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23 Mar 2004 : Column 764W—continued

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Domestic Violence

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women how many reported incidents of domestic violence there were in the Vale of York on 1 January; and if she will make a statement. [156468]

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.

Domestic violence is not separately identified in the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office or in the statistics of court proceedings. However, the British Crime Survey (BCS) routinely collects data on the prevalence and number of incidents of domestic

23 Mar 2004 : Column 765W

violence in England and Wales from the main "face-to-face" part of the survey. In the 2002–03 BCS, the rate of domestic violence in England and Wales as a whole was 120 per 10,000 adults, and 113 in Yorkshire and Humberside. The BCS is unable to provide domestic violence data at more local levels.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Housing

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the potential use of Government-owned sites in Fareham for affordable housing. [162987]

Keith Hill: The Government wishes to see better use made of all surplus public sector land, including any in Fareham, which includes the provision of more affordable housing. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's progress report on delivering the Government's sustainable communities programme (July 2003) set out the importance attached to this policy and the new arrangements being established for dealing with disposals of such land.

Tom Brake: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what investment his Department (a) has allocated and (b) plans to allocate to increase the supply of affordable housing in Sutton in each year since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency. [162832]

Keith Hill: The funding for provision of new affordable housing in Sutton in the period 1997–98 to 2003–04 is tabled as follows. (ADP is investing in housing through Housing Corporation.) Allocations for 2004–05 and 2005–06 will be announced shortly.

£ million

	Approved development programme	Local authority social housing grant
1997–98	2.0	0.8
1998–99	1.8	0.6
1999–2000	2.6	2.2
2000–01	4.9	3.2
2001–02	4.4	2.5
2002–03	2.3	2.3
2003–04	13.9	2.6

Building Regulations

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will amend the Approved Inspector Regulations 2000, to allow private practice building regulation control companies other than the National House Building Confederation to control the construction of dwellings for sale or rent. [163240]

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to issue in the next few weeks a consultation document on designation of new home warranty schemes in the context of building control by approved inspectors. Subject to the outcome of that consultation process, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister hopes, later this year, to be able to take the necessary steps to allow approved inspectors to undertake building control on new homes for sale or private sector renting.

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English Channel

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is in respect of the removal of aggregates from the Median Deep section of the English Channel. [162900]

Keith Hill: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is currently considering a proposal to dredge marine aggregates from an area known as Median Deep within the eastern English Channel. This proposal is one of a number of other similar ones within this part of the Channel that he has before him and which have been subjected to wide publicity and consultation.

My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will determine each marine minerals dredging proposal in the light of all material environmental information, including the findings of an Environmental Impact Assessment, and his general approach to marine minerals dredging set out in 'Marine Minerals Guidance Note 1: Guidance on the Extraction by Dredging of Sand, Gravel and Other Minerals from the English Sea bed' (MMG1). This was published in July 2002 and copies were placed in the House of Commons Library. Copies may also be downloaded from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at www.odpm.gov.uk or obtained from Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the basis of valuations to be used for compulsory purchase orders when the land to be acquired is designated for road building. [162986]

Keith Hill: Irrespective of the purpose for which land is being acquired under compulsory purchase powers, its value has to be assessed in accordance with the compensation code set out in Part 2 of the Land Compensation Act 1961 and supplemented by case law. Where the acquiring authority and the vendor are unable to agree the amount payable on that basis, the matter falls to be settled by the Lands Tribunal in accordance with the provisions of Part 1 of the same Act.

Housing

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities in London have used the funding from the Homelessness Directorate in support of their local homelessness strategies to pay cash incentives to social rented sector tenants to relinquish their tenancy and buy a property on the open market; how much funding was used for this purpose, and how many homes were released for reletting, in each case. [162237]

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 11 March 2004, Official Report, column 1708W, which states that authorities have considerable discretion over how they use the grant, provided that they deliver the required outcomes. Details of all the individual services by each local authority are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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Charles Hendry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he gives to local authorities on the approval of requests for extensions to domestic residences. [162803]

Keith Hill: Extensions to domestic residences within certain limits are permitted under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. Outside those limits, it is for local authorities to assess applications in the light of their development plans, any design guidance they have issued, the comments of third parties (if relevant to planning) and any other relevant factors. The Government's planning policies make clear that applicants should be able to demonstrate how they have taken account of the need for good design. Good practice guidance on achieving high standards is set out in 'By Design', the companion guide to Planning Policy Guidance Note 1, which is on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at www.odpm.gov.uk.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) surveys he has commissioned and (b) research he has evaluated about the preferences of council tenants as to whether their housing should be managed by (i) the council, (ii) registered social landlords and (iii) arm's length management organisations. [162932]

Keith Hill: There has been no research conducted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the preferences of council tenants for alternative options for housing management. Each stock owning Local Authority, through its Options Appraisal process, will consult the views of tenants on alternative arrangements for management of their housing stock.

Tom Brake: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what house building targets there have been for Sutton since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement. [162833]

Keith Hill: House building targets are set for local authority areas. "Strategic Guidance for London Planning Authorities", Regional Planning Guidance 3, May 1996, proposed for Sutton a minimum 5,400 net additional dwellings over 15years, 1992 to 2006. This target was included in Sutton's replacement Unitary Development Plan (UDP) adopted in 2003. "The London Spatial Development Strategy (The London Plan)", published February 2004, set a minimum target for Sutton of 7,400 additional homes over 20 years, 1997 to 2016. This target derives from "London's Housing Capacity", Greater London Authority 2000, endorsed by boroughs through the London Planning Advisory Committee. As borough UDPs are reviewed or replaced, they will have to be in general conformity with "The London Plan".

Mr. Dobson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the turnout of tenants and leaseholders was in each of the arm's length management organisation votes in the last 12 months. [162475]

Keith Hill: The turnout and percentage vote in favour in all ballots held by local authorities on arm's length management organisation proposals to date are tabled as follows. All the ballots in Rounds 3 and 4, plus Colchester's in Round 2, were held in the last 12 months.

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Percentage

Local authority	Turnout	In favour
ALMO Round 1
Derby	48	88
Hounslow	35	83
Kirklees	47	81
Rochdale	46	90
Stockton-on-Tees	44	93
ALMO Round 2
Barnsley	25	57
Carrick	61	96
Colchester	57	76
Leeds—East	35	83
Leeds—North East	41	88
Leeds—North West	42	89
Leeds—South	39	91
Leeds—South East	40	88
Leeds—West	38	90
Waltham Forest	49	85
ALMO Round 3
Camden	30	23
High Peak	60	98
Islington	27	85
Sheffield: Brightside and Shiregreen	42	78
Sheffield: Central Area	47	87
South Lakeland	65	88
ALMO Round 4—bids
Hammersmith and Fulham	40	81
Sheffield: Hillsborough, Nether Thorpe	45	87
Sheffield: Parson Cross, Foxhill, Longley	38	94
Sheffield: Westfield, Hackenthorpe	43	89

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