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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 8 March 2012
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Meat: Ritual Slaughter
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to make the halal slaughter process more humane; and if she will make a statement. [98345]
Mr Paice: The Government are committed to ensuring a secure, environmentally sustainable and healthy supply of food with improved standards of animal welfare. This includes the supply of meat slaughtered in accordance with religious rites. Members of the Jewish and Muslim communities are aware of this, and I have had discussions with them and sought their views about improving the welfare of animals slaughtered for religious purposes without stunning.
We do not to intend to ban religious slaughter, and we respect the rights of religious groups to practise their beliefs. Directive 93/119 on the welfare of animals at slaughter and killing will be replaced by regulation 1099/2009 in January 2013. This regulation allows slaughter without stunning in accordance with religious rites to continue. However individual member states can impose stricter rules in relation to religious slaughter if they wish and I am currently considering what might be done to improve welfare in this context. We will be consulting formally on implementation of regulation 1099/2009 in England later this year.
Transport
Departmental Pay
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible are paid (i) £100,000 or more and (ii) £142,500 or more per annum in the latest period for which figures are available. [96905]
Norman Baker: The information requested is set out in the following table:
| (a) Department for Transport | ||
| As at end February each year | From £100,000 per annum to £142,499 per annum | More than £142,500 per annum |
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| (b) D F T NDPBs | ||
| As at end February each year | From £100,000 per annum to £142,499 per annum | More than £142,500 per annum |
| Note: This response covers officials on payroll at end February 2010 and end February 2012. It excludes posts vacant at that time, including for 2012 the Permanent Secretary and chief executive of Directly Operated Railways, both of which outgoing post holders received more than £142,500 per annum. It also excludes any permanent posts filled by interim managers, contractors and consultants. | ||
Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to make an announcement on the proposed Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010. [98883]
Mike Penning: An announcement on the proposed Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010 will be made within the next few weeks.
Transport Fuel Obligation: Biofuels
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the potential effect of price fluctuations in renewable transport fuel certificates on market stability for waste-derived biodiesel producers; and if she will assess the potential effect of variations in the price of renewable transport fuel obligation certificates on the sustainability of the waste-derived biodiesel industry. [98368]
Norman Baker: The amended Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations Order 2007 provides additional support to biofuels made from waste by awarding two renewable transport fuel certificates (RTFCs) for each litre supplied. This means that biofuels made from waste will now receive double the incentive provided for biofuels made from crops which meet mandatory sustainability criteria.
The value of RTFCs is determined by the market. Demand and prices will fluctuate during the year for various reasons, including the price of oil. We will be reviewing double certification for biofuels made from waste in 2013 to ensure that it is having a positive effect on the biofuel industry.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Committee
Board Meetings
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, on how many occasions since September 2011 the Board of IPSA has met; for what reason details of Board meetings since 18 October 2011 have not been published on IPSA's website; and if he will make a statement. [98930]
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Mr Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 8 March 2012:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for details of IPSA Board meetings and about publication of those details on IPSA's website.
Since 18 October 2011, the Board has met six times: on 15 November 2011, 17 January 2012, 23 January 2012, 30 January 2012, 7 February 2012 and 21 February 2012.
Under our publication scheme, we proactively publish the minutes of meetings of IPSA's Board. Minutes of such meetings through to 18 October 2011 are available on our website at:
http://www.parliamentarystandards.org.uk/Pages/default.aspx
Approved minutes of all meetings that have taken place since then will be available on IPSA's website no later than 13 April 2012.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Prices
Mrs Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she intends to introduce the ban on below cost selling of alcohol on 6 April 2012; and when any such order will be laid before the House. [98195]
James Brokenshire: The Government will be announcing their alcohol strategy shortly.
Animal Experiments: Pilot Schemes
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pilot studies she conducted before implementing the Development Collaborative Business Portal project for processing licences under the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986; and what assessment she has made of the performance of these pilot studies. [96443]
Lynne Featherstone: A pilot study commenced in April 2011 involving a number of internal and external stakeholders. That study is still under way, and the results at all stages of that pilot have been, and will continue to be, fully and comprehensively evaluated.
Closed-circuit Television
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of people who were arrested where CCTV evidence was a contributory factor in (a) the west midlands, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) the east midlands and (d) Essex in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [98724]
James Brokenshire: Information on the evidence leading to arrests is not held centrally.
EU Justice and Home Affairs
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the EU Council Decision of 27 March 2000 (200/261/JHA), what assessment her Department has made of the (a) level of maintenance and (b) use of the system for exchanging information regarding false documents established by Article 1 of the Decision. [98892]
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Damian Green: Council Decision 2000/261/JHA of March 2000 introduced a standard form and questionnaire for use when providing information alerts about counterfeit documents to other EU member states.
This followed on Joint Action 98/7000/JHA of 3 December 1998 concerning the setting up of a European Image Archiving System (FADO). This system is a computerised archive containing images and textual information relating to falsified and authentic identity documents such as passports, identity cards, visas, residence permits and driving licenses. However it was recognised that it would be some years before FADO was fully functional and this standard form was designed to fill the gap until then.
FADO is now fully rolled out across the EU and this system is therefore rarely used.
European Criminal Information System
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times UK authorities have accessed information on the European Criminal Information System in each year since it became operational. [98782]
Lynne Featherstone: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 30 November 2011, Official Report, column 972W.
European Image Archiving System
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Joint Action 98/700/EU, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) level of maintenance and (b) use of the European Image Archiving System. [98757]
Damian Green: The European Image Archiving System is now known as FADO (False and Authentic Documents On-Line). It is available on three levels: FADO for expert users only, iFADO an intranet version for control authorities and PRADO which contains strictly limited information for public use. FADO is well supported by the vast majority of EU member states, including the United Kingdom. Initial work concentrated on the uploading of EU identity documents only but efforts are now underway to include source documents also as well as non-EU documents. The system currently holds in excess of 1,500 documents and is available to the police and all Government Departments which have a need to verify identity documents.
The United Kingdom opted to implement a reverse proxy server solution to enable access to iFADO, which considerably simplifies the process. However, owing to the nature of the set-up it is difficult to say with any certainty how often FADO is accessed in the UK. Anecdotal evidence from the Border Agency, the police and other Government Departments confirms that it is used extensively.
Europol
Mr Raab:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) with reference to the EU Council Act of 3 December 1999 laying down the staff regulations applicable to Europol employees, how many former employees were in receipt of the monthly unemployment
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allowance established by Article 59 of the Act in each of the last five years; how many such recipients were granted the allowance on the basis of illness, accident, maternity, invalidity or a situation recognised as being comparable under Article 59(2) of the Act in each such year; what the total cost was of providing monthly unemployment allowance in each year; and what assessment she has made of Europol's future pension liabilities; [98764]
(2) pursuant to the EU Council Decision of 2 December 1999 adjusting the remuneration and allowances applicable to Europol employees, what information her Department holds on the real terms increase in pay for each band of Europol employee on the pay scale since 1999. [98784]
James Brokenshire: The information requested is not held by the Government. Europol is responsible for keeping and managing its own personnel management records.
Internet Service Providers Association
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Internet Service Providers Association has been included in consultation on the Communications Capabilities Development programme; and what steps have been taken to include all internet service providers in such discussions. [98431]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 6 March 2012]: Home Office officials have met with the main industry associations representing internet service providers and communications service providers to discuss the cross-Government Communication Capabilities Development programme. These meetings have included the Internet Service Providers Association whose advice has been sought on how and when to engage with all interested internet service providers, as part of the Department's ongoing engagement strategy with industry.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 464W, on Members: correspondence, if she will set out the reasons it took a month to inform the hon. Member for Walsall North that written authorisation was needed in case reference S1153849 and CTS ref M494/12. [98719]
Damian Green: Further to the answer of 1 March 2012, correspondence submitted by Members to the UK Border Agency is dealt with in target date order and in accordance with the Cabinet Office target to respond to 95% of letters from MPs within 20 working days. In this case the file was called for and examined to see if authorisation was already on file. Once it was established that it was not, the response issued under M494/12 was completed on the specified target date of 10 February.
Defence
Army: Ethnic Groups
Mr Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of personnel in the (a) Regular and (b) Territorial Army are British citizens from ethnic minorities. [97569]
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Mr Robathan: As at 1 January 2012, 3.2% of the trained and untrained strength of the Regular Army were British citizens from ethnic minorities. This includes personnel born overseas who have since naturalised as British.
As at 1 December 2011, 3.6% of Group A of the Territorial Army (defined in the Reserve Forces Act as regional and national headquarters, units and pools required to provide a national reserve) were British citizens from ethnic minorities. This also includes personnel born overseas who have since naturalised as British.
MOD Aberporth
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for further testing of equipment at Aberporth; what plans he has for future use of facilities at Aberporth by the armed forces; and if he will make a statement. [97820]
Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has an ongoing requirement to conduct testing, evaluation, and training activities at the MOD Aberporth range using air-to-air, surface-to-air, and air-to-surface weapons. It is one of the UK's main air weapons ranges and its use by our armed forces and those of our allies is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
Work and Pensions
Action for Employment
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish all (a) internal correspondence of his Department and (b) correspondence with other Departments relating to the allegations of fraud at A4e. [97619]
Chris Grayling: The Department cannot publish information relating to the current allegations of fraud as this is a police matter and investigations are ongoing.
Bereavement Benefits
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether the review of bereavement benefits will consider extending eligibility for bereavement benefits to cohabiting, unmarried couples; [98112]
(2) if he will consider extending bereavement benefits to cohabiting couples as part of the review into bereavement benefits. [98113]
Steve Webb: Marriage and civil partnerships are legal contracts that are associated with certain rights, including inheritance, recognition in the tax system and entitlement to certain benefits. Given this legal position, the Government have no plans to extend eligibility for bereavement benefits to cohabitees.
Child Support Agency
Mrs Moon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) average administrative cost per case of collecting the proposed charge for the use of the Child Support
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Agency,
(b)
total cost of administering the charge and
(c)
revenue which will accrue from the charge; and if he will make a statement. [97839]
Maria Miller: There is no intention to charge for accessing the Child Support Agency. When the new scheme using HM Revenue and Customs income data is launched, we will run it for at least six months to ensure it is working and delivering an improved client service before we introduce charges. At that point, we will begin to close all existing Child Support Agency cases and invite parents to choose whether they wish to apply to the new scheme or whether they would rather seek to agree their own arrangement between themselves.
The application fee is payable up-front before an application proceeds and is collected as part of the application process. The incremental costs of collection are expected to be negligible.
The likely range of revenues accruing from the application charge is £4 million to £6 million in this spending review. Further details will follow in the impact assessments which will accompany the charging regulations.
Cold Weather Payments: Easington
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Easington constituency received a cold weather payment in each of the last five years. [97798]
Steve Webb: There are two weather stations associated with the Easington constituency. The number of benefit units we estimate to have had a payment in the area covered by the weather stations is in the following table.
| Table 1: Estimated number of cold weather payment made for weather stations linked to postcode districts in the Easington constituency | |||||
| Weather s tation | 2011-12 | 2010-11 | 2010-09 | 2009-08 | 2008-07 |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data; for example, figures given are estimates. Actuals are not available. Estimates for 2011-12 may be revised after the end of the cold weather payment season, but will still be estimates not actuals. 2. A cold weather payment is made to an eligible customer when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0° C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer's postcode. (When the temperature criterion is met, the weather station is said to trigger.) 3. All weather stations are linked both to an area within the Easington constituency and also to an area outside the Easington constituency.Estimated numbers given are for the weather station as a whole, not for the part of the Easington constituency linked to the weather station. Sources: 1. Postcode district to weather station links: Department for Work and Pensions records. 2. Records of triggers and estimates of potential qualifiers by weather station: Department for Work and Pensions records. | |||||
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Departmental Carbon Emissions
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what reduction in carbon dioxide emissions his Department has made under the 10:10 initiative. [97932]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions did not sign up to the 10:10 initiative. However, it exceeded the target set by the Prime Minister on 14 May 2010 for Central Government Departments to cut carbon emissions from energy usage by 10% in 12 months, delivering a 14.2% reduction between May 2010 and May 2011.
Employment: Chronically Sick People
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on improving capacity to work amongst those with chronic debilitating conditions. [98722]
Maria Miller: DOH and DWP work closely together on improving health for work including improving capacity to work among those with chronic debilitating conditions. Current joint work includes developing the cross-government Mental Health strategy implementation framework as well as Government's long-term conditions outcomes strategy. Progress will be measured through the employment and health indicators in the national health service and public health outcomes frameworks.
Flexible Support Fund
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual budget is of the Flexible Support Fund. [98097]
Chris Grayling: All budget allocations are reviewed quarterly as part of a continuous planning process and subject to change in the light of ongoing reviews of performance and value for money achieved and wider priorities. We currently plan to spend £68 million in 2011-12.
Funeral Payments
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications his Department received for the Social Fund Funeral Payment in 2011 (i) nationwide and (ii) in Stoke-on-Trent. [98110]
Steve Webb: The following table provides the figures on the total number of funeral payment applications and awards for Great Britain between January 2011 and December 2011.
| National | |||
| Applications | Successful a wards | Percentage | |
| Source: Budget and Management Information System (PBMIS) | |||
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Stoke-on-Trent is covered by the Social Fund West Midlands Budget Area. The following table gives figures on the total number of funeral payment applications and awards for the West Midlands Social Fund Budget Area between January 2011 and December 2011.
| West Midlands | |||
| Applications | Awards | Percentage | |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, these amounts do not include expenditure on applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Data on funeral payments is not held by local authority or parliamentary constituency but by Jobcentre Plus Social Fund Budget Area. 3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Budget and Management Information System (PBMIS) | |||
Jobcentre Plus: East of England
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus buildings in the East of England are (a) fully, (b) partially and (c) not accessible to disabled people. [98478]
Chris Grayling: There are 54 Jobcentre Plus buildings in the East of England which are open to the public. They are all fully accessible to disabled people.
Pensions
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure that those qualifying for state pension are paid from the day they qualify. [98479]
Steve Webb: Prior to April 2010, state pension was paid in advance and only for full benefit weeks, i.e. seven days, from the first Monday after the person reached state pension age. This meant that if someone reached state pension age on any day other than Monday they would not be paid until the following Monday and there would be a payment gap.
In April 2010 two important changes were made. First, to ensure there was continuity of payment when someone moved directly from a working age to a pension age benefit, state pension became payable for less than a week where the benefit paydays were different.
Second, state pension became payable in arrears with the payday determined by a person's national insurance number. However, where someone was not moving from a working age benefit it was still only payable for a full benefit week; daily or part-week payments were not available.
Accordingly both pre- and post-April 2010 state pension was not always payable from the exact date that someone qualified for state pension, that is, when they reached their relevant birthday.
There are no plans to change this approach.
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Social Fund
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultations his Department undertook with relevant stakeholders before laying the draft statutory instrument on the treatment of social fund loans in debt relief and bankruptcy orders; and if he will make a statement. [98362]
Steve Webb: The Insolvency Rules were amended following a decision by the Supreme Court that deductions from ongoing benefit could no longer be taken to recover social fund loan repayments during the moratorium period of a debt relief order. The court also held that such deductions could not be made during a bankruptcy order.
There was no consultation on the change to the rules as it was decided that the social fund should be protected as soon as possible from the impact of debt relief and bankruptcy orders. This is because the social fund is cash limited and relies on loan repayments to be available for others in need.
A public consultation would have not only delayed the change process but would have imposed unnecessary costs.
Social Security Benefits: Families
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families of (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3, (d) 4, (e) 5, (f) 6, (g) 7, (h) 8, (i) 9 and (j) 10 people will be affected by the £26,000 cap on benefits. [98143]
Chris Grayling: The following table sets out estimates of the number of households affected by the benefit cap broken down by number of people in the family unit/household.
| Number of households affected | |
There may be some households who may be affected by the cap who have more than 10 people.
The figures presented in the table are consistent with the recent Impact Assessment published on 23 January 2012. These estimates have not been adjusted for the additional easements announced in the House of Commons on 1 February, which include: the exemption of households who were in receipt of the support component of employment and support allowance; and a nine-month grace period for claimants who were in work for 52 weeks or more before the start of their claim.
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It is assumed that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants have been convicted of an offence relating to benefit fraud. [98375]
Chris Grayling: Information on the number of benefit claimants convicted of an offence relating to benefit fraud in England and Wales is as follows:
2010-11: 8,084
2011-12: 7,806 (a 10 month period 1 April 2011 to 31 January 2012)
Social Security Benefits: Overpayments
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to exclude benefit overpayments and social fund loans from bankruptcy and debt relief orders. [97841]
Steve Webb: From 19 March 2012 the Insolvency Rules will be amended to ensure that social fund loans will be outside the scope of a debt relief order and will no longer be provable debts in a bankruptcy.
This reflects the nature of the discretionary social fund which relies on the recycling of funding through repayments. If we were not to take this measure, the Department's ability to make new loans to vulnerable people would be severely restricted. Benefit overpayments will continue to be subject to various forms of insolvency relief but debts occurring due to fraud will be excluded from such relief where the law permits.
Tax Credit
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Rotherham he estimates will see their working family tax credit reduced as a result of his proposed cap. [98290]
Chris Grayling: Working families may qualify for child tax credit and working tax credit. Households entitled to working tax credit will be exempt from the household benefit cap.
We estimate that in Rotherham around 100 non working households may be affected by the cap and that these households will see their benefit reduced by up to a £100 a week.
The Department will be working to support households likely to be capped, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
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Universal Credit
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria he used in the selection of members of the programme board for the introduction of IT for universal credit; if he will consider appointing a representative of local authorities to the programme board; and if he will make a statement. [97840]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions has developed a number of universal credit governance boards. These have day-to-day oversight of the strategic direction, design and delivery of universal credit, to ensure that the universal credit design achieves its outcomes and is simple to understand and administer.
The programme board provides strategic direction to ensure the programme delivers universal credit in line with its objectives, within agreed time and cost parameters. When the membership of the programme board was being decided it was deemed important that the membership should comprise four clearly identified groups: decision-making organisations; delivery organisations; voice of the claimant representatives; and voice of the taxpayer.
The programme recognised the importance of working with key stakeholders to inform the design and delivery of universal credit. This has been reflected in the current programme board membership which includes senior officials from the Department for Work and Pensions, other Government Departments and local authorities. A local authority chief executive officer was nominated by the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) to represent all Great Britain local authorities on the Universal Credit Programme Board.
The business and IT solutions steering group is responsible for the detailed design and development of an assured universal credit solution including the end to end IT systems that support the successful delivery of the universal credit service design. This group is accountable to the programme board for the universal credit business and IT solution. The deputy director for welfare reform, Department for Communities and Local Government is a member of this group.
Work Programme
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to guarantee the quality of Work programme placements. [98470]
Chris Grayling: Work programme providers have the flexibility to innovate and to design support that addresses the specific needs of the individual and the local labour market, rather than having to follow a one-size-fits-all processes dictated by Whitehall. This flexibility includes placements.
The Work programme is a payment by results scheme so providers have an incentive to support only activities, including high quality work placements, which enable participants to get and keep work. Along with this providers have standards setting out the minimum service that all participants must receive in their contracts.
If the claimant feels they have not received adequate support or are otherwise dissatisfied with their placement they can use the strengthened complaints process that has been introduced for the Work programme. In the
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first instance a complaint should be raised directly with their provider though their formal complaints process. Complaints not resolved can be escalated for independent review.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the performance of the Work programme. [98472]
Chris Grayling: Participants are on the Work programme for two years. Providers can only claim a job outcome payment after a participant has been in employment and off benefit for up to 26 weeks. It will therefore take time before sufficient job outcome data are available to create a meaningful statistical series. For this reason job outcome information will not be available until autumn 2012.
The Department for Work and Pensions has commissioned a consortium led by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) to undertake an independent evaluation of the Work programme. Evaluation work started in autumn 2011 and will conclude in 2014.
House of Commons Commission
Catering
Mr Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many bookings were made by hon. Members for Dining Room (a) A, (b) B, (c) C and (d) D in each of the last six months for which information is available; and what bookings there were in each such Dining Room in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008, (v) 2009 and (vi) 2010. [98391]
John Thurso: In accordance with the House of Commons records management policy, information is held for a period of three years and therefore no bookings information for Terrace Dining Rooms A, B, C and D is available for 2005, 2006, 2007 or 2008.
Bookings for these Dining Rooms in each of the last six months, September 2011 to February 2012, are set out as follows, together with information for 2009 and 2010.
| Room | ||||
| A | B | C | D | |
| Room | ||||
| A | B | C | D | |
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Early-day Motions
Graham Evans: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost to the public purse was of early-day motions in 2010-11. [97723]
John Thurso: In 2010-11 the cost of early-day motions (EDMs) was approximately £578,000. £431,000 of this was accounted for by the printing and publication of EDMs, amendments to them and added names under the House's contract with TSO. The Table Office's software application for processing EDMs cost roughly £12,000, and costs associated with the maintenance and technical support for the EDMi database were £57,000. The remainder, £78,000, was accounted for by staff costs in the Table Office and by the Editorial Supervisor of the Vote, incurred through the processing and inputting of notices relating to EDMs.
Since the general election, the House has ceased printing EDMs after they have appeared in print for a full sitting week. In 2010-11 this resulted in a cost saving of approximately £355,000 compared with 2009-10.
Justice
Appeals: Social Security Benefits
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average waiting time was for appeals against decisions on (a) disability living allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) employment and support allowance in (i) England and Wales, broken down by parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years. [96479]
Mr Djanogly: The Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) Tribunal hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to disability living allowance (DLA), incapacity benefit (IB) and employment and support allowance (ESA).
Data for the SSCS Tribunal are not recorded by parliamentary constituency, and the work required to provide data in that format would involve disproportionate cost. All appeals to the tribunal are registered in the processing centre in the region where the appellant lives, and the data can be broken down to the level of these processing centres.
The following table shows the average time from receipt at the tribunal to disposal for DLA, IB and ESA appeals for the region served by each processing centre. The information covers 1 April 2007 to 31 October 2011, the latest period for which figures are available.
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HMCTS is working hard to increase the capacity of the SSCS Tribunal and reduce waiting times. It has begun using additional hearing rooms; increased the number of cases listed in each session; increased the number of sessions held; streamlined its administrative processes; started running double shifts in its largest processing centre so that more appeals can be processed each day; started running Saturday sittings in some of the busiest venues (where there is demand and where it is feasible); set up a customer contact centre to deal with telephone enquiries for the processing sites, freeing up other staff to focus on processing appeals and arranging hearings; and recruited more judges and panel members to hear more appeals.
All of this is having a positive effect. The number of disposals has increased significantly from 279,000 in 2009-10 to 380,000 in 2010-11 and 252,000 in the first six months of 2011-12. Disposals outstripped receipts for the 10 months between January 2011 and October 2011, and the number of cases waiting to be heard reduced by over 35,000 between April and October. The average waiting time has stabilised nationally, and is beginning to fall in many venues.
Buildings
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what recent progress his Department has made on reducing its central London estate; [98783]
(2) with reference to his Department's business plan, what progress his Department has made on its plan to relocate 1,000 posts out of London by 2015; [98755]
Mr Djanogly:
In 2007, the Department began a programme to improve the utilisation of its administrative estate. Between 2007 and the end of March 2012, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), including executive agencies
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and arm’s length bodies, will have reduced the number of central London headquarters administrative properties from 22 to 10 properties.
By 2015, the MOJ will have further reduced the number of these headquarters properties to a maximum of four.
Around 500 posts from the Office of the Public Guardian have relocated from London to Birmingham.
HM Courts and Tribunals Services: Reorganisation
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) the reorganisation of HM Courts and Tribunals Services and (b) changes in funding of the service on front-line services. [98358]
Mr Djanogly:
The reorganisation of HMCTS has improved focus on front-line delivery, reduced unnecessary management tiers and enabled better alignment of the agency's estate. Performance has been maintained against published impact indicators when comparing the first
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six months of 2011-12 (the latest information available) with the same period in 2010-11. HMCTS is making a range of savings across the spending review period, including reductions in management grades, to ensure that front-line services are protected.
Judges: Pay
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse was of (a) the salaries, (b) expenses and (c) any other costs of the judges in the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First- tier Tribunal in each of the last five years. [96074]
Mr Djanogly: The Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal is made up of three jurisdictions: Social Security and Child Support, Criminal Injuries Compensation and Asylum Support.
The following table shows the cost of (a) judicial salaries and fees, (b) expenses and (c) other judicial costs within each of these three jurisdictions in each of the last five financial years.
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| Notes: 1. All figures are in £000 and are rounded. 2. Figures for Asylum Support for 2006-07 are not available. The Tribunal did not become part of the Tribunals Service until 2007-08. 3. ‘Other Judicial Costs' is the expenditure on Judicial Publications (such as copies of legislation) in SSCS. These costs are not available for the individual smaller tribunal jurisdictions. Criminal Injuries, and Asylum Support, as they are collated together across a range of jurisdictions and cannot be easily disaggregated. | |||||
Public Expenditure
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his Department's Business Plan, what progress his Department has made in saving £1 billion from administration and front line efficiency. [98756]
Mr Djanogly: The Department is making good progress in delivering the savings to live within the spending review settlement, including through increased efficiencies in the back office and at the frontline.
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Stalking
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what additional training on stalking and stalking behaviour he plans for judges and magistrates. [98655]
Mr Djanogly: The responsibility for judicial training for courts judiciary lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College.
There is currently no dedicated training on stalking or stalking behaviour. However, where this arises as an issue within wider training topics, most notably for domestic violence and wider harassment legislation, judges, magistrates and their legal advisers are reminded of the legal remedies available to the court that will assist victims.
The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them.
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Tribunals
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were heard in the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal in each of the last five years. [96073]
Mr Djanogly: The Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal is made up of three jurisdictions: Asylum Support, Criminal Injuries Compensation and Social Security and Child Support.
The following table shows the total number of cases disposed of in each of these three jurisdictions from 2007-08 to April to October 2011. This includes cases disposed of at hearing, as well as cases that were withdrawn, superseded or struck out. This information is not available for 2006-07 as it was not formally recorded for any of the jurisdictions and has therefore not previously been published.
| Cases disposed of in the social entitlement chamber | |||||
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | April 2011 to October 2011 | |
| Note: The above data are taken from management information. | |||||
Business, Innovation and Skills
Chemicals
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of the effect on metal finishing businesses in the UK of hexavalent chromium and cobalt salts becoming authorised substances under the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. [98765]
Mr Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is working closely with industry, industry bodies and with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Health and Safety Executive to understand the economic impact on business from the implementation of the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), including from the identification of hexavalent chromium and cobalt salts as Substances of Very High Concern and their future management under REACH regulations.
UK stakeholder views inform our ongoing engagement with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Commission. ECHA, which made the recommendation to the European Commission, has itself consulted publicly on its plans and the views of industries likely to be affected are taken into account when implementing REACH.
BIS continues to engage directly in an active dialogue with stakeholders in the UK so that potentially harmful substances, through the authorisation process, can continue to be used safely while alternatives are found—fostering innovation and promoting substitution to safer alternatives.
Copyright
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 754W, on copyright: economic growth, whether the Government plans to (a) publish further impact assessments on the consultation on copyright and (b) commission research on the costs and benefits to all parties who could be affected by the proposals in the consultation on copyright. [98752]
Norman Lamb: The Government will publish further Impact Assessments to accompany any proposals for legislation. These will incorporate evidence received during its consultation on copyright.
The Government has commissioned four pieces of research relating to its consultation on copyright. These are due to report by the summer and will help inform ongoing economic analysis of the costs and benefits of its proposals.
Disabled Students Allowance
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will raise the cap on disabled students allowance (DSA) for postgraduate students to match the level of financial support provided under DSA to undergraduate students with disabilities. [98453]
Mr Willetts:
Postgraduate students with disabilities can receive up to £10,260 disabled students allowance per academic year to assist with additional expenditure that they are obliged to incur in relation to their attendance
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on a course. There are no plans to increase the maximum amount allowable under disabled students allowances for postgraduate students.
The Government also provide funding to higher education institutions, through the Higher Education Funding Council for England, to help them recruit and support disabled students; £13 million will be provided in academic year 2011/12.
Employment: Regulation
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many items of correspondence he received from the private sector calling for employment regulations to be weakened in each of the last five years. [98925]
Norman Lamb: The Department receives correspondence about a range of employment law issues and deals with each item on an individual basis. It would not be practical to collate overall figures by subject matter.
BIS is fully engaged with a wide range of interested parties about the Employment Law Review, which aims to give business greater confidence to take on staff, whilst protecting fairness for employees. The Red Tape Challenge spotlight on employment-related law last autumn sought views from businesses, unions and civil society. Around 2,000 comments have been received offering a spectrum of views on the employment law framework. These can be viewed online at:
http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
We also received 28 private submissions from business and its representative bodies.
Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications for finance guarantees from companies in each local authority area under the enterprise finance guarantee scheme have been (a) received and (b) approved since the scheme's inception. [98882]
Mr Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not have a breakdown of the total number of enterprise finance guarantee (EFG) loan applications made by businesses in each local authority.
The processing of an EFG application varies between accredited lenders, and was designed to fit seamlessly alongside their existing internal systems and procedures. This can include filtering out ineligible or inappropriate applications before entering the EFG portal (application and management information system), meaning there are not comparable recorded data between lenders.
Lending figures on a local authority level are available only once a formal loan offer has been made. A copy of the EFG loan figures has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Higher Education
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how higher education courses run by an alternative or private provider are designated. [98342]
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Mr Willetts: Eligible higher education courses provided by alternative or private providers are designated for the purposes of student support on a course by course basis by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Applications are assessed against the course designation criteria in the Education (Student Support) Regulations. The criteria relate to course type, duration and mode of study; in addition all courses must be validated by a recognised UK awarding body such as a university. This provides quality assurance.
We have also recently introduced due diligence checks on organisations that are applying for specific designation for the first time. These include consideration of management and governance, financial stability and longevity of an organisation.
If this Department is satisfied that the course meets the course eligibility criteria and that the provider does not pose a risk to the use of public funds, the course is specifically designated.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on each higher education course which has been designated in this Parliament. [98343]
Mr Willetts: The Department maintains a record of all courses that have been specifically designated for student support in this Parliament. The information held includes details of the institution that provides the course; the full name of the course; the date that the application for specific designation was made; confirmation that the course is awarded or valid by a UK awarding body; and the date that the application was approved.
All full time higher education courses that have been automatically designated for student support in this Parliament are recorded on the Student Loans Company's course database. This includes information on the institution that provides the course; the full name of the course; the qualification type; the duration of the course; whether or not the course is delivered as part of a franchise arrangement; and the fee that institutions charge for the course. This information is made available to the Department.
Innovation: Government Assistance
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in (a) the South East, (b) Kent and (c) Dartford constituency have received funding from the Innovation Investment Fund. [98257]
Mr Willetts: As at 31 December 2011, there were four companies in the UK Innovation Investment Fund portfolio that are located in the South East, but none of these are based in Dartford or, indeed, Kent.
The UK Innovation Investment Fund is a venture capital fund of funds and is not a pot of money to which businesses can apply for grant-type funding. Businesses need to approach the underlying funds directly for investment and the Government have no role in directing or influencing funding decisions.
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Overseas Trade
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many firms in each region exported goods and services in each of the last three years. [98762]
Mr Prisk: The number of firms exporting goods in each region according to HMRC Regional Trade Statistics can be seen in the following table. Please note that if a firm is exporting from multiple regions it will be counted in each region that it exports from. A count of service exporters by region is not available.
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Source: HMRC Regional Trade Statistics. | |||
Overseas Trade: Pakistan
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value of trade between the UK and Pakistan was in each of the last five years. [97258]
Mr Prisk: The value of the UK's trade with Pakistan is given in the following table:
| £ million | |||
| UK exports to Pakistan | UK imports from Pakistan | UK total trade with Pakistan | |
| (1) Not yet available. Notes: 1. Data for the UK's trade on goods and services are published by the Office for National Statistics on a balance of payments (BoP) basis, current prices. 2. Data for the UK's trade in goods are published by HM Revenue and Customs on an overseas trade statistics (OTS) basis, current prices. | |||
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Regional Assistance: Northern Ireland
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to retain assisted area status for Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [99045]
Mr Prisk: The Department is working with Northern Ireland and the other devolved Administrations to influence the Commission on the Regional Aid Guidelines which will set the rules for how assisted area coverage is allocated between member states during the period 2014-20. This work is taking account of the consultation on removing Northern Ireland's Automatic Assisted Area status from the Industrial Development Act 1982, on which the UK Government will be responding shortly.
Communities and Local Government
Action for Employment
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contracts his Department has with A4e; and what the (a) purpose and (b) value is of each such contract. [97043]
Robert Neill [holding answer 27 February 2012]: My Department has no current contracts with A4e.
Council Tax
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on the timing of the introduction of the council tax reduction scheme; and if he will place copies of any such representations in the Library. [98057]
Robert Neill [holding answer 5 March 2012]: Ministers regularly receive representations on the reform of council tax support from a range of organisations and individuals. The consultation on proposals for localising council tax support (published on 2 August 2011) did not actively seek views on the timing of introduction, as the Government have been clear from the policy's inception that the reforms would commence in 2013-14.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what modelling his Department has undertaken on the potential effects of council tax benefit localisation on (a) people with disabilities, (b) single people and (c) working families. [98897]
Robert Neill: The Department published an Impact Assessment on 19 December 2011 which sets out the Department's assessment of the potential impact on current council tax benefits claimants—including single claimants, and those with child dependants:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/2053960.pdf
On 10 January 2012 the Department published an Equality Impact Assessment which sets out what proportion of current council tax benefit claimants under 65 are disabled, according to the definition of disability under the Equality Act:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/2063707.pdf
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The Government remain committed to retaining council tax support for the most vulnerable in society. This reform is part of the decentralisation agenda. It will create stronger incentives for councils to get people back into work and so support the positive work incentives that will be introduced through the Government's plans on universal credit.
Departmental Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid to officials in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies in (a) bonuses, (b) allowances and (c) other payments additional to basic salary in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what categories of payment may be made to officials in addition to basic salary; what the monetary value is of each category of payment; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest such payments made in each of the last two years. [89688]
Robert Neill: The information requested has been placed in the Library of the House.
Ministers believe there is a strong case to reform the remuneration arrangements that we have inherited from the previous Administration. We have strengthened the pay governance arrangements across the Department and its arm’s length bodies, with a view to ensuring the arrangements represent value for taxpayers' money and will command public confidence in the future.
Empty Property
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vacant and unused homes there are in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Newcastle and (c) Gateshead; and if he will make a statement on his plans to promote the use of vacant and unused homes. [98458]
Andrew Stunell: Figures on the numbers of empty homes in each local authority in England are published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website, in live table 615 at the following link. Figures are not available at the constituency level.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/stockincludingvacants/livetables/
In November last year, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister published “Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England” which sets out our strategy for tackling empty homes, including £150 million funding to bring empty homes back into use.
Families: Finance
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition he uses of (a) families and (b) success measures in the work-led families programme; what funds his Department will spend on the programme in 2012-13; and what estimate he has made of the level of expenditure by local councils in 2012-13. [98457]
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Robert Neill [holding answer 5 March 2012]: The Troubled Families Team is currently working on these definitions and measures. Further details on the arrangements for the new troubled families programme, including the definition of a troubled family, success measures and payment arrangements, will be announced shortly.
Central Government will be providing £448 million of funding over the next three years. The Department has a budget of £118 million available to spend in 2012-13 for the troubled families programme.
Information on estimated expenditure by local authorities in 2012-13 in respect of this work is not available. The funding for the Troubled Families Programme will be made available to all local areas (at upper-tier local authority level) from 2012-13, primarily on a payment-by-results basis, distributed as a 40% contribution to the costs of actions needed. The remaining 60% will need to be found locally, from the local authority and partners (including, for example, police, health and Jobcentre Plus).
Housing: Repairs and Maintenance
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential risks to householders in respect of electricity and gas safety of reductions in grants for home repairs prior to the local government financial settlements. [97649]
Andrew Stunell: Local authorities have powers, under the Housing Act 2004, to assess the risks and hazards in residential properties using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. If a property is found to contain serious (category 1) hazards, the local authority has a duty to take the most appropriate action. This could range from trying to deal with the problems informally at first to prohibiting the use of the whole or part of the dwelling.
Local authorities also have powers under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 to provide financial assistance for repairs, improvements, or adaptations to homes. It is for local authorities to determine how they will use these powers, taking into account local priorities.
My Department is providing £1.6 billion of funding over the spending review period to help councils ensure council housing meets the Decent Homes Standard. The following table shows the stock of non-decent homes in the social sector, bringing together the LA data and the PRP data from the RSR:
www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/2039595.xls
This shows that between 2010 and 2011 there was a reduction in the number of non-decent social homes of 140,000 homes during 2010-11.
Housing: Thurrock
Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new (a) jobs and (b) homes have been created in Thurrock since the inception of the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation. [94993]
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Robert Neill: The following table provides information on planning consents granted by Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation since the corporation assumed planning powers.
| Financial year | Number of homes given planning consent | Notional jobs that would be created |
| (1) Planning powers assumed in October 2005. (2) Two further Planning Committees planned for 2011-12. | ||
This information was collated by the corporation and is not estimates made by my Department. The figures on the number of notional jobs are based on estimates submitted by applicants for planning permission; where job estimates were not provided, they were calculated by the corporation using English Partnerships methodology.
Local Government Finance: Housing
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for how many homes the New Homes Bonus has been paid in each local authority in the latest period for which figures are available; how many such homes are new build properties; how many such homes had already commenced (a) construction and (b) tendering before the introduction of the New Homes Bonus; and how many homes have been built or committed to be built using resources provided by the New Homes Bonus. [98654]
Grant Shapps: This year we will pay £432 million of New Homes Bonus for local authorities in England. This includes the second instalment of £199 million in respect of year one and £233 million for housing growth in year two.
A table which sets out the number of additional homes by local authority for which New Homes Bonus will be paid for 2012-13 has been placed in the Library of the House. The numbers comprise new build and conversions (our data only give a combined figure) and long-term empty homes brought back into use.
The Department does not hold the other information requested.
Non-domestic Rates
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what revenue accrued to the Exchequer from national non-domestic rates in each year of the last spending review. [98455]
Robert Neill: Details of the total contribution to the national non-domestic rates pool by all billing authorities in England for the period 2006-07 to 2010-11 are shown in Table 1 of the statistical release ‘National non-domestic rates collected by local authorities in England 2010-11’ that is available on the DCLG website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/nondomesticrates/outturn/
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The contribution to the pool figure is the amount of national non-domestic rates paid by local authorities into the national non-domestic rates pool after the deduction of allowances for losses in collection and the cost of collecting the rates. This pool is redistributed to local authorities as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the effect of the rate of inflation in September 2011 on the revenue which will accrue to the Exchequer from national non-domestic rates in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14. [98456]
Robert Neill: The September 2011 rate of inflation as measured by the retail price index was 5.6% and increased the non-domestic rate multiplier to 45.0p for 2012-13, from 42.6p in 2011-12. The September 2012 rate of inflation will affect the multiplier for 2013-14.
The September 2011 rate of inflation has no effect on the 2011-12 revenue from the national non-domestic rates. No estimates have been made to identify the effect the rate of inflation in September 2011 has had on the revenue accrued to the Exchequer. The estimated contribution to the national non-domestic rating pool based on the 2012-13 non-domestic multiplier of 45.0p can be found in the following link under the 2012-13 column on the ‘Net rate yield from local lists’ line:
www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/1213/dasummary.xls
We are giving businesses the option of spreading the retail prices index increase for 2012-13 over the next three years. Businesses will be able to defer payment of 60% of the retail prices index increase in their 2012-13 rates bills until 2013-14 and 2014-15. This will give businesses flexibility to manage their rates bills in the current economic climate, help their cash flow, and give them time to adjust to the impact of inflation.
We have also extended the small business rate relief holiday, effectively doubling small business rate relief throughout 2012-13, providing reliable financial help to small firms and small shops.
Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps his Department takes to educate private landlords on their responsibilities regarding electrical safety in their properties; [98392]
(2) what steps his Department takes to educate tenants in the private rented sector on their rights regarding electrical safety. [98393]
Andrew Stunell: In August 2011, a package of guidance for both landlords and tenants was placed on my Department's website. The guidance covered the rights and responsibilities for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector with respect to electrical safety.
Private landlords are responsible for the health and safety of their tenants. The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires that electrical installations are safe when a tenancy begins, and are maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy.
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There are no specific legal requirements relating to the frequency of inspections and tests of electrical equipment, including portable appliances. Instead, a risk assessment needs to be made in relation to the type of equipment, the users of electrical equipment and the environment in which the equipment is used.
The Electrical Safety Council produce guidance for landlords on electrical safety and it can be found on their website:
www.esc.org.uk/stakeholder/guidance-for/guidance-for-landlords/
Private Rented Housing: Standards
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will encourage local authorities to carry out housing condition surveys to protect tenants from irresponsible landlords. [98406]
Andrew Stunell: Local authorities already have a key role in assessing the condition of housing in their area and it is in their interests to collect information across all housing tenures through housing condition surveys.
Under the Housing Act 2004 they also have powers to inspect individual properties and, where appropriate, take enforcement action under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. If a property is found to contain serious (category 1) hazards, the local authority has a duty to take the most appropriate action. This could range from trying to deal with the problems informally at first to prohibiting the use of the whole or part of the dwelling.
Public Sector: Information
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the agendas and minutes of the Local Public Data Panel since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [98791]
Robert Neill: The agendas and minutes of the Local Public Data Panel are published on the data.gov.uk website:
https://www.data.gov.uk/users/local-data-panel/track
This is the Government's data repository website, managed by the Cabinet Office.