Alan Whitehead: My Department does not collect information from councils on the allowances paid to council members. The average special responsibility allowances in those local authorities in England which made the information available to the Improvement and Development Agency, as of 4 December 2001, are as follows: Council leaders: £12,528 Members of the council executive: £6,560. Source:...
Alan Whitehead: Since the general election in 2001 the Department has received four representations from local authorities in support of the establishment of regional government based on the Government office regions, and one in support of the establishment of regional assemblies not based on a Government office region. We have not received any under (c) and (d) above.
Alan Whitehead: The Department has received 29 written representations in favour of directly elected regional government for their region since the general election in 2001, including a petition signed by over 50,000 people in Cornwall, 17 per cent. of whom gave addresses outside of Cornwall. The Secretary of State and Ministerial colleagues have met many individuals and organisations that have expressed...
Alan Whitehead: The Secretary of State and Ministerial colleagues have met formally with representatives of a number of campaigns and constitutional conventions since the general election. These include the Campaign for the English Regions (whose membership includes the constitutional conventions from the North East, North West, West Midlands and South West and the Campaign for Yorkshire), as well as the...
Alan Whitehead: For details of my Department's five most expensive campaigns over the years requested, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 24 January 2002, Official Report, column 1037W; and to the reply by the then Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport, and the Regions, my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley...
Alan Whitehead: I met with the Town and Country Finance Issues Group last September to discuss the review of local government finance, in particular revenue grant distribution. Our aim is to make the revenue grant distribution system fairer and more intelligible. The rural case will be considered carefully, alongside others, before we decide the way forward. Groups representing both counties and districts...
Alan Whitehead: The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 require employers to ensure that employees are provided at their request with an appropriate eyesight test. The procedures for such eyesight testing within my Department are publicised periodically in the weekly staff Bulletin. Details are also available on the Department's 'Health and Safety—Good Practice' site on the...
Alan Whitehead: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 19 October 2001 Official Report, column 1364W.
Alan Whitehead: The indicative bid which London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority submitted on behalf of a number of fire authorities for an Integrated Clothing Project was not selected for support in the third round of the Private Finance Initiative for the fire service. The bids were assessed according to the criteria set out in Fire Service Circular 3/2001, a copy of which is in the Library. The...
Alan Whitehead: The Department does not keep data on people of pensionable age covering the entire period. A table showing the elderly personal social services standard spending assessment per person aged 65 and over, adjusted for inflation at current values, has been placed in the Library of the House.
Alan Whitehead: The information requested is as follows: Cambridgeshire Personal Social Services SSA and Net Revenue Expenditure (NRE) at 2001–02 prices(51) SSA (£000) NRE(52) (Outturn) £000 Difference (NRE-SSA) £000 Total population(53) Difference per head (£) 1990–91 49,552 63,030 13,478 651,626 21 1991–92 57,392 65,469 8,077 655,047 12 1992–93 59,993 66,842 6,850...
Alan Whitehead: The relevant information has been placed in the Libraries of the house.
Alan Whitehead: The Department does not keep data on people of pensionable age covering the entire period. The table gives the Elderly Personal Social Services (PSS) Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) per person aged 65 and over together with the Children's PSS SSA per child aged 0 to 17, adjusted for inflation at current values 1 , for Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. The SSAs have been averaged over the number...
Alan Whitehead: My Department does not collect information from councils on the average allowances of council members. No statistics are available for the average special responsibility allowance paid to county councillors in Lancashire. The average special responsibility allowance for county councillors with cabinet responsibility in those councils which made the information available to the Improvement and...
Alan Whitehead: A postal vote is already available to any eligible elector who requests it for the election of parish and community councils. Postal votes are not currently available for parish or community polls demanded at parish or community meetings, but as part of our initiatives, following the Rural White Paper (Cm 4909) to strengthen local democracy at parish level, we will be reviewing the operation...
Alan Whitehead: Local authorities can give discretionary rate relief to any business suffering hardship. Many authorities have used this power to give rate relief to businesses affected by foot and mouth disease. Normally, the Government meets 75 per cent. of the cost of such relief. However, special arrangements have been in place during 2001–02 whereby the Government have met 95 per cent. or 98 per cent....
Alan Whitehead: I have been asked to reply. There have been no formal representations received about the European Commission Directive 1999/77/EC, which requires the marketing, supply and use of white asbestos to be banned by 1 January 2005. However 153 representations were made on the consultation on the Asbestos Prohibitions (Amendment) Regulations 1999, which implemented the EC ban on white asbestos in...
Alan Whitehead: The annual leave entitlement for all DTLR(C) staff outside of the senior civil service is 30 days, and has been in each of the last four years. The annual leave entitlement for all members of the senior civil service within DTLR(C) is currently set by the Cabinet Office at 30 days, and has been for the last four years.
Alan Whitehead: The information is not available in the form requested.
Alan Whitehead: The information requested is not held by my Department.