To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether it is her Department's policy to use (a) incandescent light bulbs and (b) LED lights for festive decorations on departmental premises; (173490)

Communities and Local Government provides a real Christmas tree in the reception of its three HQ buildings. The trees are sustainably sourced, whereby for each tree harvested, another is planted. These are decorated using ultra-energy-efficient LED lights. The trees are disposed of sustainably by conversion to wood chips for composting and mulching.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what permitted development rights exist for CCTV cameras (a) on a fixed pole and (b) affixed to a building. (176193)

Part 33 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 grants permitted development rights for the installation, alteration or replacement on buildings or other structures (such as walls, fences or poles) of CCTV cameras for security purposes, subject to specified limits on size, numbers and positioning. Part 33 does not apply to listed buildings. Nor does it give permitted development rights to poles or other structures specially constructed to hold cameras.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to improve community cohesion and integration since 2005. (175634)

When Communities and Local Government (CLG) was set up in May 2005, policy for community cohesion was one of the areas which transferred to the new Department. Since then, CLG has provided support for local areas experiencing challenges to cohesion and supported the independent Commission for Integration and Cohesion. We announced an initial response to the Commission in October, which included an additional £50 million funding to support local areas work to build cohesion over the next three years. We will announce a full response to the Commission shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to improve community cohesion in West Chelmsford constituency. (174983)

Both “Strong and Prosperous Communities” the Local Government White Paper and the Government’s initial response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion’s final report, “Our Shared Future”, recognise the need to respond to the community cohesion challenge faced by increasing change in local communities.

In the 2006 Best Value Survey West Chelmsford scored above the national average on the measure for cohesion (“the percentage of residents who agree that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together”). The Department for Communities and Local Government is not undertaking specific cohesion work with West Chelmsford.

However within the new performance framework for local authorities and local authority partnerships there are mechanisms to monitor progress against the new single set of national indicators which includes indicators of community cohesion, and the new local area agreements offer the opportunity to identify priority improvement targets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of posts in her Department were recategorised from back office to frontline posts as classified by the Gershon efficiency review in each year since 2004. (172249)

The Department for Communities and Local Government is committed to achieving work force reductions of 400 full-time equivalents by the end of 2007-08. This is a net target and no posts will be reallocated to the frontline as part of it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes she is making to the requirement for local authorities to have a register of empty homes returned to use. (176196)

There is no statutory requirement on local authorities to hold a register of empty homes returned to use. However, local authorities are expected to take measures to reduce the number of homes that are left empty for long periods of time as part of their strategic housing role. Local authorities may therefore choose to keep information about empty homes in their area in the form of a register if this helps to facilitate their strategic approach.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hectares of derelict land are recorded on the English National Land Use Database, broken down by government office region. (176162)

In 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, there were an estimated 17,850 hectares of derelict land and buildings in England. This is broken down by region as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much English Partnerships has spent since its establishment in each parliamentary constituency in England. (175546)

English Partnerships’ expenditure is not available at parliamentary constituency level as it records most of its expenditure by individual local authority. A breakdown of English Partnerships’ spend in each local authority area since 2001-02 has been deposited in the Library of the House. Due to organisational changes, data prior to 2001 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

As some expenditure is incurred at national level, a figure for national spend is included for completeness. This covers national investment in financial vehicles like the English Cities Fund, Priority Sites Ltd. and Networkspace; the purchase of national portfolios of land such as that from the NHS in 2005; and research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to amend legislation to meet the requirements of the EU Directive on Environmental Impact Assessments. (176158)

The Town and Country (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999 (SI No. 293) (the 1999 Regulations) are the principal regulations which apply environmental impact assessment (EIA) to development proposals. On 15 November 2000 they were amended to apply EIA to applications for review of conditions attached to mineral planning permissions.

We are currently planning to make two further amendments to the 1999 Regulations. The first will allow EIA to be applied at the reserved matters stage following the grant of outline planning permission

The second amendment will apply the requirements of the 1999 Regulations, as amended in 2000, to the few outstanding applications for initial review of old mineral permissions which pre-date 15 November 2000 and which are stalled because information to enable EIA to be carried out has not been provided. The effect of the new Regulations will be to allow new conditions to be attached to permissions to mitigate the environmental impact of mineral operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what instructions were given by her Department’s staff at the oxyacetylene fire incident on the A12 at Eight Ash Green on Friday 5 October 2007; whether her Department received any requests for the penetration of the oxyacetylene cylinder by high velocity rifle round; and if she will make a statement. (175549)

No instructions were given by Communities and Local Government (CLG) staff with regard to the oxyacetylene incident on the A12.

CLG did not receive any requests for the penetration of the oxyacetylene cylinder by high velocity rifle round.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire-fighters have been (a) killed and (b) injured by explosions caused by oxyacetylene cylinders in the last 10 years. (175553)

There have been no recorded deaths or injuries of firefighters following explosions of an acetylene cylinder in the last 10 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on which occasions trunk road motorway or rail closures of more than three hours have been caused by fires involving oxyacetylene since such fires began to be recorded as fires of special interest; and if she will make a statement. (175554)

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information the Ordnance Survey’s Mastermap product holds on the flood risk of individual properties. (176186)

None.

However a combination of OS Mastermap datasets such as topography, address and height data may be used by others, in combination with specialist information from other sources, to model flood risks down to individual properties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 9 October 2007, Official Report, columns 563-4W, on green belt, what the loss in hectares of designated green belt was in each Government office region in each year since 1997 for which data are available, excluding additions to the green belt in the same period. (176453)

The gross change in the number of hectares of green belt land that had green belt designation removed is not held centrally. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) proportion and (b) number of first time buyers in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) England and Wales purchased properties in the three or four per cent. stamp duty band in the most recent year for which figures are available. (176619)

Data on first time buyers (FTBs) using a mortgage in the UK are available from the Regulated Mortgage Survey which is supplied to Communities and Local Government by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The survey is a sample so data on the total number of FTBs are unavailable.

However the Council of Mortgage Lenders publishes figures on the total number of FTBs in the UK, but not for England and Wales. In order to estimate numbers of FTBs in the UK in each stamp duty bracket proportions calculated from the Regulated Mortgage Survey have been applied to the published figure of FTBs in the UK.

The number and proportion of first time buyers in the UK that purchased properties in the 3 and 4 per cent. stamp duty bands during 2006 is shown in the following table.

As information on the total number of FTBs in England and Wales is not available, only the proportions in each stamp duty band can be derived from the Regulated Mortgage Survey.

The proportion of first time buyers in England and Wales that purchased properties in the 3 and 4 per cent. stamp duty bands is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the range of the additional build costs of a zero carbon home in addition to Part L of the 2006 building regulations. (176617)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 11 December 2007, Official Report, column 545W and to the answer given to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 8 October 2007, Official Report, column 35W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses in multiple occupancy there were in Cleethorpes constituency in each year since 1997. (176871)

The Department does not hold this information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what central Government public expenditure on housing was in each year since 1996-97; and what the forecast levels are for each of the next three years. (176191)

Data on public expenditure by function are published annually in ‘Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses’. The latest edition was published in April 2007 (Cm 7091) and includes data for years up to and including 2007-08. Spending plans for the three years 2008-09 to 2010-11 were published in ‘Meeting the Aspirations of the British People: 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review’ (Cm 7227). Annex D5 includes details of the Government's housing plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the planned expenditure is on the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder Scheme in each of the next three years. (176229)

The Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder Schemes submitted business plans in November 2007 for the period 2008-11. Ministers are currently considering these business plans and will announce specific funding allocations in the next few weeks. Total funding for the Housing Market Renewal programme for 2008-11 will be around £1 billion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s definition is of affordable housing; and what changes have been made to the definition since May 1997. (176592)

Affordable housing is defined in detail in Planning Policy Statement 3 Annex B. In essence it includes social rented and intermediate units provided to households whose needs are not met by the market. This excludes ‘low cost market’ housing—for example, homes which do not remain affordable on resale.

The new definition was adopted because Government wished to ensure that developer contributions are used to help provide genuinely affordable housing for households in need over the long term.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the recommended maximum limit is on the number of parking spaces for new residential developments, following the publication of Planning Policy Statement 3. (176622)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 December 2007, Official Report, column 900W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the average price was of a property purchased by a first time buyer in England in (a) 1996-97 and (b) the latest period for which figures are available; (176185)

Using data from the Regulated Mortgage Survey, the mix-adjusted average price of a property purchased by a first time buyer in 1997 for England was £58,391.

The mix-adjusted average price of a property purchased by a first time buyer for England in 2006, the last full-year for which data are available, was £155,089.

The mix-adjusted average price of a property purchased by a first time buyer in Q3 2007, the latest period available for England, was £173,134.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have made a contingency plan for responding to a influenza pandemic. (167161)

I have been asked to reply.

The Government do not formally collect information on the emergency plans and business continuity arrangements maintained by individual local authorities.

Part 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 establishes a statutory framework for civil protection activity at the local level. Under this legislation, all principal local authorities are required to maintain emergency plans and business continuity arrangements, informed by risk assessments, to ensure that they can mobilise an effective emergency response, and are able to continue to exercise their other functions during a full range of emergencies, including health emergencies. The legislation also requires local authorities and other key partners to exercise these plans. The performance of English local authorities against the duties set out in the Act is assessed by the Audit Commission as part of the comprehensive performance assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of the Government's antisocial behaviour legislation in problem areas; and if she will make a statement. (174008)

I have been asked to reply.

The Home Office is responsible for policy on tackling antisocial behaviour. Earlier this year a survey of 1,000 practitioners was conducted to assess the impact of the Respect programme on local communities. The outcome was that:

92 per cent. of practitioners felt more was being done in their areas to tackle ASB compared with three years ago;

79 per cent. had the backing of their community in tackling antisocial behaviour;

73 per cent. felt the right kinds of tools and powers were available to them to tackle antisocial behaviour, and;

41 per cent. felt that better partnership/multi-agency approaches have made a difference in tackling antisocial behaviour.

We have appointed IPSOS Mori to undertake a qualitative study investigating the circumstances in which different antisocial behaviour interventions are most effective. The outcome is to be published in 2008. In the meantime three independent reports have confirmed our approach to tackling antisocial behaviour is working. These were the Home Affairs Select Committee report (2005), the Audit Commission report (May 2006) and the NAO report (December 2006).

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) targets and (b) performance indicators (i) English Partnerships and (ii) its successor agency is developing for local authorities. (176614)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 December 2007, Official Report, columns 684-85W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes the Government have made to the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme since its introduction; and what further changes her Department is planning. (176201)

The Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme was announced in the 2002 pre-Budget report and introduced in 2005-06, to reward local authorities for increasing their business rateable value base. The scheme was simplified in its second year by removing the ceiling on payments to local authorities.

A further change was made during 2007, in response to a challenge to the scheme under Judicial Review. As a result, additional year 1 and 2 payments were made to eligible local authorities in September 2007. These payments reflected increases in rateable value attributable to business expansion.

Following further consideration of the new legal challenges that have been made against the current Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme and the inherent uncertainty that this causes to the remaining LABGI pot, the Government are today drawing local authorities’ attention to their intention to re-consider all aspects of the approach used to distribute the remaining resources available for year 3 of the LABGI Scheme.

It should also be noted that the sum total of remaining LABGI resources available for distribution will be dependent on the amounts that may be required to meet any potential consequences arising from the court’s decisions on the legal challenges for years 1 and 2 of the LABGI Scheme.

A further announcement will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many letters her Department received from hon. Members and Peers in each session of Parliament since 1997. (174938)

The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. Information relating to 2007 will be published as soon as it has been collated. The report for 2006 was published on 28 March 2007, Official Report, columns 101-04WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans her Department has to make use of data on the national identity register when it is established; and what the estimated annual cost to her Department of that use is. (174031)

Communities and Local Government will be working with the Home Office prior to the introduction of the national identity scheme to establish how identity information held on the proposed national identity register might be used to provide easier access to services. It is too early in the process to establish the detailed costs and benefits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will end the practice of deemed planning consent for mobile telephone masts where telecommunications companies do not receive any notification. (174764)

We are currently reviewing the planning regulations governing the installation of mobile telephone masts contained in part 24 of schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended). The prior approval process, to which the hon. Member refers, is being considered as part of that review. Should our review result in any substantive proposals for change we will consult publicly on any options.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department and its predecessor spent on research, consultancy and preparation costs for planning gains supplement. (176175)

The Department has undertaken preliminary work to develop and explore the feasibility of a planning-gain supplement since 2004. This has included the publication of one consultation document alongside the 2006 pre-Budget report. The costs incurred have been borne by the Department as part of the normal policy development process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the density of population in the Borough of Tamworth, excluding the flood plain area, is expressed in acres per 100,000 people. (174713)

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 7 January 2008:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what the density of population in the Borough of Tamworth, excluding the flood plain area, is expressed in acres per 100,000 people (174713).

ONS does not have population density figures for the borough of Tamworth, excluding the flood plain area. However, population density figures for Tamworth Local authority are available expressed as persons per square kilometre. In mid-2006 the estimated population density for Tamworth local authority is 2,445 persons per square kilometre. These are the latest population density figures available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of billing authorities have established a regularly-maintained link from their Local Land and Property Gazetteer to the National Land and Property Gazetteer. (176756)

The National Land and Property Gazetteer is the responsibility of local government's Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) and information on this is not held by central Government. Further information on the National Land and Property Gazetteer can be found on the internet at:

www.nlpg.org.uk

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether funds raised by the Milton Keynes tariff on developers and landowners may be used for the capital funding of new schools. (175610)

Yes, the Milton Keynes Tariff makes a significant contribution towards the capital cost of new schools for the expansion areas in Milton Keynes and requires free land to be provided by the developers for school sites in these areas.

The precise amounts towards each school are set out in the Milton Keynes Partnership Committee annual business plan which also details other funding sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library copies of letters sent by her Department to Northumbria police authority on the new 101 pilots. (168003)

[holding answer 26 November 2007]: The letters have now been placed in the House Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate has been made by her Department of the level of funding required to roll out each of the 101 non-emergency number pilots under the second wave of the pilot project; and if she will make a statement. (172543)

The Government decided not to proceed with the roll out of the second wave of the 101 single non-emergency number service in October 2006 pending further evaluation of the costs and benefits of the service in the existing five areas. The level of funding requested by each of the potential second wave areas to implement the 101 service was set out in proposals submitted by each police and council partnership at that time and was as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been committed by her Department for maintaining the national 101 telephony infrastructure; and if she will make a statement. (172544)

The Home Office has committed £1 million per annum over the next CSR period to maintain the national 101 telephony infrastructure enabling local areas to maintain or develop their own locally funded 101 service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been allocated by her Department for each 101 non-emergency number pilot in each month since their initiation, broken down by relevant police force area; and if she will make a statement. (172545)

From initiation to the current financial quarter, the Home Office has allocated the following funding amounts as agreed with each 101 partnership area to meet their specific implementation and operation requirements (allocations are based on those costs scheduled to be claimed for the periods set out rather than by each month):

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost of the non-emergency 101 telephone number pilots was. (173155)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 November 2007, Official Report, column 362W, to the hon. Member for Hornchurch (James Brokenshire).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many calls there have been to the new 101 service in each of the local authority areas in the Northumbria Police Authority area (a) in total and (b) per head of population. (170301)

As of 7 November 2007 there have been a total number of 248,949 calls made from the public to the 101 service in the Northumbria police authority area since the service was launched on 3 July 2006. From incident data created as a result of these calls, it is estimated that (a) the number of calls in total and (b) the number of calls expressed as a percentage of the population calling on an annualised basis in each of local authority areas in the Northumbria police authority area are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if she will write to the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police Authority urging them to agree protocols with non-Home Office constabularies in London to allow them to access the Airwave Radio System; (173237)

For a non-Home Office police force to gain access to the Airwave Radio System, they must make an application to the Office of Communications (Ofcom). If this is granted, the force concerned would then be in a position to communicate with the emergency services that also use the network.

The relevant local Home Office police force would then determine how they need to interoperate, basing this decision on national security assurance standards.

Non-Home Office police organisations that do have access to the Airwave Radio System are:

British Transport Police

Civil Nuclear Constabulary

Dover Port Police

Haringey Borough Parks Police

IPCC

Ministry of Defence Police

Scottish Police Forces

Scottish Police Services Authority

A comprehensive list of those non-Home Office police organisations without access to the Airwave Radio System is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional money has been made available to the police in the last 12 months for tackling alcohol-related crime in addition to alcohol misuse enforcement campaigns. (176107)

In the past 12 months over £1,000,000 has been made available to the police in England and Wales for tackling alcohol-related crime.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much additional funding has been made available to each police force specifically to tackle binge drinking and alcohol misuse in each year since the Licensing Act 2003 came into force. (176108)

The Licensing Act 2003 came into force 24 November 2005. Since that time over £5.3 million has been made available to the police to tackle alcohol misuse.

Home Office alcohol enforcement campaigns are focused at the police basic command unit level. The allocation of funding from campaigns is based on a formal bid process and the number of operations conducted in any given campaign.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of the regulated procedures conducted in Scotland in 2006 under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were performed in (a) public health authorities, (b) universities and medical schools, (c) NHS hospitals, (d) Government Departments, (e) other public bodies, (f) non-profit making organisations and (g) commercial organisations; (172528)

Comprehensive statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain carried out under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are published annually. Copies of the publication for 2006 (Cm 7153) can be found in the House Library.

The data are not collected, stored or presented in a way enabling them to be easily broken down between England, Wales and Scotland as the 1986 Act is administered by the Home Office for the whole of Great Britain (it is administered separately in Northern Ireland). However a special exercise has been undertaken to extract the information requested in relation to Scotland.

During 2006, in Scotland, universities and medical schools carried out 74 per cent. of the regulated procedures under the 1986 Act, Government Departments 1 per cent., other public bodies 16 per cent. and commercial organisations 9 per cent. Public health laboratories, NHS hospitals and non-profit making organisations did not carry out any regulated procedures.

During 2005, in Scotland, 83 per cent. of the regulated procedures under the 1986 Act were carried out for fundamental and applied studies other than toxicology and 17 per cent for toxicity tests or other safety efficacy evaluation. During 2006, in Scotland, 81 per cent. of the regulated procedures under the 1986 Act were carried out for fundamental and applied studies other than toxicology and 19 per cent. for toxicity tests or other safety efficacy evaluation.

During 2006, in Scotland, there were 239,593 mice, 48,519 rats, 1,915 guinea pigs, 711 hamsters, 2,625 rabbits, 211 horses and other equids, 10,573 sheep, 1,012 pigs, 10,680 birds, 336 amphibians, 73,548 fish, 31 cats, 886 dogs, 134 new world primates and 725 old world primates used in regulated procedures under the 1986 Act. No reptiles were used.

In Scotland, at the end of 2006, 37 per cent. of the project licences granted under the 1986 Act that were in force were in the mild severity banding, 59 per cent. in moderate, 2 per cent. in substantial banding and 2 per cent. were in the unclassified severity banding.

During 2006, in Scotland, there were 31 regulated procedures under the 1986 Act using cats, 1,252 using dogs, 6,151 using rabbits, 2,490 using horses and other equids, 163 using new world primates and 1,103 using old world primates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the rate of breach of antisocial behaviour orders in 2006 will be published. (173831)

The latest data on breach of antisocial behaviour orders are due to be published in spring 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in (a) the city of Sunderland and (b) the north east in each year since 2001. (175220)

The information requested is provided in the following tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in (a) Cleethorpes constituency and (b) Great Grimsby constituency in each year since their introduction. (176862)

The information requested is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Assets Recovery Agency has to hold a Christmas party or parties in 2007. (175190)

There will be no Asset Recovery Agency party. A number of groups of Asset Recovery Agency staff will organise their own Christmas functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 10 September 2007, Official Report, column 1930W, on asylum, what further information is being solicited from unsuccessful asylum claimants; how many such individuals have been contacted; when she expects to provide an update on the case resolution programme; what reports have been produced on the programme; if she will publish those reports; and if she will make a statement on her plans for dealing with unsuccessful asylum claimants subject to the case resolution programme in each year since the scheme began. (175267)

[holding answer 18 December 2007]: Cases are considered on an individual basis. The nature of any additional information required, therefore, will depend upon the circumstances of the particular case being considered.

The chief executive wrote to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 17 December 2007 about the progress made by the case resolution directorate. A copy of the letter is available in the House of Commons Library. As stated in the letter, we intend to report every six months on the number of files that have been concluded.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum cases the Case Resolution Directorate is dealing with; how many of these have been brought by residents of London constituencies, broken down by constituency; and if she will make a statement. (175362)

We have previously estimated that there are around 400,000 to 450,000 electronic and paper records, although this is difficult to assess accurately as many case records are duplicates or errors. This figure does not therefore equate to numbers of asylum applicants.

The information on the number of cases brought by residents of London constituencies, broken down by constituency is not available in the format requested.

We will provide updates on progress on the work of the Case Resolution Directorate on a six monthly basis to the Home Affairs Select Committee. The first of these was published on 17 December 2007 and announced that we have concluded 52,000 cases to date, of which two thirds were either removed or discovered to be duplicate files or errors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been deported to (a) Sudan, (b) Burma, (c) Zimbabwe, (d) Iraq, (e) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (f) Sri Lanka and (g) Afghanistan in the last 12 months. (167026)

The following table shows the number of asylum applicants, including dependants, removed to the listed countries between October 2006 and September 2007, inclusive.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will give a break down of the categories under which discretionary leave to remain has been granted to asylum seekers in each year since 2003. (174009)

The requested information can be obtained only by examination of individual case records, at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many air miles were travelled by Ministers in her Department in each year since 2000; and what estimate she has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced as a result; (172239)

Since 1999 the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007. Details for the current financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. From next year, the list will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

All central Government ministerial and official air travel has been offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases certified emissions reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.

In addition, offsetting the flights of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, and the Prime Minister has been backdated to 1 April 2005.

A list of Government Carbon Offsetting Fund members, their emission figures and what activities they have offset through the fund is available online at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/carbonoffset/government.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many holders of valid UK passports were (a) resident in the UK and (b) resident abroad at the most recent date for which figures are available. (168139)

In 2006-07 6.2 million passports were issued in the UK by the Identity and Passport Service and slightly over 400,000 outside the UK by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. However, there are no records of where holders of valid British passports currently reside and records of numbers of passports issued only confirm that a person was present at the issuing location when the passport was issued and do not account for subsequent changes such as emigration or death of the passport holder.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is her Department's policy to use (a) incandescent light bulbs and (b) LED lights for festive decorations on departmental premises. (173500)

Arrangements for the provision of such lighting are made locally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for future funding to police authorities to update CCTV schemes. (175295)

On 6 December, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, announced the provisional police grant settlement for the next three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) arrested and (b) given anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOS) as a result of evidence from CCTV on buses in London in each year since 1997; and how many have been (i) arrested and (ii) given ASBOS as a result of the live CCTV pilot. (166945)

The information requested is not centrally available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make provision for closed-circuit television images to be copied for use by the police in criminal investigations. (176103)

Most CCTV systems have some provision for images to be copied for use by the police in criminal investigations. Many of the digital CCTV systems currently in use do, from time to time, cause difficulties to some police forces. This issue has been highlighted in the National CCTV Strategy, published on 19 October 2007.

The Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) has produced advice (available on their website) on the UK police requirements for digital CCTV systems. This guidance can significantly alleviate many of the problems that are being encountered. HOSDB are also working with the industry to influence the design of new digital CCTV systems which better map to current and future policing needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to respond to the letter of 22 November 2007 from the hon. Member for Twickenham about bribery and corruption; what the reasons are for the time taken to reply; and if she will make a statement. (173219)

[holding answer 13 December 2007]: I responded to the hon. Gentleman's letter of 22 November on 11 December, within the Home Office performance target for responses to ministerial correspondence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average Band D council tax was for each police authority in England and Wales in 2007-08. (176706)

The information requested is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the trends in crime clear-up rates in (a) Southend and (b) Essex since 1997; and what representations she has received on this issue in each of the last five years. (174066)

The detections figures for Essex police are shown in the following table.

Data for detections in Southend are available only from 2000-01. In April 2006, Southend became part of South Eastern BCU, and separate figures are no longer available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the trends in the number of (a) racial and (b) rape crimes reported in the Metropolitan Police Service results for October 2007 in the London borough of Havering. (176790)

We have not published any crime statistics for October 2007 and therefore cannot make any public assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of racial violence were reported in the Durham police authority area in each year since 2000; and how many resulted in conviction. (172765)

The available information relates to offences of racially or religiously aggravated offences.

The statistics requested cannot be provided in the form requested since it is not possible to track individual offences to conclusion and therefore convictions cannot be directly related to the offences recorded. The recorded offences data given in table 1 are based on the number of crimes reported to and recorded by the police and are on a financial year basis. The convictions data in table 2 are based on the number of offenders convicted and are on a calendar year basis. Convictions figures are counts of offenders classified by their principal offence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department has conducted into the prevalence of violence between 9.00 pm and 5.00 am. (176439)

The Home Office published a study in 2007 to determine the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on violent crime, disorder and criminal damage. The study (which will contribute to a larger Home Office evaluation to be published early 2008) analysed time stamped data and focused on the types of offences that can occur as a result of alcohol misuse and night-time disorder and to see whether the timing of offences had changed. A copy of the report can be found on the Home Office website:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/rdsolr1607.pdf

In addition, the Home Office also collects data via the British Crime Survey (BCS) on violent incidents. Relevant statistical information is as follows:

The 2005-06 BCS reported a reduction in the number of violent crimes committed in or around pubs and clubs in 2005-06 compared with 2004-05 at 17 per cent. from 22 per cent.

In 2006-07 victims believed the offender or offenders to be under the influence of alcohol in 46 per cent. of all violent incidents (at any time of day).

It is also worth noting that the feasibility of police forces flagging violent crime and disorder offences in the night-time economy is being examined as part of the regular annual data requirement review process by the Home Office and ACPO.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the levels of violent crime in London in the year ending in October 2008. (176792)

According to the British Crime Survey, the most reliable indicator of long-term trends in violent crime, violence nationally fell by 35 per cent. between 1997 and 2006-07. Police-recorded violence against the person in London fell by 8 per cent. between 2005-06 and 2006-07. Estimates for 2007-08 are not available.

The Government are undertaking a wide-ranging programme of work to tackle violent crime. In London, Operation Trident was set up in 1998 in response to a string of what are often called ‘black-on-black’ shootings. It is a Metropolitan Police Service team dedicated to tackling gun crime within the black community. Community involvement has been seen as key to Trident’s success from the outset, with the Trident Independent Advisory Group set up to harness public support and keep officers informed of community views. Trident is widely seen as a successful model and has been emulated in other cities. Adult Trident offences are falling.

The London Youth Crime Prevention Board is a partnership of senior figures from all of the key agencies, which is currently agreeing on a range of new pan-London measures to reduce the flow of young people into early criminality—including those who could go on to commit serious crime. The Board is exploring what more local authorities, schools and the criminal justice system might do to improve youth crime prevention across London. It will seek to instigate a number of changes before completing its work at the end of 2008.

Work on tackling domestic violence continues on a number of fronts. London is working to ensure that there are Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) across London. This is an evidence-based approach which allows agencies to manage perpetrators and reduce risk to victims.

The Five Borough Alliance (5BA) was set up this year as a multi-agency response to gangs issues. The boroughs are Croydon, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. 5BA run a range of programmes and further initiatives are being developed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which hon. Members have applied under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 to demonstrate on College Green; and when each applied. (176875)

The policing of demonstrations in the vicinity of Parliament is an operational matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. As such, I have asked the Metropolitan police to collate the information requested by the hon. Gentleman. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman when that information is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether news media organisations have applied to demonstrate on College Green; (176876)

The policing of demonstrations in the vicinity of Parliament is an operational matter for the commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis. As such I have asked the Metropolitan Police to collate the information requested by the hon. Gentleman. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman when that information is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are followed for authorising policies with significant financial implications for her Department, with particular reference to the role of the finance director; and if she will make a statement. (164887)

Budgets within the Home Office are planned and delegated on the basis of known priorities and pressures. In order to ensure a robust approach finance officials reporting to the Finance Director are engaged in policy development with significant cost implications to ensure policy proposals are affordable.

Significant projects and programmes are managed through a Group Investment Board chaired by the Director General of Finance and Commercial on which the Finance Director sits. In compliance with HM Treasury principles on delegated authority we seek clearance with the Treasury for projects and programmes above an agreed limit.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the standard terms and conditions of purchase used by her Department in procurement of goods and services from the private sector prohibits the assignment of debt. (172317)

The Home Department uses a range of different terms and conditions for purchasing goods and services depending on their complexity and value. Generally these do not contain an express provision prohibiting the assignment of debts by the contractor. This reflects the position that, as the purchaser, it is the Home Department making payments rather than the contractor. Home Department contracts normally contain a provision prohibiting the assignment of any part of the contract without obtaining the consent of the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in (a) Kent and (b) England who fraudulently obtained indefinite leave to remain were deported in the last 12 months. (173132)

The information requested can be obtained only through the detailed examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency wrote a letter to the Home Affairs Committee on 20 November providing the most up-to-date and robust information regarding the deportation of foreign national prisoners. A copy of this letter is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations her Department has made in the Council of Europe on revision by international instrument of Article 3 of the European Charter of Human Rights as it applies in deportation cases. (164449)

None. As I made clear when I wrote to the chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights in August, the Government are not seeking to amend the text of article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made with plans to introduce a new national three digit non-emergency phone number for contacting the police; and if she will make a statement. (173131)

The Home Office has established a national telephony infrastructure for the non-emergency policing and community safety phone number, 101, and has demonstrated the principles and benefits of this new service in five police and council partnership areas across England and Wales. The Home Office will not continue to directly fund these initial partnership areas from 14 February 2008 or to directly fund further roll-out in other areas. However, the Home Office will continue to provide funding to support the national 101 telephony infrastructure. This continued funding together with the lessons learned for improving local services from the initial areas, will enable and inform local police and councils who wish to develop their own locally funded 101 service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to revoke the status of a person granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK if it can be demonstrated that this status was acquired on a fraudulent basis. (173442)

There is provision in both primary and secondary immigration legislation to revoke or invalidate indefinite leave to remain where this has been fraudulently obtained.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what relevant specialist qualifications the chief executive of Essex police authority holds; what his or her career has been to date; what process was followed in his or her appointment; where the post was advertised; how many persons applied for the post; how many were short-listed for interview; how each was appraised; what criteria were adopted for each candidate; how many candidates were rejected; and if she will make a statement. (174059)

The appointment of chief executives and their qualifications and experience is a matter for the individual police authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what relevant specialist qualifications each member of the Essex police authority holds; what the career of each has been to date; when each was appointed and by whom; what process was followed in his or her appointment; where the post was advertised; how many persons applied for the post; how many were short-listed for interview; how each was appraised; what criteria were adopted for each candidate; how many candidates were rejected; where Essex police authority is located; how much was spent by it on (a) office accommodation, (b) staff costs, (c) travel and subsistence and (d) staff bonuses in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. (174060)

The appointment of police authority members, the experience and qualifications of their members and the expenditure of the authority are matters for the individual police authority. Essex police authority is located in Chelmsford, Essex.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to improve the performance of (a) Southend Police and (b) Essex Police following the Police Performance Assessment 2006-07 produced by her Department and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary; and if she will make a statement. (174044)

Assessments are made for all 43 police forces in England and Wales and in seven key areas. Forces are assigned the clear judgments “excellent”, “good”, “fair” and “poor” and—for three of these areas—a judgment of “improved”, “stable” or “deteriorated” is also made.

Essex's assessment in each area was as follows:

Tackling crime—Good

Serious crime and public protection—Good

Protecting vulnerable people—Fair

Satisfaction and fairness—Fair

Neighbourhood policing—Fair

Local priorities—Good

Resources and efficiency—Good.

Essex's assessment for direction of travel was:

Tackling crime—Stable

Satisfaction and fairness—Stable

Resources and efficiency—Stable.

The Home Office and HMIC will continue to support forces to address the issues highlighted in the assessments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the performance of police in (a) Essex and (b) Southend in each of the last seven years; and if she will make a statement. (174067)

I and my predecessors have received numerous representations regarding police forces in England and Wales. In addition, there have been formal reports published relating to the performance of the police service and of Essex police specifically. These can be found on the websites for Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) at:

http://inspectorates.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmic/inspections/

and the Home Office at:

http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/performance-and-measurement/performance-ssessment/

The most recent police performance assessments were published in October 2007.

The latest HMIC publication regarding Essex police was the phase one Inspection Report (October 2007), and regarding policing in the Southend BCU in the BCU Inspection (September 2003) and Follow-Up Inspection (December 2004).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firearms were (a) surrendered to and (b) seized by the police in each London borough in each year since 2001. (174817)

The figures requested are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will establish a central register for firearms (a) seized and (b) disposed of by police services in England and Wales. (176296)

The Home Office does not collate information on the number of firearms seized by police forces. The new National Ballistics Intelligence Database, which will start being implemented this year, may provide an overall picture of firearms seizures in future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the planned identity card scheme will enable NHS managers to check the eligibility of non-EU citizens for NHS outpatient care. (168134)

ID cards issued under the UK Borders Act to non-EU citizens will record an individual’s immigration status, indicating whether the person has limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain. It will not contain details of the individual’s right to NHS services. Where a person has no recourse to public funds, the card will have the statement “no recourse to public funds”.

The criteria for access to NHS services are defined by the NHS therefore it would be the health care provider’s responsibility to confirm eligibility.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is European legislation relating to the liberalisation of forensic science services. (173599)