To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what ring-fenced uplift in resources each of his Department’s in-country programmes has received to fund the procurement of bed-nets in each of the next three years. (279197)

As stated in the answer of 24 March 2009, Official Report, column 264W, the costs of supplying 20 million bed nets for Africa are being drawn from our country programme budget allocations for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. No additional resources have been specifically ring-fenced for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid the UK has given to Liberia to tackle corruption in the last three years; and what his most recent assessment is of levels of corruption in Liberia. (279376)

Since 2005 the Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed approximately £150,000 in supporting the Government of Liberia in its efforts to establish the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and to develop and finalise its National Anti-Corruption Strategy. In 2008, DFID also paid off outstanding arrears owed by the Liberian General Auditing Commission (GAC), which amounted to a total of $43,145, allowing the Auditor General and his staff to attend specialised training courses to enable them to undertake more comprehensive and detailed audits of government finances.

The Government of Liberia is firmly committed to tackling corruption and prosecuting those involved. Though challenges still remain, significant progress has been made to improve financial checks and balances, to improve the capacity of the Liberian General Auditing Commission and in sending for prosecution any individuals (government or otherwise) accused of corruption.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to support the creation of a United Nations Agency for Women; and if he will make a statement. (279076)

The UK Government's policy is to support the establishment of a single United Nations (UN) agency for women. The UK Government are working closely with other UN member states to get agreement through the General Assembly to establish such an agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the pre-deployment urgent operational requirements planned for the Tornado GR4s due to be deployed to Afghanistan have been completed. (279736)

Yes. And I plan on making a written statement to the House shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required and (b) actual number of pilots for each aircraft type in the RAF is. [Official Report, 1 July 2009, Vol. 495, c. 5MC.] (279958)

The information requested is provided in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of pinch-point trades are in breach of their (a) tour interval guidelines and (b) individual separated service guidelines. (279955)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 19W. The position remains the same and there is nothing further I can add.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost of paying pensions at an equivalent level for UK service people to (a) Commonwealth soldiers and (b) soldiers of other nationalities who served in the British armed forces between 1947 and 2004. (278716)

All non-British personnel serving now in the armed forces have exactly the same pension arrangements as the wider armed forces. It has long been Government policy not to implement improvements to pensions and similar benefits retrospectively, a policy that has been applied across the public sector in the United Kingdom. Information of the full cost of doing so is not available, however, it has been estimated that to pay retrospective pensions to Gurkhas would cost the MOD £1.5 billion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Panther vehicles are being upgraded as part of the recently announced £20 million improvement package. (279553)

67 Panther Command and Liaison vehicles are being modified to a Theatre Entry Standard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the role of the Vector vehicle fleet following its withdrawal from operations; and whether planned upgrades to the fleet suspension system and wheel hubs will continue. (279647)

The future role of the Vector Light Protected Patrol Vehicle when it is withdrawn from operations in Afghanistan is under review. The current programme to upgrade the suspension and wheel hubs of the fleet of Vector will continue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many infantry combatants' courses at Catterick Infantry Training Centre have been cancelled in the last 12 months. (279939)

Between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009, the last full year for which records are available, two Combat Infantryman Courses for the Parachute Regiment and one for the Guards were cancelled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of the Release 2C stage of the Defence Infrastructure Information Project has been, broken down by budgetary heading; how many desktop terminals have been delivered under the project; and if he will make a statement. (278985)

The Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) programme will deliver a single, secure, coherent and high quality computer infrastructure service across the whole of defence. The associated software functionality is being delivered in stages, called Releases, but I can confirm there is no Release called “2C”. The costs of software releases are not held separately as they are an intrinsic part of the wider delivery nor are they associated with desktop terminal numbers.

The current contract will run until 2015 and is let on an incremental basis. It includes Increment 1, Increment 2a and 2b, which provide office, mobile and deployable capabilities, and in January 2009 we signed a contract extension for Increment 2c, to provide new operational capability in the Top Secret domain. The approved programme costs for Increment 2c are £257 million; the contract element is £191 million at 2008 prices.

The whole DII Programme has to date delivered 75,000 terminals, with 190,000 users now live on the system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the recommendations contained in the National Audit Office report on the Risk of Fraud in Defence Procurement, Session 1994-5, HC 258, have been (a) fully and (b) partially implemented. (278799)

The conclusions made by the National Audit Office Report on the Risk of Fraud in Defence Procurement reflect the progress made by the Ministry of Defence and have been implemented in full or in part.

The report concluded overall that the Department had made good progress in implementing actions on those areas of procurement most at risk and recognised that a plan was in place to strengthen existing measures and introduce new fraud deterrence and detection initiatives. In 1999, the Department created the Defence Fraud Analysis Unit (DFAU), and in 2006 established the Defence Irregularity Reporting Cell to act as the central point for the reporting of all suspicions of irregularity, including fraud, theft and corruption. Defence Equipment and Support, which was formed in 2007, has created a Defence Crime Forum to address the risk of fraud and corruption in the procurement environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of days taken to pay an invoice by (a) his Department and (b) each of its executive agencies was in each month since November 2008. (279523)

[holding answer 12 June 2009]: The Department does not keep statistics on the average number of days taken to pay suppliers' invoices. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Department is working towards payment performance within a target date of 10 working days in accordance with the Government's Prompt Payment Initiative. Information currently available for the Department, its agencies and trading funds since November 2008 is as follows:

We are working with the Defence Support Group towards a target to pay trade creditors' invoices within 10 days of receipt.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) newspapers and (b) periodicals are delivered to the private office of each Minister in his Department; and at what cost in the latest period for which figures are available. (279418)

A list of newspapers and periodicals centrally contracted for delivery to the private offices of Ministers in the Department is provided in the table. The total cost for these newspapers and periodicals for March 2009 was £729.41.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to allocate responsibility for defence procurement matters to his Ministers. (279986)

The right hon. Lord Drayson will be Minister of State for Strategic Defence Acquisition Reform, leading on the reform of Defence acquisition, Defence Research and Development, and championing new technologies in Defence. As the architect of the Defence Industrial Strategy he will lead work on the next version of the strategy. He will also have responsibilities as Minister of State, Department of Business Innovation and Skills, for Government policy on science and innovation.

Quentin Davies MP will remain as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, with his existing responsibilities for the Defence Equipment Programme through life, performance management of Defence Equipment and Support and its agencies, and the MOD interest in Defence exports. He will work with Lord Drayson on acquisition reform. He will also assume the UK lead responsibility for the High Level Working Group with the French Government on equipment cooperation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding had been allocated to veterans under the Heroes Return 2 scheme on the latest date for which figures are available. (278308)

[holding answer 8 June 2009]: The Ministry of Defence has allocated no funding for veterans under the Heroes Return 2 scheme, which is being funded by the Big Lottery Fund. The Heroes Return 2 scheme will provide funding to help World War II veterans resident in the UK or the Republic of Ireland to participate in commemorative visits, both within the UK and overseas, to mark the 65^th and other anniversary events that led to the end of WWII.

The scheme opened on 1 April 2009 and up to 29 May it had received 1,115 applications and made 599 awards with a total of £920,275.

MOD Ministers and Chiefs of Staff participated in the 65^th anniversary events in Normandy at the invitation of the Royal British Legion and Normandy Veterans’ Association. There was significant representation by our armed forces with over 1,000 participating in events across Normandy and standing alongside veterans. MOD is also discussing with Westminster Abbey the possibility of a commemoration service in the autumn as requested by the Normandy Veterans Association.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans he expects to attend the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the ceasefire in the Korean War on 27 July 2010; and if he will make arrangements to facilitate their attendance through (a) financial support and (b) other means. (279656)

The end of the Korean war is due to be commemorated in 2013, the 60th anniversary of the armistice. It is too early to say how this anniversary might be officially marked or indeed how many might attend. My officials have been in contact with the Korean Veterans Association who are content that the commemorations should take place in 2013.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 14 April 2009 on Trident (reference: MC01616/2009). (279917)

My predecessor replied to the hon. Member on 8 May 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) planned and (b) actual usage hours for (i) TriStar and (ii) VC10 aircraft there were in each year since 2003. (280067)

For figures covering financial years 2003-04 to 2007-08 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces, on the 10 July 2008, Official Report, column 1748W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox). The planned and actual flying hours for 2008-09 are shown in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the Navistar Defence Husky was selected for the Tactical Support Vehicle: Medium requirement; and what other tenders for the contract for that requirement were received. (279646)

The Navistar Defence vehicle which forms the base for Husky was selected for the Tactical Support Vehicle (TSV) Medium requirement because it met or exceeded all of the key user requirements, and the very demanding delivery schedule, while also providing the best overall value for money.

11 companies returned expressions of interest, of which six were within the scope of the TSV Medium. The six expressions of interest were from Iveco, Mercedes-Benz, Navistar Defence, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Renault Trucks Defense and Penman Engineering Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy warships are based in UK waters off Gibraltar. (279046)

Two Royal Navy warships, HMS Sabre and HMS Scimitar, are based in Gibraltar. These are 16-metre fast patrol launches and form the Gibraltar Squadron.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days on average (a) his Department and (b) each of its executive agencies took to pay an invoice in each month since November 2008. (279787)

The following table shows the average number of working days taken to pay an invoice by the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland (PPS), and its agencies in each month since November 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officers who (a) retired and (b) resigned from the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last three years retained a personal protection weapon. (280027)

That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the right hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated (a) numeracy and (b) literacy rate was among prisoners in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. (277259)

The following tables provide a breakdown of the assessed levels of numeracy and literacy rates among prisoners in Northern Ireland in each of the last five financial years and the current financial year up to 31 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on pot plants in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09. (280021)

The Scotland Office have incurred no expenditure on pot plants in either 2007-08 or 2008-09.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for what reasons data collected in in-flight flight recorders are not transmitted in real time to (a) the Civil Aviation Authority and (b) air traffic control regulators; and what research has been undertaken into encryption of such data. (279352)

Cockpit voice recordings are not transmitted in real time because of the need to ensure data security. There is a potential for unscrupulous surveillance and interventions, which are capable of compromising the data. There is currently no internationally accepted method available for the encryption of these recordings, although industry-led research is under way.

The limiting factors for the transmission of flight data recordings are the technical and financial challenge of fitting appropriate equipment to the aircraft and the development of the necessary satellite bandwidth.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department issued any guidance in relation to A330 aircraft following the warning by the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2001 that unreliable air speed may be caused by a random destruction or obstructed pitots in relation to that aircraft. (279135)

Civil aviation safety in the UK is regulated by independent aviation safety regulators: the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). As such the Department for Transport does not itself issue guidance. In July 2001, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) related to a potential unsafe condition associated with unreliable airspeed indication. The AD was issued in order to mandate action for Airbus A330 aircraft registered in the US, which had already been taken in Europe by France as the State of Design for that aircraft. The French Directorate General of Civil Aviation recognised a potential safety problem and issued two ADs on the Airbus A330 in February 2001 The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made the ADs mandatory in the UK at that time.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many bus drivers were examined under the driver quality monitoring scheme in 2008-09; and how many of them were found to be unacceptable with (a) serious faults and (b) dangerous faults. (279529)

[holding answer 12 June 2009]: The following table shows the number of driver quality monitoring (DQM) assessments conducted by the Driving Standards Agency in 2008-09.

Assessment data is reported back to the client on the next day for potential remedial action. For assessments recording dangerous faults, the bus company is notified on the day of the assessment. In all cases, the client is responsible for any further action.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have been (i) disciplined and (ii) dismissed for (A) breaches of data protection requirements and (B) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in the last 12 months. (278750)

There have been fewer than five occurrences of (i) disciplinary action or (ii) dismissal for (A) breaches of data protection requirements and (B) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data during the last 12 months. As there have been less than five such occurrences, further information is withheld on grounds of confidentiality.

Information is a key asset to government, and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of Her Majesty's Government. The Security Policy Framework and the Data Handling Report produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that government handles and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from official journeys made by his Department's employees in the last five years. (279580)

The Department for Transport has collected data on carbon dioxide emissions resulting from road, rail and air travel since 2005.

The volume of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions arising from official journeys is estimated as follows:

2005-06: 11.6 million tonnes of CO₂

2006-07: 11.2 million tonnes of CO₂

2007-08: 11.1 million tonnes of CO₂

The figures are calculated from Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) returns. SOGE for 2008-09 is due for completion by 31 July 2009, so carbon emission figures for that year will be calculated by September.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what expenditure his Department incurred on taxis in each of the last two years. (278229)

The Department for Transport (central) and three of its agencies, Driving Standards Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and Vehicle Certification Agency spent the amounts in the following table on taxis in the last two years.

The Department's other four agencies, Government Car and Despatch Agency, Highways Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Vehicle Operator Services Agency do not record taxi fares separately from other travel costs and could provide the information only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of sites for Module One motorcycle tests; and if he will make a statement. (279300)

[holding answer 12 June 2009]: The number of sites providing the Module One (Off Road) Motorcycle Test is detailed in the following table:

This means that 88 per cent. of the population are within 45 minutes travelling time or 20 miles of an off-road facility. The Driving Standards Agency is continuing to search for additional sites to further improve coverage.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on how many occasions in each of the last three years for which information is available GPs or other medical practitioners have disclosed information to the medical adviser of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency about licence holders of (a) passenger service vehicles, (b) large goods vehicles and (c) cars and other light vehicles. (279292)

[holding answer 12 June 2009]: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency seeks disclosure of medical reports from GPs and consultants where a driver has notified a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive. The number of such reports received during the last year are shown as follows categorised as ordinary (car/bike) and vocational (lorry/bus) entitlement.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to the Project Heathrow project delivery and risk reports, what level of probability his Department assigns to (a) low, (b) medium and (c) high risk classifications in respect of (i) inherent and (ii) residual risk likelihood assessments; and if he will make a statement. (278974)

The probability of the risks, both inherent and residual, identified in the Heathrow Project risk registers was a matter of judgment for the project manager, subject to review by the Project Board. It does not relate to a specific, quantifiable probability.

A risk register represents a snapshot of a project at a given point through the eyes of one of its members and is only one of a number of tools used to assist effective project management.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which local authorities have expressed an interest in levying workplace parking charges to date. (278365)

The Transport Committee Report on Urban Charging Schemes in 2003—ISBN 0215008081 at:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmtran/390/39005.htm

listed the 35 local authorities who initially expressed an interest in using powers under the Transport Act 2000 to introduce road user charging or workplace parking levy. Since then, only one local authority, Nottingham city council, has approached the Department for Transport with proposals for a scheme.

A scheme was considered for the northern fringe of Bristol by the West of England local authorities as part of their TIF proposals, but they decided not to pursue it.

Devon county council has expressed an interest in considering a workplace parking levy in the context of its Local Transport Plan and as part of a bid to the Department for funding to investigate the possibility of introducing demand management measures. They have not yet provided developed proposals.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what change was made to the cost-benefit ratio for the M25 design, build, finance and operate widening project following each increase in the cost of the project. (278625)

A benefit cost ratio (BCR) of monetised impacts was determined for each of the two widening schemes (between Junctions 16 to 23, and Junctions 27 to 30) included within the M25 design, build, finance and operate contract.

The following table summarises the BCR figures at each ministerial approval stage. The method for calculating the BCR figures changed for scheme appraisals carried out since 2005-06 and the targeted programme of improvements figures are therefore not directly comparable with the later approvals.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate was made of the cost of the proposed M25 widening scheme when (a) the decision was made to let the contract for that scheme through a private finance initiative scheme and (b) the contract for the widening scheme was signed off. (279348)

[holding answer 12 June 2009]: The approved estimate for widening the M25 between Junctions 16 and 23, and between Junctions 27 and 30 was £0.90 billion at the time these projects entered the Targeted Programme of Improvements in 2004.

The capital cost of these widening schemes was re-estimated and approved at £1.28 billion in July 2007. At this stage it had been agreed that the widening of the M25 between Junctions 16-23 and Junctions 27-30 schemes would be procured through the M25 design, build, finance and operate (DBFO) contract. The estimates did not include the cost of financing via the private finance initiative route.

The contract was awarded to Connect Plus on 20 May 2009 with total capital costs for the two widening sections of £1.02 billion. This represents the fixed price from Connect Plus for development and construction of the two sections being widened but excludes the cost of financing.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much capital funding the Government has allocated to rail travel in (a) the North East and (b) England in each year since 1997. (279308)

The information is not available in the form requested. A breakdown of annual expenditure by mode and region is available in the Department for Transport Annual Report. Details of total historic expenditure are available in National Rail Trends which is published by the Office of Rail Regulation. Copies of these documents are available in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic accident fatalities there have been in (a) Tameside and (b) Stockport in each of the last 10 years. (279757)

The number of fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents in (a) Tameside and (b) Stockport in each of the last 10 years is given in the following table.

The 2008 road casualty statistics will be available on 25 June 2009.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009, Official Report, column 396W, on transport: Royal Family, if he will specify that (a) scheduled flights and (b) timetabled railway services should be used for journeys by members of the Royal Family funded from his Department's budget. (279648)

[holding answer 12 June 2009]: Decisions on air and rail travel arrangements for Members of the Royal Family are taken by the Royal Travel Office and Royal Household on a case-by-case basis as they must be judged on consideration of safety and security requirements, obtaining the best value for money, time-efficiency, the visit requirements, the avoidance of disruption to the public, the environment, and the appropriateness for the visit in question.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects to announce his Department's decision on the cases of people wrongly notified of speeding offences as a result of the malfunctioning of the speed camera on the westbound A35 at Chideock, Dorset. (278226)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Alison Seabeck) on 3 June 2009, Official Report, column 486W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Audit Commission had on deposit in each Icelandic bank when each account was frozen; and how much of each deposit remains unrecovered. (279848)

This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to the hon. Member direct.

Letter from Steve Bundred, 15 June 2009:

The Audit Commission had deposits with two Icelandic banks, £5m with Heritable and £5m with Landsbanki when each account was frozen. As at 11 June 2009, no monies have been recovered from either bank.

A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether an impact assessment has been commissioned in respect of the proposed extension to property owners of the scope of business improvement districts. (280037)

Subject to the Business Rate Supplements (BRS) Bill receiving Royal Assent, the Government intend to conduct an impact assessment of the inclusion of property owners in Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in those areas where a BRS is introduced or already in place. It is envisaged that the assessment will be published alongside a consultation paper on the detailed arrangements needed for BRS-BIDs that will be set out in secondary legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding the Housing Corporation provided to the Commission on Architecture and the Built Environment in the last 24 months before the corporation's merger with English Partnerships; for what purposes; and at what cost. (280031)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 14 May 2009, Official Report, columns 1000-01W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to assist local councils to reduce the levels of rent charged to their tenants. (278227)

Following the written statement made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) on 6 March 2009, Official Report, columns 71-72WS, we have consulted on and issued an Amending Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Determination for 2009-10 on 20 May. This will provide additional subsidy of around £175 million to compensate those councils in England that reduce their rent increases in accordance the Government's decision to offer local authorities a reduction in the 2009-10 national average guideline rent increase from 6.2 per cent. to 3.1 per cent. Local authorities are responsible for making decisions on the rent levels they apply to their social home tenancies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are on a local authority housing waiting list in Stockport; and how many were on such a list in (a) 2004 and (b) 1999. (279755)

Information is available on numbers of households rather than people. The number of households registered on local authority housing waiting lists in each local authority, as at 1 April each year from 1997 to 2008, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600. The link for this table is as follows:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table600.xls

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009, Official Report, column 423-4W, on councillors, for what reasons the Audit Commission decided to collect data on all local councillors during its next scheduled exercise; and what assessment the Audit Commission made of the level of risk of fraud involving elected members prior to that decision. (280013)

This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.

Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 15 June 2009:

Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me for reply.

Data on local councillors has been collected since 1998. During each cycle of the National Fraud Initiative, local authorities have been required to submit payroll data that includes salaries, wages and members allowances.

Prior to 1998 and based on known frauds reported by audited bodies, pilot exercises were run to determine the value of data matching payroll within NFI. The pilot data was used to provide anomalies to audited bodies and as a result of their investigations they detected significant numbers of payroll and housing benefit frauds by public sector employees and elected members. Consequently payroll became a core element of the data used in NFI. The long standing principle of running pilots to assess the fraud risk in a dataset is enshrined in the Commission’s Code of Data Matching Practice laid before Parliament in July 2008.

Individual case studies and the total of frauds detected have been reported in the NFI national reports published at the end of each exercise and many have been covered by local and national media particularly where custodial sentences have resulted. Many local authorities have rightly adopted a zero tolerance approach to fraud and it is important that this is as robust with staff and elected members as it is with members of the public.

A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many videos his Department has uploaded to YouTube since July 2007; and what policy his Department has on the use of (a) YouTube and (b) other online media. (279943)

Communities and Local Government has published 52 videos on its YouTube channel since July 2008, when the channel launched. The Department decides on a case-by-case basis whether YouTube or other online media channels are used for communications purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, of 23 June 2008, Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, if he will place in the Library a copy of the list of names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods or services to his Department in 2008-09. (279798)

The information that has been requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what training courses have been attended by special advisers in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what cost. (279404)

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued on the provision of energy performance certificates in (a) hard and (b) electronic copy. (277033)

The principal guidance on the provision of energy performance certificates published by my Department is as follows:

Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings: A guide to energy performance certificates for the construction, sale and let of non-dwellings;

Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, Local weights and measures guidance for Energy Certificates and air-conditioning inspections for buildings;

Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, A guide to Display Energy Certificates and advisory reports for public buildings;

Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, an overview of Energy Certificates and Air Conditioning inspections for buildings;

Energy performance certificates for dwellings in the social and private rented sectors;

Energy performance certificates for dwellings in the social and private rented sectors, A guide for landlords.

All of these publications are only available online. There is a considerable list of supporting guidance and other documentation that have been published by my Department in support of energy performance certificates and related documents. A copy of this list has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Homebuy agents are permitted to bring forward expected funding from one financial year into another under the terms of their contracts with his Department. (276739)

Homebuy Agents cannot bring forward funding from one financial year to another under the terms of their contract with the Homes and Communities Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many registered Homebuy agents there are in each region. (276746)

The Homebuy Agents operating in each region are as follows:

North East—Time2Buy, Isos Group

North West—HomesHub, Riverside, Plumlife

Yorkshire and Humberside—My4walls, Plumlife

West Midlands—Orbit

East Midlands—East Midlands Housing

East—Orbit, Moat, Lea Valley Homes

South East—Moat, Catalyst, Swaythling Housing

South West—Home2own

London—Metropolitan Housing Group/Housing Options, Tower Homes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funds the Homes and Communities Agency has allocated to the development of the Olympic village for the London 2012 Olympic Games; and whether the sums allocated have been amended since the agency first agreed to provide funding for the village. (276914)

In April 2008 an allocation for the Olympic Village site of £85.9 million funding was agreed by the Department.

In February 2009 the London Board of the Homes and Communities Agency agreed additional funding for affordable housing up to a total cap of £110 million and provided that the total amount of affordable housing was no more than 50 per cent. of the residential on the Olympic Village.

Following the finalisation of the negotiation of the additional affordable housing units and a change in the mix of units agreed in the original proposal through the planning obligation, a total of £110 million in social housing grant was agreed. (£85.8 million for the units originally proposed plus £24.2 million for the additional units).

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities operate choice-based housing allocation schemes. (278674)

As at April 2009 the Choice Based Lettings housing allocations schemes were being operated in 211 local authorities in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority allocated for its Housing Revenue Account for (a) maintenance, (b) management, (c) Decent Homes, (d) major repairs, (e) arm’s length management organisations, (f) private sector renewal and (g) subsidy payments in each of the last five years. (278607)

Communities and Local Government does not hold information about allocations made by local authorities for the categories requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the definition of zero carbon for homes and non-domestic properties; and if he will make a statement. (277014)

The Department is working closely with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on the development of our policies on zero carbon homes and non-domestic buildings. DECC is represented at ministerial level on the 2016 task force, which is jointly chaired by the Minister for Housing and Planning and the Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation and which brings together key stakeholders at senior level to oversee development and implementation of the zero carbon homes policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Homebuy homes designated in each Homebuy scheme were available in (a) Welwyn Hatfield and (b) Hertfordshire in each of the last 12 months. (276376)

We do not hold centrally the number of homes available for Open Market Homebuy in Welwyn Hatfield and Hertfordshire in each of the last 12 months. This scheme enables purchasers to buy any property on the open market with the help of an equity loan. Ownhome and My Choice Homebuy are subsets of Open Market Homebuy.

Again for Homebuy Direct we do not centrally collect the number of homes available to purchase at local authority level.

The number of completed homes each month for New Build Homebuy for Welwyn Hatfield and Hertfordshire has been provided in the following table. The total for Hertfordshire includes those homes completed within Welwyn Hatfield. In each month there are likely to be more homes available than just those newly completed, as some homes can take a few months to sell and others come back on the market as occupants change.

For Rent to Homebuy the following table shows the number of completions in each month for Welwyn Hatfield and Hertfordshire. The total for Hertfordshire includes those homes completed within Welwyn Hatfield. In each month there are likely to be more homes available than just those newly completed, as some homes can take a short time to rent.

We do not hold centrally data on the number of properties on which Social Homebuy is offered by landlords participating in the scheme.

Throughout this answer Hertfordshire has been interpreted as covering the following local authorities: Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Hertfordshire, Hertsmere, North Hertfordshire, St. Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers, Watford and Welwyn Hatfield.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn, Hatfield of 8 May 2009, Official Report, columns 448-9W, on housing: low incomes, how many households have moved into dwellings under the New Build Homebuy Scheme to date. (276924)

The following table shows the number of initial sales recorded through the New Build Homebuy scheme since 1997-98, the earliest date for which New Build Homebuy is separately identified.

It has been assumed that households responsible for initial sales of New Build Homebuy will take up residence.

The figures cover the number of initial sales recorded on CORE, which is assumed to be the same number as the number of households moving into dwellings.

CORE sales figures are only provided by RSLs with at least 250 units or bedspaces. RSLs with less units can complete the form, but it is not compulsory, so these figures may be under recording the number of New Build Homebuy sales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009, Official Report, column 749W, on Homebuy schemes, what the cost of services related to the design of Homebuy brand logos was in each of the last three years. (279783)

The cost of services related to the design of the Homebuy brand logo in the last financial year was £21,090 excluding VAT. The Department incurred no such costs in the previous years requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 27 April 2009, Official Report, column 1119W, on local government finance, for what reasons some local authorities received no funding in the most recent round of the local authority business growth incentive scheme. (279890)

Local authorities qualified for funding under the local authorities business growth incentives (LABGI) scheme when their business growth exceeded historic growth levels. When business growth did not exceed these levels, local authorities received no funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) large and (b) small properties were assessed as having capped rises in business rates bills under a fifth year of transitional relief in 2009-10 as part of the analysis undertaken for Department's August 2004 National Non-Domestic Rates Transitional Arrangements Consultation; and what estimate was made under that analysis of the external revenue implications of a fifth year of transition. (279782)

The consultation ‘NNDR transitional arrangements’ did not include options for a five-year scheme and therefore no such assessment was made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated for parks in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997. (279286)

Public parks and green spaces are primarily funded through revenue support grant provided to local authorities by Communities and Local Government. Central Government does not prescribe how much should be spent by each local authority on their open spaces; this is a matter for them to determine in line with local priorities.

Information is not collected by central Government on the number of parks in a local authority area or region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much funding his Department allocated for parks in (a) Crosby and (b) Merseyside in each year since 1997; (278896)

Public parks and green spaces are primarily funded through revenue support grant provided to local authorities by Communities and Local Government. Central Government does not prescribe how much should be spent by each local authority on their open spaces; this is a matter for them to determine in line with local priorities.

Information is not collected by central Government on the number of parks in a local authority area or region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much funding his Department allocated for parks in (a) Mid Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England in each year since 1997; (278590)

Public parks and green spaces are primarily funded through revenue support grant provided by Communities and Local Government. Central Government does not prescribe how much should be spent by each local authority on their open spaces; this is a matter for them to determine in line with local priorities.

Information is not collected by central Government on the number of parks in a local authority area or region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd of 9 December 2008, Official Report, columns 56-7W, on the coastal town network, on what dates the coastal towns network has met since October 2008. (279915)

The Coastal Towns Network, which is led by the South East England Development Agency, has met twice since October 2008, on 22 January 2009 and 2 April 2009, with the next meeting planned for 28 July 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the operation of (i) full-time and (ii) floating support managers in sheltered housing schemes. (279606)

The Department has not commissioned any research specific to the operation of full-time and floating support managers in sheltered housing schemes.

However, in September 2006 Civis consultants were commissioned to undertake a literature and current practice review of floating support to better understand the effectiveness of floating support services, and the balance needed between floating support and accommodation-based services in order to improve service delivery and choice and control for service users.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments his Department has made to the Town and Planning Association for work on eco-towns. (276919)

The details of payments and committed funding to the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) in relation to their work on eco-towns was set out in my answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 108W. I can now confirm that payments to the TCPA in 2008-09 totalled £203,500. Funding to support the TCPA's work on eco-towns for 2009-10 is currently being agreed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated for the preservation of trees in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997. (279285)

Local planning authorities are responsible for making and administering tree preservation orders. Funding for this function is contained in the revenue support grant and is not ring-fenced. 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 when he plans to publish the results of the consultation on the Planning Circular on the Protection of World Heritage Sites. (279115)

We are aiming to publish both the summary of consultation responses, and the new Planning Circular, in July 2009.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much the Government Olympic Executive spent on consultants in each year since 2005. (277101)

[holding answer 1 June 2009]: The Government Olympic Executive's (GOE) expenditure on consultancy costs for the financial years since 2005-06 is:

These figures include expenditure by the GOE's predecessor, the Olympic Games Unit. All figures include VAT (where appropriate).

GOE is the only organisation overseeing the entire Olympic project, integrating the work of multiple delivery bodies, and ensuring the Games is delivered within the £9.3 billion public sector funding provision. GOE's purchase of consultancy services is a planned response to the need to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees. The consultants have provided valuable short-term support, skills and expertise which has enabled GOE to, among other things:

identify how the Games will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the East End with investment in Stratford and the Lower Lea Valley, building on the investment in neighbourhood renewal already being delivered by the Government, Mayor of London and the host boroughs themselves;

develop and publish a clear Legacy Action Plan;

develop and implement the most effective governance structures and organisations, such as the Olympic Park Legacy Company, to ensure that physical and sporting legacy is delivered;

implement more effective and economic operational structures to support the Olympic Board, and ensure that the necessary assurance process are in place;

develop the essential cross-cutting work-streams to ensure that all elements of the programme are properly integrated so avoiding duplication of effort, late and costly changes to the design and construction of facilities and services; and

undertake essential tracking research on public attitudes to the Olympics which has informed the legacy ambitions; added to our understanding of people's priorities around London 2012 and shown us how people are becoming involved in the numerous opportunities for London and the UK.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many actions under employment law have been brought against the Government Olympic Executive in each of the last three years; how many such actions were brought under each category of action; and how many such actions were contested by the Government Olympic Executive at an employment tribunal. (277422)

No actions under employment law have been brought against the Government Olympic Executive in the last three years.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether the Olympic Delivery Authority requires contractors to use water-borne means of transport to transport material to and from the Olympic site; and if she will make a statement. (277987)

While there is no specific requirement in place, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is encouraging all contractors to use the waterways to transport materials. The ODA's work to open up navigable waterways will actively encourage contractors to employ sustainable transport methods at every opportunity. Contractors are embracing this challenge; for example, Team Stadium (the consortium constructing the Olympic Stadium) are building offloading facilities near the stadium to enable movement of materials by water. Two of the ODA's other tier one contractors, Veolia and Aggregate Industries, have also committed to using the waterways to transport materials in and waste out. Veolia, the site waste management contractor, is expected to have the first barge carrying waste out of the park at the end of June 2009, following the opening of Three Mills Lock (formerly known as Prescott Lock) this month.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics what contracts have been signed with the Olympic Delivery Authority to enable water-borne freight to be transported to and from the Olympic site. (277988)

Water-borne freight can access the Olympic Park via several of the waterways which run next to and through the Olympic Park.

The Lea Navigation canal, which runs along the western perimeter of the site, already enables 100 tonne barges to access the park. Access to Waterworks River (which runs through the centre of the Park) has been facilitated by investment in a new lock at Three Mills (formerly known as Prescott Lock). This lock will enable the passage of 350 tonne barges to the Olympic Park wharf located opposite the aquatics centre. Dredging has been undertaken along Waterworks River to ensure barges can reach the new wharf.

The construction of Three Mills lock was managed by British Waterways with funding contributions from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), Transport for London, Department for Transport, London Development Agency and the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation. Dredging was undertaken by British Waterways. The new wharf along Waterworks River has been constructed by the ODA's tier one contractor, Volker Highways.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics what criteria will apply to the award of contracts for landscaping of the London 2012 Olympic main site; and if she will make a statement. (279309)

Contracts for landscaping of the London 2012 Olympic Park are the responsibility of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and are awarded following a competitive tendering process. The authority is a public body whose procurements are subject to the public contracts regulations.

The ODA, in support of its overarching commitment to value and quality, sets a number of requirements, including demonstration of quality and functionality, equality and diversity, design and accessibility, and sustainability, as part of the evaluation criteria used to award contracts. In addition to this core criteria, bespoke commercial and technical conditions are set as appropriate for each of the individual contracts within the Landscape and Public Realm project.

Further detail on ODA procurement policy and principles can be found in the ODA Procurement Policy (published March 2007) and the ODA Supplier Guide (published June 2008).

Over the next three years, there will be a number of opportunities available to landscaping contractors to supply the thousands of young woodland trees, shrubs and other plants needed to complement those trees and plants already secured for a spectacular and sustainable Olympic Park in both games-time and legacy.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her most recent estimate is of the cost of hosting the London 2012 Olympics (a) cross country, (b) equestrian and (c) modern pentathlon events at Greenwich Park. (278654)

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has responsibility for staging the Olympic and Paralympic games at existing venues. The direct costs associated with staging the events at existing venues come from LOCOG’s revenues which are primarily derived from commercial sponsorship, broadcast rights, ticket sales and merchandising/licensing not from the public purse.

There will be attributable costs to the public purse, for example, in respect of the security and transport functions associated with the venue. However, these costs have not yet been identified separately for individual venues, but they will form part of the overall security and transport budgets.