To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has provided to the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government in each of the last three years; and how much has been allocated for each of the next two years. (280851)

The Improvement and Development Agency receives Revenue Support Grant (RSG) funding from my Department to provide core services for local government improvement. Additionally we give additional money for specific projects. During the period 2006-11 has/will receive the following amounts:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government in spreading best practice amongst local authority housing professionals. (280852)

The Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government (IDeA) works for local government so councils can serve people and places better mainly focusing on partnership working, place shaping and tackling cross cutting issues. The IDeA produces annual reports which highlight their work with councils including local authority housing professionals which can be found at:

http://www.idea.gov.uk