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Public Service Agreements
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the Public Service Agreement targets which have been revised and those which have been introduced since the publication of the 2001 departmental report. [43251]
Dr. Whitehead: There have been no revisions to the Spending Review 2000 Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets published in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' 2001 annual report. Following the machinery of government changes in June 2001 responsibility for the following six targets transferred to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
- Improve air quality by meeting our National Air Quality Strategy targets for carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, particles, sulphur dioxide, benzene and 1–3 butadiene;
Improve the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources, including by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent. from 1990 levels and moving towards a 20 per cent. reduction in CO 2 emissions by 2010;
Enable 17 per cent. of household waste to be recycled or composted by 2004;
Reduce fuel poverty among vulnerable households by improving the energy efficiency of 600,000 homes between 2001 and 2004;
Open up public access to mountain, moor, heath and down and registered common land by the end of 2005; and
Bring into favourable condition by 2010 95 per cent. of all nationally important wildlife sites, compared to 60 per cent. of sites currently estimated to be in such condition.
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- Reduce the incidence of accidental fire-related deaths in the home by 20 per cent. averaged over the five year period to March 2004 compared with the average recorded in the five year period to March 1999.
Fire Safety
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he last made an assessment of fire safety at Shoreham Harbour. [43710]
Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 15 March 2002]: Inspections of workplaces in respect of general fire precautions are carried out by local fire authorities. Inspections are made of individual premises and other workplaces and recorded as such. Consequently it is not possible to give a date for inspection of the harbour as a whole. The last inspection of a premises in the harbour area was of a factory subject to a fire certificate under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. This was carried out on 19 February 2002.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many fire-related deaths in dwellings in Buckinghamshire there were in each year since 1997. [43290]
Dr. Whitehead: The information requested is contained in the table and refers to those fires, which the Buckinghamshire fire and rescue service attended between 1997 and 2000.
| Total deaths | Dwellings(1) | Other buildings | Other outdoors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| 1998 | 2 | 2 | — | — |
| 1999 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — |
| 2000(2) | 10 | 7 | — | 3 |
(1) Dwellings are defined as buildings occupied by households, excluding hotels, hostels and residential institutions. They also include caravans, houseboats and other non-building structures used solely as a permanent dwelling.
(2) 2000 data are provisional, and are subject to revision as later information from inquests and death certificates confirming cause of death is received.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list fire stations which have (a) opened and (b) closed in Buckinghamshire since 1997. [43291]
Dr. Whitehead: No fire stations have opened or closed in Buckinghamshire during this period.
Rough Sleepers
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of those who were sleeping rough in 1998 and are no longer doing so are now in paid employment. [43108]
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Ms Keeble: Personal details of rough sleepers in 1998 were in many cases not recorded, making it hard to track their progress away from the street and into housing, training and employment. As part of delivering its strategy the unit has now put in place client monitoring systems to track the progress of individuals in their move from sleeping rough to independent living. These systems are subject to review and further development.
The Rough Sleepers Unit has worked with Government Departments, other statutory bodies and voluntary agencies to help people with a history of sleeping rough to access statutory benefits, education, training and employment. The unit has funded the Homeless Routeway to Employment, "Learning Zones", a website to help rough sleepers into employment and a "jobs-led hostel" which specifically helps former rough sleepers into work.
The unit has also invested £2 million of its Special Innovation Fund in schemes to build self esteem and help former rough sleepers into employment, including Business in the Community which has helped businesses provide work placements, training and support to local homeless agencies and their clients.
Tenancy Sustainment Teams in London and other cities around England also help former rough sleepers and homeless people that have moved from hostels into their own accommodation to resettle permanently and to take up training and employment. Meaningful occupation workers in each Tenancy Sustainment Team identify and maximise specific support and training to help former rough sleepers to prepare for and take up employment opportunities.
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment his Department has made of the number of rough sleepers in (a) St. Helens, (b) Merseyside and (c) the north-west. [42412]
Ms Keeble: Tables showing the local authority HIP estimates and results of street counts for 1998, 1999, 2000 and the latest figures for 2001 were placed in the Libraries of the House on 11 December 2001. Local authorities not listed in the tables for those years submitted either an estimate of 0–10 or no estimate in their HIP returns.
Rent Increases
Mr. Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the average rent increases for individual local authorities agreed for 2002–03 by (a) one bed, (b) two bed, (c) three bed and (d) four bed properties. [43237]
Ms Keeble: It is for each local authority to determine the rents on their properties. Neither the average nor the pattern of rents across different types of dwelling has to be agreed with the Department. No detailed information is yet available on the actual rents set by local authorities for 2002–03.
Rail Freight
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what
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progress has been made in the last 12 months towards reaching the rail freight targets under the 10-year transport plan. [43055]
Mr. Jamieson: We shall publish a review of progress in July.
Evictions
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to require registered social landlords to submit annual figures on possession proceedings from actions entered in court to evictions. [43070]
Ms Keeble: We have no plans to require registered social landlords to submit this information. However, as mentioned in my answer of 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 146, my Department is discussing with the Court Service how to achieve a better breakdown of the data that they collect on possession orders by social landlords. This breakdown will show possession action in relation to rent arrears and anti-social behaviour and will enable us to monitor trends on such actions and improve our understanding of the causes of homelessness. The Court Service is aiming to put in place a revised system in the early part of 2002–03. Figures will then be available on a monthly basis.
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to investigate the use of mandatory grounds for eviction by registered social landlords. [43073]
Ms Keeble: None. Registered social landlords (RSLs) are independent organisations regulated by the Housing Corporation. They must demonstrate compliance with the Housing Corporation's regulatory code and guidance, which requires them to seek possession of a property only as a last resort.
The Corporation's new inspection regime focuses on the quality and efficiency of registered social landlords' housing management services. The Corporation's regulators will report on inappropriate or unreasonable use of mandatory possession grounds where this comes to light during an inspection.
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