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13 Jun 2003 : Column 1156W—continued
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action he is taking to allow local authorities to recommend in their Unitary Development Plans that all new industrial, warehousing, office and live/work units, outside conservation areas and above a threshold of 1,000 square metres, will be expected to incorporate renewable energy production equipment to provide at least 10 per cent. of predicted energy requirements; and if he will make a statement. [118341]
Mr. McNulty: As stated in the Energy White Paper, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently examining, together with other government departments, how to bring consideration of the use of renewables and energy efficiency in developments more within the scope of the planning system, in the context of the review of Planning Policy Guidance note 22 and the government's wider planning reforms, and in a way that does not impose undue burdens on developers.
House Prices
Mr. Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the ratio of house price to average earnings, broken down by region. [118236]
Mr. McNulty: The latest estimates, for 2002, of the ratio of average house prices to average earnings are tabled as follows:
| Region | Ratio of average house price to average earnings, 2002 |
|---|---|
| North East | 3.72 |
| North West | 3.96 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 4.05 |
| East Midlands | 4.60 |
| West Midlands | 4.98 |
| East | 5.80 |
| London | 7.53 |
| South East | 6.61 |
| South West | 6.45 |
| England | 5.71 |
Sources:
1. Average earnings data are from the Office for National Statistics and are based on place of residence (as opposed to place of work). (New Earnings Survey, April 2002)
2. Average house prices are from the Land Registry (calendar year 2002)
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Housing Conditions
Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will publish the results of the 2001 English House Condition Survey. [118650]
Mr. McNulty: The results of the 2001 English House Condition Survey will be published in July 2003.
Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the secondary legislation and guidance envisaged by the draft Housing Bill; which have been published; and when he will publish the remainder. [118652]
Mr. McNulty: The draft Housing Bill was published for consultation at the end of March 2003. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee will carry out pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill during June and July 2003. We cannot at this stage specify when secondary legislation and guidance will be published, as the Bill may change as a result of responses to the consultation and Select Committee recommendations. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will, however, set out a statement of policy intent for each of the main pieces of secondary legislation and guidance when Parliament carries out detailed scrutiny of the Bill.
Housing Corporation
Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the Housing Corporation's budget was in each of the last 10 years; and what amount was allocated to its (a) revenue and (b) capital programmes. [117985]
Mr. McNulty: The expenditure by the Housing Corporation on capital and revenue programmes for each of the last 10 years is tabled as follows. The figures do not include expenditure on the Housing Corporation's administration.
| Capital | Revenue | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | 2,506.7 | 136.0 | 2,642.7 |
| 1993–94 | 2,151.7 | 146.1 | 2,297.8 |
| 1994–95 | 1,838.5 | 199.9 | 2,038.4 |
| 1995–96 | 1,523.8 | 198.8 | 1,722.6 |
| 1996–97 | 1,390.9 | 217.3 | 1,608.2 |
| 1997–98 | 1,091.2 | 207.6 | 1,298.8 |
| 1998–99 | 1,067.7 | 149.3 | 1,217.0 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,146.0 | 154.0 | 1,300.0 |
| 2000–01 | 1,231.2 | 143.0 | 1,374.2 |
| 2001–02 | 1,234.3 | 153.1 | 1,387.4 |
| 2002–03 | 1,530.2 | 182.7 | 1,712.9 |
Source:
Housing Corporation Annual Accounts (Income and Expenditure Account)
The Housing Corporation accounts for 2002–03 are due to be published shortly. A copy will made available in the Library of the House.
Housing (Castle Point)
Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice he has given to Castle Point borough council on the future management structure of its housing estate. [118459]
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Mr. McNulty: As stated in the Sustainable Communities Plan, local authorities should separate their landlord function from their strategic housing responsibilities. Best Value reports show that landlords' concerns often dominate local authorities thinking on housing when they should be considering strategies for whole local housing markets. Separation helps ensure that proper attention is given to both the strategic and landlord functions.
Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assistance his Department is giving to Castle Point borough council to reduce its housing waiting lists. [118461]
Mr. McNulty: Castle Point covers an area of 44.75 square km and the borough council holds 4.7 per cent. of the total housing stock, some 35,700 properties.
The borough lies within the Thames Gateway growth area, and as such, will benefit from the £446 million that the "Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future" (SCP) documents, published in February of this year, have made available for this area over the next three years. This growth area has the potential to provide a significant portion of the 200,000 additional homes, for the south-east, mentioned in the SCP.
Further provision of social housing will be in collaboration with a number of RSLs in the area, providing housing for rent and affordable housing for ownership through shared ownership and Homebuy schemes.
For the period 2003–04, the Housing Corporation has allocated some £1.237 billion for 20,645 new homes nationally. The east of England will receive £116.06 million, providing 3,707 homes with the challenge fund providing an additional £23.94 million and 429 homes. Castle Point itself will receive in the region of £70,000.
The forthcoming Regional Housing Strategy, produced by the Regional Housing Forum and accepted by the Regional Housing Board, will prove instrumental in the allocation of funding to the areas of greatest housing need. This level of funding in the region coupled with the strategic priorities of the council of providing housing and housing services to the public will enable Castle Point to increase provision of affordable housing in the borough and offer vital housing services to the public, which in turn, will have effect on the numbers of households on the waiting list for accommodation.
This Government are committed to the provision of affordable housing, and through the various mechanisms detailed in the SCP, will continue to invest in our communities.
Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people were on the Castle Point borough council housing waiting list in each category in each of the last five years for which figures exist and on 1 April 2003. [118462]
Mr. McNulty: The number of people on the Castle Point borough council housing waiting list in the last five years for which figures exist are tabled as follows.
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| Criteria | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households with or expecting children | 492 | 426 | 403 | 244 | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Households requiring specialised dwellings (e.g. elderly or disabled) | 37 | 44 | 45 | 57 | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Other households | 143 | 192 | 254 | 180 | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Total households | 672 | 662 | 702 | 481 | 604 | 937 |
| Of which | ||||||
| 1 Households requiring up to two bedrooms | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | 369 | 530 | 716 |
| 2. Households requiring three bedrooms | Not recorded | — | — | 66 | 74 | 218 |
| 3. Households requiring more than three bedrooms | — | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | 3 |
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