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Question
Asked by Lord Smith of Finsbury
To ask the Chairman of Committees what arrangements have been made for the subsequent re-use or recycling of computer and other electronic equipment no longer required by Members or staff of the House. [HL5895]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): Since December 2005, redundant IT equipment in this House has been donated to charity and, after refurbishment, sent for reuse to countries in Africa. Items not sent to Africa are resold and the proceeds
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Other electrical waste is sent for recycling. In 2008-09, the Parliamentary Estates Directorate disposed of approximately 2 tonnes of electrical waste, including batteries, refrigerators, air conditioning units, televisions, lamps, fans, kettles, vacuum cleaners, irons, dishwashers, microwaves, electric fires and telephones.
Housing
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government what the shortfall in the supply of housing in England will be by the end of 2010; and what are the implications for waiting lists, overcrowding and homelessness. [HL5603]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): Waiting lists, overcrowding and homelessness are indicators of housing need and the department does not produce estimates of the shortfall in housing supply relative to need.
However, CLG has commissioned a housing need analytical model from Heriot-Watt University which will improve our understanding of the impact of housing supply on housing need going forward. It is hoped this will be available to the department by the end of the year.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the estimated number of children living in overcrowded housing conditions (a) currently, (b) forecast for 2010, and (c) forecast for 2011. [HL5604]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The latest estimate is published in Housing Statistics, Live Table 813, Number of Children in Poor Housing (DSO 2.9), which can be downloaded from the CLG website at http://www. communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table813.xls. This estimate is based on data from the Survey of English Housing.
Overcrowding is defined according to the bedroom standard.
Forecasts for 2010 and 2011 are not available.
Housing: Mortgages
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the adult population of the United Kingdom lives in (a) mortgaged owner-occupied property, (b) unencumbered owner-occupied property, and (c) rented or free accommodation. [HL5665]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): It is estimated that of the adult (aged 18 or over) population
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These estimates are based on data from the ONS Spring 2008 Labour Force Survey.
Housing: Supporting People Programme
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ring-fence funding for the supporting people programme, in the light of the conclusion in the report by Capgemini to Communities and Local Government about the programme's net financial benefit. [HL5733]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): The supporting people programme is an invest-to-save budget. The Capgemini report findings showed that the best overall estimate of net financial benefits from the supporting people programme is £3.41 billion per annum for the client groups considered against an overall investment of £1.61 billion. The removal of the ring-fence provides local authorities with more freedom and flexibilities to work with partners to deliver innovative and holistic services to meet the needs of the vulnerable clients in their area, and supports the mainstreaming of housing-related support services within local authority service provision.
Legislation
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a Minister has had to approve formally each new piece of environmental legislation; and, if so, what form have such statements of approval usually taken in each of the past five years. [HL5752]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Davies of Oldham): All proposals for legislation are approved by Ministers before being submitted to Parliament. All Bills sponsored by Defra are approved by Defra Ministers before introduction to Parliament and all Defra-sponsored secondary legislation is signed by Ministers personally. These practices have been adhered to throughout the past five years.
Licensing: Alcohol Consumption
Question
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many 24-hour opening licences have been granted in each region of England and Wales since changes to licensing arrangements relating to establishments serving alcoholic drinks came into effect. [HL5663]
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Lord Davies of Oldham: The Alcohol Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Bulletin, which can be found on the internet at http://www.culture. gov. uk/images/research/AE-Statistics-bulletin-2008.pdf, reports the total number of 24-hour alcohol licences in force as at 31 March 2008:
Data for the period from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 will be available in the near future and I will write to the noble Lord, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.
Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration
Questions
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation enabling members of the public to have direct access to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, as well as through their Member of Parliament, in complaining of maladministration. [HL4634]
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will answer Question HL4634, tabled by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 25 June, about whether they will introduce legislation enabling members of the public to have direct access to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, as well as through their Member of Parliament, in complaining of maladministration; and what is the reason for the delay. [HL5817]
Baroness Crawley: The Government value the role and work of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. They also believe that Members of Parliament have an important role to play in assisting constituents with concerns about their dealings with government departments and public bodies. The policy is kept under review, but the position remains as set in the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967.
Pollution: Airborne Particles
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the population in each local authority in Greater London is estimated to have been living in an area that (a) breached one or more European Union limit values for particulate matter (PM10) in 2008, and (b) is expected to breach one or more European Union limit values for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in 2010. [HL5688]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Davies of Oldham): Data commissioned by the Greater London Authority are available for 2006 and 2010, and are provided in the form of number of people exposed to 1) Concentrations of NO2 above
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- 1 Data taken from Draft Document: London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory 2006, Air Pollution Modelling for 2006 and 2010.
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