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Sea Sewage Outfalls
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the locations of the long sea sewage outfalls still in use around the shores of the United Kingdom. [103381]
Mr. Mullin: Long sea outfalls have generally been envisaged where sewage received no more than primary treatment before discharge to coastal waters. Some discharges to English coastal waters have been designed to incorporate long sea outfalls, but this is a matter for individual sewerage undertakers and there is no centrally held list. However, the Government's announcements on 23 September 1998 and 1 March 1999 on investment in the water industry introduced a requirement that all wastewater discharges from communities greater than 2,000 population would receive a minimum of secondary treatment. Within the context of this policy, wastewater long sea outfalls are less significant, since secondary treatment provides a high level of environmental protection, whatever the length of the outfall.
Wastewater disposal in the remainder of the United Kingdom is a matter for devolved administrations.
Wildlife
Mr. Green:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the local Wildlife Sites Review Group will report; and if he will make a statement. [103859]
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Mr. Mullin:
My officials have set up the Local Sites Review Group, which comprises a wide range of interested bodies to consider the issues associated with the identification, protection and management of local wildlife sites. The Group is aiming to report its conclusions early next year.
Mrs. Lait:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he plans to include provisions relating to public sector leaseholders in his legislation to reform leasehold law. [103584]
Mr. Mullin:
Many of the proposed reforms which my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning, announced on 20 December 1999, Official Report, column 345W, would apply to both public and private sector leaseholders. The proposals to require landlords to consult leaseholders on proposed improvements, and to allow leaseholders to challenge the cost of these at leasehold valuation tribunals would be of particular benefit to public sector leaseholders.
We are also announcing this week two further measures to help public sector leaseholders with high service charges. We will extend the existing Directions requiring local authorities to reduce service charges to include works carried out under the Private Finance Initiative. We will consult local authorities on a proposal to allow them to charge lower interest rates on service charge debts. At present they have to charge a rate set by my Department, but several authorities have informed us they could charge lower rates and still cover their costs.
These are in addition to other measures that we have already taken to help leaseholders of social landlords. They include issuing directions requiring landlords to reduce charges for some Government funded works which exceed £10,000 per leaseholder in any five year period, and providing financial assistance to social landlords to help them reduce charges or buy back flats which leaseholders want to sell.
Mrs. Lait:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Leasehold Advisory Service is able to advise public sector leaseholders; and if it employs anyone with specific knowledge of public sector leaseholders' issue. [103585]
Mr. Mullin:
The Leasehold Advisory Service is able to and does provide advice to public sector leaseholders. Two of its staff have considerable experience of the particular problems faced by public sector leaseholders.
Mrs. Lait:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance he has given to local authorities concerning the funding of advice services for private sector leaseholders only. [103586]
Mr. Mullin:
This Department has issued no specific guidance to local authorities concerning the funding of advice services for leaseholders. However, local authorities are well placed to decide local priorities for spending, and are accountable to the local electorate for their decisions.
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Mrs. Lait:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his policy is towards indemnities underwriting unforeseen major works on the sale or transfer of local authority housing stock. [103583]
Mr. Mullin:
The local authority and acquiring landlord are required to carry out a comprehensive stock condition survey before a housing transfer takes place. The Department would not therefore expect a local authority to underwrite unforeseen major works to the housing stock post-transfer.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the current extent of housing need in London. [103613]
Mr. Mullin:
The London Research Centre are currently undertaking a research project on this subject.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what account he will take of the effect of the judgment in Regina v. the London Borough of Newham ex parte Aurura Sacupima and Others in the measures he proposes to take to assist London boroughs to house homeless people within their boundaries. [103617]
Mr. Mullin:
The judgment in the case of Aurura Sacupima and Others ex parte the London Borough of Newham is one of a number of issues that will be taken into account in considering what measures can be proposed to ease the current shortage of affordable accommodation in London.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he proposes to take to reduce the number of people living in temporary accommodation in London. [103615]
Mr. Mullin:
The Government recently announced a £613 million package of capital resources for investment in housing by London boroughs in 2000-01. This represents a 54 per cent. increase over 1999-2000 and accords with spending plans arising from the Comprehensive Spending Review. The additional resources will enable London boroughs to reduce the number of people living in temporary accommodation by increasing the supply of affordable housing in their areas.
In addition, the Government are supporting the Association of London Government's London Housing Partnership initiative to set aside £20 million of London borough's increased housing capital allocations to enable the problem of homelessness and temporary accommodation to be approached on a pan-London basis.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the factors contributing to current shortages of low-cost accommodation in London. [103614]
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Mr. Mullin:
The current shortage of affordable housing in London is due to the combined effect of a number of factors including:
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what resources he proposes to allocate to tackle shortages of affordable housing in London in addition to the funding currently allocated through the Housing Investment Programme. [103616]
Mr. Mullin:
A total of £275 million will be provided through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme for the provision of additional accommodation by registered social landlords (RSLs) in London in 2000-01; the announcement of allocations to local authority areas will be made in February. Increases in the supply of affordable housing will also be funded through local authorities housing capital programmes and can be achieved in a variety of different ways. The 2000-01 Housing Investment Programme (HIP) allocations to London Boroughs announced earlier this month included an earmarked £20 million for an initiative mainly for purchase and repair of existing properties in and around London. The total HIP allocation for London for 2000-01 (£613 million) is over 50 per cent. more than in 1999-2000.
Ms Moran:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on Government policies to combat homelessness. [103127]
Mr. Mullin:
Shortly after taking office, the Government made secondary legislation to strengthen the position of households accepted as statutorily homeless. This ensures that accommodation must be available for all homeless acceptances for at least two years and that they must be given reasonable preference in the allocation of long-term social housing.
The Government intend to meet their Manifesto commitment to impose a new duty on local authorities to protect those who are homeless through no fault of their own and are in priority need. My Department has set up an official-level sounding board with the local authority associations, Shelter, the Chartered Institute of Housing and other housing organisations, to discuss proposals for further changes to policy on homelessness and the allocation of permanent social housing. Our proposals are still at an early stage, but we shall consult on them widely, in due course.
On 15 December, the Prime Minister launched "Coming in from the Cold", the Government's strategy for tackling rough sleeping. This sets out how the
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Government intend to meet their target of reducing rough sleeping by two thirds by 2002. Copies are available in the Library.
Recent net increases in London's population, with those moving in tending to be younger and seeking economic opportunities;
A reduction in the supply of privately rented accommodation as landlords opt to sell to take advantage of rising house prices in London;
A fall in turnover of social housing as social tenants are less able to purchase in the private sector;
A reduction in the amount of socially rented accommodation through the Right to Buy, less development by registered social landlords than in recent years and short-term reductions as a result of regeneration activity.
Officials continue to monitor the situation closely.
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