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28 Jan 2003 : Column 784W—continued

Technical Craft Skills

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make it his policy to ensure that technical craft skills for trades are available to young people in south-east Essex. [92781]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) are wholly committed to Modern Apprenticeships (MA) as a quality work-based learning route to craft, supervisory and technician skills for young people in England. We have adopted a challenging Public Service Agreement (PSA) target for MA entrants by 2004—28 per cent. of young people to begin an MA by the age of 22. MA is one of the wide range of specialist pathways that will be available to young people under a transformed 14–19 phase of learning.

The Chancellor, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and the Chairman of the Learning and Skills Council have announced a new Modern Apprenticeship

28 Jan 2003 : Column 785W

Task Force which will take a key role in promoting MA to employers and thereby contributing to increased take-up—in south-east Essex and elsewhere.

All parties involved in the initiative are working together to increase the take-up of MA. The LSC in England works through its 47 local offices (one of which covers Essex) and with key partners to identify and meet local skills needs by promoting and funding the delivery of work-based learning programmes, including MA and college-based provision. Connexions Partnerships are delivering improved advice and guidance to young people on the opportunities available in their communities. New and developing Sector Skills Councils also play a key role by supporting promotion to employers in their sectors.

In addition, the Government will be publishing a national skills strategy in June, setting out how we will further boost numbers of young people acquiring technical and craft skills across the economy.

Training

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Learning and Skills Council spent on training allowances for young people in 2001–02. [90917]

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. John Harwood, the council's chief executive will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Housing (Coventry)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homes were owned by the council in Coventry in each of the last five years. [93140]

Mr. McNulty: Local authorities report their number of council homes as at 1 April on their annual Housing Investment Programme (HIP) returns. Based on Coventry City Council's recent returns the reported numbers of council homes were:

As at 1 AprilNumber
199820,359
199920,175
200019,886

The Council ceased to have any council housing in September 2000, following the transfer of the council stock under the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Large Scale Voluntary Transfer Programme (LSVT) to new Registered Social Landlords—Whitefriars North and Whitefriars South, within the Whitefriars Housing Group.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the level of housing need has been in Coventry in each of the last five years. [93141]

28 Jan 2003 : Column 786W

Mr. McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 7 January 2003, Official Report, column 115W. Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing register (excluding tenants awaiting transfers) as at 1 April in their annual Housing Investment Programme (HIP) returns. Based on Coventry City Council's recent returns the reported numbers in the last five years are:

As at 1 April Number
19987,767
19998,915
20008,458
20016,295
20027,104

Council Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council dwellings were sold in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [91142]

Mr. McNulty: Information on total numbers of sales and transfers of local authority and New Town dwellings in England since 1992–93 is in the table.

All owner/occupier sales (including right to buy)Transfers to registered social landlords/other
1992–9342,28927,289
1993–9450,51033,643
1994–9546,23641,120
1995–9633,16545,900
1996–9735,20622,534
1997–9842,07835,701
1998–9941,08776,543
1999–200054,95796,755
2000–0153,005132,462
2001–02(33)52,45935,687

(33) Provisional

Source:

DOE/DETR/DTLR/ODPM Housing Activity return P1B/New Town returns


Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council dwellings were built in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [91145]

Mr. McNulty: The numbers of local authority dwellings built in England in each of the last 10 years is in the following table. The numbers have declined as social housing has increasingly been delivered by Registered Social Landlords.

YearNumber of local authority dwellings built
1992–932,579
1993–941,451
1994–95853
1995–96757
1996–97451
1997–98323
1998–99194
1999–2000102
2000–01389
2001–02105

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Crossrail

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will announce his decision on the revision of Crossrail safeguarding directions to prevent inappropriate development; and if he will make a statement. [93142]

Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.

Cross London Rail Links Limited have been asked to put to Ministers in February advice on route options and a worked-up business case for Crossrail. Current safeguarding directions will be reviewed as and when a route may be determined.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council

David Davis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will announce the level of funding to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council for nursery school places for the next financial year. [93847]

Mr. Raynsford: Funding for nursery school places will be within local government formula grant from 2003–04. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will announce our final proposals for the 2003–04 local government finance settlement on Monday 3 February; the House will have the chance to debate these on Wednesday 5 February. It will, of course, be for the authority to decide what allocation to make to specific services.

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Green Belt Land

Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will introduce measures to prevent the speculative purchase of agricultural land in designated green belt, its sub-division into building plots and sale on the basis of an anticipated relaxation of planning controls. [92832]

Mr. McNulty: The Government reaffirmed their commitment to the protection and enhancement of the Green Belt in my righ. hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister's statement on Sustainable Communities, Housing and Planning in the House of Commons on 18 July 2002, Official Report, column 438 Since 1997 over 30,000 hectares have been added to the Green Belt, or earmarked for addition.

However, it is not generally the role of the planning system to place control on land ownership.

Housing (Rural Areas)

Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average turnaround time was for unused housing stock in (a) England and (b) local authorities, defined as rural, by region, in each year since 1978. [90833]

Mr. McNulty: Local authorities in England have been asked to provide estimates of the average time taken to re-let their housing stock on their annual Housing Investment Programme (HIP) returns since 1994. Because of variations in the way local authorities maintain lettings records and compile these estimates, the figures quoted, and any comparisons between authorities, should be treated with caution. Comparable information in respect of re-lettings by registered social landlords is only available from 1996–97.

Average re-let times for local authority dwellings (days)

2001–022000–011999–20001998–991997–981996–971995–961994–951993–94
North East
All LAs605054403230262933
Rural LAs676241354033323133
North West
All LAs544946404139383534
Rural LAs485145404039363329
Yorkshire and Humberside
All LAs655851433839363537
Rural LAs545253473928201931
East Midlands
All LAs454140383834363538
Rural LAs343136373833292727
West Midlands
All LAs495551494335373536
Rural LAs331239323323262325
East of England
All LAs363840363738373336
Rural LAs382834252931272725
London
All LAs444751555571706872
Rural LAsn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
South East
All LAs393637343638363232
Rural LAs373732333735353331
South West
All LAs362928202328262530
Rural LAs252222192424222221
England
All LAs504745414041403941
Rural LAs443940333531292827

28 Jan 2003 : Column 789W

n/a = not applicable, figures to the nearest day.

Source:

DOE/DETR/DTLR/ODPM annual Housing Investment Programme (HIP) returns.

Average re-let times for registered social landlord dwellings (days)

2001–022000–011999–20001998–991997–981996–97
North East
All LAs334141404033
Rural LAs334145393529
North West
All LAs525341363430
Rural LAs444138292722
Yorkshire and Humberside
All LAs343737383526
Rural LAs222222271914
East Midlands
All LAs394339363329
Rural LAs384033292420
West Midlands
All LAs303731313127
Rural LAs303225262520
East of England
All LAs262829262824
Rural LAs212423212121
London
All LAs363740404041
Rural LAsn/an/an/an/an/an/a
South East
All LAs272929293128
Rural LAs242727272826
South West
All LAs293232272421
Rural LAs232427242116
England
All LAs363835333329
Rural LAs293029262421

n/a = not applicable, figures to the nearest day.

Source:

Housing Corporation's continuous CORE survey data.


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