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Houses in Multiple Occupation

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultations he has had with landlords and landlords' representatives regarding the method by which licensing   of houses of multiple occupation will be introduced. [166290]

Keith Hill: Landlords and their representatives were consulted on the draft Housing Bill and were subsequently invited to present evidence to the Select Committee that scrutinised the Bill. Ministers and officials have had a number of meetings with landlords' representatives on the licensing provisions in the Bill and how they might be implemented. The Government are committed to continue consultation with stakeholders, including landlords, on the implementation of the licensing provisions.
 
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Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what   plans he has to introduce a pilot scheme for licensing of houses of multiple occupation in England and Wales. [166291]

Keith Hill: The Government have no plans to introduce a pilot scheme for licensing of houses in multiple occupation in England and Wales.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultations he has had with landlords and landlords' representatives regarding the manner in which central Government will monitor licensing of houses of multiple occupation; and what the results were. [166292]

Keith Hill: The Government has not yet consulted landlords or their representatives, on the manner in which it will monitor licensing of houses in multiple occupation. It has undertaken to review licensing within three years of its implementation and it will consult stakeholders (including landlords' representatives) on the terms of reference for that review once plans have been worked up.

Housing

Mr. Pike: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of how the Starter Homes Initiative has affected the residents of Burnley. [168313]

Keith Hill: Between September 2001 and 31 March 2004, the Starter Home Initiative helped key workers into home ownership in areas where the high cost of housing was undermining recruitment and retention of skilled staff in our key public services. The programme was not available to key workers in Burnley.

The new Key Worker Living programme which started on 1 April 2004 superseding the Starter Home Initiative is helping key workers in London, the South East and the Eastern regions.

Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homes have been made available within Liverpool, Walton under (a) the Starter Homes Initiative and (b) the Abandoned Homes Initiative. [166947]

Keith Hill: Between September 2001 and 31 March 2004, the Starter Home Initiative (SHI) helped key workers into home ownership in areas where the high cost of housing serves to undermine recruitment and retention of skilled staff in our key public services. The SHI was available in London and the South East region and in some housing hotspots in the East, South West and West Midlands regions. It was not available to key workers in the North West region.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not aware of an Abandoned Homes Initiative. However, our Market Renewal Pathfinders is a comprehensive programme to tackle low demand and abandonment in   nine English areas, including Merseyside. The boundaries of the Merseyside scheme were drawn up following an analysis of local housing markets to identify those areas most acutely affected by low demand and abandonment. The integrated approach to spatial and economic issues being adopted by the pathfinders should bring substantial benefits to the wider sub-region.
 
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Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect of the Starter Homes Initiative on the residents of Manchester, Gorton. [167464]

Keith Hill: Between September 2001 and 31 March 2004, the Starter Home Initiative helped key workers into home ownership in areas where the high cost of housing was undermining recruitment and retention of skilled staff in our key public services. The programme was not available to key workers in Manchester.

The new Key Worker Living programme which started on 1 April 2004 superseding the Starter Home Initiative is helping key workers in London, the South East and the Eastern regions.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evaluation he has undertaken of the link between the current level of housing construction and the time it takes to obtain full planning permission. [166900]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister recognises that good performance on planning including having up to date plans in place and an efficient and effective development control service are important to achieving agreed housing numbers although, as the Barker review concluded, they are not the only factors. That is why we are seeking to reform the planning system and increase its resourcing to drive improved performance in these areas.

Housing Act 1986

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what measures are in place to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the Housing Act 1986; and what their findings are; [166314]

(2) what measures are in place to assess the impact of the Housing Act 1986 on the housing market; and what their findings are. [166315]

Keith Hill: The effectiveness and impact of the provisions within the Housing and Planning Act 1986 have been assessed as part of the development of different aspects of housing policy which led to the bringing forward of subsequent housing legislation. This has led to many of the provisions in the 1986 Act being amended or repealed by:

the Housing Act 1988;

the Local Government and Housing Act 1989;

the Housing Act 1996;

and other legislation on housing.

Housing and Planning

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1)   what the names and functions are of the organisations and agencies within his Office that relate to housing and planning; what budget is allocated to each; how the efficiency of the different organisations and agencies within his Office that relate to housing and planning is evaluated; and what the efficiency rating is of each such organisation and agency; [166339]
 
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(2) what mergers of organisations and agencies there have been since 1997 within his Office that relate to housing and planning; what evaluation has been made of the effectiveness of such mergers; and what the results were; [166340]

(3) how many staff were employed in 1997 in organisations and agencies relate to housing and planning; and how many staff are employed now in organisations and agencies within his Office that relate to housing and planning. [166341]

Keith Hill: An organisational chart showing the current structure and complements of the directorates dealing with housing, planning and related issues in the Sustainable Communities Delivery Unit within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been made available in the Library of the House.

The allocation for the Housing Directorate's administration expenditure for 2004–05 is £7.216 million. The allocation for Planning is £6.774 million.

There have been separate housing and planning directorates throughout the period since 1997, although the directorates work very closely together within the Sustainable Communities Delivery Unit.

The efficiency of these directorates is measured by the progress made against the public service agreement targets for which they are chiefly responsible. This is reported in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's annual report.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established on 29 May 2002. Information prior to this date is not available. On 1 April 2004, there were 281.14 full time equivalent staff working in the housing and planning directorates.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many PFI projects have been undertaken within the remit of the housing and planning section of his Office   since private finance initiative projects were introduced. [166342]

Keith Hill: Since the introduction of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects, the Office of the Deputy prime Minister has undertaken 28 Housing PFI projects of   which nine are signed, and a further 19 are in procurement.

Under the Planning section, the Office has not undertaken any PFI projects to date.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what functions the EU requires his Office to undertake with regard to housing and planning. [166343]

Keith Hill: Housing and planning are not areas for which the EU has competence. However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Planning Directorate has policy responsibility for the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive and the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive.

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