To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he has any plans to introduce an additional bank holiday; and if he will make a statement. (271056)

The pattern of bank holidays is well established and accepted but we keep suggestions of additional holidays under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what (a) statutory and (b) other obligations there are upon him to investigate allegations of child abuse in children's homes. (271031)

Although Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has a general duty to promote the well-being of children, there is no statutory duty on him to investigate allegations of abuse in children's homes. However any allegations of abuse brought to the Department's attention would immediately be passed to the LA or the police to investigate, depending on the information provided.

All children's homes must have child protection policies in place which mean that allegations of abuse are notified to the local authority and the police who have a duty to investigate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parents have refused to allow the details of their children to be kept on the ContactPoint database. (268423)

The inclusion on to ContactPoint of all children and young people in England is a requirement of the Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007, which define and limit strictly what information can be held on ContactPoint. Consequently, there is no option for parents to refuse to have their children's details put on ContactPoint.

Parents may make requests to the relevant local authority for their child's record to be shielded if they consider there are circumstances that would put the child or their parent or carer at increased risk of harm, if their whereabouts became known. The process of shielding hides from view all details that could reveal their whereabouts. Decisions as to whether or not shielding is appropriate will be taken by the local authority, on a case-by-case basis, informed by the level of threat posed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to address the effect on levels of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department of its ICT purchases since the publication of the Greening Government ICT Strategy; and if he will make a statement. (269572)

The Department for Children, Schools and Families is working towards meeting the Greening Government ICT Strategy objectives and is taking a wider range of actions, which can be found on the Department's Sustainable Development webpages at:

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/aboutus/sd/index.shtml

Sustainable use and especially lowering the levels of carbon dioxide emissions are key drivers for the procurement, deployment and upgrading of ICT. This includes asking ICT suppliers to evidence their compliance with current or impending standards to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions such as the Government's Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standard and the European Union Energy Star Standard.

The Department has a well-advanced programme of replacing stand-alone printers, photocopiers, scanners and fax machines with multi-function devices to reduce energy consumption and consumables. On completion there are potential electricity cost savings of over £7,000 and a potential reduction of around 18,000 kilograms of carbon emissions in a full year across the Department's London and Sheffield sites.

Other actions include a range of active device power management solutions that are either in place or being put in place; and using more videoconferencing and remote working technologies to reduce travel related carbon emissions.

The Department is currently developing plans for rationalising and making more efficient use of its data centres and other infrastructure with the potential for significant reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of gifted and talented pupils attending schools in Suffolk did not obtain five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics in the most recent year for which figures are available. (256961)

In 2008, 103 (12 per cent.) of gifted and talented pupils attending maintained schools in Suffolk did not obtain five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics. Pupils identified as gifted and talented are defined as

“Children and young people with one or more abilities developed to a level significantly ahead of their year group (or with the potential to develop those abilities)”.

This includes students identified for their talent in, for example, creative arts or sports rather than their ability to excel academically.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the executive summary of the second Serious Case Review of the death of Baby P to be published. (271030)

Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board will publish the executive summary of the second Baby P serious case review as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 24 February 2004, what percentage of children were entitled to free school meals in each school in each principal seaside town on the latest date for which figures are available, listed in descending order; and if he will make a statement. (263126)

The requested information has been placed in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the proportion of children who attained five or more GCSEs at A* to C grade at schools where (a) more than 50 per cent., (b) between 35 and 50 per cent., (c) between 21 and 35 per cent., (d) between 13 and 21 per cent., (e) between nine and 13 per cent., (f) between five and nine per cent. and (g) fewer than five per cent. of children were receiving free school meals in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement. (263689)

The information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what percentage of independent special schools judged as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) adequate and (d) inadequate at their last Ofsted inspection are in each decile of area deprivation; (269795)

These are matters for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and copies of her replies have been placed in the House Libraries.

Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 16 April 2009:

Parliamentary Question Number 269667: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what percentage of special schools assessed as inadequate by Ofsted at their most recent inspection are in each decile of area deprivation.

Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.

Inspections of maintained and non-maintained special schools are carried out under the inspection framework defined by section 5 of the Education Act 2005, and include a judgement on overall effectiveness. Inspections of non-association independent special schools are carried out under the inspection framework defined by section 162a of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005. Under this framework, there is no summary judgement for overall effectiveness and these schools are not categorised as outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate. Consequently, Ofsted does not hold the information on these schools that you requested.

Table A shows the numbers and percentages of maintained special schools and non-maintained special schools found to be inadequate at their most recent Ofsted inspection. These have been allocated to ten bands according to the income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) 2007 produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government, where 1 indicates the most deprived 10%, and 10 indicates the least deprived 10%.

As of 2 March 2009, 984 maintained special schools and 73 non-maintained schools were open in England. 958 of the maintained special schools and 70 of the non-maintained special schools have been inspected by Ofsted up to 31 December 2008, the latest inspection data available. Of these, 14 maintained special schools and 2 non-maintained special schools were found to be inadequate at their most recent inspection. The IDACI was then used to allocate these schools into ten bands, based on their postcodes.

A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 16 April 2009:

Parliamentary Question Number 269668: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what percentage of independent special schools in the (a) top and (b) bottom decile of area deprivation as determined by the income deprivation affecting children index were judged to be (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) adequate and (iv) inadequate in their most recent Ofsted inspection.

Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.

Inspections of non-association independent schools are carried out under the inspection framework known as Section 162a. Under this framework, there is no summary judgement for overall effectiveness, and independent schools, including special schools, are not categorised as outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate. Consequently, Ofsted does not hold the information for which you asked. It should also be noted that many of the pupils in independent special schools do not live in the area in which the school is situated and may well come from a wide area. This would affect any association with local area deprivation.

A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 16 April 2009:

Parliamentary Question Number 269795: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what percentage of independent special schools judged as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) adequate and (d) inadequate at their last Ofsted inspection are in each decile of area deprivation.

Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.

Inspections of non-association independent schools are carried out under the inspection framework known as Section 162a. Under this framework, there is no summary judgement for overall effectiveness, and independent schools, including special schools, are not categorised as outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate. Consequently, Ofsted does not hold the information for which you asked. It should also be noted that many of the pupils in independent special schools do not live in the area in which the school is situated and may well come from a wide area. This would affect any association with local area deprivation.

A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 16 April 2009:

Parliamentary Question Number 269796: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what percentage of maintained and non-maintained special schools judged as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) adequate and (d) inadequate at their last Ofsted inspection are in each decile of area deprivation.

Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.

Table A shows the number of maintained special schools and non-maintained special schools inspected by Ofsted under the current inspection framework (commonly known as section 5), as well as their inspection outcomes. These have been allocated to ten bands according to the income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) 2007 produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government, where 1 indicates the most deprived 10%, and 10 indicates the least deprived 10%. Table B shows the same figures expressed as percentages.

As of 2 March 2009, 984 maintained special schools and 73 non-maintained special schools were open in England. 958 of the maintained special schools and 70 of the non-maintained special schools have been inspected by Ofsted up to 31 December 2008, the latest inspection data available. The IDACI was used to allocate these schools into ten bands, based on their postcodes. The IDACI band of deprivation is not yet available for the postcode of one maintained special school and, therefore, this school, which was rated outstanding, has been excluded from the analysis. The information used to allocate postcodes to IDACI band of deprivation has been updated since my response to Parliamentary Question 264609. As a result, the number of good schools in the 10% most deprived areas has increased from 56 to 57.

Within the total number of inspected schools given above, two maintained special schools and one non-maintained special school were last inspected under the previous inspection framework (commonly known as section 10), in use before September 2005. The inspection outcomes and deprivation bands for these overall effectiveness judgement was made using a seven point scale: excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, poor and very poor. It is not possible to operate a simple read-across approach from a seven- to a four-point scale. Ofsted's criteria for making inspection judgements about schools are clearly set out in our inspection guidance. Inspectors do not make reference to, or comparisons with, the previous inspection framework.

A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils who had (a) statemented special needs, (b) non-statemented special needs and (c) no special educational needs and who attended mainstream secondary schools achieved five grades A* to C at GCSE including English, mathematics, at least one science, at least one foreign language and history in each year since 1997. (264605)

The information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of pupils who had (a) statemented special educational needs, (b) non-statemented special educational needs and (c) no special educational needs and who attended mainstream secondary schools achieved five grades A* to C at GCSE in each year since 1997; (264606)

The information available can be found in the tables:

Figures prior to 2004 have not been provided as these are not available on a comparable basis.

These figures are for pupils in maintained mainstream schools which include: Academies, Community schools, Voluntary Aided schools, Voluntary Controlled schools, Foundation schools and City Technology schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of unauthorised absences were recorded in respect of pupils with (a) statemented and (b) non-statemented special educational needs in each of the last 10 years. (266445)

The available information is shown in the tables.

Data on pupil characteristics linked to absence was collected in the School Census for the first time in 2005/06, but was collected from secondary schools only. In 2006/07 data were also collected from primary and special schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children have had at least one unauthorised absence from school in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the last five years. (260803)

The requested information for England, the North East and Middlesbrough local authority area is shown in the table. To provide data at constituency level would incur disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the effect on school truancy rates of his Department's initiatives to reduce truancy; and if he will make a statement. (269298)

The Department does not maintain records of truancy. The Department's efforts are focused on improving attendance and reducing absence, and this policy is clearly working, as the following figures show.

Overall absence in 2007/08 was 6.29 per cent. for maintained primary and secondary schools, special schools, city technology colleges and academies—the lowest on record, having fallen for eight of the last 10 years. On average 70,000 more pupils were in school each day in 2007/08 than would be the case if absence rates were still at the level of a decade ago.

Persistent absence, where a pupil misses 20 per cent. or more of schooling, is the best indicator of problem absence. The proportion of persistent absentees in primary, secondary and special schools fell to 3.6 per cent. in 2007/08 compared to 4.1 per cent. in 2006/07.

Persistent absence in secondary schools accounted for 27.7 per cent. of all overall absence. All schools and local authorities now have to target ‘persistent absentees’ and in 2007/08 persistent absence fell by 17 per cent. in the 452 schools with the highest numbers of persistent absentees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to the rating (a) system and (b) charges for beach huts in Bournemouth in 2009-10 compared with the previous year; and if she will make a statement. (270268)

There has been no change to the rating system. However, the liable party for rates on some beach huts in Bournemouth has changed. Where this is the case, and individual tenants are now liable for rates on their beach huts rather than the council, the VOA has assessed the rateable value of each beach hut separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average council tax band of a (a) social rented, (b) private rented and (c) privately-owned dwelling is according to data held by (i) her Department, (ii) the Homes and Communities Agency, (iii) the National Register of Social Housing and (iv) the Valuation Office Agency. (270291)

For both social and private renters the most common Council Tax band (the mode) is Band A; for owner occupiers the most common band is Band D. The median dwelling value for both social and private renters is within Band B; the median dwelling value for owner occupiers is within Band C. This information is derived from the 2006-07 Survey of English Housing.

Neither the Homes and Communities Agency, the National Register of Social Housing or the Valuation Office Agency hold the data requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes were valued in each council tax band in each region of England in each year from 1993 to 1997. (270824)

Details of the number of homes in each council tax band in each region of England in each year from 1993 to 1997 are available in issues of Local Government Financial Statistics England, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many injuries were sustained by firefighters in the course of their duties in each fire authority area in each of the last three years. (270031)

The number of injuries sustained by firefighters in the course of their duties in each fire authority area in each of the last three years is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the Government Office for the North West is of (a) moving to new offices and (b) renting those offices in the first 12 months after moving. (270248)

The Government office for the north-west’s lease on its current accommodation in City Tower, Piccadilly Plaza expired on 14 December 2008. The lease has been extended until the Government office moves to an existing civil estate building that is being refurbished.

The estimated cost of the move of the Government office for the north-west from its current accommodation to Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester in spring 2010 is £1.9 million, which includes removals, security, IT services, new furniture and disposal of old furniture.

In 2008-09 the City Tower rent was £1,212,000. The cost of the annual rental for Piccadilly Gate has not yet been agreed, but is likely to be approximately £750,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effect on the retail price of an average home information pack for a (a) leasehold and (b) freehold property of the April 2009 changes to rules on such packs. (268750)

The Home Information Pack (Amendment) (No.3) Regulations were accompanied by a regulatory impact assessment

www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/em/uksiem_20083107_en.pdf

setting out our assessment of the effect of the new rules which came into force on 6 April 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessor bodies spent on publicity in each of the last three years; (266194)

Final audited information for the HCA and the TSA for the year ending 31 March 2009 will be available after the end of the financial year.

The predecessor bodies of the HCA were English Partnerships, the investment arm of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities. A range of programmes previously delivered by Communities and Local Government (CLG) also transferred to the Agency. The remainder of the Housing Corporation transferred to the Tenants Service Authority.

The following table shows the amount spent on publicity and public relations by English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation in the last three years:

The publicity and public relations costs for the Academy for Sustainable Communities could be disaggregated only at disproportionate cost. The spend related to CLG programmes that transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency cannot be disaggregated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what office space is (a) owned and (b) rented by (i) the Homes and Communities Agency and (ii) the Tenants Service Authority; and what recent estimate has been made of the monetary value of these holdings. (266197)

The following table provides details of the buildings owned by the HCA and their open market values at 31 March 2008, which represents the last audited position.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 March 2009, Official Report, column 740W-42W, to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) that listed the HCA’s regional offices. In addition, two corporate centres are located in London (at Buckingham Palace Road and Maple House) and the HCA Academy is located in Leeds (at Foundry Street).

HCA is currently undertaking a review of its accommodation. The agreed future structure will reflect business need and will unlock as many efficiency savings as possible.

The Tenant Services Authority does not own any office space. The TSA rents office space on the 6^th floor of Maple House in London, and the 4^th floor of Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester.

No valuation is made against rented accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Government Office regions of the Homes and Communities Agency have not met their targets for new homes (a) started and (b) completed for the beginning of 2008-09. (268832)

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) came into being on December 1, 2008. National targets for housing starts and completions were inherited from both the Housing Corporation (National Affordable Housing Programme—NAHP) and from English Partnerships (Property and Regeneration Programme— P and R). The Department for Communities and Local Government does not publish regional targets for these programmes. The HCA's recent press release provides preliminary national outturn figures for both the NAHP and P and R programmes.

A full table of figures for both NAHP and P&R is available at:

http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/page.aspx?pointerid=48d52e4ad7bf43e6842528bb5dcd3b6e

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average amount of a mortgage taken out by a buyer purchasing property under HomeBuy schemes in each region was in the latest period for which figures are available. (268815)

The following table shows the average monetary value of a mortgage taken out by a buyer purchasing a property under HomeBuy schemes in England in 2007-08, by region.

The size of the mortgage and the deposit can vary according to the size of the equity share of the property.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average sum provided as a deposit by buyers purchasing a property under HomeBuy schemes in each region was in the latest period for which information is available. (268817)

The following table shows the average sum provided as a deposit by buyers purchasing a property under HomeBuy schemes in England in 2007-08, by region.

The size of the mortgage and the deposit can vary according to the size of the equity share of the property.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average (a) service charge and (b) ground rent paid on properties bought through HomeBuy schemes in each region is. (268818)

The following table shows the average monthly service charge and monthly ground rent paid on properties purchased under HomeBuy schemes in England in 2007-08, by region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will estimate how long it will take for 50 per cent. of homes to be at Standard Assessment Procedure 81 efficiency level or above. (270822)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge) on 23 April 2009, Official Report, column 886W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average change in property value was in each region of England between 1991 and March 2009. (270825)

The average change in property value in each region of England between 1991 and February 2009 are presented as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government upon what percentage of house sales the Valuation Office Agency receives information in order to update valuation lists. (270826)

In 2008-09 the Valuation Office Agency had information that triggered a review of the council tax band on approximately 6 per cent. of dwellings for which it was aware of a sale.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the potential maximum reward grant is which each local authority with national indicator 191 targets could receive in 2009-10 if it meets all its targets; (270071)

39 local areas have included a designated target against NI 191 (residual household waste per household) in their Local Area Agreement. Reward for performance against these targets will be payable in 2011-12, from an overall reward fund of £340 million. Entitlement to reward will be based on average performance across all Local Area Agreement targets in an area over the full three-year LAA period. It is not possible, at this stage, to determine the reward grant payable against individual targets in particular years.

My Department has published guidance on the operation of the reward scheme and this is available at:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/laarewardguidance2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 11 March 2009, Official Report, columns 504-5W, on sustainable development, whether local spending reports will be extended to (a) the Highways Agency, (b) the Homes and Communities Agency, (c) the regional development agencies, (d) the Environment Agency and (e) learning and skills councils. (270178)

On 22 April 2009 we made arrangements for the production of the first Local Spending Report under section 6 of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007. The arrangements set out full details of the information that will be included in the first report which will be published on 29 April 2009. They will build on the proposals we made in the first phase of a consultation which closed on 3 April 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment (a) her Department and (b) the Audit Commission have made of the medium-term effects on local authorities of the potential losses caused by the collapse of Icelandic banks. (269680)

These investments are not lost but at risk. The medium-term consequences and impact will depend on the extent to which money is recovered. The Government continue to work closely with the banks and Icelandic authorities to ensure the fair treatment of UK creditors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what capitalisation directions to local authorities have been issued by her Department for pension contributions and redundancy costs; and for what value in each case. (269682)

Information on the local authorities that have been issued capitalisation directions for (a) pension contributions and (b) redundancy costs in financial year 2008-09 were published on the Department’s website on 30 January. Capitalisation directions issued for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are also listed on the Department’s website at:

http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/capital/capdirsum.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons (a) equal pay, (b) back pay, (c) pension contributions and (d) redundancy costs (i) can be treated as capital for the purposes of capitalisation directions and (ii) cannot be treated as capital for singular losses caused by the collapse of Icelandic banks. (269683)

Capitalisation has macroeconomic implications, and therefore applications from local authorities for capitalisation—including for expenditure in relation to redundancy, pension costs and equal pay back pay—are assessed against strict criteria. Capitalisation is only likely to be permitted where a very strong case can be made, and, as set out in the guidance for 2009-10, the Department considers that there will normally be no case for the capitalisation of potential losses of investments in Icelandic banks or loss of interest in respect of those investments.

The guidance is available at:

http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/capital/capdirsum.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s policy is on the capitalisation of investment losses incurred by local authorities in Icelandic banks when the regulations deferring the impact of impairment cease to have effect in 2010; and if she will make a statement. (269684)

This money is not lost, but at risk. The regulations allow local authorities to postpone the possible budgetary impact from the potential loss of the investments until 2010-11. This should allow them to be clearer what sums, if any, are still at risk. As set out in our guidance for 2009-10, the Department considers that there will normally be no case for the capitalisation of potential losses of investments or loss of interest in respect of those investments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what records her Department holds of the number of people employed by individual local authorities in the past; and what records her Department holds of the number of people who are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme who are employed by local authorities. (270260)

The Department does not hold records of the number of people employed by individual local authorities. The Office for National Statistics collects employment statistics for the public sector including local authorities in England and Wales as part of the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey.

Details of the total number of people that are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:

http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/pensions.htm

Data about the number of members of the scheme that are not employed by local authorities are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procedures will apply to petitions received by local authorities relating to ongoing (a) planning, (b) licensing and (c) gambling applications. (270250)

Local authorities currently have their own procedures for dealing with petitions. The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill places a duty on principal local authorities to respond to petitions.

The Government aim to keep the scope of the duty as broad as possible, but acknowledged in the Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power White Paper (Cm 7427) that there are some issues, such as planning, which already have extensive statutory public involvement procedures and should be excluded from the duty to respond to petitions. The Government are considering whether the Licensing and Gambling regimes, which also have public involvement specifically built into their processes, should be excluded from these proposals. All exclusions to the duty to respond to petitions would be subject to public consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the value-for-money scores were of each local authority in each year that the Audit Commission has produced the figures under the Comprehensive Performance Assessment regime. (270121)

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

Letter from Steve Bundred dated 24 April 2009:

Your Parliamentary question on what the value-for-money scores were of each local authority in each year that the Audit Commission has produced the figures under the Comprehensive Performance Assessment regime has been passed to me to reply.

The Audit Commission has carried out Use of Resources assessments, to support its Comprehensive Performance Assessments (CPA), from 2005 to 2008. These assessments have been based on auditors' work and have evaluated how well councils managed and used their resources. The Use of Resources assessment required auditors to reach scored judgements, on a scale of 1 to 4, for five themes:

financial reporting;

financial management;

financial standing;

internal control; and

value for money.

Use of Resources scores under CPA are available on the Commission's website and show the overall scores, as well as scores for each of the themes that comprise the assessment.

In the week commencing 20 April, we will publish our report, Summing up: a review of financial management in local government 2005 - 2008, summarising the results of Use of Resources work under CPA.

A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with representatives of (a) HSBC, (b) Nationwide, (c) Santander and (d) Barclays on their mortgage forbearance schemes. (271002)

As part of the programme of work to develop both ‘Homeowners Mortgage Support’ and the ‘Mortgage Rescue Scheme’, CLG has held ongoing discussions with a wide range of lenders on their mortgage forbearance schemes, including the four lenders named above.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 12 March 2009, Official Report, columns 746-7W, on mortgages: Government assistance, how many households deemed to have met the eligibility criteria have received financial assistance to date; (270179)

As part of the monitoring arrangements for the Government Mortgage Rescue Scheme, headline data will be published on a monthly basis on the Department's website starting this month. We will be publishing headline data for January, February and March 2009 on 30 April 2009, as pre-announced on the UK National Statistics Publication Hub, after which local authority breakdowns can be made available. The date of this publication has been delayed from 21 April 2009 owing to unforeseen issues with data quality and validation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the costs to her Department have been of establishing the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme; and what estimate she has made of the total cost to her Department of establishing the scheme; (270974)

The impact assessment for Homeowners Mortgage Support (HMS) was published on Tuesday 21 April and is available at:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/mortgagesupportimpactassessment

The impact assessment sets out the estimated costs and benefits of HMS. We estimate that the total set-up cost for Government of HMS will be £2 million (present value); the majority of which has already been incurred as a result of establishing HMS for launch. The table sets out the profile of the overall costs to Government in each of the next eight years:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of the mortgage market is represented by the mortgage lenders (a) taking part in the Government's Homeowner Mortgage Support scheme and (b) expected to join the scheme shortly; and what data she uses to calculate such market share. (271003)

Lenders covering more than 80 per cent. of the mortgage market will be providing enhanced support: to their customers through ‘Homeowners Mortgage Support’ by offering the scheme or comparable arrangements.

This includes around 50 per cent. market share who will be taking part in the Government's guarantee backed scheme, of which lenders accounting for 45 per cent. of market share opened the scheme on 21 April. A further 30 per cent. will be offering comparable arrangements to their customers.

The data used to calculate market share are sourced from the ‘CML year book and directory of lenders and associated services, 2008-2009’.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assistance will be provided to homeowners in negative equity by each of the mortgage lenders participating in the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme; and if she will make a statement. (271006)

‘Homeowners Mortgage Support’ (HMS) is a new scheme which will enable eligible borrowers to reduce their monthly mortgage interest payments to affordable levels for up to two years to help them get back on track with their finances if they suffer a temporary loss of income. Households in negative equity are eligible for support through this scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) for how many years non-domestic revaluation transitional relief operated in the (a) 1995-2000, (b) 2000-2005 and (c) 2005-2010 rating cycle; (270119)

The 2005 transitional relief scheme was introduced as part of the 2005 business rate revaluation. The impact of different options on all businesses was set out in a Regulatory Impact Assessment with the consultation document “National Non Domestic Rates Transitional Arrangements” published in August 2004.

For 1995-2000 and 2000-05 the period of transitional relief offered was five years. For 2005-10, following consultation, the period of transitional relief was four years, in order that every property should be liable for their full rates bill or receive their full rates reduction from the 2005 revaluation in the final year before the 2010 revaluation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 13 March 2009, Official Report, column 768W, on non-domestic rates, in which local authority areas the automated valuation techniques have been used. (270182)

Automated techniques have been used, not for the purpose of valuation, but to inform the analysis of rents of industrial property in a limited number of local authority areas. Those areas are as follows:

South East—Crawley, Chichester, Worthing, Adur, Brighton and Hove, Hastings and Eastbourne

Newcastle—Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland and the Teesside conurbation

East Midlands—Northampton, Leicester and Blaby, Derby, Lincoln and Nottingham

Leeds—Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees.

Final valuations for all the properties concerned will be produced by Valuation Office Agency staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of entries on the rating list which were deemed empty were below the empty property business rate threshold in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. (270243)

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the maximum monetary value of small business rate relief to a firm (a) in London and (b) outside London was in 2008-09. (270237)

The maximum cash value of small business rate relief to a firm both inside and outside of London (excluding the City of London) in 2008-09 was £1,145. In the same period, the maximum cash value of small business rate relief to a firm within the City of London was £1,165.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning permissions were granted to home owners for improvements to their residential property in 2008-09. (270827)

The number of planning permissions granted to home owners for improvements to their residential property in 2008-09 is tabled as follows:

The figure for January to March 2009 will be published on 26 June 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what meetings (a) Ministers in her Department and (b) her Department’s officials have had with representatives of Dunsfold Park Limited regarding the redevelopment of the former Dunsfold Aerodrome site in Surrey in the last three years; (270051)

Since July 2005 officials from the Government Office for the South East have attended a preview to a public exhibition on 4 February 2006 and a presentation of the proposed development on 11 September 2006.

Officials from the Government Office for the South East and from CLG have met with representatives of Dunsfold Park Ltd. on 17 April 2007 and 4 September 2007. No Ministers from CLG have met with representatives of Dunsfold Park Ltd.

The proposed development encompasses a wide range of community and land use issues. The major national policy areas are:

Planning Policy Statement 1 “Delivering Sustainable Development”

Planning Policy Statement 3 “Housing”

Planning Policy Statement 9 “Biodiversity and Geological Conservation”

Planning Policy Guidance 13 “Transport”

The application has been subject to an appeal and the public inquiry finished on 3 April 2009. The inspector will also consider any other relevant policy areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) for what reasons her Department rejected the proposed Dunsfold Park, Surrey eco-town development; and what methodology her Department used to assess the proposal; (270053)

Dunsfold Park is included in the initial eco-towns assessment summaries, which are available on my Department's website:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/eco-townsassessmentsummaries.pdf

These assessment summaries were the outcome of the scrutiny of all proposals received, including Dunsfold Park, following the launch of the Eco-towns Prospectus (July 2007), and considered proposals in relation to the eco-towns criteria set out in the prospectus. Where proposals met the criteria they then were looked at across Government and its agencies in terms of transport and environment issues, and the opportunities that the locations put forward. Dunsfold Park was not judged to perform sufficiently strongly against the eco-towns criteria to be shortlisted.

As the Dunsfold Park proposal was not shortlisted for consultation in ‘Eco-towns—Living a greener future’ (April 2008) no further representations were received by my Department or the Government Office South East in relation to the eco-town proposal. Representations received prior to this from Dunsfold Park Ltd. and its advisers, and any of the promoters of proposals not shortlisted, are not being released by my Department, because this could potentially prejudice any future applications they make in relation to their proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will establish a target beyond 2010 for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from social housing by 80 per cent; and if she will make a statement. (269513)

The Heat and Energy Saving Strategy, launched on 12 February this year, sets out the Government’s ambitions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the housing stock, including social housing. In order to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent. by 2050, emissions from the heat, power and lighting used in homes and buildings will need to approach zero. The Government intend to show leadership by ensuring that social housing meets, and where possible exceeds, the aims it is setting for all housing on energy efficiency, building, for example, on the achievements of the Decent Homes programme. The Government are undertaking further work on how this can be achieved as part of the consultation process, which closes on 8 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration she has given to international comparisons of initiatives for energy efficiency in social housing; and if she will make a statement. (269519)

The Government are always ready to learn from relevant international experience in this, as in other, fields. The Department has been gathering information about retrofit approaches in other countries, to assess what measures and incentives have been successful in stimulating retrofit activity. This work has covered housing generally rather than social housing specifically.

However, due to the diversity of our building stock in comparison with other countries, and the differences in climate and attitudes to homes and housing, international comparisons, while very useful, do not provide a blueprint solution to reducing carbon emissions. It is essential that we also support innovation in technologies and delivery within the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what expenditure his Department incurred on the Advisory Council on Libraries in the most recent year for which figures are available. (270006)

[holding answer 22 April 2009]: Expenditure incurred by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the Advisory Council on Libraries in 2008-09 was approximately £2,535.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings of the dance programme board there have been to date; who attended each such meeting; and which organisations were represented at each such meeting. (270007)

[holding answer 22 April 2009]: The Dance Programme Board has met on three occasions. The organisations set out in the following tables were represented by officials from those organisations, and where appropriate the names of senior officials who attended are given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the funding allocated for new rehearsal spaces for musicians referred to in his Department's press release of 17 December 2007 has been spent to date; and if he will make a statement. (270340)

Discussions have been held with local authorities and other partners with the aim of setting up 10 pilot community music rehearsal spaces in England over the two financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10. Of the £500,000 allocated for the scheme, expenditure has so far totalled £72,434. We are aiming to have all 10 spaces established by March 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 434W, on regional cultural consortia, what the estimated costs are of ending the consortia, including redundancy payments. (270134)

The total grant in aid allocated to the Regional Cultural Consortiums (RCCs) in 2008-09 was £1,994,408. The additional cost to the Department of closing the RCCs was £399,745. From these two amounts the total amount paid in redundancy to RCC staff was £765,505. The Department also has a budget of between £45,000 and £55,000, plus expenses and VAT, for professional liquidation advice in respect of the RCC closure. Although the RCCs are now closed for business their formal liquidation will not take place until the summer of 2009 and so liquidation costs have not yet been finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what type of inquiry his Department undertakes when a member of the armed forces dies in suspicious circumstances; and if he will make a statement. (270782)

Jurisdiction over the investigation of the death of a member of the armed forces will vary depending on where the death occurs. In the United Kingdom the armed forces are subject to the law in the same way as other citizens. Therefore primacy for any investigation lies with the local civil police force. Jurisdiction over the investigation of the death of a member of the armed forces overseas will vary depending on the nature of the incident: foreign civil police and/or service police will sometimes investigate if the death occurs overseas, arrangements will vary from country to country. Where a death occurs on a warship or auxiliary at sea, investigations will fall to the service police and/or (within UK territorial waters) Ministry of Defence police until such time as it can reasonably be established that no criminal act by a person within the services’ jurisdiction has taken place. In operational theatres, the service police will usually investigate the cause of death for all unnatural deaths under the lead of the Provost Marshal (Army). A service inquiry will be convened for deaths where it is considered that anything of consequence may be learned which is not apparent from the incident or which has not been or is unlikely to be identified by any other report into the matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps the Government is taking in respect of the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Board. (270476)

On 31 March 2009 I announced the Government’s full acceptance of the recommendations contained in the 2009 report of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB). The AFPRB recommended an increase of 2.8 per cent. in basic pay for all service personnel, including the reserves, in addition to increases in the rates of some allowances and charges. These changes were effective from 1 April 2009. The AFPRB also recommended the introduction of new pay spines for Royal Navy divers and service nurses from 1 August 2009.

Copies of the AFPRB report are held in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Army regiments regularly recruit for full-time personnel from the West Midlands. (270385)

Recruitment within the West Midlands Region (Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and the county of West Midlands) is undertaken by the following regiments.

The Household Cavalry Regiment

The Queen’s Dragoon Guards

The Queen’s Royal Hussars

The Queen’s Royal Lancers

26 Regiment Royal Artillery

The Corps of Royal Engineers

The Royal Corps of Signals

The Grenadier Guards

The Irish Guards

The Welsh Guards

1 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

2 and 3 Mercian Regiment

The Royal Irish Regiment

The Parachute Regiment

The Rifles

The Army Air Corps

The Royal Logistics Corps

Army Medical Services

The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

The Adjutant General’s Corps

The Intelligence Corps, and

The Corps of Army Music

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what timetable he has set for the introduction of the veterans’ identity card; what functions will be associated with the card; to what benefits cardholders will be entitled; and if he will make a statement; (270951)

In response to the recommendation for a veterans ID card we have determined the associated issues, options and approximate costs of its introduction and are currently considering these in tandem with the potential functionality and associated benefits of the card. Since no decision has been taken in relation to the introduction of a veterans ID card, no timetable for this has been set. I will inform the House once a decision on these issues has been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the monetary value is of the equipment to be left in Iraq by the armed forces on completion of Operation Telic. (270949)

After the withdrawal of UK forces from Basra, we will retain in Iraq the military equipment needed to support the training and assistance that UK service personnel will continue to provide to the Iraqi security forces as part of the normal bilateral relationship. We are continuing to discuss the precise scope of that activity with the Government of Iraq. As UK combat forces drawdown, any proposal to gift equipment to Iraq would follow established procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what overseas military exercises (a) the armed forces have undertaken in each year since 2003 and (b) have been cancelled in each year since 2003; and what the reason for cancellation was in each such case. (269726)

The armed forces conduct a wide variety of overseas military exercises each year. All overseas exercises are conducted in order to generate, or maintain military capability in line with the tasks outlined in Defence Strategic Guidance. On occasion, exercises are cancelled for reasons that include: effectiveness of delivery; value for money constraints; international policy dimensions and circumstances; operational constraints; and focus on current operations. Table two on page 54 of the MOD Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08 (volume 1) summarises the military exercises cancelled each year since 2004-05. Copies of this report are available in the Library of the House.

Further data in response to this question has been collated from the Defence Exercise Programme and from the Front Line Command (FLC) archives depicting both the overseas collective training exercises that were undertaken and those cancelled since 2003. I have placed a copy of this information in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which private security companies are employed by his Department in volatile countries; what the (a) duration and (b) monetary value is of each contract; and what local arrangements are in place to manage each contract. (266901)

The Ministry of Defence does not currently contract with any private security companies in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army personnel were recruited from the West Midlands in the last 12 months. (270386)

Information on the number of personnel from the West Midlands who have joined the Territorial Army in last 12 months could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

However, 15 officers and 501 soldiers were recruited into Territorial Army units based in the West Midlands region (Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and the county of West Midlands) between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) Futurebuilders' review of Catz Club's investment portfolio dated January 2008, (b) Futurebuilders' review of Catz Club for the November 2008 board meeting and (c) the accompanying Events Timeline and Catz Club Detailed Overview produced for that board meeting. (270138)

I have placed extracts from the documents requested by the right hon. Member in the Library. The documents have been redacted to remove the names of individuals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications have been received for grants for solar photovoltaic technology under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (a) phase one and (b) phase two from organisations in (i) Ribble Valley constituency, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the UK since the start of the scheme. (269832)

Applications received for grants for solar photovoltaic technology under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (a) phase one and (b) phase two from organisations in (i) Ribble Valley constituency, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the UK since the start of the scheme are as shown as follows: