Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 14 June 2007
Communities and Local Government
Council Tax
An estimate of the average Band D council tax set by parish and town councils in 2006-07 is to be found in table A2b of “Local Government Financial Statistics England No. 17” which was published on 30 April 2007.
A copy can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/lgfs/2007/lgfs17.
Details of the average Band D council tax and average council tax per dwelling for 2007-08 were published in a statistical release “Levels of council tax set by local authorities in England—2007-08” on 27 March 2007.
The release can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/ctax067.htm
Departments: Carbon Emissions
Communities and Local Government calculates its carbon emissions from buildings by establishing energy consumption in kilowatt hours, through either automated meter reads, manual meter reads or utility billing information. The resultant energy consumption figures are then multiplied by the relevant carbon emission factors.
All carbon conversion factors are provided by the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, and the resultant emissions data are submitted to the Sustainable Development Commission as part of the Sustainable Development in Government Report. Last year’s report is available on the Sustainable Development Commission’s Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) Report 2006 website:
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/sdig2006/.
Departments: Church of Scientology
No local government institutions have contacted the Department for guidance on these matters during the last two years, nor has any such guidance been issued.
Departments: Consultants
This question can be fully answered only at disproportionate cost.
Communities and Local Government has engaged consultants to support policy development in response to the need to develop sustainable homes and communities. The skills required for these programmes were not available from civil servants.
In addition, specialist skills including project management, finance, engineering, technology specification, building specification and design, security and resilience have been procured to support the delivery of projects to enhance the ability of the Fire and Rescue Service to respond to major incidents.
The work undertaken includes provision of radio engineering expertise for the new radio systems for the Fire and Rescue Service; also, logistical support and design for responding to chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear incident, and search and rescue incidents.
However the following table lists the 10 highest consultancy costs incurred by the Department.
Vendor name Programme Value of supply 1 April 2003- 30 March 2007 (£ million) PA Consulting FireControl 18.6 Mott McDonald FireLink 12.7 SERCO New Dimensions 7.2 IBM Planning Portal 6.0 CapGemini Supporting People 5.5 Collective Enterprises Home Improvement Advice 3.1 Xansa LogasNet 2.8 Turner Townsend Fire Control 2.5 Xansa Hub Project 1.9 Ernst Young FireLink 1.1
Domestic Wastes: Waste Management
I have been asked to reply.
My Department has funded research and guidance through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to assist local authorities in carrying out their waste collection operations in their chosen manner efficiently and effectively. However, decisions on the best way to collect waste are rightly a matter for local authorities, not central government.
European Regional Development Fund
I have placed a copy of the Roadmap to Assurance in the Library of the House, which sets out the Department’s response to the EC decision to delay payment to five English ERDF programmes and one urban programme. The roadmap supplements and strengthens guidance already issued by the Department.
The following English ERDF programmes have had payments held back by the European Commission:
Objective 1 Merseyside
Objective 1 South Yorkshire
Objective 2 West Midlands
Objective 2 Yorkshire and The Humber
Objective 2 North East of England
Objective 2 London
Stockwell
Burnley, Blackburn and Darwen
Halifax in Calderdale
Hetton and Murton
Peterborough
These programmes have increased the number of on site checks as part of a robust action plan to address the Commission requirements. We are confident that payments can resume quickly after we have submitted our reports to the Commission at the beginning of July.
Housing: Carbon Emissions
I refer the hon. Member to the comments made by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary, on 15 May 2007, Official Report, column 142.
Immigration
Communities and Local Government receive representations from local authorities about the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) population estimates and population projections used in the local government finance settlements on a range of issues.
Officials meet with ONS officials regularly and discuss a variety of issues including population estimates.
Local Authorities: Committees
The Department issued the New Council Constitutions Guidance Pack to local authorities in 2000, which includes reference to the rules relating to the political balance of area committees. The documents are available in the Library of the House and can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1133792.
Non-domestic Rates
The average business rates bill in England in 2007-08 is expected to be £10,817.
For details of previous years, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 March 2007, Official Report, column 238W.
Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property
The Government estimate was published in the Red Book alongside the Budget Report 2007.
Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation
The number of properties described as “golf course” in the 2005 Rating Lists for England, at 31 March 2007, is 1,928.
In addition to the number shown, there may be other golf courses that are secondary to a main assessment (e.g. with hotels). There may also be courses that are exempt from rating, if held as part of a larger public park and available for free and unrestricted use by the public.
Regional Housing Boards: Freedom of Information
As voluntary bodies, Regional Assemblies are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Nevertheless the Government expects the Assemblies to comply with the spirit of the Act when they perform their designated functions, as set out in “Guidance on the General Principles of Designation of Voluntary Regional Assemblies”.
Waste Management
I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 March 2007, Official Report, column 1641W.
I have been asked to reply.
It will be for interested local authorities to submit proposals for joint waste authorities (JWAs) to the Secretary of State for approval and implementation through secondary legislation.
The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, which contains the Government’s proposals to allow the creation of joint waste authorities, is scheduled to receive Royal Assent in the autumn. Following Royal Assent, the Government will undertake a consultation on draft Regulations which will set out what authorities' proposals must address. Any proposals will also be subject to a local public consultation. It is therefore estimated that the first JWAs may be established at the end of 2008 at the earliest, depending on the wishes of local authorities.
Waste Management: Cost Effectiveness
The following councils have included alternative waste collections in their annual efficiency statement:
2004-05 Backward Look
Babergh district council, Mid Bedfordshire district council, North Norfolk district council, Rossendale borough council, South Cambridgeshire district council.
2005-06 Backward Look
Broadland district council, Canterbury city council, Charnwood borough council, Chorley borough council, Crewe and Nantwich borough council, Mid Bedfordshire district council (included above), Mole Valley district council, North Shropshire district council, Rossendale borough council (included above), South Cambridgeshire district council (included above), Wycombe district council.
2006-07 Forward Look
Bridgnorth district council, Canterbury city council (included above), Charnwood borough council, Chichester district council, Crewe and Nantwich borough council (included above), Hertsmere borough council, Kennet district council, Rotherham metropolitan borough council, Salisbury district council, Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council, South Kesteven district council, Suffolk Coastal district council, Tewkesbury district council, West Lancashire district council, Wycombe district council (included above).
Culture, Media and Sport
Departments: Buildings
Information on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Royal Parks Agency does not lease any buildings or office space.
Departments: Manpower
Both the Royal Parks Agency and Ofcom have no staff funded by the public purse classified as people without posts.
The British Library has five members of staff whose position may be deemed pertinent to the classification in question. These five employees have all been affected by recent restructuring in their area or the completion of projects on which they were engaged. Therefore, appropriate action is being implemented in each individual case to arrive at a satisfactory outcome, in terms of redeployment or a suitable settlement, to their current situations.
Departments: Property
The Department received the sums recorded as follows for the letting of its properties in each of the last five years.
£ 2002-03 1,915,250.00 2003-04 1,841,425.00 2004-05 1,627,000.00 2005-06 1,679,262.17 2006-07 482,000.00
The following properties were (a) owned and (b) rented by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in each of the last five financial years.
(a) The Department owns the freeholds to the following properties in Windsor:
21, 22, 23, 29 Park Street and St. Mark’s Place.
During the period in question the Department sold hitherto owned properties as follows;
the freehold with vacant possession to 10 Chantry Close Windsor in 2003-04;
freeholds to 30, 31 and 32 Park Street, Windsor were sold in 2004-05;
The freehold to the North East corner of the Royal Garden Hotel was sold in 2005-06.
the freehold to 20 Park Street Windsor was sold in 2006-07 and in the same year Fairview Cottage was sold as freehold with vacant possession.
The Department owns an area of land to the north of the British Library in London.
(b) The Department rents the following properties—all in London and has done so throughout the period in question;
2-4 Cockspur Street;
Oceanic House;
Grove House;
Queen’s Yard.
The Department rented floor space at Woburn Place, London until the end financial year of 2004-05 and rented a floor at 55 Blandford Street, London during financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
The freeholds of certain properties in Windsor are held in the name of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. These are leased on a long term basis by private individuals.
The latest estimated value held in the Department’s asset register for these properties is £140,000.
One other property in Windsor cannot be sold as it is within the security compound of Windsor Castle.
The Department owns an area of land to the North of the British Library in London. There are plans to sell this land: it is currently valued in our asset register at £26.6 million.
Digital Broadcasting: Copeland
The Whitehaven, Gosforth and Eskdale Green transmitters will switchover to digital in October this year. The technical characteristics for each transmitter have been chosen to allow their predicted digital coverage levels to match current analogue coverage levels.
The switchover will begin in Whitehaven and the surrounding area on 17 October and in the rest of Copeland as part of the wider border region in late 2008.
Public awareness of switchover in Copeland is now 97 per cent. and 71 per cent. of primary sets have already been converted in advance of the area switching in October.
The contractor for operating the help scheme in Copeland, Capita, has now been appointed.
In addition, of those asked none has stated that they will not convert at least one set prior to switchover.
Households in the Whitehaven area where at least one person is registered blind or registered partially-sighted or with a severe disability will be provided with the appropriate equipment to convert one TV set and, where necessary, the relevant help to install and use such equipment and an aerial installation.
We estimate that around 8,500 households will be eligible for assistance from the digital switchover help scheme (DSHS) in the Copeland constituency. The vast majority will be eligible for help when the Whitehaven transmitters are switched over in between October and November 2007. All others will be eligible when the Caldbeck transmitter switches in early 2009.
We estimate that around 36 per cent. of those eligible, will be eligible for free assistance on the grounds of receiving pension credit, income support and income based job seeker's allowance. 64 per cent. of those eligible, will be eligible for assistance subject to a charge of £40.
European Capital of Culture: Liverpool
DCMS and Arts council have committed £10 million over the period 2005-09 to support Liverpool’s Capital of Culture. In addition Liverpool received a grant of £1,200,000 from the Urban Cultural programme; and the North West Development Agency has approved £2 million.
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) has approved £10 million funding and in addition provided Phase 1—£946,000 ERDF pre 2008 approval and Phase 2—£2.63 million ERDF post approval.
Olympic Games: Greater London
The mandatory ceremonies will be directly funded from the London 2012 Organising Committee’s budget for the 2012 games. It is confident that the mandatory ceremonies will be funded within its £2 billion revenue budget. The bid projects and signature events and the UK-wide cultural festival will be delivered and funded in partnership with a range of public and private partners. For example, the £40 million Legacy Trust will fund cultural and sporting activity in the run up to the 2012 games.
The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will shortly set out more detail on the bid projects and the UK-wide Cultural Festival. The Cultural Olympiad is an opportunity for exciting proposals to be generated in the regions over the four-year period with funding being drawn in from a number of sources.
Meetings of the cost review group which took forward the work of the steering group were held on:
26 January 2006;
7 February 2006;
21 February 2006;
9 March 2006; and
25 April 2006.
KPMG were commissioned in October 2005 to provide advice on the cost of the Olympics. That advice was provided on an ongoing basis; and included KPMG being involved in the cost review set up to take forward the work of the cost review steering group.
The cost review steering group included membership from DCMS, HMT, ODPM (now DCLG), GLA, LOCOG, the interim ODA and KPMG. These organisations were also represented in the cost review group that was chaired by the Minister for Sport.
Dependent on the subject under discussion, representatives from HO, DfT, British Olympic Association (BOA), the Olympic Board Secretariat (now the Olympic Programme Support Unit) and Sport England were also invited to attend these meetings.
The cost review group chaired by the Minister for Sport assessed opportunities for reducing costs. This included the consideration of alternative options for the configuration of the Olympic park, alternative locations for venues, and for rationalising the design of supporting infrastructure. The group did not produce a report, although the output of its work informed decisions on the new Olympic park master plan announced on 7 June 2006.
I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 21 November 2006, reported in paragraphs 48 to 50 of the Committee's report, published on 24 January 2007, where I stated that it was known at the time of the bid that the bid did not include VAT. The basis for that was the understood and agreed assumption that it was not possible to sort out the tax treatment until the delivery structures were in place, and that matter could not be known before the bid was won. This issue was taken forward as part of the cost review work, and I announced the VAT position in respect of the Olympic Delivery Authority in my statement to the House on 15 March 2007.
Following London winning the bid, I instituted a thorough review of costs and provisions for the Olympic games. This included consultations and discussions within Government, with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and with other delivery partners. This also incorporated consideration of what funds needed to be available, and by when. Following the conclusion of this cost review, I announced on 15 March 2007, Official Report, column 450, a budget for the ODA and on a number of issues including wider security, tax and contingency provision.
The work to develop the revised Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London is progressing well. The revised Memorandum will be published as soon as possible, following its agreement.
(2) what provision is made for consideration of impacts on Scotland in the contractual specification and terms of reference governing KPMG's provision of on-going advice on the cost of the Olympic games in 2012.
After winning the bid to host the 2012 Olympic games, I instituted a thorough cost review. This cost review, to which KPMG provided advice, was overseen by the Olympic cost review steering group.
No specific assessment of the interests or impact to Scotland formed part of the drafting of the terms of reference of the Olympic cost review steering group, or the contractual specification and terms of reference governing KPMG's provision of on-going advice on the cost of the Olympic and Paralympic games.
The Government are committed to ensuring that people across the UK, including Scotland can benefit from, and participate in, the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games. We are working closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic games and Paralympic games (LOCOG) and the Nations and Regions Group (NRG), chaired by Charles Allen, which brings together representatives from every Nation and region. Each Nation and region is finalising its own plan to maximise the impact of the games in their area, as well as the wider opportunities to deliver a sustainable legacy from the games.
Further detailed information regarding Scotland’s plan can be provided by the relevant NRG Coordinator, Ian Campbell (Scottish Executive, Sports Division, Room 1-B(N), Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ).
In addition, Hampden Park in Glasgow will host group stages of the Olympic football competition. This will add significant strength to Scotland’s potential to benefit from the games.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid-Kent (Hugh Robertson) on 6 November 2006, Official Report, column 565W and in my evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 21 November 2006. My response sets out the basis on which VAT was dealt with in the candidature file prepared in 2004, and the action I took to initiate a review of costs and funding following the success of the bid in autumn 2005. This is also summarised in paragraphs 48 to 50 of the Committee's report published on 24 January.
Tourism: Greater London
DCMS provides funding of around £50 million per annum to VisitBritain, which promotes Britain as a whole. The Department's funding agreement with VisitBritain includes a target that, of the additional expenditure by inbound visitors generated by VisitBritain, a specified percentage should be achieved outside London. For 2005-06, the target was 55 per cent. and VisitBritain exceeded this by achieving a regional spread of 61 per cent.
Campaigns run by VisitBritain and enjoyEngland highlight attractions across the country to both inbound and domestic visitors. They target, for example, the growing demand for city breaks and the lifestyle market (including the appeal of food, sport, culture and family friendly attractions).
VisitBritain also co-funds (with Visit London) the Britain and London Visitor Centre. This acts as a gateway for visitors to learn about, and set out to explore, the rest of the country. VisitBritain’s quality assessment schemes for accommodation and visitor attractions ensure uniform national standards for visitors.
The Department, along with our partners, will shortly publish a strategy to ensure that the tourism sector makes the most of the opportunities provided by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. One of the principles of this will be that the benefits of the games are felt as widely as possible throughout the UK.
VisitBritain
VisitBritain has restructured to meet the challenges posed by market trends, such as the move away from printed consumer literature and towards online marketing. VisitBritain will focus its activities on developing new and growing markets, including proposed increases in staffing levels in the Asia-Pacific region.
Duchy of Lancaster
Departments: Advertising
The Cabinet Office does not keep central records of such revenue. To provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Departments: Manpower
The Central Office of Information has no staff classified as people without posts.
All members of staff in the Department’s Priority Talent Pool are engaged in work to deliver the Department’s business objectives to ensure that there is no additional cost to the public purse.
Departments: Official Cars
All travel is undertaken in accordance with Travel by Ministers and the Ministerial Code, copies of which are available in the House Library.
Energy: Environment Protection
Information relating to the policy review is available on the Cabinet Office website http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/policy_review/index.asp. Papers were drafted for working group meetings of each strand of the policy review. However, these were working papers prepared for internal discussion by Ministers and have not been disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussions in future.
Voluntary Work: Young People
The independent youth-led charity v has created nearly 120,000 volunteering opportunities for young people.
In addition to the grant funded and match funded projects, v has commissioned 20 teams based within local communities with the aim of creating a further 22,800 local opportunities over the next two years.
A detailed breakdown of expenditure will be in v’s annual report which will be published later this year.
Education and Skills
Advertising
Sponsorship costs for running the supplement were £50,000. There were no additional costs for print or online advertising to promote the supplement.
(2) when he expects to answer Questions (a) 129957 on publications tabled on 22 March 2007 and (b) 129955 on advertising and sponsorship tabled on 21 March 2007 by the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire.
In financial year 2006-07, the following activity was placed:
(a) Sponsorship of supplements in newspapers and publications.
£000 Evening Standard (London Challenge) 60.0 The Guardian (Every Child Matters) 1120.0 TES (14-19 reforms) 51.4 The Guardian (14-19 reforms 42.0 1 Covers two supplements in Guardian Education and Guardian Society
(b) Advertorials in newspapers and magazines.
£000 Kerrang (Student finance) 2.3 NME (Student finance) 15.6 More (Student finance) 9.6 Daily Mirror (Childcare) 13.0 The Voice (Childcare) 1.5
Animal Experiments
The Department has not distributed any information to schools regarding vivisection.
Building Schools for the Future Programme: Leicester
The DFES was informed of Centerprise's voluntary withdrawal from providing ICT equipment as part of Leicester's BSF programme on 12 March 2007.
Children: Protection
The core statutory guidance document ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ sets out the way in which the training and development of staff and volunteers should be undertaken to help them safeguard and promote the welfare of children effectively. The guidance states that it is the responsibility of employers to identify adequate resources and support for multi-agency training. It is the responsibility of the local authorities (LAs), with their partners in children’s trusts, and in discussion with the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) to decide, which bodies should commission or deliver the training. In some local areas it is the LSCB themselves who are commissioned to deliver the multi-agency training.
The Department only has data on this final type of training—delivered by LSCBs themselves. LSCBs were invited to take part in a voluntary survey in December 2006. In those survey returns, planned expenditure on the delivery of training in 2006-07 across those LSCBs for which we have data—around two thirds of all LSCBs in England—totalled around £2 million. If this is representative of all LSCBs then across the whole of England we could expect LSCBs to have spent around £3 million on safeguarding training in 2006-07. However this LSCB expenditure will be only part of the overall expenditure on multi-agency safeguarding training.
City Academies
There are 26 Academies open where construction work has been completed. The cost of each is detailed in the chart. These figures presented are as at May 2007 and are subject to change as final accounts have yet to be agreed.
Academy Cost DfES Contribution 1 Bexley Business Academy1 38.5 36 2 Walsall City Academy 17.5 15 3 Greig City Academy, Haringey 16.5 14.5 4 Capital City Academy, Brent 27.5 25.5 5 Lambeth Academy 25.5 23.5 6 King's Academy, Middlesbrough 22.5 20.5 7 Unity City Academy, Middlesbrough 22.0 18.5 8 The West London Academy, Ealing1 32.5 30.5 9 Stockley Academy, Hillingdon 28.0 25.5 10 Djanogly City Academy, Nottingham 23.5 23.5 11 The Academy at Peckham, Southwark 30.0 28 12 Bristol City Academy 27.5 25 13 Manchester Academy 20.0 18 14 Mossbourne Community Academy, Hackney 28.5 26.5 15 The Academy of St. Francis of Assisi, Liverpool 21.0 19 16 Northampton Academy 27.5 25.5 17 City of London Academy, Southwark 33.5 31.5 18 Trinity Academy, Doncaster 25.0 23 19 Marlowe Academy, Kent 28.0 25 20 London Academy, Barnet 33.5 32 21 Sandwell Academy 27.0 24.5 22 Grace Academy, Solihull 31.5 29.5 23 Salford City Academy 16.5 15 24 David Young Community Academy, Leeds 23.5 21.5 25 Dixons City Academy, Bradford2 6.5 6 26 Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham Academy, Lewisham2 7.0 6.5 1 The Business Academy, Bexley and West London Academy, Ealing are “all through” Academies catering for pupils from age 3 to 19. This cost includes the cost of both the primary school and secondary school. 2 Dixons and Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham are both conversions from City Technology Colleges.
City Academies: Finance
When the academy programme was launched in 2000, sponsors were required to provide 10 per cent. of the capital costs of a new building up to a maximum of £2 million. We have since moved to an endowment model of sponsorship, and sponsors will, as the norm, establish an endowment fund worth £2 million (or £1.5 million for the fourth or subsequent academy for sponsors of multiple academies). The Department does not distinguish between sponsorship commitments made by private sector donors and those made by charitable organisations.
There are at present 47 open academies. Of these: two academy trusts had met their full sponsorship commitments before May 2006; one is a former city technology college which is not required to provide sponsorship in the form of a capital contribution; and one is providing sponsorship under the endowment model of sponsorship, leaving a total of 43 academies with commitments to provide a contribution to capital costs.
Over the 12 months ending 31 May 2007 sponsor contributions to capital costs amounted to £13,202,000, an average of £307,023 over the 43 open academies described above.
Sponsors' donations contributing to capital costs are normally made over the lifetime of the building costs of the project, so in the majority of cases a number of payments towards capital costs remain to be made.
Departments: Sign Language
We always consider the needs of minority audiences, including those for whom BSL is a first language, when developing communications campaigns for external audiences, working closely with the Central Office of Information (COI) Diversity Unit. Decisions about the scale and shape of campaign activity need to reflect our responsibility to get the best possible value for money from our marketing budgets.
In recent years, we contributed to a cross-Whitehall BSL video magazine, distributed by COI, which has now been discontinued. The increasing public access to digital media has helped us to respond to accessibility issues around provision of our information. We are committed to including all our public information campaigns on our website in plain English, which helps to overcome many barriers for those with impaired hearing.
Departments: Travel Agents
Details of payments of travel agencies' fees incurred by the Department over the last eight years are set out in the following table.
Hotel contract Business travel contract 2006/07 169, 864 447,131 2005/06 129,224 422,565 2004/05 142,697 396,225 2003/04 98,107 381,192 2002/03 87,541 385,627 2001/02 100,746 441,353 2000/01 97,738 425,770 1999/2000 92,753 399,975
The Department has engaged an agent to arrange hotel accommodation for DfES staff that stay overnight when on official business. The Department has also engaged an agent to arrange all travel tickets for both domestic and foreign travel. The fees stated above form part of the contract of both agents.
The Department does not have any executive agencies.
Departments: Westminster City Council
The grants made to Westminster city council in each year since 1997-98 by this Department, as recorded by the council in the Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns, are as follows.
£000 1997-98 Standards Fund 545 Section 11 (Ethnic Minorities) Grant (excluding SRB) 1363 1998-99 Standards Fund 809 Under-5s Specific Grant 460 Ethnic Minorities Achievement Grant 1,539 1999-2000 Standards Fund 1,879 Nursery Education Grant for four-year-olds 64 Ethnic Minorities Achievement Grant 1,398 2000-01 Standards Fund 3,650 Nursery Education Grant for four-year-olds 47 Provision for three-year-olds 30 Ethnic Minorities Achievement Grant 1,249 Sure Start 2 Child Care and Early Years 360 2001-02 Standards Fund 7,478 Teachers Pay Reform 867 School Standards Grant 1,469 Child Care and Early Years 678 2002-03 Standards Fund 9,555 Nursery Education for three-year-olds 915 Teachers Pay Reform 1,083 School Standards Grant 1,540 Child Care and Early Years 593 2003-04 Child care 865 Excellence in Cities 1,065 School Standards 1,967 Standards Fund 8,223 Teachers' Pay Reform 2,073 Children's Services 5,706 2004-05 Adoption Support and Guardianship Special Orders 189 Choice Protects 246 General Sure Start Grant 15 Education Actions Zones 10 Excellence in Cities 1,119 Safeguarding Children 739 School Standards 2,125 Standards Fund 8,472 Teachers' Pay Reform/Threshold 2,415 Teenage Pregnancy Local Implementation 65 2005-06 Adoption Support and Guardianship Special Orders 314 Choice Protects 530 General Sure Start Grant 3,877 Change Fund 43 Safeguarding Children 862 School Standards 2,286 Standards Fund 10,465 Teachers' Pay Reform/Threshold 2,402 Transforming Youth Work Development Fund 17 Teenage Pregnancy Local Implementation 115 2006-07 Children's Services 901 General Sure Start Grant 2,366 Standards Fund - School Standards Grant 2,420 Standards Fund—Other 8,725 Teenage Pregnancy Local Implementation 140
This table sets out the specific grants inside aggregate external finance (AEF) (i.e. revenue grants paid for councils' core services) paid to Westminster and exclude grant outside AEF such as capital grants, funding for local authorities' housing management responsibilities, European funding; or where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area. Revenue support grant and other elements of formula grant (such as redistributed business rates and police grant) have also been excluded.
Revenue outturn data have been used from 1997/98 to 2005/06 (the last year available) and Revenue Account (RA) data have been used for 2006-07. Dedicated schools grant (DSG) started in 2006/07 and this has been recorded by Westminster council on their RA return. However, it has been excluded from the above table as prior to 2006-07 this funding was part of RSG, and the question excludes the funding from RSG. The Department can confirm that £86,014 of DSG was paid to Westminster in 2006/07.
There are a number of smaller grants included in an ‘Other’ category on the revenue returns submitted by local authorities. It is possible that there may be some DfES grants within this category, but it is not possible to identify these separately within the return.
Examinations: Fees and Charges
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is currently consulting on the principles which should inform the setting of fees for the Diploma.
Free School Meals: Lone Parents
The information requested is not held centrally.
Further Education: Finance
As the Secretary of State confirmed in his speech to the Association of Colleges annual conference in November 2006 we have, by 2006/7, reduced the funding gap between school sixth forms and FE colleges for comparable 16 to 18 provision by 5 per cent.. We committed in the FE White Paper to take further steps to narrow this funding gap by a further 3 per cent. by 2008 and beyond that to take steps to narrow the gap further as resources allow. For the longer term we plan to establish common funding arrangements for all 16 to 18 provision with comparable funding for comparable activity, irrespective of the type of institution providing the education and training. Our recent consultation on the creation of a demand led system included proposals for this common 16 to 18 funding approach. We are currently considering responses to the consultation and plan to implement changes in time for the 2008/09 academic year.
Per capita funding for full-time equivalent 16, 17 and 18-year-old learners in further education colleges in 2005-06 was £5,000. In 2006-07 we estimate this will rise to £5,100 but this will not be confirmed until final student numbers are available later in the year.
For 16, 17 and 18-year-olds in school sixth forms the level of funding per pupil was £4,900 in 2005-06, this rose to £5,200 in 2006-07.
Figures for school sixth forms and colleges are not directly comparable as a range of factors affects them including the mix of provision offered, achievement and retention levels and the location in which the provider is based. It is also impossible to get an entirely accurate full time equivalent learner figure for college students whereas for schools, as almost all pupils study full time in sixth forms, the pupil count is precise.
Data for 2007-08 will not be available until autumn 2007.
Heartease High School
Cambridge Education (CE Ltd) has been appointed to manage the feasibility study; the cost of this work is £323,000, which is in line with the average cost of a nine-month feasibility phase on other academy projects. As a limited company the articles and memorandum of association for CE are available from Companies House.
Literacy: Computer Software
There is extensive guidance on the use of reading and literacy software for local authorities and schools on the TeacherNet website (www.teachernet.gov.uk) for both primary and secondary education. This includes the practical support pack which is an online collection of high quality lesson content, lesson plans, multimedia resources and ICT support materials designed to help teachers develop their teaching practice using ICT. It shows the role that ICT can play in teaching and learning objectives as a practical approach.
The practical support pack will soon be replaced by a new CPD microsite contained within TeacherNet, called ‘Reach’. Reach will contain all of the PSP materials and more within a new design.
Pupils: Per Capita Costs
The requested information has been placed in the House Library.
Schools: Admissions
Data on heard and successful admissions appeals for all local education authorities in England, covering the years 1997-98 to 2005-06, have been placed in the Library.
Schools: Choirs
The £10 million is not being devolved to schools at this stage. There has been huge interest in the national singing campaign and Howard Goodall, the singing ambassador, has received hundreds of messages from schools, organisations and individuals asking how they can become involved or providing details of the work they already do. Plans are being made to allocate the funding to major national initiatives to achieve the widest possible impact. This will include the production of a major song resource to be made available to every school and every child and the training of vocal leaders for schools.
Schools: Church of Scientology
(2) what assessment he has made of the success of the Narconon programme in schools;
(3) what contact his Department has had with (a) Narconon and (b) the Church of Scientology in the last two years.
The Department has had no contact with Narconon or the Church of Scientology in the last two years, nor have schools contacted the Department for guidance on visits by these organisations.
The Department’s guidance, “Drugs: Guidance for Schools” (DFES 2004) is clear that teachers should be the main providers of drug education and maintain responsibility for the overall drug education programme in their school. External contributors can be used where they add to the drug education programme a dimension that the teacher alone cannot deliver.
The Department has not assessed the Narconon drug programme for schools as it is for schools and local authorities to decide whether to use the services of an external contributor to assist with their drug education programme, and if so who this should be.
Schools: Finance
By 1 June 2007, the closing date of the consultation, my Department had received a total of 1,163 representations about our proposals for the school, early years and 14-16 funding arrangements for 2008-11. This includes 651 representations made as part of six campaigns including 542 letters supporting the position of the F40 group of authorities of which the hon. Member for Stafford is chair.
We are now considering the responses. The final total, including a number received since the closing date, will be set out in a report summarising the responses to the consultation to be published on the TeacherNet website when we announce our decisions on the proposals in the summer. A copy of the report will be placed in the Library.
Special Educational Needs: Finance
The requested information has been placed in the House Library.
Swimming: Finance
Swimming activities and water safety is a compulsory part of the National Curriculum for physical education in primary schools and schools can choose it as a programme of study in secondary schools. Funding for schools to deliver the National Curriculum is part of their core funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant—£28.3 billion in total in 2007-08.
In addition, £5.5 million in 2006-08 is being targeted at supporting pupils to reach the Key Stage 2 requirements for swimming, including being able to swim at least 25 metres.
Teachers: Vacancies
The following table shows the number of full-time vacant teaching posts in local authority maintained nursery/primary, secondary and special schools in each January from 1997 to 2007. Vacancy rates as a percentage of full-time teachers in post are also included.
A full-time teacher vacancy refers to a full-time appointment of at least one term's duration that, on the survey date, had been advertised but not filled. Vacancies include those filled on a temporary basis unless filled by someone with a fixed term contract of one term or more.
Vacancies as a percentage of teachers in post2 Number of vacancies 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 20073 20073 Nursery and primary All vacancies Number 1,090 1,390 1,370 1,420 2,110 1,800 1,110 780 740 710 660 — Rate 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.2 1.0 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 — Grade4,5 Head or deputy/ assistant 0.9 1.4 1.3 1.0 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.7 230 Head 0.6 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.6 100 Deputy head/assistant head 1.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.8 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.8 0.9 0.7 130 Classroom teacher 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 1.2 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 430 Secondary All vacancies Number 730 970 940 1,250 2.590 2,450 2,050 1,630 1,550 1.340 1,220 — Rate 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.7 1.4 1.3 1.1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 — Grade4,5 Head or deputy/ assistant 0.7 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.4 80 Head 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.5 1.0 0.9 0.5 20 Deputy head/assistant head 0.7 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4 60 Classroom teacher 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.7 1.5 1.4 1.2 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.7 1,130 Special All vacancies Number 200 230 220 240 280 290 240 220 190 180 170 — Rate 1.5 1.8 1.7 1.9 2.2 2.4 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.4 — Grade4,5 Head or deputy/ assistant 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.5 1.7 1.6 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.3 40 Head 1.2 1.1 2.0 2.5 1.0 1.1 1.0 0.8 0.9 1.6 1.2 10 Deputy head/assistant head 2.7 2.7 2.0 2.6 2.3 2.0 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.4 30 Classroom teacher 1.4 1.8 1.6 1.8 2.3 2.6 2.2 2.0 1.7 1.6 1.4 130 Nursery/primary, secondary and special All vacancies Number 2,020 2,590 2,530 2,910 4,980 4,540 3,410 2,630 2,480 2,230 2,040 — Rate 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.4 1.2 0.9 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 — Grade4,5 Head or deputy/ assistant 1.0 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.1 0.9 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.6 350 Head 0.7 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.6 130 Deputy head/assistant head 1.2 1.8 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.6 220 Classroom teacher 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.8 1.4 1.3 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.5 1,690 1 Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration). Includes vacancies being filled on a temporary basis of less than one term. 2 Teachers in post include full-time qualified regular teachers in (or on secondment from) maintained nursery and primary schools, plus the primary portion of full-time regular divided service, peripatetic, advisory and miscellaneous teachers. 3 Provisional. 4 The number of teachers in post by grade is from the 618g survey for 2001 onwards, previous years were estimated using the Database of Teacher Records. 5 The role of assistant head was created in 2001. Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because of rounding. Source: 618g survey
Teachers: Training
The following tables show the number of final year initial teacher training (ITT) trainees for each year between 1998-99 and 2004-05 who did not gain qualified teacher status (QTS) in their final year of training and of these the number who left their course before completion and the number where the outcome of QTS is unknown for:
1. Mainstream initial teacher training (ITT) trainees
2. Employment based routes (EBR) trainees
Number of mainstream final year trainees who have not gained QTS Total number of mainstream trainees in their final year Number of mainstream final year trainees gaining QTS Known not to have completed course Undefined outcome Other outcome Total 1998/99 27,200 24,070 1,310 460 1,350 3,130 1999/2000 24,650 21,690 1,290 350 1,330 2,960 2000/01 25,720 22,640 1,350 480 1,250 3,080 2001/02 26,350 23,280 1,130 0 1,940 3,070 2000/03 28,570 25,430 1,050 10 2,090 3,140 2003/04 30,970 27,340 1,470 0 2,160 3,630 2004/05 31,360 27,150 1,410 20 2,780 4,210 Notes: 1. Includes trainees from universities and other higher education (HE) institutions, school centred initial teacher training (SCITT) and open universities (OU), but exclude employment based routes (EBR). 2. Numbers are individually rounded to the nearest 10, therefore may not sum. 3. 'Other outcome' includes final year trainees who are yet to complete their course, those with withheld QTS (including those where their skills test was not met, their standards were not met and where both their standards and skills test were not met) and those where the skill test has not been taken (include those whose standards were met and those whose standards were not met). Source:TDA performance profiles.
Number of EBR final year trainees who have not gained QTS Total number of EBR trainees in their final year Number of EBR final year trainees gaining QTS Known not to have completed course Undefined outcome Other outcome Total 2001/02 2,440 2,210 30 0 190 230 2002/03 4,030 3,670 340 0 20 360 2003/04 4,950 4,470 440 0 30 470 2004/05 7,220 6,600 260 0 350 610 Notes: 1. Includes trainees through employment based routes (EBR) only. 2. Numbers are individually rounded to the nearest 10, therefore may not sum. 3. 'Other outcome' includes final year trainees who are yet to complete their course, those with withheld QTS (including those where their skills test was not met, their standards were not met and where both their standards and skills test were not met) and those where the skill test has not been taken (include those whose standards were met and those whose standards were not met). Source: TDA performance profiles.
Train-to-Gain Programmes
[holding answer 4 June 2007]: Train to gain is an ongoing service and as such performance is updated on a regular basis. Detailed operational information is not held centrally by the Department but is collected by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC); Mark Haysom the LSC Chief Executive has written directly to the hon. Member with the available information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 11 June 2007:
I am writing in response to your question to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills about how many employees within the public sector had enrolled in train to gain programmes by the end of February 2007. In public sector employers with (a) fewer than 250 (b) between 250 and 1,000, (c) 1,000 and 5,000, (d) more than 5,000 employees
The LSC employer database structure does not report all of the size bands requested. However, the following information should be helpful.
Employer size Number of learners 1 to 49 5,225 250 to 4,999 2,052 5,000 + 255
Aggressive Pupils
The provision of counselling and legal support is a matter for the local authorities and schools that employ teachers and for teachers’ professional associations. Teachers who have been subjected to physical aggression should report incidents to their employer, who has a duty of care to support them.
The Department has issued new guidance, Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education which gives advice about dealing with allegations against teachers. This came into force on 1 January 2007.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Bees
A 2001 Economic Evaluation of DEFRA's bee health programme estimated the value of honey bees to commercial pollination at approximately £120 million, although changes in crop areas and values suggest that the value may now be lower. No valuation of the role of honey bees in relation to the pollination of wild plants is available.
Agriculture: Subsidies
In England, as of 6 June 2007, 24 claimants have not received a payment for the 2005 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and approximately 4,400 claimants have not yet received a payment for the SPS 2006.
Detailed analysis of all the payments made under the Single Payment Scheme is not yet available. Once the remaining scheme payments have been completed, a decision will be taken on the level of detail that will be published.
Bees: Diseases
The term Colony Collapse Disorder is being used in the USA to describe cases in which some very large scale commercial operations have lost a high percentage of their hives. A wide range of possible causes are being investigated by researchers in the USA. The National Bee Unit at DEFRA's Central Science Laboratory is maintaining close contact with researchers from the USA.
There have been widely reported, but isolated, cases in the UK in which beekeepers have lost a high percentage of their bee colonies. However, overall percentage losses are similar to previous years, albeit reflecting the gradual increase seen in the last five years.
Bees: Research
DEFRA has received a small number of representations in the last three years regarding funding of research into bees.
Biodiversity
There are 373 single species action plans and 45 habitat action plans under the UK biodiversity action plan. These are referred to as the priority species and habitats. Reporting on the status and trends of these priorities is done every three years. The latest available figures are for 2005. The next and final figures before the 2010 biodiversity target will be made available in February 2009. In 2005, the information below was reported:
175 species (47 per cent.) are either increasing or are stable, which is an improvement on the 2002 figures. Similarly, the number of species assessed as ‘declining or lost’ fell between 2002 and 2005. For habitats, 35 per cent. are now increasing or stable.
102 species (27 per cent.) are thought to be declining, but the decline is slowing for 36 species (10 per cent.). Although 17 habitats (39 per cent.) are thought to be declining, this decline is slowing for 11 habitats (25 per cent.).
Declining habitats
Chalk rivers;
Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh;
Littoral and sublittoral chalk;
Sheltered muddy gravels;
Modiolus modiolus beds;
Coastal saltmarsh.
Declining habitats but slowing
Fens;
Lowland dry acid grassland;
Purple moor grass and rush pastures;
Eutrophic standing waters;
Blanket bog;
Lowland wood-pasture and parkland;
Upland hay meadows;
Upland calcareous grassland;
Lowland calcareous grassland;
Lowland meadows;
Limestone pavements;
Declining species Thlaspi perfoliatum Cotswold Pennycress Silene gallica Small-flowered Catchfly Ranunculus tripartitus Three-lobed Water-crowfoot Pyrrhula pyrrhula Bullfinch Pallavicinia lyellii Veilwort Orthotnchum pallens Pale Bristle-moss Mentha pulegium Pennyroyal Luronium natans Floating Water Plantain Liparis loeselii Fen Orchid Limoniscus violaceus Violet Click Beetle Juncus pygmaeus Pygmy Rush Idaea ochrata cantiata Bright Wave Harpalus froelichi a Ground Beetle Gentianella uliginosa Dune Gentian Galium tricornutum Corn Cleavers Galeopsis angustifolia Red Hemp-nettle Formica candida Black bog ant Ditrichum plumbicola Lead-moss Cicindela sylvatica Heath Tiger Beetle Cerastium nigrescens Shetland Mouse-ear Bidessus unistriatus a Diving Beetle Anostirus castaneus Chestnut coloured click beetle Eunicella verrucosa Pink Sea-fan Zygodon gracilis Nowell’s Limestone Moss Weissia multicapsularis Moss Tetrao tetrix Black Grouse Streptopelia turtur Turtle Dove Squamarina lentigera Scaly Breck-Lichen Sium latifolium Greater Water Parsnip Sciurus vulgaris Red Squirrel Schismatomma graphidioides a Lichen Rheumaptera hastate Argent and sable Raja batis Common Skate Potamogeton compressus Grass-wrack Pondweed Oria musculosa Brighton Wainscot Muscicapa striata Spotted Flycatcher Miliaria calandra Corn Bunting Melanitta nigra Common Scoter Margaritifera margaritifera Freshwater Pearl Mussel Lycopodiella inundata Marsh Clubmoss Lycia zonaria britannica Belted Beauty Linnaea borealis Twinflower Leptopsammia pruvoti Sunset Cup Coral Leptodontium gemmascens Thatch Moss Juniperus communis Juniper Jodia croceago Orange Upperwing Hydroporus rufifrons a Diving Beetle Heliophobus reticulata Bordered Gothic Formica rufibarbis Red Barbed Ant Donacia bicolora a Reed Beetle Damasonium alisma Starfruit Cotoneaster integerrimus Wild Cotoneaster Chrysotoxum octomaculatum a Hoverfly Chaenotheca phaeocephala a Lichen Carduelis cannabina Linnet Caloplaca luteoalba Orange-Fruited Elm-lichen Calicium corynellum a Lichen Bryoria smithii a Lichen Boloria euphrosyne Pearl-bordered Fritillary Bidessus minutissimus a Diving Beetle Austropotamobius pajlipes Freshwater White-clawed Crayfish Aspitates gilvaria gilvaria Straw Belle Anisus vorticulus Ramshorn snail Alauda arvensis Skylark Acrocephalus palustris Marsh Warbler
Declining species but slowing Zygaena loti scotica Slender Scotch Burnet Woodsia ilvensis Oblong Woodsia Triturus cristatus Great Crested newt Tolypella intricata Tassel Stonewort Segmenting nitida Shining ram's-horn snail Potamogeton rutilus Shetland Pondweed Polia bombycina Pale Shining Brown Plebejus argus Silver-studded Blue Perdix perdix Grey Partridge Pechipogo strigilata Common Fan-foot Ostrea edulis Native Oyster Osmia xanthomelana a Mason Bee Odontomyia hydroleon a Soldierfly Muscardinus avellanarius Dormouse Mejiicta athaila Heath Fritillary Lejeunea mandonii Atlantic lejeunea Jynx torquilla Wryneck Hemaris tityus Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth Hammerschmidtia ferruginea a Hoverfly Graphoderus zonatus Spangled Water Beetle Formica exsecta Narrow-headed Ant Eurodryas aurinia Marsh Fritillary Eristalis cryptarum Bog hoverfly Enterographa elaborate New Forest beech-lichen Dicycla oo Heart Moth Coiietes floralis The Northern Colletes Coenagrion mercuriale Southern Damselfly Cephaloziella nicholsonii Greater Copperwort Carterocephalus palaemon Chequered Skipper Bufo calamita Natterjack Toad Athetis paijustris Marsh Moth Asparagus officinalis ssp. prostratus Wild Asparagus Asilus crabroniformis Hornet robberfly Arvicola terrestris Water Vole Argynnis adippe High Brown Fritillary Agabus brunneus a Diving Beetle
Bovine Tuberculosis: Compensation
[holding answer 11 June 2007]: Since 1 February 2006, compensation in England for bovine tuberculosis (TB) has been determined primarily using table values, which reflect the average sales price of bovine animals in 47 different categories. The categories are based on the animal’s age, gender, type (dairy or beef) and status (that is, pedigree or non-pedigree).
The Government are obliged to pay compensation for cattle that are culled as a result of TB. However, we believe that table valuations provide a fairer balance between the costs that are expected to be carried by the taxpayer and those that are expected to be carried by the farmer than was provided by the previous system of individual valuation.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Testing
We are considering how to introduce lay testing for bovine tuberculosis. However, final decisions have still to be taken on whether to proceed.
Details of the Animal Health pilot study have been circulated and discussed with interested parties. The pilot has demonstrated that lay staff can successfully be trained to carry out this work under veterinary supervision. However, we recognise that extending the principle of lay testing raises some important issues. These need to be fully explored with the veterinary profession and other interested parties before firm proposals can be developed.
BSE: Disease Control
A Veterinary Risk Assessment (VRA), published on 21 May 2007, concluded that culling cohorts of cattle affected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) as soon as possible:
(i) supports the Government’s challenging target of eradicating BSE in Great Britain by 2010;
(ii) promotes consumer confidence in UK beef; and
(iii) avoids the need for expensive additional control measures to monitor cohorts.
The VRA is available on the DEFRA website.
Dairy Farming: Republic of Ireland
The Irish Government announced a dairy processing industry investment package in 2006. Following commercial and technical evaluation of the applications, the announcement of grant awards was made in April 2007. A total of 19 capital investment projects were approved and awarded Government grant assistance of €114 million. Industry will fund an additional €172 million to generate an estimated capital spend of €286 million.
The UK Government have made no assessment of the impact on the UK dairy industry as the details of the proposals have only recently been announced. Proposals for research to assess the impact will be evaluated alongside competing proposals in line with Government's priorities. It is, of course, open to the UK dairy sector to fund its own research into the likely effects of the Irish dairy package so that it can respond appropriately.
Departments: Carbon Emissions
The information requested is as follows.
1. Carbon emissions from buildings
Carbon emissions from buildings are calculated from total kilowatt hour energy use (electricity and fossil fuel) in all buildings on the estate. Conversion factors to convert kilowatt hours into tonnes carbon/carbon dioxide are provided by the Sustainable Development Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) return.
2. Carbon emissions from travel
Carbon emissions from official travel within DEFRA are calculated using engine size, total mileage and fuel type. Conversion factors to convert fuel type into tonnes carbon dioxide are provided by the Sustainable Development Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) return.
Departments: Guildford
The planned date for closure of the Epsom road, Guildford site is 30 December 2007.
The Department is conscious that any development scheme for which planning consent is submitted should comply with all available sustainable energy and environmental standards.
The Department confirms that the application for planning that is to be submitted is for residential property and as such will attract the relevant policy (SE2) within the Surrey structure plan relating to sustainable energy and the level three standard for sustainable homes as detailed by Department for Communities and Local Government.
The Department and its agent have had extensive discussions with Guildford borough council’s Trees and Woodlands Officer. The officer is satisfied that there is no threat to the trees under the Department’s planning proposal and no Tree Preservation Orders have been made.
Departments: Manpower
No staff in CEFAS are classified as people without posts.
Departments: Property
The most recent valuation of the Department’s property portfolio was on 1 April 2005. The estimated total value at that date was £490,224,550.
Departments: Publicity
From its inception in 2001 to 2003-04, the Department did not record separate advertising costs as part of its overall communications expenditure. The figures for key advertising campaigns from 2004-05 are as follows.
Advertising campaign Amount (£) 2004-05 Personal food imports 92,343 2005-06 Personal food imports 94,278 2006-07 Personal food imports 81,732 2005-06 Avian flu 185,976
The Department undertakes all of its advertising through the COI’s rosters of advertising agencies.
Domestic Wastes: Waste Management
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 March, Official Report, column 1641W.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) 2005 guidance on alternate weekly collection of waste is currently being updated and has been withdrawn. Copies of the new guidance will be placed in the House Library as soon as it is available.
Environment Protection: Finance
My Department does not provide any additional funding to local authorities to implement the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 (CNEA).
A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) published in July 2004 concluded that, taken as a whole, the measures introduced in the CNEA do not involve significant additional costs for local authorities. Indeed, the RIA concluded they could well lead to overall savings in local authority costs through increased efficiency and effective, well publicised enforcement.
Local authorities themselves asked for these new powers to combat the minority who continue to fly-tip, drop litter and behave in an antisocial manner and the Government have now provided them.
In most cases, local authorities also have the flexibility to set their own fixed penalty rates for offences under the Act and, since November 2003, have been able to retain receipts from fixed penalties issued for local environmental crimes. Poor performing local authorities must re-direct this money into their street cleansing service, although those awarded an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ rating are free to use the penalty receipts as they wish.
Comprehensive guidance has been issued to all local authorities to help them implement the CNEA. This includes specific guidance on developing an enforcement strategy and making the most effective use of available enforcement tools. DEFRA has also produced guidance on how local authorities can make efficiency savings in street cleansing and related services. Copies of all guidance can be downloaded from DEFRA’s website.
Fisheries
Fisheries Administrations regularly undertake quota swaps to support the diverse needs of our inshore fleet. The following table sets out details of the numbers of quota swaps undertaken on their behalf by Fisheries Administrations since January 2005. The monthly breakdown relates to the month the swaps were attributed to the 10 metre and under allocation:
March April May June July August September October November December End year swaps Total 2005 Tonnes gained — 137 37 136 338 172 343 135 171 134 47 1,650 Number of swaps — 15 3 5 25 7 18 9 11 3 9 105 2006 Tonnes gained 10 741 258 163 64 194 165 85 78 134 144 2,036 Number of swaps 1 13 16 17 4 14 18 7 10 18 23 141 2007 Tonnes gained — 700 117 112 — — — — — — — 829 Number of swaps — 19 16 12 — — — — — — — 37 1 Completed as of 12 June 2007.
DEFRA Ministers will meet Ministers from the new administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to discuss a range of issues, including the Marine Bill, in the week commencing 18 June.
As with the previous administrations, there will continue to be regular contact on the Marine Bill between DEFRA and the devolved administrations. I am committed to working with the devolved administrations to bring a joined-up approach, through the Marine Bill proposals, to the delivery of our shared vision for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas.
No. The arrangements for allocating quota to inshore and other vessels are a matter for individual member states. In the UK the management of the inshore fleet, including these vessels' access to quota, is being considered in the context of the current quota management change programme, with a view to public consultation later this year.
The issue of the application of days at sea limits to under 10 metre vessels has already been considered in the context of the cod recovery plan. The conclusion at Community level was that this was not appropriate, since the large number of these vessels in the UK and other fleets made both the administration and enforcement of the controls potentially extremely difficult and resource intensive. We were supportive of this line and remain so.
Fisheries: Carbon Emissions
Shipping from UK based vessels in territorial waters, is included in the UK greenhouse gas inventory, under national navigation. DEFRA does not produce specific figures on emissions from the fishing industry.
Fisheries: Devon
Future management arrangements for the inshore fleet are being considered in the context of the UK’s current quota management change programme. Issues being examined include access to quota and fleet capacity: the case for region-specific measures, for example in terms of localised management, may also be addressed.
Fishing Catches
In 2006, the UK 10 metre and under fleet landed 7,286 tonnes of fish subject to quotas. Estimates of the level of fish discards are made by scientists involved in the assessment of the state of fish stocks. However, these are made at the level of the overall fish stock rather than for individual segments of the fleet. In addition, such estimates are not made for the full range of fish stocks caught by the 10 metre and under fleet. As such, an estimate of the level of discards attributable to this fleet is not available.
Fly Tipping: Greater London
(2) how many (a) prosecutions and (b) successful prosecutions there were in each London borough for fly-tipping in each year since 2004; and how much has been recovered through related fines in each London borough.
[holding answer 5 June 2007]: Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, to record the number of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities.
The following tables show the number of incidents and prosecutions recorded by each local authority in Greater London on Flycapture for 2004-2005 and 2005-06. Data recorded in square brackets have been reported by the Environment Agency, who deal only with larger-scale fly-tipping incidents. Data for 2006-2007 are not yet available but will be published in the summer.
Flycapture does not record details of any costs awarded to local authorities by courts following successful prosecutions.
London borough Total number of incidents Estimated clearance costs recorded Number of prosecutions taken to court Number of successful prosecutions Corporation of London 171 9,132 0 0 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham No Data Supplied (11) No Data Supplied (2,841.83) No Data Supplied No Data Supplied London Borough of Barnet 5,726 (14) 273,780 (4,050) 16 15 London Borough of Bexley Council 175 (5) 263,90 (1,170) 0 0 London Borough of Brent 969 (17) 33,037 (2,625) 0 0 London Borough of Bromley 1,913 (5) 157,848.31 (635) 0 0 London Borough of Camden 24,287 (2) 704,323 (150) 0 0 London Borough of Croydon 6,801 (5) 427,877 (505) 2 2 London Borough of Ealing 1,848 (13) 52,375 (2,102.50) 0 0 London Borough of Enfield 2,509 (91 122,050 (1,920) 9 9 London Borough of Greenwich 156 14) 17,930 (325) 4 4 London Borough of Hackney 63 (8) 1,827 (865) 2 2 London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 8,099 (7) 381,327 (1,527.50) 0 0 London Borough of Haringey 52,006 (2) 1,508,358 (210) 1 1 London Borough of Harrow 248 (8) 8,333 (775) 0 0 London Borough of Havering 4,943 (6) 284,200 (580) 0 0 London Borough of Hillingdon 2,128 (11) Data not Supplied (4,592.31) 4 (2) 2 (2) London Borough of Hounslow 5,824 (9) 151,929 (1,625) 0 (1) 0 (1) London Borough of Islington 5,196 (5) 232,872 (557.50) 2 2 London Borough of Lambeth 13,783 (2) 404,591 (150) 24 24 London Borough of Lewisham 20,171 (4) 1 ,441 ,300 (350) 48 47 London Borough of Merton 5,155 (8) 272769 (585) 5 5 London Borough of Newham 9,069 (11) 584,741 (1,532.50) 0 0 London Borough of Redbridge 5,864 (5) 299,575 (640) 2 2 London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames 899 (2) 39,91 1 (355) 0 0 London Borough of Southwark 23,006 (1) 994,263 (360) 40 34 London Borough of Sutton 227 (5) 13,319 (583.56) 0 0 London Borough of Tower Hamlets 3,109 (6) 144,998 (862.50) 0 0 London Borough of Waltham Forest 8,304 (7) 539,174 (647.50) 1 1 London Borough of Wandsworth No Data Supplied No Data Supplied No Data Supplied No Data Supplied Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 39,677 1,428,542 6 6 Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames No Data Supplied (1) No Data Supplied (105) No Data Supplied No Data Supplied Westminster City Council 8295 (2) 338,678 (210) 0 0 Totals 260,621 10,895,449.31 166 156 EA Totals 195 33,707.70 3 3
London borough Total number of incidents Estimated clearance costs recorded Number of prosecutions taken to court Number of successful prosecutions Corporation of London 675 31,899 0 0 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham 3,481 (1) 234,117 9 8 London Borough of Barnet 4,843 (7) 236,961(3,750) 32 (1) 32 (1) London Borough of Bexley Council 407 (2) 43,809 (187.50) 0 0 London Borough of Brent 5,233 (4) 311,456 1 1 London Borough of Bromley 4,697 (2) 342,797.90 0 0 London Borough of Camden 170,28 (1) 493,812 (75) 6 6 London Borough of Croydon 8,355 (2) 372,734 (75) 3 3 London Borough of Ealing 9,044 (8) 263,076 (150) 0 0 London Borough of Enfield 5,772 (11) 312,835 (6,750) 4 (7) 4 (7) London Borough of Greenwich 3,233 (2) 124,582 (280) 8 8 London Borough of Hackney 770 (2) 2,5508 (300) 1 1 London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 6,017 (1) 528,014 0 0 London Borough of Haringey 63,767 (3) 1,849,243 (150) 11 11 London Borough of Harrow 3,843 (4) 171,150 0 0 London Borough of Havering 9,629 (3) 529,783 (150) 0 0 London Borough of Hillingdon 2,384 (4) 14,596 (225) 39 (2) 39 (2) London Borough of Hounslow 7,345 (4) 210,972 (375) 0 0 London Borough of Islington 8,812 (2) 459,431 16 16 London Borough of Lambeth 10,434 (2) 307,672 (75) 31 31 London Borough of Lewisham 18,987 (3) 941,536 (215) 64 64 London Borough of Merton 3,330 (3) 190,121 (225) 9 9 London Borough of Newham 3,527 401,100 0 0 London Borough of Redbridge 4,455 184,582 6 6 London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames 1,771 (1) 95,709 (75) 0 0 London Borough of Southwark 24,852 (1) 1 ,089,995 49 39 London Borough of Sutton 2,762 (2) 152,555 (70) 5 5 London Borough of Tower Hamlets 5,681 (1) 217,502 (75) 4 4 London Borough of Waltham Forest 8,566 (2) 385,563 (75) 0 0 London Borough of Wandsworth 166,195 (1) 3,655,746 8 8 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 58,374 1 ,876,596 2 2 Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames No Data Supplied No Data Supplied No Data Supplied No Data Supplied Westminster City Council 10,365 (2) 420,222 0 0 Total 484,634 16,475,674.9 308 297 EA Totals 81 13,277.50 10 10
Members: Correspondence
I apologise for the delay in replying to my right hon. Friend's letter. A response was issued on 8 June.
Packaging: Waste Disposal
Food-related packaging makes up an estimated 18-20 per cent. of household waste and around 3.3 per cent. of the controlled waste which is sent to landfill1. No estimate is currently available of the proportion of food packaging waste landfilled or recycled specifically relating to sales of fresh produce.
However, the Packaging Regulations, which place requirements on obligated businesses to recover and recycle a certain amount of the packaging waste they handle, have so far helped to raise the UK packaging recycling rate from around 27 per cent. in 1997 to around 56 per cent. in 2006. In real terms, the total amount of packaging waste recovered or recycled has increased from 3.3 million tonnes in 1998 to around 6.3 million tonnes in 2006.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme is currently working with all leading supermarkets through the Courtauld Commitment to achieve a standstill, and then a reduction, in the amount of packaging waste. A number of retailers are considering the role that the selling of loose fruit and vegetables could make to those objectives, without increasing the amount of damaged produce which is then discarded.
1 Figures are based on estimates of waste composition contained in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit 2002 report, “Waste Not Want Not”, and information from WasteDataFlow for 2005-06.
Recycling: Business
The most recent survey on industrial and commercial waste was carried out in 2002-03 by the Environment Agency. Information was collected from approximately 4,500 businesses and included the type, quantity and form of the waste, as well as the disposal or recovery method used. Data collection was limited to controlled waste and related to England only. The information is available, broken down by region, from the Environment Agency’s website and is shown in the following table.
Thousand tonnes Disposal/recovery option Region Land disposal Land recovery Re-used/recycled Thermal Treatment and transfer Not recorded Total per subregion Industry East Midlands 2,550 152 2,555 145 170 198 5,771 East of England 857 193 1,461 202 271 272 3,256 London 482 6 1,027 88 89 210 1,902 North East 1,293 76 1,671 181 104 76 3,400 North West 1,867 269 1,669 226 317 154 4,502 South East 1,310 63 1,257 192 345 414 3,581 South West 802 114 1,174 63 256 179 2,589 West Midlands 1,457 74 2,133 135 277 170 4,246 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,574 377 4,588 89 507 204 8,339 Total 13,194 1,324 17,536 1,321 2,335 1,877 37,589 Commerce East Midlands 1,178 33 863 113 67 69 2,322 East of England 1,389 24 1,248 111 287 248 3,308 London 2,520 21 2,281 285 215 282 5,604 North East 589 5 408 121 30 45 1,199 North West 2,035 90 1,245 133 241 88 3,833 South East 2,547 59 1,565 223 354 523 5,271 South West 1,549 62 1,051 47 188 70 2,967 West Midlands 1,457 6 1,221 99 140 97 3,019 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,261 20 1,221 64 153 78 2,797 Total 14,524 320 11,104 1,196 1,675 1,500 30,320 Grand total 27,718 1,645 28,640 2,518 4,011 3,377 67,907 Source: C and I survey 2002-03: England region and disposal/recovery option.
Recycling: Licensing
The Environment Agency (EA) does not have a specific category for green waste recycling centres. As of 8 June 2007, the EA’s records show a total of 211 licensed composting facilities and 524 licensed civic amenity/household waste sites, which generally accept green waste from the public.
In 1998-99, there were 108 EA licensed composting sites and 458 licensed civic amenity/household waste sites. A breakdown of the number of licences issued per year is not available.
The number of composting facilities processing green waste has steadily increased since 1998, in line with the Government's strategy to promote the reuse, reduction and recycling of waste.
Smoking: Public Places
Smoking-related litter is one of the most prevalent types of litter. Each of the last three local environmental quality surveys of England showed that smokers’ materials were present on 79 per cent. of survey sites. Without action, the introduction of smoke free legislation in July this year is likely to increase this problem. However, the Government are taking steps to tackle this form of littering through a combination of regulatory options, partnership work, guidance and awareness-raising.
Smoking-related materials were clarified as litter in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, in order to encourage greater enforcement against this offence. Street litter control notices may also be issued by local authorities where there is a significant problem with litter on the street. Notices can be used to place requirements on the occupiers (or owners) of premises to take steps to reduce litter outside their premises, such as the installation of litter bins.
Following a consultation that closed on 8 May, DEFRA is also extending these provisions to allow notices to be issued for eating and drinking establishments where food is consumed on the premises. A legislative opportunity will be sought to extend the list of premises further to include office buildings, aimed particularly at helping to deal with smoking litter dropped by customers and employees. This forms part of a package of tools already available to local authorities for tackling litter problems, including the use of on-the-spot fixed penalty notices for individuals caught dropping litter.
In order to raise public awareness, the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign, run by Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), launched a poster campaign earlier this month to encourage all smokers and businesses to take responsibility for cigarette ends, with posters appearing on bus stops, billboards and telephone boxes across England. A number of councils across the country are supporting the campaign.
Waste and Resources Action Programme
The information requested is currently being collated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme. I will write again to the hon. Member when it has been prepared and place a copy in the Library of the House.