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7 Nov 2002 : Column 615W—continued

Housing Stock

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many dwellings were transferred under large scale stock transfers in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area; and if he will make a statement. [79678]

7 Nov 2002 : Column 616W

Mr. McNulty: The table below lists those local authorities that have undertaken large scale voluntary transfers since 1997 and the number of dwellings transferred in each transfer.

List of all Large Scale Voluntary Transfers which have taken place since 1997

Date of Transfer	Authority	No. of Dwellings	Annual Total
28–02–1997	COTSWOLD DC	4,282
07–03–1997	SOUTH STAFFS C	5,273
19–03–1997	LICHFIELD DC	4,921
07–07–1997	SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE DC	5,018
22–09–1997	EDEN C	1,510	21,004
05–01–1998	LB LAMBETH* Moorlands	515
09–02–1998	LB BEXLEY	4,118
09–02–1998	LB BEXLEY	4,097
02–03–1998	CONGLETON BC	4,061
09–03–1998	OLDHAM BC* Limehurst	642
19–03–1998	LIVERPOOL CC* Windermere	493
23–03–1998	LB MERTON* Pollards Hill	1,018
23–03–1998	LB TOWER HAMLETS* Poplar I	1,852
23–03–1998	KERRIER DC	3,732
30–03–1998	LB HACKNEY* Kingsmead	951
30–03–1998	LB BRENT* Fortunegate/ Church End	1,481
30–03–1998	BASILDON DC* Vange	708
30–03–1998	WEST SOMERSET DC	1,869
31–03–1998	STOKE-ON-TRENT CC* Bentilee	917
27–04–1998	TEWKESBURY BC	3,066
01–05–1998	ROTHER DC	3,058
20–07–1998	LB LAMBETH* Lansdowne Green	681
07–12–1998	LB TOWER HAMLETS* Poplar II	2,431
25–01–1999	WIRRAL* Leasowe	1,082	35,690
01–02–1999	TAMESIDE* West Ashton	901
22–02–1999	WEST DEVON BC	1,446
01–03–1999	SOUTH SOMERSET DC	8,883
01–03–1999	EAST LINDSEY DC	5,102
05–03–1999	LIVERPOOL CC* Pinehurst	646
08–03–1999	MANCHESTER CC	1,030
15–03–1999	LB HACKNEY* Morningside	1,084
22–03–1999	SOUTH HAMS DISTRICT COUNCIL	3,096
17–03–1999	LB HAMMERSMITH & FULHAM*
Old Oak	668
22–03–1999	LB HACKNEY* Upper Clapton	1,000
25–03–1999	TELFORD AND WREKIN C	13,081
29–03–1999	LB ENFIELD	1,194
29–03–1999	WORTHING BC	2,525
29–03–1999	BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET C	9,887
29–03–1999	MANCHESTER CC* East
Wythenshawe	6,667
29–03–1999	LB GREENWICH* Charlton Triangle	1,280
29–03–1999	LB HACKNEY* Haggerston	661
31–03–1999	ALLERDALE BC	3,704
31–03–1999	ALLERDALE BC* Salterbeck	727
14–06–1999	PRESTON BC* Avenham	1,121
05–07–1999	LB LAMBETH* Central Stockwell	2,358
21–06–1999	BIRMINGHAM CC* Central Areas	2,813
26–09–1999	LB ISLINGTON* Barnsbury	647
26–09–1999	LB ISLINGTON* Ten Estates	739
04–10–1999	LIVERPOOL CC* Speke Garston	4,382
18–10–1999	WEST LINDSEY DC	3,929
25–10–1999	LB LAMBETH* St. Martins	1,033
29–11–1999	BOSTON BC	4,871
20–12–1999	TYNEDALE DC	3,564	89,039
31–01–2000	NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME BC	9,887
07–02–2000	RESTORMEL BC	3,577
14–02–2000	MANCHESTER CC (COLSHAW
FARM)	600
21–02–2000	NORTH DEVON DC	3,293
06–03–2000	LB HACKNEY* Stamford Hill	1,095
06–03–2000	LB HACKNEY* Pembury Estate	1,241
08–03–2000	BURNLEY BC	5,330
20–03–2000	MANCHESTER CC Sale Estate	1,655
20–03–2000	WEYMOUTH AND PORTLAND C	3,105
20–03–2000	HUNTINGDON DC	6,650
27–03–2000	ELMBRIDGE BC	4,894
27–03–2000	TEST VALLEY BC	5,495
27–03–2000	WYRE FOREST DC	6,056
27–03–2000	MANCHESTER CC Whitefield Estate	1,033
27–03–2000	LB TOWER HAMLETS* THCH	1,551
27–03–2000	TAMESIDE	8,532
	MBC	7,934
17–07–2000	LB RICHMOND	7,139
22–09–2000	COVENTRY CC	20,125
02–10–2000	FYLDE BC	1,905
27–11–2000	CHESTER CC	7,096
11–12–2000	HORSHAM DC	4,650	112,843
12–02–2001	LB TOWER HAMLETS	196
19–02–2001	EAST NORTHAMPTONSHIRE DC	3,495
19–02–2001	TORBAY C	2,947
23–02–2001	STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS
DC	3,132
06–03–2001	CALDERDALE MBC	12,759
13–03–2001	CHICHESTER DC	5,321
19–03–2001	MENDIP DC	4,326
26–03–2001	WEST WILTSHIRE DC	3,284
26–03–2001	WEST OXFORDSHIRE DC	3,643
26–03–2001	EAST STAFFORDSHIRE BC	5,637
26–03–2001	MANCHESTER CC Handforth Estate	659
26–03–2001	SUNDERLAND CC	36,356
28–03–2001	BLACKBURN WITH DARWEN BC	9,886
01–10–2001	SHREWSBURY & ATCHAM BC	5,500
05–11–2001	MID-BEDFORDSHIRE DC	3,084	100,225
04–03–2002	DERBYSHIRE DALES	3,287
11–03–2002	CHELMSFORD BC	6,902
18–03–2002	EAST HERTFORDSHIRE	2,687
	DC	3,237
25–03–2002	EREWASH BC	5,847
25–03–2002	REIGATE & BANSTEAD BC	4,846
24–06–2002	St EDMUNDSBURY	5,947
01–07–2002	VALE ROYAL BC	6,813
01–07–2002	St HELENS MBC	14,632
15–07–2002	REDCAR & CLEVELAND BC	11,625
15–07–2002	KNOWSLEY MBC	17,090
30–09–2002	LB WALTHAM FOREST	2,574
14–10–2002	LB HACKNEY cc sheltered stock	954
14–10–2002	LB HARROW	518	86,959
	Total Number of Dwellings that have been transferred since 1997			445,760

Note:

* indicated the transfer was an Estates Renewal Challenge Fund scheme

7 Nov 2002 : Column 617W

Affordable Housing

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much affordable housing there was in each region in England and Wales in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [79682]

7 Nov 2002 : Column 618W

Mr. McNulty: The available information in respect of housing provided by local authorities and registered social landlords is presented below.

Social Landlord dwelling stock in England and Wales as at 31 March

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Registered Social Landlords
North East	47	48	49	53	89
North West	153	159	178	213	225
Yorkshire & The Humber	67	70	73	75	89
East Midlands	48	51	58	69	74
West Midlands	102	114	130	150	179
East	97	101	105	114	117
London	205	220	240	252	271
South East	186	197	206	218	234
South West	85	89	123	134	146
Wales	48	50	52	54	55
Local Authorities
North East	298	292	286	276	233
North West	523	509	485	445	416
Yorkshire & The Humber	441	434	427	419	397
East Midlands	293	289	280	265	257
West Midlands	410	402	381	354	316
East	302	295	290	277	271
London	621	596	575	553	532
South East	288	278	268	252	234
South West	224	214	184	170	156
Wales	204	201	197	193	188
All social landlords
North East	345	341	335	329	323
North West	676	668	663	658	641
Yorkshire & The Humber	508	504	500	494	486
East Midlands	341	340	338	334	331
West Midlands	512	516	512	504	495
East	399	396	394	391	388
London	826	816	815	805	803
South East	474	475	474	471	468
South West	308	303	307	304	302
Wales	252	251	249	247	243

Information about the number of affordable housing units built without any form of public funding is not collected centrally.

Social Housing

Alan Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many respondents to the Consultation Paper on a Decency Standard for Social Housing supported the view that the proposed minimum standards required under the Thermal Comfort criteria were sufficiently rigorous; and how many took the opposing view. [79501]

Mr. McNulty: The Consultation Paper on refining the detail of the thermal comfort criterion of a decent home proposed two options:

(a) retaining the fuel poverty measure; and

(b) moving to a stock measure of thermal comfort which would require a dwelling to have both effective insulation and efficient heating.

7 Nov 2002 : Column 619W

Of the 140 respondents to the consultation:

46% favoured moving to the proposed stock measure,

26% favoured moving to a stock measure but stated that they felt the standard proposed was too low,

25% rejected both proposals—many of these respondents suggested SAP although there was little consensus on what constituted an appropriate level; and 3% favoured the retention of fuel poverty as the measure.

Following the consultation a number of refinements were made to the definition of efficient heating and effective insulation before publishing the revised guidance. The main change was the requirement for higher levels of insulation in dwellings with electric storage heaters, programmable solid fuel or LPG central heating.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many successful asylum applicants were subsequently housed in social housing in each Government Office region in each year since 1999. [79716]

Mr. McNulty: The Government do not collect information relating to the number of former asylum seekers granted refugee status or exceptional leave to remain who are housed in social housing.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of those recognised as refugees and granted indefinite leave to remain or exceptional leave to remain were later accepted as being owed a duty by a local authority under the Homelessness Act 2002 in each Government Office region in each year since 1999. [79715]

Mr. McNulty: The Government do not collect information about the number of persons granted refugee status or exceptional leave to remain who are allocated housing accommodation by local housing authorities under Part 6 of the Housing Act 1996, or allocated accommodation by registered social landlords. Nor does the Government collect information specifically about the number of persons granted refugee status or exceptional leave to remain who are accepted as owed a duty by a local housing authority under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002).

However, data about households accepted as being eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and whose last settled home were accommodation provided by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), has been collected from local housing authorities on the quarterly housing activity return (Form PIE) since April 2002. The degree of response and the quality of data received varied widely and the data we hold for the April to June 2002 quarter are not considered reliable. Information for the July to September 2002 quarter will be available in December 2002. These data do not, however, identify refugees and persons granted exceptional leave to remain who were not accommodated by NASS.

7 Nov 2002 : Column 620W

Alan Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which of his Department's Public Service Agreements relate to fuel poverty reduction; and what progress has been made to date in achieving them. [79502]

Mr. McNulty: The Public Service Agreement to bring all social housing up to a decent standard and to increase the proportion of vulnerable households in the private sector who live in homes that are in decent condition by 2010 will contribute to a reduction in fuel poverty. To be classed as decent, a home must provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort by providing efficient heating and effective insulation, measures which will make homes cheaper to heat.

On the social sector side of the target, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is on track to meet its interim target of tackling a third of the worst social housing by 2004 and is working to ensure it meets the target by reviewing all policies that contribute to the delivery of decent social housing to ensure they are as effective as possible and provide value for money.

For the private sector side of the target, officials are in the process of drawing up a delivery plan with colleagues in DEFRA responsible for the home energy efficiency scheme. The plan will set out in detail how the target will be delivered and include the steps that will be taken to ensure the contributing policies and procedures are working together as efficiently as possible.

Alan Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the number of fuel-poor households who occupy dwellings that meet the Thermal Comfort criteria of the Decent Homes Standard; and how many households in this sector will remain fuel poor after all social housing complies with the standard. [75904]

Mr. McNulty: We will not have up-to-date figures of the numbers of fuel poor households living in decent homes until we complete the relevant parts of the analysis of the 2001 English House Condition Survey, in early 2003. This work will be undertaken jointly between ODPM, DEFRA and DTI.

To estimate the numbers of households who will be living in fuel poor households after all social housing is brought up to a decent standard in 2010 requires a number of assumptions about influencing factors such as energy prices and incomes. We are not able to provide a robust estimate of these factors at this time.

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