§ David DavisTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of local authority employees to be made redundant as a result of local authority restructuring, following the introduction of regional assemblies; and what plans he has to provide assistance to(a) such employees and (b) local authorities for which such employees worked. [123275]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe implications for local authority employees will depend on what boundary and structural changes are involved and on future decisions by the local authorities concerned. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to discuss with the Local Government Association, public sector unions and others, how best to handle transitional matters, including employee issues, in any future local government reorganisation.
§ Mr. HammondTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what methodology his Department used to calculate the figure of 50,000 people represented by replies to the soundings exercise into the level of interest in each English region in holding a referendum about whether to establish an elected regional assembly. [124176]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimates that 53,591 people were involved in the soundings exercise. This number comprises
7,132 responses were from individuals in their private capacities;28 opinion polls/surveys in which 37,243 people were consulted;nine petitions to which there were 1,411 signatories;focus groups, votes at meetings, responses to circulars and so on, in which at least 7,800 people were involved.
§ Mr. HammondTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Government Department will have responsibility for any future elected regional assembly; and what his policy is on the accountability of future elected regional assemblies to Government Departments. [124178]
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§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Office for the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for regional and local government in England and taking forward the referendums that will give the English regions the choice of deciding whether they wish to have an elected regional assembly.
The members of any future elected assembly will be accountable directly to voters in their region.
§ Mr. HammondTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what level of turnout at a referendum on whether to create a regional assembly would constitute the derisorily low turnout, to which the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich has referred; [124180]
(2) what percentage of the electorate voting in favour of an elected regional assembly it is his policy to consider as sufficient to justify the creation of an elected regional assembly. [124184]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003 does not set a turnout threshold for referendums about whether to establish an elected regional assembly.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will decide whether to establish an assembly in a region once we see the results of a referendum. We have no preconceptions about the results.