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849W<br />
Written Answers<br />
1 DECEMBER 2010<br />
Written Answers<br />
850W<br />
Poverty: Children<br />
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for<br />
Communities and Local Government if he will take<br />
steps to ensure that local authorities are allocated the<br />
resources to meet their obligations under the Child<br />
Poverty Act 2010; and if he will make a statement.<br />
[23042]<br />
Sarah Teather: I have been asked to reply.<br />
The Government are committed to ending child poverty<br />
by 2020 and recognises the critical role of local authorities<br />
and other partners in achieving that aim. Part 2 of the<br />
Child Poverty Act 2010 introduced new duties for local<br />
partners to cooperate and carry out local child poverty<br />
needs assessments and develop joint child poverty strategies.<br />
In recognition of the potential costs of carrying out<br />
that work the Government have made an additional<br />
£9.5 million available this year to ensure local authorities<br />
have the resources to meet the local duties.<br />
Funding will be provided for the remainder of this<br />
implementation year (2010-11) to support local authorities<br />
in England who are leading the co-operation around<br />
the duties. Payments will be distributed to all ‘top-tier’<br />
local authorities via the area based grant and the first<br />
payments were made in October.<br />
Squatting<br />
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for<br />
Communities and Local Government how many incidents<br />
of squatting were recorded (a) in Brighton and Hove<br />
constituency and (b) nationally in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008,<br />
and (iii) 2009. [27236]<br />
Grant Shapps: Information on the number of dwellings<br />
that are occupied by squatters is not held centrally.<br />
Tenancy Deposit Schemes<br />
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for<br />
Communities and Local Government what proportion<br />
of disputes in respect of tenancy deposit protection<br />
schemes resulted in a decision in favour of the tenant in<br />
(a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-9 and (c) 2009-10. [27750]<br />
Grant Shapps: My Department does not hold this<br />
information. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the<br />
three companies running the tenancy deposit protection<br />
schemes directly.<br />
Travellers: Caravan Sites<br />
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities<br />
and Local Government what steps he is taking to reduce<br />
the number of (a) squatters and (b) unauthorised<br />
encampments. [27311]<br />
Grant Shapps: In relation to squatting, on 8 November<br />
I published an online guide for home owners affected by<br />
squatters. This sets out their rights and the action they<br />
can take. We are also taking steps to help get empty<br />
homes back into productive and lawful use, thus reducing<br />
the scope for squatting.<br />
In relation to <strong>Parliament</strong> square, I refer my hon.<br />
Friend to my answer of 25 November 2010, Official<br />
Report, column 439.<br />
In relation to unauthorised encampments, I refer my<br />
hon. Friend to the press notice of the Secretary of State<br />
for Communities and Local Government, my right hon.<br />
Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr<br />
Pickles) on 29 August 2010, a copy of which is in the<br />
Library. It outlines the new Government’s approach of<br />
providing incentives and support for authorised Traveller<br />
sites, while removing the counter-productive regime of<br />
top-down planning and ensuring fair play in the planning<br />
system.<br />
The forthcoming Localism Bill and changes to secondary<br />
legislation will include provisions to end the abuse of<br />
retrospective planning permission and will give councils<br />
stronger powers to tackle unauthorised development in<br />
all its forms.<br />
Working Neighbourhoods Fund<br />
Mr Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities<br />
and Local Government what assessment he has made<br />
of the likely effects of the closure of the Working<br />
Neighbourhoods Fund on the most deprived communities<br />
in the country; and what sources of funding will be<br />
available to support such areas in the spending review<br />
period. [27456]<br />
Robert Neill: The Working Neighbourhoods Fund<br />
was a time-limited, three year programme scheduled to<br />
run from 2009-11. In line with our equalities duties, an<br />
equality impact assessment into the completion of the<br />
Working Neighbourhoods Fund has been carried out<br />
and will be published in due course.<br />
Businesses and local authorities in areas which currently<br />
receive the Fund will now be able to bid into the £1.4<br />
billion Regional Growth Fund to kick-start private<br />
sector-led growth. The Department for Work and Pensions<br />
is also to introduce the Work Programme which will<br />
provide an integrated package of support providing<br />
personalised help for people who find themselves out of<br />
work.<br />
The Government are also giving communities and<br />
neighbourhoods new rights, flexibilities, powers and<br />
tools that they could use to drive forward local regeneration<br />
and growth. For example through de-ringfencing of<br />
local budgets, and introducing incentives through the<br />
New Homes Bonus to direct more money to councils<br />
that build houses. The hon. Member should be aware<br />
that as outlined in the March 2010 Budget, the last<br />
Government was planning in-year cuts to the Working<br />
Neighbourhood Fund.<br />
EDUCATION<br />
Business: Education<br />
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education<br />
what plans his Department has for the future of enterprise<br />
education in primary schools; and if he will make a<br />
statement. [18817]<br />
Mr Gibb: The Department currently has a contract<br />
with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT)<br />
to run the Enterprise Network to support the extension