---

Departmental Policies

Answer

The Department has put in place a considerable programme of reforms and improvements across a wide range of policy areas since 1997 to help improve the quality of life for local communities. These include broadening enforcement tools to tackle litter, dog fouling, noise and fly-posting. The issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices for Islington in each of these areas are as follows.

	London borough of Islington—litter
Number of fines issued by local authority	256
Number of fines paid to local authority	179
Number of cases taken to court	3

Islington also has the power to impose Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling, graffiti, fly posting and noise. No notices have been issued by Islington for these offences. Improved monitoring tools and resources have also been introduced to help local authorities to manage local environmental quality issues at a local level, respond to local needs and target resources more effectively and efficiently.The main source of funding for local authorities' waste management services is the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block of annual Government grant. It is for the local authorities to decide what proportion of the block is invested in waste management services, including recycling. Funding is also provided from a variety of other sources to support recycling, the amounts allocated are set out in the table.

Local authority	Funding type	Funding short description	Funding amount	Start date	End date
Islington	Grant to relieve spending pressures on waste		67,220.00	1 April 2004	31 March 2005
Islington	Waste Performance Efficiency Grant (WPEG)	WPEG	193,470.00	1 April 2005	31 March 2006
Islington	Local Authority Support Unit DCS (LASU)	Land use planning	46,463.00	1 April 2004	31 March 2005
Islington	Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)	Phase 1 and 2	18,918.0038,599.00 and	1 April 2004	31 March 2005
Islington	LASU DCS	Strategy	52,675.00	1 April 2005	31 March 2006
Islington	Household recycling incentives	Estate scheme	45,000.00	1 April 2005	31 March 2006

My Department is responsible for the Warm Front Scheme, which is the key tool for tackling fuel poverty in the private sector in England. Since its launch in June 2000 it has assisted more than one million households with a range of insulation and heating measures and energy efficiency advice.The number of households that have been assisted by the Warm Front scheme in Islington South and Finsbury, each year since June 2000 areas follows.

	Households
June 2000 to March 2001	8
April 2001 to March 2002	77
April 2002 to March 2003	271
April 2003 to March 2004	11
April 2004 to March 2005	28
April 2005 to end February 2006	30
Total	425

In general, Defra collects information on a local authority basis rather than a constituency basis so not all information provided in this reply is specific to the Islington South and Finsbury constituency. The information provided reflects a significant proportion of Defra activity in this area, but may not be exhaustive.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

444 c1096-8W; 60731

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Islington

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk