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Housing

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements the Government have put in place to ensure that the special needs of disabled people are provided for within its affordable housing policy. [144096]

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Yvette Cooper: All new build affordable housing schemes funded by the Government through the Housing Corporation must meet the requirements of 'Part M' of the building regulations, which the Government revised in 1999 to improve the accessibility and convenience of new housing. The revised regulations include requirements to ensure that entrances, lifts, corridors, doorways and WCs are accessible, including to wheelchair users. In addition, all newly built affordable housing schemes funded through the Housing Corporation must comply with the Corporation's scheme development standards, which adopt criteria for accessibility and internal environments that help to make homes even more adaptable to long-term needs.

The Government also provides resources for adaptations to existing homes to meet the needs of people with physical disabilities. Local housing authorities have a statutory duty to offer means tested Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) to eligible applicants in both the private and social rented sectors who require adaptations to help them live independently in their own homes. The Government meets 60 per cent. of local authority expenditure incurred on DFGs, with the remaining 40 per cent. being met from the authority's own resources. We have increased funding for this grant to £99 million in 2003–04, compared with £88 million in 2002–03 and £56 million in 1997–98.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what complaints he has received on the balloting arrangements of local authorities consulting tenants on plans to transfer their housing stocks. [146630]

Keith Hill: None.

Housing Bill

Jon Trickett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of measures in the Housing Bill on promoting safety of the student population. [147457]

Keith Hill: No formal assessment has been made as to how the proposals in the Housing Bill will impact on the safety of students. However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believes proposals will bring real benefits to students.

The Bill includes measures to license Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), including shared student houses. Local authorities are required to licence HMOs of three or more storeys which are occupied by five or more persons. In addition they will have discretionary powers to license other categories HMOs where there are problems for which licensing is appropriate. The exercise of those powers will be subject to effective local consultation and to approval by the appropriate minister.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of houses in multiple occupation which are likely to be licensed under measures in the Housing Bill. [147459]

Keith Hill: The Government are proposing to introduce mandatory licensing for highest risk Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects this to cover properties

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of three storeys or more and five people or more. It is estimated that about 120,000 houses in multiple occupation are expected to be licensed under this proposal. This estimate, however, does not include properties that could be required to be licensed where a local authority seeks to use in its area the discretionary power that the Bill provides to extend the scope of HMO licensing to HMOs not subject to the national mandatory licensing.

Local Government Finance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from Leicester city council concerning the proposed local government settlement for Leicester in 2004–05. [148206]

Mr. Raynsford: Since the start of consultation on 19 November, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received two representations from Leicester city council, on the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2004–05. Consultation closed on 9 January. I have recently written to the Leader of Leicester city council to express concern about media reports of potentially large council tax increase in Leicester.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much additional money Leicester city council has received from his Department in each year since 1997. [148207]

Mr. Raynsford: Grant issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and its predecessor departments for Leicester city council since 1997 is as tabled:

	£ million
1997–98	215.6
1998–99	223.4
1999–00	227.8
2000–01	236.5
2001–02	242.1
2002–03	252.0
2003–04(25)	273.3

⁽²⁵⁾ Budgeted figures. Includes Revenue Support Grant, Redistributed Non-Domestic Rates, Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (from 2001–02 onwards).

Source:

RS forms 1997–98 to 2002–03, RG forms 2001–02 to 2002–03, RA 2003–04 form and RA(SG) 2003–04 form.

Parish Clerks

Mr. Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of parish clerks are paid less than the minimum wage; and if he will make a statement. [147430]

Mr. Raynsford: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Rough Sleepers

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the proportion of rough sleepers who had previously been in local authority care in each of the last five years. [147337]

Yvette Cooper: This information is not held centrally, and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

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Scalding Accidents

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people (a) over and (b) under 12 have been seriously scalded in baths or showers in each of the last five years. [147206]

Phil Hope: The total number of injuries due to scalding in baths or showers over the five most recent years for which records are held is in the table.

Year	Under 12	Over 12
1998	2,700	918
1999	2,560	823
2000	1,863	976
2001	2,000	1,107
2002	1,743	1,148

Data on the severity of these injuries is not held centrally, and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many children under 12 who were seriously scalded in showers or baths in each of the past five years were unaccompanied by an adult. [147207]

Phil Hope: Accident records collected in hospital casualty departments do not record whether children were accompanied or supervised by an adult when bathing.

Social Housing (Plymouth)

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many social houses for rent have been built by (a) housing associations and (b) Plymouth city council in Plymouth in each of the last three financial years. [147164]

Keith Hill: The figures reported by Plymouth city council and the National House Building Council in returns to the Office of the Prime Minister show:

	(a)	(b)
2000–01	38	0
2001–02	24	0
2002–03	4	0

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Malawi

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has given to Malawi in 2003–04 to deal with food shortages; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of its use. [147347]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has committed £13 million to assist Malawi with food security in financial year 2003–04. This aid will pay for improved seeds and fertilizers for over 2 million poor households, pay-for-work schemes for rural poor, feeding programmes for the most vulnerable groups and strengthening management in Malawi's safety net

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programmes and food crisis early warning systems. DFID also works closely in this area with the World Bank and the European Commission which plans to spend £14 million on food security this year.

Thorough evaluations of the largest schemes are made on a regular basis. DFID's seed and fertilizer scheme shows very high returns. The pay-for-work scheme needs some changes to improve targeting and sustainability. The food crisis early warning system is steadily improving and should meet the information needs identified in the 2001–02 food crisis.

World Trade Round

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions he had discussions with Mr. Pascal Lamy between 10 and 14 September 2003. [146595]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.

The UK delegation was in close contact with the European Commission, at all levels, throughout the duration of the WTO ministerial in Cancun.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he was consulted about the drafting of the Derbez text at the World Trade Organisation ministerial in Cancun. [146603]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.

The Ministerial Declaration, circulated by the Mexican Foreign Minister, Derbez, was produced following extensive consultations with WTO Members and the European Commission. The UK and other EU member states made their views known to the Commission formally, through meetings of the Article 133 Committee and the European Council, and informally.

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