@prefix rdf: . @prefix xsd: . @prefix dcterms: . @prefix skos: . @prefix rdfs: . @prefix api: . @prefix parl: . parl:answerText "

Coal extraction is handled through a locally-led planning process and decisions on planning applications are for the relevant mineral planning authority.

Schedule 5 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 gives mineral planning authorities the power to impose planning conditions on mineral operators to provide for site restoration and aftercare with their application for minerals extraction. In addition the National Planning Policy Framework and planning guidance allows mineral planning authorities to request financial guarantees from applicants to underpin the conditions covering the restoration and aftercare of a site in exceptional circumstances.

New Section 106 agreements are negotiated between the developer and the applicant. Existing legislation allows those entering into the planning obligation to specify the date or dates when any required sum is to be paid to the planning authority. Section 106 planning obligation agreements are legally binding, and the mineral planning authority can enforce any breach of an agreement.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Grantham and Stamford" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Nick Boles" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Nick Boles" . parl:answerText "

Data on vacant dwellings by tenure and district, including Rossendale and Blackburn with Darwen, can be found in live table 615 which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants

This table brings together figures on vacant dwellings in England drawn from several separately published sources.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Bristol West" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Stephen Williams" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Sir Jake Berry" . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will include Peterborough in the areas involved in his Department's proposals for dealing with rogue private rented sector landlords; and if he will make a statement." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Peterborough" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Mr Stewart Jackson" ; parl:uin "195997" ; dcterms:date "2014-04-09"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough" . skos:prefLabel "House of Commons" . parl:answerText "

The Department does not hold official statistics.

To assist the preparation and implementation of policy to support self-builders, the Department is examining how best the take-up of self-build can be quantified.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Keighley" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Kris Hopkins" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answerText "

In March 2013, my Department published new guidance for local authorities outlining how councils should stop translating into foreign languages. As outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 12 March 2013, Official Report, Column 5WS, such translation weakens integration; discourages communities from learning English; undermines rather than strengthens equality goals; harms community relations; and is an expensive waste of taxpayers' money at a time when councils need to be making sensible savings. It is disappointing that councils like Tower Hamlets have disregarded that guidance, and reflects broader issues with the dysfunctional governance and divisive practices of the council.

I would add that in light of previous instances of electoral fraud, including impersonation in polling stations, postal voting irregularities and allegations of improper influence, Ministers in this Department have concerns about the practice of allowing foreign language translators/interpreters inside polling stations. The privacy of the ballot must be protected and voters inside a polling station should not be subject to any pressure or influence to vote in a particular way. In that context, the integrity of the ballot box and of the local democratic process requires independent and transparent scrutiny in polling stations by polling agents, council staff, the police and, indeed, passing members of the public who are also voting. This is undermined by polling room administration being conducted in foreign languages.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Great Yarmouth" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Brandon Lewis" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications made by betting shops have been rejected by local authorities and subsequently overturned by the Planning Ispectorate in (a) Newham and (b) the UK in each year since 2008." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "West Ham" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Lyn Brown" ; parl:uin "195254" ; dcterms:date "2014-04-03"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for David Morris" . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2014, Official Report, column 694W, on polling stations, what assessment he has made of the effect of foreign language translation by local authorities on integration of non-English speakers into their communities." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Bromley and Chislehurst" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Robert Neill" ; parl:uin "190554" ; dcterms:date "2014-03-04"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will impose a moratorium on processing all planning applications submitted by UK Coal Production Ltd until that body has demonstrated it can meet its obligations on restoration and section 106 contributions." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "North West Leicestershire" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Andrew Bridgen" ; parl:uin "196068" ; dcterms:date "2014-04-09"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding was allocated from Homes and Community Agency to (a) develop new affordable housing and (b) bring empty homes back into use in Harrow in each of the last five years." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Harrow West" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Mr Gareth Thomas" ; parl:uin "174351" ; dcterms:date "2013-11-04"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Nottingham East" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Chris Leslie" ; parl:uin "195569" ; dcterms:date "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many empty homes there are in (a) Rossendale and (b) Darwen." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Rossendale and Darwen" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Jake Berry" ; parl:uin "194838" ; dcterms:date "2014-04-02"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Hilary Benn" . parl:answerText "

We hold information for England; information for other parts of the UK is a matter for the devolved Administrations.

The table below sets out the number of planning appeals on betting shops decided by the Planning Inspectorate in England in each year since 2008.

Decision Year

Allowed

Dismissed

Total

2008

13

9

22

2009

9

11

20

2010

10

7

17

2011

18

9

27

2012

4

10

14

2013

8

10

18

There is no clear trend, other than fewer appeals being allowed in the last two years, and I would note that the numbers involved are small. Any planning application or appeal needs to be considered on its individual merits in light of the prevailing local circumstances and planning policies.

During this period, three appeals relating to the London Borough of Newham in 2011 were allowed involving changes to A2 use.

The detailed reasoning for the approvals were outlined in the three decision letters, but it may assist the hon. Member to note that (a) one case involved an application which had been rejected on grounds it was a move to a non-retail use, yet the inspector noted that the premises had been operating as a non-retail use for over 40 years, (b) another had been rejected on similar grounds, yet there was already an extant planning permission for the premises to change to a non-retail use, and (c) the other was since the premises was changing from an amusement arcade and was already in use for a form of gambling.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is undertaking a broader review of gambling policy. This Government is taking action to support healthy and vibrant local high streets. This is part of a wider set of measures designed to get empty and redundant buildings back into productive use and make it easier for valued town centre businesses like shops, banks and cafés to open new premises, while giving councils greater powers to tackle the harm to local amenity caused by a concentration of particular uses.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Grantham and Stamford" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Nick Boles" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been self-built in each of the last eight years." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Leeds Central" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Hilary Benn" ; parl:uin "196286" ; dcterms:date "2014-04-10"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Nottingham East" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Chris Leslie" ; parl:uin "195547" ; dcterms:date "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "Communities and Local Government" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support his Department has provided to Lancaster City Council to ensure affordable homes are built in rural areas in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Morecambe and Lunesdale" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "David Morris" ; parl:uin "194541" ; dcterms:date "2014-03-31"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie" . parl:answerText "

In answering this question, we have used the Cabinet Office definition for contingent labour (temporary staff) which includes admin and clerical agency staff, interim managers and specialist contractors: use of such staff for short-term or specialist work can be better value for money than hiring staff on permanent contracts.

Details of the five companies that my Department has used most often in the last financial year for the provision of contingent labour are set out below:

Financial Year 2013-14

Organisation

Total Expenditure (excluding VAT)

Capita Resourcing Ltd

£1,736,580

Reed Employment Services

£172,702

Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd

£136,335

Manpower UK Ltd

£40,423

Premier Employment Group Ltd

£22,677

To put this in context, my Department has cut spending on contingent labour from £14.4 million in 2009-10 to £3.3 million in 2013-14 as a result of the tightening of its internal management controls, institutionalising these in its systems and adhering to Treasury and Cabinet Office spending rules. This represents a saving of £11.1 million a year (2013-14 compared to 2009-10)

In addition to the savings on temporary workers, our departmental audited annual accounts for the core Department show that staff costs fell from £216 million in 2009-10 to £99 million in 2012-13, a reduction of 54% in cash terms, or a further saving of £117 million a year.

These savings also reflect the Coalition Government's agenda of decentralisation, ending the micromanagement of local government, the abolition of regional government, and the broader need to tackle the deficit left by the last Administration.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Great Yarmouth" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Brandon Lewis" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Sir Robert Neill" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Gareth Thomas" . parl:answerText "

There will be 228 affordable homes delivered in Lancaster area as a result of £6.9 million of government funding through the 2011 to 2015 Affordable Homes Programme of which 27 homes are in rural areas (defined as settlements with populations of less than 3,000 people).

In 2011-12, half of the affordable homes built outside London were in rural local authorities and we have delivered over 5,000 affordable homes in the smallest rural communities (under 3,000 people) in the first two years of the current programme.

The Homes and Communities Agency's funding prospectus for the 2015-18 Affordable Homes Programme sets out how the Agency will continue to pay particular attention to the importance of delivery in rural areas in providing funding. The work of the Agency is also supported by a network of rural champions. The National Planning Policy Framework and Rural Exception Sites also help to address the housing needs of rural communities.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Keighley" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Kris Hopkins" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Andrew Bridgen" . parl:answerText "

The overwhelming majority of private sector landlords are reputable and provide decent well maintained homes. This is demonstrated by high levels of satisfaction with over 83% of tenants happy with their accommodation. However, a small proportion of landlords neglect their properties and exploit their tenants forcing them to live in unsafe and overcrowded accommodation. We are cracking down on these rogue landlords and have provided £6.7 million to support local authorities with acute and complex problems, of which Peterborough received £70,000 to help them tackle problems associated with sheds and outhouses being used illegally as accommodation. The work on driving rogue landlords out of the sector is ongoing and will be supported, by the publication of updated guidance on the prosecution of rogue landlords later this year.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Keighley" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Kris Hopkins" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Kris Hopkins" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Stephen Williams" . parl:answerText "

[Holding Reply: Thursday 7 November 2013]

The figures for affordable housing are as follows for the London Borough of Harrow area:

2008-09

£22 million

2009-10

£45 million

2010-11

£26 million

2011-12

£15 million

2012-13

£13 million

Since April 2012, allocations from the Affordable Housing Programme have been overseen by the Greater London Authority rather than the Homes and Communities Agency. There have been no specific allocations on empty homes over this period.

As outlined to the hon. Member in the answer of 7 January 2013, Official Report, Column 121W, I would note that the new Affordable Rent model now allows for more affordable housing to be delivered with lower levels of taxpayer capital subsidy and lever in more private investment.

As the National Audit Office has observed: “The Department selected the best delivery model open to it for the funds it had available” and “The Department has so far achieved its policy objective to maximise the number of homes delivered within the available grant funding” (National Audit Office, “Financial viability of the social housing sector; introducing the Affordable Homes Programme”, 4 July 2012, HC465, pp.6-7).

I also note that the Mayor's proposed Housing Strategy states: “£1.8 billion of public funding has been secured by the Mayor which will unlock an estimated additional £3.7 billion of other investment for London to enable 55,000 affordable homes to be delivered between 2011-15” (Mayor of London, “The Revised London Housing Strategy”, December2011, p.35).

Across England, 170,000 affordable homes have been delivered so far since April 2010, and a total of £19.5 billion of public and private investment is being spent on affordable housing over the current Spending Review period.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Keighley" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Kris Hopkins" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answerText "

The table below sets out the ten consultancy firms that were paid the most by my Department in the last financial year

The data complies with definitions on Consultancy laid down by the Cabinet Office which excludes agency staff and interim (contingent) labour.

Financial Year 2013-14

Organisation

Total Expenditure (excluding VAT)

Local Partnership LLP*

£150,918

PricewaterhouseCoopers

£108,516

Ove Arup & Partners

£66,790

Amec Environment & Infrastructure

£62,509

Ernest & Young LLP

£20,000

Capgemini UK Plc

£17,000

Grant Thornton UK LLP

£8,815

Giant Professional Limited

£6,400

Oakleigh Consulting Ltd

£4,950

Land Use Consultants

£1,345

* Local Partnerships is a company that is jointly owned by HM Treasury and the Local Government Association; it provides commercial expertise on matters of infrastructure, legal and contractual complexity and acts for the benefit of the public sector.

My Department has cut spending on consultancy from £36.6 million in 2009-10 to £0.5 million in 2013-14. This represents a saving of £36.1 million a year (2013-14 compared to 2009-10) and has been achieved through contract renegotiations, terminations and adherence to Cabinet Office controls on consultancy spending.

To put this in context, based on current estimates (which reflect accounting consequences from machinery of government changes) the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by around 40% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532 million over this spending review period and includes savings of around £420 million from the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Great Yarmouth" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Brandon Lewis" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-28"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-28T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . a api:ListEndpoint ; dcterms:hasPart ; api:definition . a api:Page ; "10"^^xsd:long ; "1"^^xsd:long ; "22"^^xsd:long ; dcterms:isPartOf ; api:definition ; api:extendedMetadataVersion ; api:items ( ) ; api:page "0"^^xsd:long ; ; .