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15 Dec 2003 : Column 747W—continued
Devonport Regeneration Company
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what complaints he has received against the Devonport
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Regeneration Company from Devonport community activists; what steps he intends to take to investigate matters; and if he will make a statement. [142701]
Yvette Cooper: The Government Office for the South West (GOSW) has received a number of complaints about Devonport Regeneration Company and is working with the Company and Plymouth city council, the Company's accountable body, to address the issues raised.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of (a) the performance of the Devonport Regeneration Company and (b) its compliance with Government guidelines in staff employment and the allocation of funds; and if he will make a statement. [142703]
Yvette Cooper: All New Deal for Communities (NDC) programmes are subject to regular performance assessment by the relevant Government Office for the Region and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which includes compliance with guidelines. The accountable body for each NDC is also required to carry out regular audits. The Government Office for the South West is working with Devonport Regeneration Company NDC and Plymouth city council, as the accountable body, to ensure improvements in the NDC's performance in a number of areas.
Ethnicity
Ms Buck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans his Department has to include a measure of the effect of ethnicity in indices of deprivation; and what assessment he has made of relevant methodologies. [143575]
Yvette Cooper: There is no direct measure of black and minority ethnic concentrations proposed for inclusion in the revised Indices of Deprivation 2000 because not all BMEs are deprived.
However the indicators proposed for inclusion in the revised Index do recognise the problems encountered by black and minority ethnic communities. For example, proposed housing indicators on homelessness, overcrowding and social and private housing in poor condition are all important issues for deprived BME communities. In terms of the Education, Skills and Training domain, indicators on school performance at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 will identify areas where there are large numbers of children suffering educational deprivation. Similarly the indicator adult educational deprivation will be picked up through the proposed indicator on adults with 'no' or 'low' qualifications.
Ms Buck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect of a person's ethnicity on their access to public services within the responsibilities of his Department. [143578]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published a Race Equality Scheme in May 2003. The scheme will monitor and assess policies and functions supporting public services, for which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible. The Race Equality Scheme is published on our website, and is in the process of being updated. The revised published document will be available in the Library of the House in due course.
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Fire Authorities
Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each fire authority is expected to contribute towards Audit Commission costs for its evaluation of the recent pay agreement. [143658]
Mr. Raynsford: The Audit Commission has estimated the cost of the first phase of its verification of the local delivery of the recent pay and modernisation agreement will be £l million and the second phase £0.9 million. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Local Government Association (LGA) are discussing how best to meet this cost.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made on the implications for Tri-Service Emergency operations of a move towards regional fire authorities. [143659]
Mr. Raynsford: The Government keep emergency public safety cover arrangements under constant review and will continue to do so in the light of any future fire authority organisational changes.
Green Belt
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans there are to allow building on the green belt. [R] [144199]
Keith Hill: The Government's planning policies on Green Belts are set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 2 (PPG2). These policies include a general presumption against inappropriate development in the Green Belt. Most new building is inappropriate development in the Green Belt and should not be approved, except in very special circumstances. In preparing development plans for their area and determining planning applications, local planning authorities must have regard to the policies in PPG2 wherever green belt land would be affected. In its action programme, "Sustainable Communities: building for the future", published by the Office of theDeputy Prime Minister in February 2003, the Government included a target for each region to maintain or increase the area of land currently designated as Green Belt in local plans.
Homelessness
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy that a housing applicant exiled from Northern Ireland because of intimidation should be accepted as homeless and entitled to an emergency payment. [142738]
Yvette Cooper: People fleeing violence or threat of violence in Northern Ireland and seeking homelessness assistance from a local housing authority in England would be treated on the same basis as any other applicant fleeing violence or a threat of violence likely to be carried out.
Under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002), local housing authorities must ensure that suitable accommodation is available for applicants who
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have become homeless through no fault of their own if they are eligible for assistance and fall within a priority need group (the main homelessness duty). Certain persons from abroad are ineligible for assistance. In deciding whether someone is homeless, authorities must consider whether it would be reasonable for someone to continue to occupy their current home. It would not be reasonable for someone to do so, if it was probable that continued occupation would lead to violence against the applicant, any member of his or her family or any other person who might reasonably be expected to live with the applicant.
The priority need groups include families with dependant children, households that include a pregnant woman; young people aged 16 and 17 (except those owed certain duties by social services); care leavers aged 18 to 20; people who are vulnerable as a result of fleeing their home because of violence; people who are vulnerable as a result of time spent in care, in custody or in the armed services and people who are vulnerable as a result of some other special reason.
Where an applicant is accepted as eligible for assistance, homeless through no fault of their own but not in priority need the housing authority must provide advice and assistance to help the applicant find accommodation for him or herself.
People coming from Northern Ireland would be able to apply to Jobcentre Plus for a Crisis Loan from the Social Fund. These loans are intended for applicants who are unable to meet their immediate short-term needs either in an emergency or as a consequence of a disaster.
The applicant does not have to be in receipt of any benefit, but the decision maker will generally take any income or capital that they have into account.
The need for help will generally be for a specific item or service or immediate living expenses for a short period, not normally exceeding 14 days.
Housing
Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much money central government allocated to (a) London and (b) the London borough of Tower Hamlets to invest in social housing in each of the years from 1992 to 2005. [143851]
Mr. Raynsford: The following tables show the funds allocated to London and to the London borough of Tower Hamlets to invest in social housing in the years 1992–2005. In summary London has been allocated some £14.1 billion up until 2004–05 and London borough Tower Hamlets has received some £670 million up to 2004–05.
Note:
Please note that yearly breakdowns for HAT funding was not available from the relevant organisations within the specified time limit.
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| Tower Hamlets | Total allocation |
|---|---|
| 1991–92 | 24.813 |
| 1992–93 | 20.674 |
| 1993–94 | 23.197 |
| 1994–95 | 17.946 |
| 1995–96 | 29.512 |
| 1996–97 | 36.656 |
| 1997–98 | 32.011 |
| 1998–99 | 27.811 |
| 1999–2000 | 36.507 |
| 2000–01 | 51.594 |
| 2001–02 | 50.781 |
| 2002–03 | 56.944 |
| 2003–04 | 79.19 |
| 2004–05 | 15.150 |
| EA 92–04 | 44.4 |
| HAT 92–04 | 123 |
| Grand total | 670.186 |
Note:
Please note that no figures were available for a full year-by-year breakdown for both EA and HAT within the specified time limits.
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