or former, service personnel to be given appropriate priority, including using local preference criteria and local lettings policies.
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Through the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness we are tackling homelessness among ex service personnel. We have put measures in place to ensure there is better working across Government and with the Voluntary and Community Sector to support those veterans experiencing homelessness many years after discharge. We will be working closely with the new Veterans' Information Service and the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency to promote the through-life support available to former members of the armed forces.
The Government have also doubled the level of council tax relief (to 50%) given to military personnel serving on operations overseas.
Fire Services: Pensions
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's latest analysis is of the financial viability of the Fire Service Pension Scheme. [79192]
Robert Neill: The most recent actuarial valuation of the Firefighters' Pension Scheme (1992) and the New Firefighters' Pension Scheme (2006) in England found that the total liability for all accrued benefits was £13.8 billion as at 31 March 2007:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/ActuarialValutaionGADReport.pdf
In the two firefighters' pension schemes, the deficit between scheme income and expenditure in 2008-09 was £259 million; in 2009-10 it was £302 million; whilst un- audited data received for 2010-11 show that this has fallen to £296 million due to a reduction in one-off commutation lump sum expenditure of £38.4 million:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/19559041.pdf
The current reforms to public service pensions proposed by the Government, and being considered in scheme specific discussions, will bring about long-term sustainability and fairness, and will rebalance costs between public sector workers and other taxpayers.
Housing Benefit
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology he plans to use to calculate surplus bedrooms in respect of his planned changes to housing benefit eligibility; and how often he plans to make such an assessment. [78493]
Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
The level of under-occupation used to assess housing benefit for working-age claimants living in the social rented sector will be based on the local housing allowance size criteria used for assessing the level of housing benefit in the private rented sector.
The number of bedrooms in properties in the social rented sector is designated by the landlord (registered provider or housing association) or local housing authority. This is intended to be used to determine the size of a property.
As now, claimants will be expected to notify any changes in household composition so that the size criteria assessment can be reviewed as appropriate.
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Housing Benefit: Foster Care
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effects on foster carers of the loss of housing benefit from April 2013 for those in social housing who have surplus bedrooms. [78494]
Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
The Government estimates that there are less than 5,000 foster carers under the age of 60, living in the social rented sector and in receipt of housing benefit. Figures from a survey undertaken by the Fostering Network during 2010 suggested that there were around 2,000 foster carers living in the social rented sector. The extent to which the April 2013 changes will affect individual foster carers will depend on their response to how they meet any shortfall, which is not possible to predict.
In some circumstances local authorities may decide to make discretionary housing payments to help meet any shortfalls.
Public Sector Land
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to dispose of disused public sector land and empty offices. [79199]
Grant Shapps: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 584, to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West (Mr Amess), where I set out how we are leading an ambitious cross-Government programme to release surplus public land for up to 100,000 homes over the spending review period, using our innovative Build Now, Pay Later model wherever possible, so that house builders pay for the land only after homes are built.
Alongside this we have also been running the Capital and Assets Pathfinder programme to make better use of public sector assets, and to improve transparency we have brought land and property data from a number of public organisations together on one website. Through our new Community Right to Reclaim Land, we are enabling communities to get underused public property back in use. And to make it easier to turn vacant offices into new homes we have consulted on removing the planning approval requirement for changing use from a commercial property to a residential property.
Local Government: Maladministration
Mr Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many maladministration cases in which the local government ombudsman's decision has been challenged have been referred to the courts in each of the last 10 years. [76714]
Robert Neill: Since 2006 there have been a total of 52 formal challenges to the ombudsman's decisions by way of application for judicial review in the High Court.
By year, these formal challenges numbered as follows:
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|
|
Judicial review application |
In addition, the local government ombudsman's annual report for 2004-05 states that:
"In 2004-05 there were seven cases of judicial review. There was no fault by the Ombudsman found in any of these cases. (Figures for 2003-04 were identical, seven cases with no fault found.)"
No data are available for years prior to 2003-04.
Local Government: Pensions
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the participation rate was for local government pension schemes in each pay band in each year from 2006 to 2010. [79527]
Robert Neill: The information requested is not held centrally.
Parishes: Expenditure
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total expenditure of civil parishes in (a) Teesside, (b) the North East and (c) England was between May 2010 and May 2011; and what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of such authorities. [79139]
Robert Neill: No data are held centrally on the expenditure of parishes.
Details of the parish precepts levied in Teesside, the North East and England in 2011-12 are shown in the following table.
|
|
Parish precepts (£000) |
| (1 )Teesside consists of the unitary authorities of Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. | |
The data were collected on the Budget Requirement (BR1) forms submitted annually by all billing authorities in England.
It is for each parish council to put in place arrangements to secure value for money, for which they are accountable to their own local electorate. Government make no assessment of the cost-effectiveness of parish councils.
Planning System
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) when his Department plans to respond to its Issues Paper consultation on change of use in the planning system; [79428]
(2) how many responses his Department received to its issues paper consultation on change of use in the planning system. [79429]
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Robert Neill: The Issues Paper was not a formal consultation and did not contain any firm Government proposals. Its purpose was to stimulate debate and encourage all those with an interest to put forward their thoughts and ideas on how change of use should be handled in the planning system in the future.
It was part of a wider call for evidence on this subject which also included discussions with key partners and other Government Departments.
The views put forward in response to this call for evidence will help inform our decisions on how best to take forward policy development in this area in the future.
Sleeping Rough
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how his Department counts the number of rough sleepers; and how the counting method has changed since May 2010. [78806]
Grant Shapps: There were serious deficiencies with the rough sleeping counts undertaken by the last Administration, under-estimating the true level of rough sleeping. In September 2010 the Government overhauled the way local areas assess the number of people sleeping rough with the introduction of a more accurate assessment that provides a snap shot of the number of rough sleepers on a given night made up of improved street counts and robust estimates. This provides a national picture of rough sleeping with information from every local authority.
The Government are committed to tackling rough sleeping and preventing homelessness. We have maintained the level of Homelessness Grant, with £400 million for local authorities and the voluntary sector over the next four years. A cross-departmental Ministerial Working Group has been set up to address the complex causes of homelessness and improve support for homeless people. We also recently announced £42.5 million for the Homelessness Change Programme which will provide in excess of 1,500 new and improved bed spaces to improve hostels for rough sleepers and ensure that those coming off the streets get the support they need.
Social Rented Housing
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of social housing units occupied by people earning over £100,000 a year. [79226]
Grant Shapps: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Warrington North (Helen Jones) on 26 October 2011, Official Report, column 256W.
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the level of rent that may be charged for a property purchased by (a) a local authority and (b) a housing association that was previously privately owned. [79645]
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Grant Shapps: If a local authority or housing association property is covered by the existing social housing 'rent restructuring' policy we would expect a target rent to be charged in line with that policy. The policy is set out in 'A Guide to Social Rent Reforms' 2003 available on the Department for Communities and Local Government's website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/139187.pdf
Sustainable Development
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he proposes that the presumption in favour of sustainable development will apply where a local authority has in place a local community plan. [70737]
Robert Neill [holding answer 8 September 2011]: The presumption in favour of sustainable development, set out in the draft National Planning Policy Framework, would reinforce the role of the statutory development plan for an area, including any neighbourhood plans made once the relevant provisions in the Localism Bill come into force. The presumption indicates that proposals in line with those plans should expect to be swiftly approved.
Wind Power
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether he plans to take into account differences between planning applications for domestic and non-domestic wind turbines in setting the noise limit for the non-domestic general permitted development order; [79418]
(2) if he will assess the consequences of setting the noise limit threshold for non-domestic wind turbines below 45 decibels for (a) investment and (b) the number of suitable wind turbine sites. [79420]
Robert Neill: The Government are committed to supporting the uptake of renewable energy and low carbon technologies. We have recently announced that permitted development rights for installations of wind turbines on domestic properties in England will be introduced on 1 December 2011. We are currently reviewing the scope for permitted development rights for microgeneration installations on non domestic premises—taking account of impacts, including noise. We will announce our intentions for England in due course. Planning in Scotland is a devolved matter.
Treasury
Carer’s Allowance
Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the length of the carer's allowance claim form. [78270]
Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply.
The carer’s allowance claim form is currently 28 pages long and it collects essential information in order to determine a carer’s allowance claim. It is reviewed regularly in order to ensure it is appropriate and relevant.
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Charities
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years. [79078]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Treasury has not issued any grants to charitable organisations in the last five years.
Loans: Republic of Ireland
Mr Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2011, Official Report, columns 572-3W, on loans: Republic of Ireland, (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the notification he gave to his Irish counterpart; [79120]
(2) whether the reduced interest rate will apply to the first tranche of the loan disbursed on 14 October 2011; and whether the reduced rate will be backdated; [79121]
(3) for what reason the reduction in the European Financial Stability Facility interest rate enabled the UK to cut the interest rate to its loan to Ireland; [79122]
(4) whether the change in the risk of Irish default since January 2011 is a criterion in deciding the revised interest rate. [79123]
Mr Hoban: Following the 21 July 2011 agreement by euro area member states to reduce the interest rates applied to loans from the euro area-only European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on 22 July telephoned the Irish Finance Minister, Michael Noonan, to notify him of the Chancellor's decision in principle to lower the interest rate on the UK's bilateral loan. As Parliament was in recess, the Chancellor wrote to the Chairs of the Public Accounts Committee and the Treasury Select Committee the same day, to notify them of his decision in principle. In view of the bipartisan support for the loan to Ireland, the letters were copied to the Shadow Chancellor.
The Chancellor took the view that, until this point, the UK had been unable to lower the interest rate on its loan to Ireland without effectively subsidising the higher interest rates applicable to the EFSF. Changing the rate now ensures that all of the benefit goes to Ireland and not to higher interest rates paid to euro area governments.
The new interest rate is yet to be agreed. In the course of that process, the Government will take into account all relevant criteria, including the need to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. The Government will still be covering the cost of its borrowing. The lower rate will be applied retrospectively to those tranches of the loan that have already been disbursed, including that disbursed on 14 October.
Metal Theft
Mr Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the economy of disruption consequent on metal theft. [79415]
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Miss Chloe Smith: The Treasury has made no direct assessment of the costs. The true cost of metal theft is difficult to ascertain, However third party organisations have estimated costs ranging from £220 million to £770 million a year.
Public Expenditure
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Statement of 1 November 2011, on gang-related violence, what the Barnett Formula consequentials are for (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland. [78722]
Danny Alexander: Contributions towards tackling the key problems highlighted in the report on gang and youth violence are being funded from within existing Departments' provision and therefore do not attract any Barnett consequentials.
Public Sector Pensions
Mr Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional cost to the public purse in cash terms will arise from the increase in accrual rates for public sector pensions announced on 2 November 2011. [79450]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 8 November 2011]:On 2 November 2011 I announced an increase in the accrual rate in the Government's preferred scheme design for public service pension reform, from 1/65ths to 1/60ths. This is an 8% cost increase.
Revenue and Customs
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs offices there were in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1997; and how many staff there were at each such office in each such year. [79104]
Mr Gauke: Information relating to the number of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office buildings within England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland prior to April 2001 can be identified only at disproportionate cost.
The number of office buildings in HMRC and its predecessor Departments (HM Customs and Excise and Inland Revenue) for each year since 2001 and split by the constituent parts of the United Kingdom is shown in the following table.
| As at 1 April each year | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | Total office buildings |
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Information relating to the number of staff within each individual HMRC office building from 1997 to 2011 can be identified only at disproportionate cost.
9 Nov 2011 : Column 342W
The number of staff in HMRC and its predecessor Departments in England, Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland for each year since 2000 is shown in the following table. The office address data for 1997 to 1999 is incomplete and, as a result, these years have been excluded from the breakdown by country.
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England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | Oversea s / Homeworkers | Total headcount |