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46439

registered interest
date	02/04/2014
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name	Attorney General
answering dept sort name	Attorney General
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, when he expects to answer question No. 191801 tabled by the Rt hon. Member for Leeds Central on 12 March 2014.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	194895
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>I have done so today.</p> answering member constituency Beaconsfield answering member printed Mr Dominic Grieve question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 16 label Biography information for Mr Dominic Grieve
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

46477

registered interest
date	02/04/2014
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 assessment he has made of the use of public money by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets to fund third sector organisations; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	194881
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>I refer the rt. hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made today by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

46482

registered interest
date	02/04/2014
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 assessment he has made of the effects of reductions in shire county council bus subsidies on the opportunities for social interaction of elderly and disabled people.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	194924
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Department for Transport is the lead Department on policy and funding for buses.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

45872

registered interest
date	31/03/2014
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, whether local authorities affected by flooding can claim under the Bellwin scheme for the cost of disposing of sandbags that have been contaminated with sewage.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	194489
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p><em>[Holding Reply: Thursday 3 April 2014]</em></p><p>Local authorities can claim the costs of removing sandbags used during the flooding emergency, under the Bellwin scheme. This includes sandbags that have been contaminated with sewage.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis previous answer version 4499 answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

46057

registered interest
date	31/03/2014
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 the status is of the ICT Relet Project; what costs his Department has incurred; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	194510
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>As I outlined to the rt. hon. Member in my answer to him of 29 January 2014, <em>Official Report</em>, Column 600W, the programme replaces computers which are seven years old, and also upgrades the systems from Windows XP which is no longer being formally supported by Microsoft with security patches.</p><p>The last Administration failed to get value for taxpayers' money due to poor management of IT contracts. Indeed, the Department published a contract tender in December 2009 for a desktop IT programme costing up to £160 million. This was subsequently cancelled under this Government as part of our wider reduction in departmental spending and reconfiguration of IT procurement policy.</p><p>The fact that we have delivered a 40 per cent saving on our IT costs is an example of how all parts of the public sector can deliver sensible savings through better procurement.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

44977

registered interest
date	25/03/2014
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 and what proportion of local authorities which registered for emergency financial assistance under the Bellwin Scheme as a result of recent flooding have received payment within 15 working days.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	193630
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p><em>[Holding Reply: Monday 31 March 2014]</em></p><p>Bellwin provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help them meet uninsurable costs they incur when responding to a major emergency in their area. The level of funding over time is casually linked to the scale of flooding or other emergency. It operates by local authorities retrospectively claiming spending back.</p><p>As at 27 March 2014, only five local authorities have submitted Bellwin claims in respect of the recent flooding. One of these claims was paid within 15 days. The other four claims have only been received in the last few days and should also be paid within 15 days. Local authorities have until the end of June 2014 to apply.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 03/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

42684

registered interest
date	12/03/2014
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) the Law Officers' Departments and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of the Law Officers' Departments in the current financial year.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	191801
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>The Law Officers' Departments have been actively reducing their estate running costs since 2010 in line with Government policy and have already made significant savings.</p><p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) estate rationalisation programme began in 2009 and is set to be completed in 2016, with most of the leases on empty property having expired by then. This programme has already led to a reduction in expenditure and increased efficiency. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has paid £320,178.38 in property business rates in the current financial year on the properties which are currently recorded as vacant on the ePIMS database as at 14 March 2014. The costs figure has been produced by DTZ who are CPS' managing agents and has not yet been audited.</p><p>The Treasury Solicitor's Department owns a lease on a building which has some vacant space. This building attracts full business rates in the current financial year. This lease is due to expire in 2016. The estimated business rates for the vacant proportion of the property for 2013/14 are £59 372.71</p><p>The remaining Law Officers' Departments do not have any vacant properties.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Beaconsfield answering member printed Mr Dominic Grieve question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 16 label Biography information for Mr Dominic Grieve
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

42698

registered interest
date	12/03/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	191802
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2014 answer text <p>At the time of the last General Election the central Government estate was far larger than required and taxpayers were paying to maintain, run and rent properties which were under-occupied while other part of the freehold estate remained vacant.</p><p>The Government Property Unit has been supporting departments to rationalise rapidly the Government's estate including by taking a whole of Government view of property. Since the 2010 General Election over £1.25 billion has been raised by selling surplus freehold properties. Through the exiting of property across the central civil estate, we have also delivered cumulative, gross run rate savings of over £454 million per annum.</p><p>Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end, the government looks to explore all disposal options, including commercially sub-letting all or part of the space. Surplus property is listed on gov.uk</p><p>There is no liability at taxpayers' expense for business rates on any vacant Cabinet Office properties in the current financial year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Mr Francis Maude question first answered 19/03/2014 12:00:00 answering member 115 label Biography information for Lord Maude of Horsham
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

42734

registered interest
date	12/03/2014
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	191806
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2014 answer text <p>Since May 2010 the Department for Education has reduced the size of its estate from 30 properties, at a cost of circa £51 million per annum, to 11 properties costing circa £34 million per annum. This is a saving of circa £17 million per annum. The Department is planning to further reduce the size of the estate to 6 properties. This will achieve further annual savings to the Department of circa £2.5 million. The Department also plans to vacate Sanctuary Buildings at lease expiry in 2017.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education, including the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), has the following vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS property database.</p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p>Number of properties</p></td><td><p>Business Rates 13-14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Department for Education</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>£79,010.25</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>£9,222.00</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The Department for Education properties are legacy Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) properties which became the Department's responsibility following the closure of the TEC in the early 2000s. The Department had successfully sub-let a number of facilities, although over the last three years some of the sub-tenants have operated lease break options and the properties are again vacant.</p><p> </p><p>These properties are advertised on the Government Property Unit's e-PIMS property database for use by other Government Departments and we are also marketing these facilities to the private sector, via letting agents, to secure new sub-tenants in order to mitigate costs, including business rates. The Department has offered all vacant properties listed above to the Government business incubator initiative and for free schools.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss question first answered 19/03/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

42885

registered interest
date	12/03/2014
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	191815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>The Department does not own any buildings. The DWP estate was sold (freehold, feuhold and long leasehold interests) or transferred (short leasehold interests) to Telereal Trillium under a 20 year PFI contract known as “PRIME” in 1998. </p><p> </p><p>Any properties that become surplus to DWP's requirements are returned to Telereal Trillium under the PRIME contract.</p><p> </p><p>The Health and Safety Executive estimate that the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database in the current financial year is £40,143.33. However, this relates to Douglas House in Edinburgh which, strictly speaking, is not empty. There are other occupants in the property but HSE's space held on e-PIMS is shown as vacant to attract potential tenants. As a result, the e-PIMS entry will make Douglas House appear empty.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 18/03/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn