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Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many jobs have been created as a result of the single regeneration budget challenge fund. [10922]
Angela Eagle: A total of 22,283 jobs were created in 1995-96. Only provisional figures are available so far for 1996-97 and these indicate that some 38,700 jobs were created in that financial year.
Greater London Authority
Ms Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Government intend to publish the Green Paper setting out their proposals for a Greater London authority. [11410]
Mr. Prescott: We will publish a consultation paper on our proposals for a Greater London authority tomorrow. Copies of the Green Paper will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Homelessness
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people were homeless in each year since 1979. [10981]
Mr. Raynsford: The numbers of households for which local authorities in England accepted responsibility to secure accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 and the Housing Act 1985 in the years since 1979 were as follows:
Note:
The figures for the years 1979 to 1982 are not strictly comparable with those for the later years because of changes to reporting arrangements made in 1980 for non-metropolitan districts and in 1982 for London borough and metropolitan districts.
Source:
Quarterly P1(E) returns
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Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate has been made of the number of rough sleepers in central London in each year since 1979. [10983]
Mr. Raynsford:
There are no reliable estimates for rough sleepers in central London before 1992. Those since are given in the table.
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| Site | November 1996 | May 1996 | February 1996 | November 1995 | May 1995 | November 1994 | November 1993 | March 1992 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strand/West End | 140 | 128 | 113 | 138 | 138 | 153 | 118 | 104 |
| Victoria | 44 | 56 | 33 | 34 | 41 | 33 | 33 | 36 |
| Waterloo/Bullring | 57 | 55 | 30 | 53 | 44 | 59 | 56 | 121 |
| South Camden | 45 | 49 | 29 | 47 | 47 | 43 | 69 | (10)179 |
| Total | 286 | 288 | 205 | 272 | 270 | 288 | 276 | 440 |
| Whitechapel and City | 43 | 58 | 36 | 63 | 77 | 67 | 53 | -- |
| W1/W2 | 28 | 25 | 32 | 24 | -- | 34 | -- | -- |
(10) South Camden total includes Embankment (now West End) and Temple (part now in Whitechapel and City) so exact comparison not possible.
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When the rough sleepers initiative in central London began in 1990, voluntary agencies estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 people were sleeping rough in central London. Monitoring arrangements for the initiative include counts of people sleeping rough, undertaken twice a year by voluntary sector homelessness agencies. The latest count for which figures are available, in November 1996, found 286 people in the central London areas covered. Information from previous counts, which began in March 1992, is as set out in the table, which also includes information on counts in Whitechapel and the City and parts of the W1-W2 postal district.
Water Quality
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of changes in the quality of river and coastal water since the privatisation of water authorities. [10987]
Angela Eagle: The Environment Agency reports a net upgrading in chemical quality of almost 28 per cent. of total monitored length of rivers and canals in England and Wales between 1990 and 1995 and an upgrading in biological quality of over 25 per cent. Although there is no comparable assessment for coastal waters, UK compliance with the bathing water directive's mandatory standards improved from 77 per cent. in 1990 to 90 per cent. in 1996.
Right-to-buy Scheme
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many council tenants have bought their homes under the right-to-buy scheme. [10921]
Mr. Raynsford: A total of 1.295 million homes were sold by local authorities and new towns in England under right-to-buy between the introduction of legislation in October 1980 and the end of March 1997, the latest date for which information is available.
Repossessions
Mr. John M. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the number of mortgage repossessions in each year since 1979. [10963]
Mr. Raynsford: The number of properties taken into possession by mortgage lenders in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979 is set out.
- 1979: 2,910
- 1980: 3,480
- 1981: 4,870
- 1982: 6,860
- 1983: 8,420
- 1984: 12,400
- 1985: 19,300
- 1986: 24,090
- 1987: 26,390
- 1988: 18,510
- 1989: 15,810
- 1990: 43,890
- 1991: 75,540
- 1992: 68,540
- 1993: 58,540
- 1994: 49,210
- 1995: 49,410
- 1996: 42,560.
- Source:
- Council of Mortgage Lenders.
Negative Equity
Mr. John M. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of United Kingdom properties in negative equity in each year since 1979.[10962]
28 Jul 1997 : Column: 47
Mr. Raynsford:
Estimates of the number of households in the United Kingdom with negative equity based on the Department's mix adjusted house prices index are available from 1989. The figures for the final quarter of each year are as follows:
1989: 78,000
1990: 340,000
1991: 507,000
1992: 1,221,000
1993: 894,000
1994: 677,000
1995: 907,000
1996: 287,000.
Green Belt
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to what extent the green belt has altered in size since 1979. [10985]
Mr. Raynsford: We do not record the size of green belts on an annual basis. Figures for England for 1979, 1989 and 1993 are available in the "Digest of Environmental Statistics" No. 18 published in 1996. In 1979 there were 7,215 sq km of green belt land. This had more than doubled to 15,557 sq km in 1993.
Housing (Voluntary Transfer Scheme)
Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many council estates have been transferred to private landlords through the large-scale voluntary transfer scheme. [10929]
Mr. Raynsford: Information on the number of estates included in transfers on the annual disposals programme--large-scale voluntary transfers--is not available; 57 authorities have carried out such transfers since December 1988, involving a total of 250,407 properties. Only two have involved single estates--Manchester's estate at Partington and the Beechdale estate in Walsall. Of the rest, 51 have been transfers of the whole stock and four have been partial stock transfers.
Dangerous Animals
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many licences to keep dangerous animals have been issued in each of the last five years in each local authority area; and if he will make a statement; [10785]
- (2) in what circumstances licences to keep dangerous animals are issued; and if he will make a statement.[10786]
Angela Eagle: A licence is required to keep any animal of a species listed in the schedule to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. The issuing of licences and the day-to-day administration of the Act are the responsibility of the relevant local authority. The Department does not keep information on the number of licences issued under the Act.
Before issuing a licence, a local authority must be satisfied that a number of conditions are met, including the conditions that a licence would not be contrary to the public interest on the grounds of safety or nuisance; that
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the applicant for the licence is a suitable person to hold a licence; and that the proposed accommodation ensures that the animal will not escape and is suitable as regards construction, size, temperature, lighting, ventilation, drainage and cleanliness, and is suitable for the number of animals proposed to be held in it. A local authority may also specify such other conditions as it considers appropriate.
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