Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues on consultation with the Ministry of Defence to local authorities with Ministry of Defence facilities or land within their street lighting provision which plan to turn off street lighting for periods during the night.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
My Department has not issued any guidance to local authorities in consultation with the Ministry of Defence about street lighting. It is up to locally elected councillors to make decisions on street lighting reflecting local circumstances and views.
Although there is no prescriptive Whitehall guidance on street lighting, the Government publication, Manual for Streets (2007), while out of date in certain areas (e.g. on parking and density), contains some useful guidance on getting the balance right when providing street lighting, taking into account the different issues around safety, street clutter and light pollution. It can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/maual-for-streets.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting throughout his Department's buildings and sites; if he will estimate the proportion of lighting in his Department which is LED; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
The Department for Communities and Local Government’s policy for new and replacement lighting is to consider the installation of LEDs, where appropriate, based on an assessment of suitability for the work-setting and of the whole-life cost of the equipment.
The Department has made significant improvements to the energy efficiency and cost effectiveness of lighting across its estate through the introduction of LED lighting and compact fluorescent lamps. We have also improved the performance of our lighting systems by installing and actively maintaining passive infra-red and daylight level sensors.
The Department continues to review opportunities to install LED lighting across its estate to further reduce energy use, carbon emissions and ongoing maintenance costs.
Approximately 7% of lighting within the Department’s buildings is LED (excluding our Marsham Street building which is maintained by the Home Office).
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance to (a) local authorities and (b) fire and rescue authorities that they should implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting in their buildings.
Answered by Stephen Williams
My Department sets minimum standards in the Building Regulations for the energy efficiency of lighting when installed in new and existing buildings, but does not issue guidance on replacement programmes for lighting. The standards in the Building Regulations can be met by LEDs, but it is for local authorities and fire and rescue authorities to judge for themselves when replacement of existing systems will be practical and cost-effective. LED retrofit solutions and key considerations are covered in the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Code of Practice for the Application of LED Lighting Systems, published earlier this year.
Although LEDs are improving all the time, they are not at the moment necessarily any more energy efficient than modern fluorescent luminaires - or better when comparing things like light quality, reliability, maintainability and lifetime costs - to justify wholesale replacement of existing lighting systems. The main advantage of LEDs over fluorescent luminaires is that they do not contain any mercury and, when compared with compact fluorescent lamps, reach full brightness immediately.
DECC has policy responsibility for the Ecodesign Directive, which includes requirements for the efficiency of lamps that can be placed on the EU market. By 2016, only LEDs and the most efficient halogen lamps will be able to meet the standards.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will discuss with (a) the Royal Association for the Deaf and (b) the Royal National Institute for the Blind the consequences for people with disabilities of decisions by some local authorities to introduce policies of switching off street lights.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 18 June 2014, Official Report, Column 632-633W.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities who have introduced policies of switching off street lights to ascertain what the consequences of those decisions have been.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 18 June 2014, Official Report, Column 632-633W.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will provide additional funds to Essex Fire and Rescue Service to cover the cost of payments to the Firefighters Injury Pension scheme incurred in each financial year since 2006.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The regulations governing the Firefighters’ Pension Schemes set out which payments are eligible for annual pension top-up grant claims by fire and rescue authorities and is paid by the Department. The statutory ‘Guidance for fire and rescue authorities on new financial arrangements for firefighter pensions with effect from April 2006’ issued by the Department in 2006 provides guidance for fire and rescue authorities to implement the finance arrangements, including setting out which specific payments are eligible for top-up grant expenditure and which are not eligible. The guidance sets out that injury awards are not eligible expenditure for the top up grant.
We understand that, since the changes were implemented in 2006, Essex Fire and Rescue Authority has incorrectly claimed certain injury payments as eligible expenditure through the top-up grant. We are in discussions with the fire authority on this issue.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will provide additional funds to Essex Fire and Rescue Service to cover the cost of payments to the Firefighters Injury Pension scheme incurred in each financial year since 2006.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The regulations governing the Firefighters’ Pension Schemes set out which payments are eligible for annual pension top-up grant claims by fire and rescue authorities and is paid by the Department. The statutory ‘Guidance for fire and rescue authorities on new financial arrangements for firefighter pensions with effect from April 2006’ issued by the Department in 2006 provides guidance for fire and rescue authorities to implement the finance arrangements, including setting out which specific payments are eligible for top-up grant expenditure and which are not eligible. The guidance sets out that injury awards are not eligible expenditure for the top up grant.
We understand that, since the changes were implemented in 2006, Essex Fire and Rescue Authority has incorrectly claimed certain injury payments as eligible expenditure through the top-up grant. We are in discussions with the fire authority on this issue.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department audits the annual reports submitted to it on operations of fire and rescue services; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Section 25 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 requires the Secretary of State to report to Parliament every two years on the extent to which fire and rescue authorities are acting in accordance with the Fire and Rescue National Framework, which includes a requirement that authorities publish an annual statement of assurance on financial, governance and operational matters. A copy of that report has been placed in the Library of the House.
On 15 July 2014 the Secretary of State reported that he was satisfied that each fire and rescue authority in England had been acting in accordance with the Framework.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department audits the annual reports submitted to it on operations of fire and rescue services; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Section 25 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 requires the Secretary of State to report to Parliament every two years on the extent to which fire and rescue authorities are acting in accordance with the Fire and Rescue National Framework, which includes a requirement that authorities publish an annual statement of assurance on financial, governance and operational matters. A copy of that report has been placed in the Library of the House.
On 15 July 2014 the Secretary of State reported that he was satisfied that each fire and rescue authority in England had been acting in accordance with the Framework.