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Social Landlords

Ms Buck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many units were disposed of and what the total value was of disposals by registered social landlords in each year since 1997. [70275]

Mr. McNulty: The Housing Corporation advises that the number of units disposed of by registered social landlords (RSLs) during the past four years were as follows:

£

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
100 per cent. sales
Total right-to-buy sales	4,532	4,414	7,245	7,127
Total voluntary sales	550	370	359	213
Total outright sales	554	317	1,008	1,134
Total 100 per cent. sales	5,636	5,101	8,612	8,474
Estimated market value per sale	49,308	51,288	56,661	60,373
Estimated total value of 100 per cent. sales (£ million)	277.9	261.6	488.0	511.6
Partial sales and other disposals
Shared ownership: total sales of initial shares	6,887	6,209	4,392	3,718
Total demolitions	1,612	1,961	3,335	2,640

Notes:

1. Sales and demolitions data are derived from the Housing Corporation's annual Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR).

2. The estimated market values of 100 per cent. sales are derived from CORE (reported sales).

3. The value of the sale of initial shares sold under Shared Ownership schemes cannot easily be determined.

4. A monetary value cannot be associated with demolitions.

5. Sales under the Home Buy scheme are not reported on separately the RSR—but it is likely that they have been included in the Shared Ownership total.

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1211W

The market values of sales are "estimated" rather than "actual" because not all sales are reported in CORE. Consequently the average value derived from CORE may not be the actual average value of the total sales as reported in the RSR.

Buildings (Height Restrictions)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what height restrictions there are on buildings in major cities throughout the UK. [72859]

Mr. McNulty: Within the plan-led system of development control, local development plans form the framework within which decisions on proposals for tall buildings are taken. A number of local authorities have, or are developing, policies on tall buildings.

Fire Safety Legislation

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans his Department has to introduce new fire safety legislation. [70777]

Mr. Leslie: We intend to publish shortly a consultation document giving details of our proposals to reform fire safety legislation by means of a Regulatory Reform Order under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001. The aim of the reform is to simplify, rationalise and consolidate fire safety law. It would provide for a risk-based approach to general fire safety allowing more efficient, effective enforcement by the fire service and other enforcing authorities. It would reduce the burden on business by removing the confusion caused by overlapping fire safety regimes. We hope to make the Order next year.

Single Housing Inspectorate

Dr. Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much it will cost to set up and run the Single Housing Inspectorate; and if he will make a statement. [72510]

Mr. McNulty: As my right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister told the House on 18 July (column 441), he intends to establish a single housing inspectorate, building on the excellent work of the Audit Commission and the Housing Corporation. He said he would announce further details later in the year, in the light of discussion with key stakeholders.

English Partnerships

Mr. Pond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he proposes to announce the outcome of stage 2 of the review of English Partnerships; and if he will make a statement. [73451]

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1212W

Mr. Leslie: I am today announcing the conclusion of stage two of the Review of English Partnerships.

English Partnerships will be a key player in the delivery of my new "living communities" agenda. As I announced in my Statement to the House on 18 July, I am instructing English Partnerships to use its new role to search out and deliver even more land for housing and sustainable urban development. I also want English Partnerships to help in regenerating those places most badly affected by abandonment and decay.

Stage one of the Review confirmed English Partnerships as having an important role as an agency for best practice regeneration and development of brownfield land. I am keen that it develops that role, and in particular, I am asking the organisation to draw up plans to meet the following objectives:

To bring about speedy development of new schemes that can help meet the objectives set out in my policy statement of 18 July. In particular, I am determined to see a step change in both the quantity and the quality of new development in those areas that are facing acute demand pressures. I am therefore today announcing an initial list of their sites on which I wish EP to concentrate, as shown in the table, and we will be consulting on the way forward for those sites. A further list of sites will be announced in the autumn.
2. To work closely with the Housing Corporation, and with other key agencies including the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), to ensure effective co-ordination in the delivery of plans for key worker and affordable housing within the wider context of "living communities".
3. To advise on the efficient and effective development of surplus Government land and buildings that may help deliver new communities where most needed.
4. To help with the assembly of sites for regeneration and sustainable development purposes.
5. To produce and maintain a national brownfield strategy, to include best practice guidance in the assembly, remediation and development of land and buildings, to help drive forward the Urban Renaissance.
6. To continue to operate its innovative programmes, including the Coalfields Programme, Millennium Communities, support for Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs), the English Cities Fund, the National Land Use Database (NLUD), Priority Sites Ltd, Land Stabilisation Programme, and Englishsites.com, and to develop new ideas for extending good practice.
7. To operate a regime that enables developers to use approved 'gap' funding for the delivery of housing projects that would otherwise be commercially unviable.

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1213W

Initial list of sites

Location	Site
Eastern
1) Basildon	Gardiners Lane
2) Basildon	Dry Street
3) Basildon	Five Links (Phase 2)
4) Harlow	Sports Centre
5) Hatfield	Town Centre
6) Hemel Hempstead	Spencers Park
7) Hemel Hempstead	Paradise Fields
8) Hemel Hempstead	Breakspear
9) Stevenage	Town Centre
10) Stevenage	West Stevenage
11) Peterborough	Various sites
North East
12) Middlesbrough	Middlehaven
13) Stockton	North Bank
14) Stockton	Haverton Hill
North West
15) Liverpool	Kings Waterfront
16) Liverpool	Liverpool Land Development Co. sites
17) Preston	Preston East
18) Preston	Cuerdon Regional Business Park
19) Runcorn	Castlefields
20) Skelmersdale	Town Centre
21) Warrington	Omega
Yorkshire and the Humber
22) Sheffield	Various sites in the URC
East Midlands
23) Corby	Various sites in the URC
24) Northampton	SW District Phase 1
25) Northampton	SW District Phases 2 and 3
West Midlands
26) Telford	Town Centre
27) Telford	South Telford (Woodside)
28) Telford	Lightmoor
29) Telford	East Ketley Millennium Community
30) Telford	Lawley
South West
31) Weston-super-Mare	RAF Locking
South East
32) Crawley	Expansion sites
33) Crawley	Town Centre
34) Milton Keynes	Central MK / Campbell Park
35) Milton Keynes	Oak Grove Millennium Community
36) Milton Keynes	Bletchley / MK Stadium
37) Milton Keynes	Broughton Atterbury
38) Milton Keynes	East Flank
39) Milton Keynes	West Flank
40) Milton Keynes	National Bowl / East Ashland
London
41) Greenwich	Greenwich Peninsula including the Millennium Community
Cross-regional
42) Various	Key Worker Housing Initiative sites

Land and Property Programme

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the land and property programme budgets were calculated for 2000–01 and 2001–02. [72963]

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1214W

Mr. McNulty: The allocation of the Land and Property (L&P) budget (from April 1999) between the RDAs and the LDA (from July 2000), took into account both their anticipated capital receipts arising from the L&P programme and the level of European funding they expected for L&P purposes. This was achieved by adding the total of all capital and European receipts to the grant in aid to create a 'gross' L&P budget that was then allocated to the RDAs and LDA.

The European funding was as follows:

£ million

	2000–01	2001–02
	European funding
North East	6.800	1.800
North West	12.000	7.800
Yorkshire and Humber	0	0.700
West Midlands	1.000	0.600
East Midlands	0	0
East of England	0	0.400
South West	8.100	8.100
South East	0	0
London	0	0
Total	27.900	19.400
	Total RDA and L&P allocations without the European funding
North East	151.193	162.671
North West	231.186	280.387
Yorkshire and Humber	191.727	246.267
West Midlands	145.880	170.850
East Midlands	93.596	97.439
East of England	43.997	62.956
South West	81.844	91.940
South East	86.364	110.542
London	283.151	298.158
Total	1,308,938	1,521,210
Land and Property Allocations
North East	42.924	49.254
North West	74.776	100.388
Yorkshire and Humber	43.223	43.700
West Midlands	40.934	49.428
East Midlands	34.551	30.413
East of England	9.478	14.560
South West	32.758	47.798
South East	20.635	37.966
London	28.626	49.100
Total	327.905	422.607

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