Free information on government grants

Mr Hope told Parliament: "The grants will total 5 million [pounds sterling] annually in the first three years, rising to 10 million [pounds sterling] in the final year, 2007-2008.

"The initiative will be targeted on the most vulnerable households particularly the elderly, but also deprived households and areas, young families and black and minority ethnic communities. Grants will be allocated on the basis of regional smoke alarm ownership, and within each region on the basis of the fire index, mainly measures of deprivation, weighted by population. The regional allocations will be announced in due course."

SOUTH WEST REGIONAL RESCUE CONTROL

Labour MP Diana Organ asked the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to shortlist only private bidders for the proposed South West control centre. Fire Minister Nick Raynsford replied, emphasising that the ODPM is currently running a competitive procurement for fire and rescue regional control centres under the EU Restricted Services Directive. "Tenders have been invited from both public and private sector," be informed.

"Submitted sites have been evaluated against criteria such as accessibility (to both people and services), demographics, vulnerability to threats such as flooding, and suitability for development. During the procurement process we are unable to release any information on the tenders and their proposals to anyone who is not directly involved in the procurement process."

CIVIL CONTINGENCIES BILL

The House of Lords debate on emergency powers centred on it being "inflexible and mechanistic". Lord Lucas moved to insert the clause, 'Provision to be made in emergency regulations', expressing concern that it should be a Bill that is "robust and acts as we want, even under the most extreme circumstances. As the Minister has said on several occasions, we are looking at the very long term for the application of the Act, and, particularly in Part 2, we are considering circumstances that are likely to be extreme." He pointed to a possible biological at tack by Al'Qaeda leading to a widespread epidemic. "At that point we are into a situation of emergency regulations and we will wish severely to restrict the movement of people, as that is about the only way of controlling the spread of such a disease ... There will be no practical way of recreating Parliament in the short term, because Parliament will not exist at that point. We will have an extended period of government under the Bill, without any checks." Baroness Buscombe suspected that the Minister would reject amendments as there is always judicial review, but argued that was the only real safeguard. Baronness Scotland rejected the argument but said they would take it on board and make the drafting clearer. Baroness Buscombe claimed to be "entirely happy" with that response.