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48437

registered interest
date	25/04/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's target is for the proportion of (a) women, (b) people from black and minority ethnic communities and (c) disabled people in senior management posts in central government departments.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196793
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p>Appointments and promotion in the Civil Service should be made on merit through fair and open competition. To ensure our civil service delivers the best for Britain we must draw on the widest possible pool of talent. We want to ensure that the best people - irrespective of who they are - rise to the top of the Civil Service but are concerned that for too long the very top ranks do not reflect those further down. We have commissioned independent research to look at the blockages women face making it to the very top and will use this to drive a new strategy for managing talent.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Mr Francis Maude question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 115 label Biography information for Lord Maude of Horsham
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

48142

registered interest
date	10/04/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many VAT431NB claims have been submitted in each of the last 32 quarters.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2014 answer text <p>Data on these forms is not kept on a quarterly basis.</p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke grouped question UIN 196288 question first answered 29/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

48143

registered interest
date	10/04/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many VAT431C claims have been submitted in each of the last 32 quarters.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2014 answer text <p>Data on these forms is not kept on a quarterly basis.</p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke grouped question UIN 196287 question first answered 29/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

48158

registered interest
date	10/04/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the average number of people on a waiting list for an allotment for every 100 plots available in England.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196308
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>My Department does not estimate allotment waiting list times, as it is individual local authorities which have the legal responsibility for the management and provision of allotments in their area, ensuring that those who want to start an allotment can do so.</p><p>Notwithstanding, a survey of allotment waiting lists was carried out by the National Allotment Society and Transition Town West Kirby in July 2013. Whilst there is a degree of difficulty in creating precise estimates, their research indicated that there was an average of 52 people waiting for every 100 plots (as of January 2013). These waiting list figures were down on their previous surveys, which indicated an average of 57 people waiting in January 2011 and 59 people waiting in January 2010.</p><p>The 2013 survey also noted that that 65 new allotment sites had been created in the previous two years, across 51 councils, creating roughly 2,000 new allotment plots.</p><p>The Coalition Government has introduced a range of measures to help communities who want land to grow fruit and vegetables. Through new community rights, local residents have increased opportunities to protect existing allotments from development and increase provision of green spaces. For example, in Thame, in Oxfordshire, their new neighbourhood plan will create an additional hectare of allotment land. Allotments have also been listed as assets of community value.</p><p>As part of our commitment to supporting local community groups, my Department has also published a best practice guide for community groups wanting to find land to grow fruit and vegetables, as well as an additional guide on establishing community orchards and other spaces for food growing. These can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-orchards-a-how-to-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-orchards-a-how-to-guide</a></p><p>In January 2014, my Department published <em>Allotment Disposal Guidance: Safeguards and Alternatives </em>replacing the previous guidance from 2002. The new guidance strengthens allotment protection, as the requirement for waiting lists to be taken into account must now be rigorously applied to all that council's waiting lists, not just the waiting list for the site to be disposed of. This aims to ensure that poorly maintained sites are not used to justify disposal. Ministers will be closely monitoring to ensure that this new guidance is followed.</p><p>I also refer the rt. hon. Member to my answer today to him of questions 191956 &amp; 196310, which explains how the Secretary of State's decisions on allotments since May 2010 have resulted in an increase in usable allotment land.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 196309 196311 question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

48159

registered interest
date	10/04/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the average length of time a person has been on a waiting list for an allotment in each year since 2010 in England.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196309
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>My Department does not estimate allotment waiting list times, as it is individual local authorities which have the legal responsibility for the management and provision of allotments in their area, ensuring that those who want to start an allotment can do so.</p><p>Notwithstanding, a survey of allotment waiting lists was carried out by the National Allotment Society and Transition Town West Kirby in July 2013. Whilst there is a degree of difficulty in creating precise estimates, their research indicated that there was an average of 52 people waiting for every 100 plots (as of January 2013). These waiting list figures were down on their previous surveys, which indicated an average of 57 people waiting in January 2011 and 59 people waiting in January 2010.</p><p>The 2013 survey also noted that that 65 new allotment sites had been created in the previous two years, across 51 councils, creating roughly 2,000 new allotment plots.</p><p>The Coalition Government has introduced a range of measures to help communities who want land to grow fruit and vegetables. Through new community rights, local residents have increased opportunities to protect existing allotments from development and increase provision of green spaces. For example, in Thame, in Oxfordshire, their new neighbourhood plan will create an additional hectare of allotment land. Allotments have also been listed as assets of community value.</p><p>As part of our commitment to supporting local community groups, my Department has also published a best practice guide for community groups wanting to find land to grow fruit and vegetables, as well as an additional guide on establishing community orchards and other spaces for food growing. These can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-orchards-a-how-to-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-orchards-a-how-to-guide</a></p><p>In January 2014, my Department published <em>Allotment Disposal Guidance: Safeguards and Alternatives </em>replacing the previous guidance from 2002. The new guidance strengthens allotment protection, as the requirement for waiting lists to be taken into account must now be rigorously applied to all that council's waiting lists, not just the waiting list for the site to be disposed of. This aims to ensure that poorly maintained sites are not used to justify disposal. Ministers will be closely monitoring to ensure that this new guidance is followed.</p><p>I also refer the rt. hon. Member to my answer today to him of questions 191956 &amp; 196310, which explains how the Secretary of State's decisions on allotments since May 2010 have resulted in an increase in usable allotment land.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 196308 196311 question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

48160

registered interest
date	10/04/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Department does not hold official statistics.</p><p>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.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

48163

registered interest
date	10/04/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many applications he has (a) received and (b) approved for the disposal of allotment sites in each year since 2010 in England; and in what local authority each such site was located.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196310
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Further to the Allotments Act 1925, applications for consent to dispose of allotment land are submitted to the Department by local councils (parish councils and principal authorities). The table below shows the breakdown of applications since May 2010.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p><em>Granted</em></p></td><td><p><em>Withdrawn</em></p></td><td><p><em>Refused</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 2010- March 2011</p></td><td><p>18</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>17</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>17</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15 to date</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>To place this in context, the Secretary of State granted 34 allotment disposals in 2007, granted 22 in 2008 and granted 18 in 2009, whilst only 2 were declined, which is a greater rate than under this Administration.</p><p>I observe that the rt. hon. Member has been quoted in the media attacking such consents. He would have been wiser however to have undertaken a closer examination of the 68 individual consents granted to the local councils since May 2010.</p><p>The table below provides some context to help explain why there was a reasonable case by the representative local bodies for changing the statutory status of the land.</p><p>In January 2014, my Department published <em>Allotment Disposal Guidance: Safeguards and Alternatives</em> replacing the previous guidance from 2002. The new guidance strengthens allotment protection, as the requirement for waiting lists to be taken into account must now be rigorously applied to all that council's waiting lists, not just the waiting list for the site to be disposed of. This aims to ensure that poorly maintained sites are not used to justify disposal. Ministers will be closely monitoring to ensure that this new guidance is followed.</p><p>Notwithstanding, I have taken the opportunity to analyse these previous cases in the table below. The National Allotment Society was consulted in every case, and nine out of ten decisions were consistent with advice from the National Allotment Society (where advice was given); the remaining cases where the advice diverged related to land not actually in use as allotments, requiring a judgement call on whether it was realistic to bring the land back into productive use.</p><p>Having analysed these approvals, I can note that half of the land disposed was not actually in use as allotments. Moreover, in every case where existing allotment plot holders were displaced, evidence from local authorities indicates that alternative plots were made available to them.</p><p>More new plots were proposed to be created and/or vacant sites proposed to be brought back into use than the number of proposed disposals of in-use allotment plots. Consequently, the statutory disposal process overseen by the Secretary of State since May 2010 should have resulted in an <strong>increase</strong> in allotment provision not a reduction. This reflects this Government's commitment both to supporting local communities grow their own food and to protecting important community assets.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 191956 question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams attachment 1 file name 2269 & 2521 Benn - Table.docx title Allotments - Disposal Consents Granted
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

48164

registered interest
date	10/04/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people on a waiting list for an allotment in England in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196311
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>My Department does not estimate allotment waiting list times, as it is individual local authorities which have the legal responsibility for the management and provision of allotments in their area, ensuring that those who want to start an allotment can do so.</p><p>Notwithstanding, a survey of allotment waiting lists was carried out by the National Allotment Society and Transition Town West Kirby in July 2013. Whilst there is a degree of difficulty in creating precise estimates, their research indicated that there was an average of 52 people waiting for every 100 plots (as of January 2013). These waiting list figures were down on their previous surveys, which indicated an average of 57 people waiting in January 2011 and 59 people waiting in January 2010.</p><p>The 2013 survey also noted that that 65 new allotment sites had been created in the previous two years, across 51 councils, creating roughly 2,000 new allotment plots.</p><p>The Coalition Government has introduced a range of measures to help communities who want land to grow fruit and vegetables. Through new community rights, local residents have increased opportunities to protect existing allotments from development and increase provision of green spaces. For example, in Thame, in Oxfordshire, their new neighbourhood plan will create an additional hectare of allotment land. Allotments have also been listed as assets of community value.</p><p>As part of our commitment to supporting local community groups, my Department has also published a best practice guide for community groups wanting to find land to grow fruit and vegetables, as well as an additional guide on establishing community orchards and other spaces for food growing. These can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-orchards-a-how-to-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-orchards-a-how-to-guide</a></p><p>In January 2014, my Department published <em>Allotment Disposal Guidance: Safeguards and Alternatives </em>replacing the previous guidance from 2002. The new guidance strengthens allotment protection, as the requirement for waiting lists to be taken into account must now be rigorously applied to all that council's waiting lists, not just the waiting list for the site to be disposed of. This aims to ensure that poorly maintained sites are not used to justify disposal. Ministers will be closely monitoring to ensure that this new guidance is followed.</p><p>I also refer the rt. hon. Member to my answer today to him of questions 191956 &amp; 196310, which explains how the Secretary of State's decisions on allotments since May 2010 have resulted in an increase in usable allotment land.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 196308 196309 question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

48166

registered interest
date	10/04/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funds his Department has allocated (a) for identifying troubled families and (b) in performance payments for turning those families around to each local authority participating in the Troubled Families Programme to date.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196481
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The funding for the troubled families programme does not operate on an ‘allocation' basis; the programme operates as set out in the financial framework: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11469/2117840.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11469/2117840.pdf</a></p><p>Up to £448 million has been allocated in total as a budget for this programme with up to £4,000 available for each family turned around. The latest performance information broken down by local authority area can be found here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/troubled-families-programme-progress-by-31-december-2013" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/troubled-families-programme-progress-by-31-december-2013</a> and more recent information covering the period up until February 2014 is due to be published shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

48168

registered interest
date	10/04/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of his Department's staff excluding non-departmental public bodies were (a) women in top management posts women, (b) women, (c) black and minority ethnic and (d) disabled.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	196415
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The current proportion of women in DCLG top management posts is 36.8%. Whilst there is more to do to ensure the Civil Service has the very best possible mix of existing and future talent, I would observe that this is an increase from 33.0% from 2009-10, and is higher than the Civil Service workforce target of 34.0%.</p><p>I also refer the rt. hon. Member to my answer of 17 March 2014, <em>Official Report</em>, Column 398-400W.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 30/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn