The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to answer Question 194894, tabled for answer on 8 April 2014.
Stephen Williams
I refer the rt. hon. Member to my answer of 1 May, Official Report, Column 803W.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations his Department has received on the effectiveness of the role of the Independent Person under the Localism Act 2011.
Brandon Lewis
[Holding Reply: Thursday 12 June 2014]
As stated in the impact assessment on the abolition of the Standards Board regime (published in January 2011), a post implementation review will be carried out three to five years after implementation of the policy which was in July 2012.
My Department routinely receives representations about standards arrangements in local government, and indeed, on a whole range of local government issues. We will have regard to representations and comments when we undertake our post implementation review.
However, Ministers are clear that the new provisions are a significant improvement on the old, discredited regime. The Localism Act has clarified predetermination rules allowing elected councillors to campaign and speak up on local issues. We have reversed the petty culture of malicious and unfounded complaints that wasted time and energy and undermined the good reputation of local government. We have increased transparency on councillors’ interests, and put in place criminal sanctions for the very rare instances of corruption. This is complemented by the role of political parties in ensuring good conduct, the law of libel, and the ultimate sanction: the ballot box.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-03-12.
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.
Dominic Grieve
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.
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.
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
The remaining Law Officers’ Departments do not have any vacant properties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-02.
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.
Brandon Lewis
The Department for Transport is the lead Department on policy and funding for buses.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2014, Official Report, column 677W, on VAT, how many VAT431C claims have been submitted in each of the (a) last eight years and (b) smallest time periods by which data is kept over the last eight years.
Mr David Gauke
VAT 431NB New House Build Claims and VAT431C Conversion claims forms have only been in use in their current form since September 2009.
Data on these forms is kept on an annual calendar year basis.
|
Type of claim |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
|
New Build/from 2009 VAT431NB |
6818 |
6441 |
6183 |
5303 |
|
Conversion/from 2009 VAT431C |
1155 |
1107 |
1251 |
999 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the number of households with children in the private rented sector in England.
Kris Hopkins
[Holding Reply: Wednesday 18 June 2014]
According to the English Housing Survey, in 2011-12, there were 3.9 million households in the owner occupied sector with dependent children, 1.3 million in the private rented sector and 1.2 million in the social rented sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-03-12.
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.
Francis Maude
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.
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.
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
There is no liability at taxpayers’ expense for business rates on any vacant Cabinet Office properties in the current financial year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to answer question No. 191956 tabled by the Rt hon. Member for Leeds Central on 13 March 2014.
Stephen Williams
I will provide a comprehensive answer to the rt. hon. Member in due course. We are currently gathering historic files, given some of the information requested predates the establishment of the National Planning Casework Unit in 2011.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2014, Official Report, column 677W, on VAT, how many VAT431NB claims have been submitted in each of the (a) last eight years and (b) smallest time periods by which data is kept over the last eight years.
Mr David Gauke
VAT 431NB New House Build Claims and VAT431C Conversion claims forms have only been in use in their current form since September 2009.
Data on these forms is kept on an annual calendar year basis.
|
Type of claim |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
|
New Build/from 2009 VAT431NB |
6818 |
6441 |
6183 |
5303 |
|
Conversion/from 2009 VAT431C |
1155 |
1107 |
1251 |
999 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of brownfield land in England is covered by a Local Development Order.
Nick Boles
At this point in time, this information is not centrally held.
However, I refer the rt. hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 16 June 2014, Official Report, Column 71-72WS, on the steps we are taking to promote the use of Local Development Orders on brownfield land.
In addition, the Written Ministerial Statement of 10 June 2014, Official Report, Column 33WS, provides a broader summary of steps we have taken to facilitate empty and redundant land and property being brought back into productive use.