Mr. Michael FosterTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the level of area cost adjustment for each local authority in the West Midland region for the 2003–04 financial year using average pay levels for the West Midland region as a basis. [131360]
ACA Authority Educatior PSS: children and younger adults PSS: older people Police Fire Highway maintenance EPCS Shropshire 0.970 0.972 0.968 0.968 0.968 0.976 0.976 Telford and Wrekin 0.970 0.972 0.969 0.969 0.969 0.976 0.976 Staffordshire 0.981 0.983 0.980 0.980 0.980 0.985 0.985 Stoke-on-Trent 0.976 0.977 0.974 0.974 0.974 0.980 0.980 Herefordshire 0.964 0.966 0.962 0.962 0.962 0.971 0.971 Worcestershire 0.986 0.987 0.985 0.985 0.985 0.988 0.988 Warwickshire 1.029 1.029 1.032 1.035 1.036 1.031 1.031 Wolverhampton 0.995 0.997 0.996 0.999 1.000 1.003 1.003 Walsall 0.972 0.976 0.971 0.974 0.975 0.984 0.984 Dudley 0.979 0.982 0.979 0.982 0.983 0.990 0.990 Sandwell 0.991 0.993 0.991 0.994 0.995 0.999 1.000 Solihull 1.055 1.053 1.059 1.062 1.063 1.051 1.052 Coventry 1.030 1.030 1.033 1.036 1.037 1.031 1.032 Birmingham 1.032 1.032 1.035 1.038 1.039 1.033 1.033 Note:
ACA factors estimated relative to the West Midlands average
There are two parts to the ACA: the labour cost adjustment (LCA) and the rates cost adjustment (RCA). To produce the ACA factors calculated in the table, individual LCA factors have been calculated for each upper tier authority in the West Midlands. These factors have been rebased so that they are relative to the West Midlands regional average and used in the above ACA calculation.
As a result, these ACA figures are not directly comparable to the current ACA figures because the West Midlands region is not used as the basis for ACA calculations. No lower limit is applied to the LCA figures calculated in the table, in the interest of providing illustrative figures for every authority.
Mr. Michael FosterTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of regional pay in public services upon the area cost adjustment used in revenue support grant calculations. [131368]
§ Mr. RaynsfordIn his Budget statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government would be giving increased emphasis to the regional and local elements of public sector pay. As a first and immediate step, the terms of reference or remit letters of the Pay Review Bodies have been modified to require them to have regard to regional/local labour markets and their effects on recruitment and retention. The ability to recruit and retain staff in every location is crucial to high quality public services. Staff shortages, resulting from an inability to recruit and retain staff with the requisite skills in the right numbers in specific locations, are currently concentrated in certain areas, mainly but not exclusively in parts of London and the south-east. A stronger local and regional element to pay is one important tool to address these issues.
1028W
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe table gives the area cost adjustment (ACA) values calculated for each upper tier authority in the West Midlands region, relative to the West Midlands average. Because we no longer use average wages as the basis of the ACA, the figures are relative to the average labour cost adjustment for the West Midlands region.
The area cost adjustment already directs grant to areas with higher wages in recognition of the increased recruitment and retention cost experienced there. Any effect of regional public service pay will be reflected in the pay cost evidence that we use in calculating the area cost adjustment.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many prosecutions have taken place using the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982; and if he will make a statement. [128798]
§ Ms BlearsI have been asked to reply.
Persons proceeded against under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 cannot be separately identified on the Home Office Court Proceedings database.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what recent estimates he has made on the costs of re-organising local government in the(a) North West, (b) North East and (c) Yorkshire and Humberside as a part of his proposals to set up regional assemblies. [131678]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe cost of re-organising local government in the three regions will be dependent on the extent of the changes recommended by the Boundary Committee for England and subsequent decisions made by the newly created authorities about their organisational structure and levels of service provision.
§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much central government funding was allocated to each local authority in recognition of residents receiving(a) disability living allowance, (b) attendance allowance and (c) minimum income guarantee in the latest year for which figures are available. [130414]
1029W
§ Yvette CooperElderly people in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) and attendance allowance are taken into account in the older people social services formula spending share, although it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of how much money local authorities receive as a direct result of this.
Local housing authorities have a statutory duty to offer means tested disabled facilities grants (DFGs) to eligible applicants who require adaptations to help them live independently in their own homes. The grants are available to homeowners and tenants in both the private and social rented sectors.
The Government meets 60 per cent. of local authority expenditure incurred on DFGs, with the remaining 40 per cent. being met from the authority's own resources. The budget for this grant for English authorities in 2003–04 is £99 million compared with £88 million in 2002–03 and £56 million in 1997–98. The allocation of these resources to local housing authorities takes into account the numbers of people claiming DLA and attendance allowance within each local authority.
A table showing each English local housing authority's share of DFG resources from the national budget for 2003–04 is available in the Libraries of the House.