To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers she has to limit the increase in the Greater London Authority council tax precept in relation to the Olympic Games cost over-runs. (114750)

The Government’s capping powers are set out in the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended by the Local Government Act 1999. In order to cap, the Secretary of State must decide if an authority’s budget requirement is excessive; she would do this by determining capping principles. One principle must be a comparison of an authority’s budget requirement with that of a previous year—other principles are at the Secretary of State’s discretion.

The Government and the Mayor of London agreed, in 2003, that the London council-tax payer would contribute £625 million to the 2012 Olympic Games. This was set out in the Government Response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee Report —“A London Olympic Bid for 2012” (HC268), presented to Parliament in June 2003, and is already reflected in the current GLA precept. It can be changed only with the agreement of the Government and Mayor.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what procedures her Department has in place to monitor the extent to which local authorities are meeting targets for affordable housing set in their local plans; (112750)

Planning Policy Statement 3—Housing requires local authorities to set targets in local plans for the amount of affordable housing to be delivered in their area. These targets should reflect current and future levels of need, the new definition of affordable housing, and the viability of land for housing in their area, including likely levels of grant and developer contributions.

Local authorities are required to submit annual monitoring reports (AMRs) to the Secretary of State through Government offices. These report the extent to which policies, including affordable housing policies, in local development documents are being successfully implemented. Where appropriate, AMRs should set out the actions that authorities will take to address any underperformance. The Housing Corporation also monitors the delivery of the majority of affordable homes, which are funded by social housing grant.

There are checks within the planning system to ensure local planning authorities (LPAs) meet affordable housing targets. If they fail to propose an acceptable target in their plans, the Secretary of State may call in a plan or direct them to modify the target. In terms of delivering the target, PPS3 requires LPAs to develop implementation strategies in their plans. The Secretary of Sate my also call in planning applications where they raise issues of wider strategic importance or represent a departure from the plan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria the Government will adopt for approving proposals for effective community governance; and what mechanisms are in place to prevent extremist groups setting up a parish council. (114726)

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill provides that in future principal councils will be responsible for putting in place community governance arrangements, and when doing so must have regard to the need to secure that community governance reflects the identities and interests of local communities, and to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. We intend to include in this statutory guidance a provision that councils should consider the impact on community cohesion when deciding community governance arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the planned difference is between comprehensive performance assessments and comprehensive area assessments. (114829)

We will be moving to a more proportionate and risk-based system. This will build on the strengths of CPA and will be known as the comprehensive area assessment (CAA). Unlike the comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) which was established to bring together views on the current performance of a local authority, the new risk assessment will look at risk and will focus more on areas rather than just institutions.

It will comprise the following elements:

an annual risk assessment

a scored use of resources judgment

a scored direction of travel.

Instead of rolling programmes of major inspection like CPA corporate assessment and Children’s Services Joint Area Reviews, inspection will primarily be triggered by the results of the CAA.

The Audit Commission will be working with the other inspectorates and stakeholders to develop and trial the risk assessment methodology over the next two to three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will reply to the letter of 23 October 2006 from the hon. Member for Kettering on planning guidance for affordable and starter homes. (117006)

I have now replied to the hon. Member's letter. I apologise for the delay in responding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much council tax has not been collected because of erroneous addressing in the last two years. (116263)

This information is not available centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many councillors there were in each local authority in England since 1990, excluding parish councillors and town councillors. (114719)

Decisions as to the number of councillors in a local authority are matters for the independent Electoral Commission. They have records dating from 1998 (for district councils) and 2002 (for county councils). The information has been sent to the hon. Member and placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the reasons were for the movement of £274,000 of her Department’s funding from voted to non-voted provision in November 2006’s departmental expenditure limits and supplementary estimates. (114830)

The transfer of £274,000 effected in the statement on Communities and Local Government departmental expenditure limits 21 November 2006, Official Report, columns 23-26WS, and the winter supplementary estimates, related to a movement of funds from non-voted to voted expenditure for the Valuation Office Agency for the reason set out in the answer to the hon. Lady.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Department for Communities and Local Government's expenditure on hospitality and entertainment was in 1996-97. (114083)

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's answer of 9 February 1998 to the right hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane), Official Report, column 17W, which provides the global figure for Government expenditure on ministerial entertaining and hospitality for official purposes in 1996-97.

Records on non-ministerial expenditure for 1996-97 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities sent representatives to the meeting at her Department on 31 October 2006 on data sharing; and what the formal title was of the event. (115044)

Officials from my Department held a meeting entitled ‘Data Sharing Guidance and Legal Barriers for Local Authority Revenues Practitioners Meeting’ on 1 November 2006 to discuss the need for data sharing guidance for revenues practitioners. The meeting was attended by a range of stakeholders including representatives from Guildford borough council, Birmingham city council, the London borough of Tower Hamlets, the London borough of Hounslow and the London borough of Barking and Dagenham. The meeting agreed that a short, focused document would be useful in assisting practitioners to make informed decisions about when data could be shared in the interests of improved customer service delivery. Work on the guidance is ongoing, with a view to publication in the spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006, Official Report, column 172W, on departmental travel, what the (a) destination and (b) purpose was of each of the visits abroad by staff in her Department in the last 12 months. (114908)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 18 December 2006, Official Report, column 1613W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets have been set for the number of high-security safe rooms to be built in the homes of victims of domestic violence over the next five years. (114524)

The Department encourages local authorities to operate a Sanctuary Scheme as part of their strategy to tackle and prevent homelessness. Schemes provide security measures to allow those experiencing domestic violence (and other hate crimes) to remain in their own accommodation where it is safe for them to do so, where it is their choice and where the perpetrator no longer lives within the accommodation.

A victim’s freedom of choice is central to the success of the scheme. I do not, therefore, consider it inappropriate to set targets for each local authority to install Sanctuary Schemes.

However best value performance indicator 225 measures how local authorities increase the options for victims of domestic violence. In order to score fully on this indicator local authorities will need to have a Sanctuary Scheme in place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the estimated average total cost including VAT is of a home information pack (a) without a home condition report and (b) including an energy performing certificate from June 2007; (103887)

The price of the pack will be determined by the market, not Government. Estimated costs were set out in the RIA in June. These are being revised in light of the trials, discussions with stakeholders and further research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to her answer of 29 November 2006, Official Report, column 745W, on hotels, which organisations have made written representations to her Department, excluding submissions sent only to Sir Michael Lyons, relating to local taxation on hotel accommodation in the last 12 months. (114911)

In the last 12 months, this Department has received representations on local taxation on hotel accommodation from the following organisations:

The Stagg Inn, Kington

Temple Sowerby House Hotel and Restaurant, Penrith

Wadworth and Company Limited, Northgate Brewery, Devizes

Arkell’s Brewery Limited, Swindon

Gravetye Manor, Sussex

Cavendish Hotel, Derbyshire

The Old Forge Hotel, Nottinghamshire

Bedford Lodge Hotel, Suffolk

Pontins, Blackpool Holiday Centre

VisitWorthing, Sussex

Midland Shire Hotels, Wellingborough

Boswell House Hotel, Chelmsford

Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association

Elstead Classic Hotel, Bournemouth

The Bull Auberge, Suffolk

St. Ives Parish Council, Cornwall

Stratford on Avon District of the Hospitality Association

Lysses Hotel, Fareham

Travelodge

Tourism Alliance

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the allocation to social housing in the Chelmsford local authority area was given to families and individuals who were resident outside the Chelmsford local authority area prior to an offer of housing being made in each of the last 10 years. (114811)

[holding answer 16 January 2007]: In 2004-05, 20 per cent. of allocated social housing in the Chelmsford local authority area was given to families and individuals who were resident outside the Chelmsford area. In 2005-06, the figure was 15 per cent. For 2007, the proportion up to December was 19 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data the Valuation Office Agency is providing for the Housing Data Warehouse. (114730)

Compilations of the published Council Tax Valuation List.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government have plans to allow local authorities to charge local residents for (a) pest control, (b) hedge cutting, (c) CCTV provision, (d) graffiti and fly-posting removal and (e) pre-application planning advice. (114461)

Section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003 provides a power for authorities to charge on a cost recovery basis for discretionary services where they have the power to provide the service, and the recipient has agreed to its provision and agrees to pay for it. Decisions on the use of section 93 are for local authorities to make in the light of the circumstances relevant to each area. However, local authorities are able to charge for statutory services where specific provision exists in legislation.

Local authorities have powers to require the clearance of fly-posting and graffiti and to take action to deal with pest infestations in certain circumstances, including the recovery of costs.

The Department has commissioned research into the cost of the planning service to local authorities and as part of this we have asked the researchers to consider the costs of non-fee related work including pre-application advice and discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statistical measures or attributes have a role in the determination of the distribution and allocation of revenue support grant to local authorities. (114722)

Distribution of formula grant, which comprises Revenue Support Grant, redistributed business rates and principal formula Police Grant, where appropriate, is based on the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the authority, together with the number of band-D equivalent properties in the area, subject to a minimum percentage increase (the ‘floor’) on a like-for-like basis.

Details of the data used for the current year can be found in The Local Government Finance Report (England) 2006/07 (HC 858), approved by the House on 6 February 2006, together with supporting documentation published by the Department for Communities and Local Government for that settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the average council tax bill in England is (a) property-based and (b) service-based. (114749)

Council tax bills are not made up of discrete property-based and service-based charges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether small district councils will be able to keep the committee system under the Government’s proposals for further local government reform. (114723)

As paragraph 3.26 of the White Paper “Strong and Prosperous Communities” states, we do not intend to change the arrangements in the small number of authorities that, because of their small size, operate a reformed committee system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations the Audit Commission has made to (a) her Department and (b) Sir Michael Lyons’ review on reform of local government finance. (114460)

The Audit Commission made a submission in 2003 to the Balance of Funding Review for which my Department was responsible. A copy has been placed in the Library. While submissions to the Lyons inquiry are a matter for Sir Michael, I understand that copies of all submissions from organisations to the Lyons inquiry up to the time of the inquiry’s May report, including those from the Commission, are available on the inquiry’s website at http://www.lyonsinquiry.org.uk and that Sir Michael intends to publish further submissions at the time of his final report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) purpose and (b) main areas of expenditure were of (i) the £100,000 payment to the East of England Development Agency, (ii) the £274,000 payment to the Valuation Office Agency, (iii) £7.7 million expenditure on mapping data and services and (iv) the £1,160,000 transfer to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office referred to in her written statement of 21 November 2006, Official Report, column 23WS. (114747)

The information is as follows.

(i) East of England Development Agency

The £100,000 additional provision for the East of England Development Agency is funding for the Essex Green Grid environmental projects which were not completed in the previous financial year. The Essex Green Grid is a strategy for developing the urban and rural environment through the linking of green spaces via environmental improvements, greenways, cycle routes etc.

(ii) Valuation Office Agency

An increase of £274,000 was made to the Department’s annual budget for right to buy revaluations, reflecting a rise in the charge made by the Valuation Office Agency for revaluations requested by tenants. However, the number of right to buy applications has since fallen significantly and fewer tenants have therefore requested revaluations. As a consequence, it is unlikely that the additional £274,000 will now be required for reimbursement payments to the agency.

(iii) Mapping Data and Services

The £7.7 million for mapping and data services is expenditure on the Pan-Government Agreement, a collective purchasing agreement to provide geographic information to central Government. The expenditure represents other Departments’ share of the cost of the agreement and is fully offset by income from them.

(iv) Deputy Prime Minister’s Office

The transfer of £1,160,000 relates to the costs of functions which transferred from the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to the new Deputy Prime Minister’s Office in the machinery of government changes of 5 May 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will break down expenditure on hospitality by the Private Office of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005-06 by main budget heading. (114085)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on, 6 November, Official Report, column 867W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Director General of Ordnance Survey takes to separate her responsibility as a vendor of services to government from her role as the Government's Geographic Information Adviser. (116293)

Within Ordnance Survey responsibility for those activities concerned with provision of products and services to users including Government, and for those concerned with provision of advice are held by different and separate groups of officials. Communities and Local Government has a Minister responsible for Ordnance Survey as a customer, with responsibilities for procurement of geographic information, and a Minister responsible for Ordnance Survey as shareholder for Ordnance Survey. Officials working on these distinct areas within CLG are in separate teams and report to the appropriate Minister.

Ministers also receive advice and recommendations on key medium to long-term geographic information issues from the United Kingdom Geographic Information Panel, established in 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) parish and (b) town councils there are in England. (115037)

There are approximately 8,700 parish and town councils in England. The Department does not hold figures which distinguish between them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many development plan documents under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 have been refused by the Planning Inspectorate. (114946)

Five development plan documents have been found unsound by the Planning Inspectorate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the plan documents which local planning authorities must produce as a result of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. (114947)

The local development framework should contain the following development plan documents: core strategy; site specific allocations of land; and area action plans (where needed). Local planning authorities are also required to produce a Local Development Scheme, a Statement of Community Involvement and Annual Monitoring Reports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the long-term costs and liabilities arising from private finance initiative credits are to fire and rescue authorities. (115658)

Private finance initiative (PFI) credits are allocated to fire and rescue authorities as contributions to support the capital element of each PFI project. The current long-term costs and liabilities to fire and rescue authorities from current signed schemes are in terms of payments to contractors. Over the remaining length of the current projects in operation this amounts to £487 million. PFI credits awarded to these projects by the Department provide grant to the fire and rescue authorities which will amount to £214 million over the remaining period. This will be used by the authorities to offset their liabilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any of the special advisers employed by her Department have registered external employment. (114496)

All external employment of special advisers is registered and retained by the Department in accordance with the principles of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, and the Civil Service Code. No external employment has been registered in the last year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006, Official Report, column 904W, on special advisers, what the difference is between a special adviser and a policy adviser; and how many (a) special advisers and (b) policy advisers are employed by her Department. (114569)

Special advisers are appointed by Ministers and add a political dimension to the advice and assistance available to them. Policy advisers are permanent civil servants who provide policy advice to Ministers but are required to be politically neutral.

There are currently three special advisers and two policy advisers employed in the Department. Special advisers and civil servants operate under their respective codes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether (a) she and (b) her Ministers intend to attend any of the forthcoming public meetings on the Sustainable Communities Bill; (113726)

Ministers have received a number of invitations to meetings relating to this Bill, and therefore, we recently met supporters of the Bill to discuss the issues it seeks to address and the relationship to the Government’s Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use the Valuation Office Agency is making of its automated valuation model in its current valuation exercise; and whether the agency is using the model for valuing domestic properties when (a) the property is sold, (b) a new property is built and (c) the property is valued after a material change at the request of the owner. (114530)

There is no “current valuation exercise” as the council tax revaluation in England has been postponed. Elements used in automated valuation modelling are being developed for use in supporting the normal day-to-day work of continuing to maintain the current (1993) lists.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what average time was taken to obtain a court date from the time of application for an adoption placement order in (a) London and (b) other parts of England in the latest period for which figures are available. (117002)

More up-to-date information than that provided to the hon. Member in my answer of 24 July 2006, Official Report, column 932W, is not available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether Ministers and civil servants in her Department have held meetings with the Islamic Shariah Council; and if she will make a statement. (116973)

Neither Ministers nor officials from this Department have held meetings with the Islamic Shariah Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006, Official Report, column 812W, on departmental studies, if she will place in the Library a copy of (a) Measuring elasticity of tourism demand, (b) Casino impacts scoping study, (c) Independent technical review on sport and leisure facility equity indicators, (d) Sport’s contribution to achieving wider social benefits, (e) economic impact of Department of Culture, Media and Sports cultural investment, (f) Creative industries analysis, (g) Review of evidence base for delivering SP2/PSA3, (h) Willingness to pay for work to inform licence fee setting, (i) Assessing the readiness of social housing sector for digital switchover, (j) Assessing the impact of 2005 Gambling Act on internet gambling, (k) International dimension of the creative economy, (l) Exploring creative industry spillovers, (m) Governance of non-departmental public bodies, (n) Knowledge economy, (o) Scoping links between the creative industry and the rest of the economy and (p) Museums indicators revisions. (113685)

Items (a), (b), (d), (e), (g), (i), (k), (I), (m), (o), and (p) are not yet complete, but the Department will place copies in the Libraries of the House at a later date. Items (f) and (h) have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Items (j) and (n) will soon be placed in the Libraries of the House. Item (c) contains commercially sensitive information, so there are no plans to make the document publicly available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by the Department on external legal advice in each of the past five years. (109103)

On the basis of available records, the total cost to the Department of external legal advice in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public money was allocated to (a) theatre, (b) ballet and (c) opera in each year since 1997. (116148)

The following tables show the Arts Council's funding commitments (both grant in aid and lottery) to (a) theatre, (b) ballet and (c) opera between 2001-02 and 2005-06.

The 2004-05 figures for theatre include the one-off capital awards of £46.46 million to the RSC and £10 million to Leeds city council for the redevelopment of the Grand Theatre. Funding information broken down by art form for the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the public subsidy for the performing arts was in each year since 1997. (116149)

The following table shows the Arts Council's funding commitments (both grant in aid and lottery) to theatre, music, dance and collaborative arts between 2001-02 and 2005-06.

The 2004-05 figures include the one-off capital awards of £46.46 million to the RSC and £10 million to Leeds city council for the redevelopment of the Grand Theatre. Funding information broken down by art form for the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has received the recommendations from English Heritage on the spot-listing of West Jesmond school, Newcastle; and if she will take an urgent decision on the matter. (116685)

An application to list West Jesmond school was made to English Heritage in November 2006. English Heritage have considered all the evidence and are in the process of submitting their report to the Department. Once we have received English Heritage’s advice, the Secretary of State will determine whether the school should be added to the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Astute class submarines will be built; and at what unit cost. (116009)

[holding answer 17 January 2007]: Three Astute class submarines are on order with BAE Systems (Submarine Solutions), and further boat orders are currently being considered, subject to affordability. We are working with industry as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy to achieve an affordable and sustainable submarine programme.

The NAO’s Major Project Report for 2006 reported an expected total cost of £3,656 million for the three Astute class submarines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Guards’ Regiment bearskin caps have been refurbished and (b) bear pelts were purchased in each of the last five years; what the total cost of refurbishment was; what the cost of a pelt is in 2007; how many pelts are needed for the production of a new cap; what estimate he has made of the likely number of new pelts which will be required in each of the next two years; what progress is being made towards finding a synthetic replacement for bearskin caps; and if he will make a statement. (115340)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not buy bear pelts, only completed caps. The cost of pelts is a matter for the contractor. The number of completed caps purchased for the Guards Regiments in each of the last five years is as follows:

An estimated 550 bearskin caps have been refurbished since 2001 at a cost of approximately £150,000. Information on the number of caps refurbished year by year is not held centrally.

Between one and two caps can be made from one pelt. It is not possible to say exactly how many new bearskin caps will be required in the future as this depends on the Guards’ requirements, which we currently estimate to be about 100 caps per year, and also on how many existing caps can be refurbished.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) continue to develop faux fur and have furnished samples for testing to MOD over the last two years, which included a trial of caps using a faux fur. These tests revealed that the faux fur performs unsatisfactorily in wet weather conditions. We are continuing to work with PETA to find an alternative and all parties concerned are taking the search for an alternative to bearskins very seriously.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the efficacy of Comfire as a fire-resistant material; and in which (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels it is planned for incorporation. (116007)

[holding answer 17 January 2007]: The Ministry of Defence has assessed two types of Comfire material, Comfire 330 HPL and Comfire 330/660, as approved for use on both submarines and surface ships in respect of their fire characteristics. Comfire material is in use in the Type 45 Destroyer and is currently being assessed for use on future Astute Class submarines. The company have also bid for work on CVF. Available records do not indicate its use in any other RN/RFA vessels, nor of any plans to do so. In general, future use of the material is likely to be determined by competitive procurement including compliance with any invoked civilian or military standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to report to the House on the outcome of the discussion with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the proposed exemption of members of the armed forces serving overseas from paying council tax. (114415)

Discussions between the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Communities and Local Government about how best to provide support for the council tax costs of service personnel on operations overseas are ongoing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by how much the defence budget reduced as a consequence of the 1998 strategic defence review. (116528)

[holding answer 18 January 2007]: The comprehensive spending review 1998 (CSR98) settlement set defence spending plans for the period 1999-2000 to 2001-02. These reflected improvements in the efficiency of the Ministry of Defence and reallocation of resources to the priorities identified in the strategic defence review. The settlement increased the defence budget by £747 million across the CSR98 period, which in real terms represented a reduction of 2.4 per cent. The defence budget has increased by around 8.7 per cent. in real terms since 1999-2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's (a) computers and (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period. (109212)

The following table shows the quantities of laptops and computers assessed as stolen for the last nine years:

Since 2003 it has been obligatory for all MOD units and establishments to report incidents of loss or theft of computing equipment to the MOD's joint security co-ordination centre (JSyCC). The data are now collated on a central JSyCC database. Prior to 2003 incidents were reported but the reporting requirement made no distinction between losses and thefts and details were not collated centrally. The JSyCC database does not include details of the cost of the equipment concerned, and therefore the MOD is unable to provide fully accurate details of their value without disproportionate effort.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how long (a) HMS Ark Royal and (b) HMS Illustrious are scheduled to remain in commission. (116008)

[holding answer 17 January 2007]: On present plans the out of service dates for HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious are 2012 and 2015 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has (a) to increase the number and (b) to modernise the housing for service personnel in Hampshire in each of the next three years. (115478)

The information is not held in the form requested and will take a little time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what types of housing are provided for (a) married and (b) single persons for each armed service in Hampshire; how many units are not deferred rent; what the level of fitness for purpose is of the housing provided; and if he will make a statement. (115479)

The information requested will take a little time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member soon and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of providing the appropriate amount and quality of housing units for service personnel in Hampshire. (115560)

The information is not currently available in the form requested, but will be extracted from existing data as quickly as possible. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals were (a) detained and (b) arrested in the UK armed forces’ recent raid on the Iraqi police premises in Basra; how those detained and arrested have been dealt with so far; what plans there are for dealing with those individuals; and if he will make a statement. (115279)

The raid on the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) Headquarters at the Jameat Police Station, Basra, on 25 December 2006 was one of a number of operations aimed at disbanding the SCU in order to remove the most corrupt members of the Iraqi Police Service from Basra. No individuals were detained and none were arrested during this particular raid. However on two separate operations a total of eight individuals were detained, six have subsequently been released and two interned at the UK Divisional Temporary Detention Centre. Both were the subject of warrants issued by an Iraqi Judge for their arrest. Evidence will be collated on the individuals so that their cases can be transferred to the Central Criminal Court of Iraq for prosecution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department’s nuclear liabilities have been quantified; and how they are funded. (116180)

The Department’s nuclear liabilities are set out in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, the most recent version being those for 2005-06 (HC1394) published on 14 July 2006; a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The estimate of the MOD’s nuclear liabilities (page 220) is £9,753,827,000.

Provision for nuclear liabilities is made within the defence budget through the estimates process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007, Official Report, column 101W, on official engagements, what factors he took into account when deciding not to attend (a) the Defence Council Reception and (b) the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme Reception on 22 November 2006. (115947)

[holding answer 16 January 2007]: My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary had arranged to host a Defence Council reception for Commonwealth Defence Attachés on 22 November 2006 and accepted an invitation from the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme to attend a reception that evening before it had been agreed to hold the Debate on the Address concerning defence and foreign affairs on that date. The Defence Secretary closed the debate on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government.

The timing of the debate required other meetings to be re-arranged. The Defence Secretary took the view that it was better for him to be represented by other MOD Ministers at both events than to ask the organisers to delay proceedings and thereby inconvenience those attending.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) inflow and (b) outflow of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force was in each year since 1997. (113066)

The data showing the inflow and outflow of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) in each year since 2000 are given in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) inflow and (b) outflow of the Royal Naval Reserve was in each year since 1997. (113047)

The following table provides inflow and outflow figures for Royal Naval Reservists for each complete financial year from 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulations cover the personal use of (a) land, (b) sea and (c) air transport by senior officers. (115503)

The regulations covering the use of land, sea and air transport by senior officers are the same as for all other ranks, and are contained within internal Ministry of Defence Joint Service Publications (JSPs), JSP800 Volume 2 Passenger Travel Instruction, and JSP341 Defence Road Transport Regulations.

I will arrange for a copy of these to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the last five years the publication date of statistics produced by his Department has been changed; what the (a) subject of the statistics, (b) (i) original and (ii) final date of publication and (c) reason for the delay was in each case; and who took the decision to delay the publication in each case. (113671)

In accordance with the National Statistics Code of Practice (2002), the Head of Profession for Statistics in the Ministry of Defence has sole responsibility for determining, pre-announcing and, if necessary, altering the dates of publication of ‘National Statistics’ produced by the Department.

Any decision to change a pre-announced publication date will be based on a range of professional considerations such as the completeness of the underlying data, their fitness for purpose, the need for consistency and coherence, the need to promote widespread access and informed debate, or any earlier accidental or wrongful release. In reaching their decision, the Head of Profession will also take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the ‘National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices’. The Code and its 12 supporting Protocols are available in the Library of the House, and can also be accessed using the following address:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp

This Department has no historical record of the occasions on which the Head of Profession changed a pre-announced publication date in the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential vulnerability of submarines at sea to detection by future space-based technology. (116010)

[holding answer 17 January 2007]: Careful assessment has concluded that it is unlikely over the life of the next generation of submarines there will be any radical technological breakthrough that might diminish materially the current advantages of the submarine over anti-submarine systems. Provided we continue to invest in suitable research and development on effective counter-measures, we believe the risks to the submarines operating under the surface on patrol will remain manageable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel in single living accommodation have (a) a television set and (b) access to Sky TV in their rooms; how many sets have been purchased for the use of service personnel in each year since 1997; and what the cost has been in each of the last 12 months. (116642)

Televisions in communal areas of bases are free provided by non-public funds. Details of the number and cost of these televisions is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Television sets in private and service accommodation are licensed and provided by the individual (except in substitute single service accommodation).

New single living accommodation facilities are wired for satellite television. The actual number of personnel who have their own televisions or Sky television in their rooms is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) inflow and (b) outflow of the Territorial Army was in each year since 1997. (113048)

The following table shows the intake and outflow of TA personnel during the period 1 October 2003 to 31 October 2006. October 2003 is the earliest date for which reliable TA inflow and outflow data are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what changes in the Territorial Army (TA) structure in Scotland are planned as a result of TA rebalancing; which (a) headquarters and (b) centres (i) have been and (ii) are planned to be closed; and if he will make a statement; (115427)

Under Territorial Army rebalancing, there are a number of changes to the Territorial Army structure in Scotland which involves the relocation of units between Territorial Army Centres (TAC), changes in manpower liability and changes in trades of some Territorial Army soldiers and officers; the key elements of which are shown in the following list:

Sub Unit/Detachment Disbandment.

Sub Units and Detachments to be disbanded under TA Rebalancing:

HQ Battery, 105 Regiment Royal Artillery (V) based in Edinburgh.

Elgin Detachment of 51 Signal Squadron (V), 32 Signal Regiment (V).

Stirling Detachment of 61 Signal Squadron (V), 32 Signal Regiment (V).

Cumbernauld Detachment of D Company, 51 Highland Regiment (7 SCOTS).

Formations on New Units.

The following new Sub Units/Detachments will form under TA Rebalancing:

Motherwell Detachment of A Squadron, Queen’s Own Yeomanry Regiment.

124 Field Squadron of 71 Engineer Regiment (V) in Cumbernauld.

236 Field Squadron of 71 Engineer Regiment (V) (location still TBC, currently based in Elgin).

Kirkcaldy Detachment of A Company, 7 SCOTS.

Other Changes:

Platoon from A Company, 7 SCOTS change role to become the Forfar Detachment of C Squadron, Queen’s Own Yeomanry Regiment.

Platoon from C Company, 7 SCOTS change role to become a Troop within 71 Engineer Regiment (V) continuing to be based in Kirkwall.

125 Rations Squadron based in Glasgow moves from the Scottish Transport Regiment RLC (RHQ based in Dunfermline) to become a Sub Unit with a newly forming Supply Regiment (159 Supply Regiment based in Stoke).  125 Rations Squadron will continue to be based in Glasgow.

51 Highland Regiment renames to 7 SCOTS and 52 Lowland Regiment renames to 6 SCOTS.

As a result of Territorial Army rebalancing, the Territorial Army presence in Scotland sees an overall net increase in manpower liability of 83 (from 3,563 to 3,648 officers and soldiers); an ongoing process which is due to be complete by 2010. There are no current plans to close any Territorial Army headquarters or centres under rebalancing, however, their use may change as the role of units utilising these sites change throughout the rebalancing process.

Details of the current strength of the Territorial Army in Scotland (as at 11 January 2007) are shown in the following table¹:

¹ These figures are Single Service source figures used for internal planning purposes only—Official DASA (A) strength figures for the TA are collated for the UK and not its constituent nations, counties or towns and are therefore not available.

Recruiting targets for Territorial Army units in Scotland for 2006-07 are detailed as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effect on operational capability of the reduction in the order for the new Type 45 destroyer from eight to six. (114136)

No decision has been taken to reduce the number of Type 45 destroyers to be ordered. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 364W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the target period of rest is between operational tours for UK troops. (114763)

The armed forces recognise that a degree of separation from home and family is an accepted part of service life and take this into account when calculating harmony, a manpower planning tool used to define force structures. The services report against two guidelines: an individual harmony guideline which stipulates the maximum length of separated service that an individual should serve within any given period, and defined tour intervals to determine the frequency with which formed units (an infantry battalion, for example) should deploy on operations. Both measures are important because, at times, personnel deploy with units other than their own to fill gaps. Due to different operating patterns, guidelines for the three services vary.

Army harmony guidelines are that individuals should not exceed 415 days of separated service in any period of 30 months. At unit level, tour intervals should be no less than 24 months. Royal Navy harmony guidelines are that no individual should exceed 660 days of separated service in a three year rolling period. Over a similar time span, ships or other units should not be deployed for more than 60 per cent. of their time. Royal Air Force harmony guidelines are that no more than 2.5 per cent. of individual personnel should serve more than 140 days of detached duty in any period of 12 months, while unit tour intervals should not be less than 16 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many works of art were stolen from his Department in each of the last 10 years; what value of art was stolen; and what measures were taken to recover it. (115057)

The information is shown in the following table.

All losses were investigated, but no works of art were recovered or individuals prosecuted for their theft.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the projected expenditure of the Central Office of Information spending on public relations, marketing and advertising is in 2006-07. (114091)

COI’s projected expenditure, by service, for 2006-07 is:

The total amount shown in the table is an estimated reduction of 4 per cent. on 2005-06.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on information technology by those parts of the public sector represented on the Chief Information Officer Council as referred to on page 23 of the Chief Information Officer's Transformational Government Annual Report 2006 in each financial year since 1997-98, broken down by agency and department. (116913)

This information is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

The figures for 2005-06 are set out in the Transformational Government Annual Report 2006 (Cm 6970), a copy of which is available in the Library for members. This is the first time this information has been collated in this way and we expect to build on this information in the future.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will list the individual training courses that (a) have been and (b) are provided to Ministers by the National School of Government. (114117)

This is a matter for the National School of Government. The National School's principal and chief executive will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library for the reference of Members.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the average Exchequer contribution towards a civil service final salary pension is, as a percentage of pensionable salary. (114092)

Employer contribution rates for members of the principal civil service pension scheme (PSCPS) are assessed for each of four ranges of pay levels and are set at a level, which together with employee contributions, is intended to meet the costs of benefits accruing in the year. This approach is set out in Resource Accounts 2005-06 of Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation, a copy of which is available in the Library for the reference of Members. The current employer contribution rates expressed as a percentage of pensionable pay are shown in the following table.

The average employer contribution is estimated at 19.4 per cent. of pensionable pay. A higher rate, of 26.5 per cent. of pensionable pay, is payable by the Prison Service for prison officers employed before September 1987 and who are entitled to enhanced benefits.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how delegates will be selected for the deliberative forums announced on 2 January 2007 as part of the policy review working Groups. (115232)

Ipsos MORI have been engaged to recruit the participants in the deliberative forums being organised as part of the public engagement strand of the policy review. They will be recruited according to Market Research Society guidelines with the aim of achieving a representative sample of the general population.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what response he has made to the PricewaterhouseCoopers report ‘DFES Children's Services, The Childcare Market’ commissioned by his Department. (116970)

The PricewaterhouseCoopers report “DfES Children's Services, The Childcare Market” was one of a series of five publications published in August 2006 covering four markets and an overview report.

My Department has made no formal response to this report, but has taken on board many of the findings from the five reports within our policy thinking and methodology, for example, in the Care Matters Green Paper that is currently going through its formal consultation period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what qualifications are taken into account when calculating the contextual value added score. (116079)

All Entry Level, level 1 and level 2 qualifications approved for use pre-16 under section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 are taken into account when calculating contextual value added.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what training is provided to Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers; and if he will make a statement; (113752)

These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 9 January 2007:

I am writing to you in response to the two parliamentary questions that you tabled recently:

PQ 113752—What training is provided to Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers?

Family Court Advisers are required to have a Diploma in Social Work (or a General Social Care Council (GSCC) recognised equivalent) and 3 years post qualifying experience in social work with children and families at risk.

CAFCASS provides the following training to Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers:

1. A whole range of in-service and external training provided in accordance with staff training needs which are identified through a training needs analysis for each member of staff.

2. A three-part domestic violence-training programme.

3. A five-day foundation course for new Family Court Advisors

4. An Annual Research Conference.

5. An Annual Diversity Conference.

6. Post Qualification Training for Family Court Advisors and managers as provided in the General Social Care Councils revised Post Qualification Framework.

7. Further and higher education training for which they are sponsored. ( this is job related)

8. Legal Road shows.

9. Training in new legislation e.g. The Adoption and Children Act, 2002 and The Children and Adoption Act, 2006.

PQ 113753—How much was spent on training for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers in each year since 2000?

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) was established in April 2001. Total training costs for the years 2001-06 were as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) which organisations are responsible for maintaining each children's centre in England; (116972)

Local authorities working with their partners in children's trusts are responsible for the overall delivery of the Sure Start children's centres programme in England. They are responsible for planning, securing value for money and ensuring overall quality in children’s centres. We are encouraging them to involve private, voluntary and independent organisations both in managing children’s centres and as service providers. Information on how many children's centres are managed by public sector organisations, voluntary sector, independent and other providers is not collected centrally. A survey of early children’s centres shows around 58 per cent. of child care provision in children’s centres is provided by the private, voluntary and independent sector, and around 82 per cent. of children’s centres have contracts with voluntary sector organisations for delivering services. Responsibility for children's centres in Wales lies with the Welsh Assembly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2006, Official Report, column 1006W, on competition managers, how many (a) competitions and (b) teams have been identified by competition managers in the last 12 months, broken down by type of sport. (115989)

For the period of September to November 2006, competition managers have delivered 810 competitions involving 42,510 young people, broken down by sport/activity as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many primary schools teach the Drug Abuse Resistance Education programme; what guidance is given to schools on the age of pupils to whom this programme is taught; and what the requirement is for parental consent before the programme is used. (115349)

The Department’s guidance, “Drugs: Guidance for Schools” (DfES 2004) makes it clear that teachers should be the main providers of drug education and maintain responsibility for the overall drug education programme in their school. External contributors can be used where they add to the drug education programme a dimension that the teacher alone cannot deliver. It is for schools and local authorities to decide whether to use the services of an external contributor to assist with their drug education programme, and if so which. The Department does not collect information on the external contributors used.

The guidance also requires individual schools to work closely with pupils’ parents and carers in the development of their drug education programme, thereby ensuring that it is relevant and sensitive to the needs and diversity of its pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many education supervision orders were put in place for children with special educational need in (a) Chorley and (b) Lancashire in each of the last five years. (117194)

The Department does not collect data relating to education supervision orders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the teacher to pupil ratio was in infant school classes in (a) Jarrow constituency and (b) South Tyneside in each year since 1997; and what the national average was in each year since 1997. (115356)

The information requested is not collected centrally.

Information on pupil:teacher ratios is available for overall school types but not for individual age groups or year groups.

The available information relating to maintained primary schools is given in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools was in (i) Jarrow constituency and (ii) South Tyneside in each year since 1997; and what the national average was in each year since 1997. (115357)

The information requested is shown in the table.