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23 Apr 2004 : Column 688W—continued

Senior Citizens (Burnley)

Mr. Pike: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior citizens in Burnley qualified for the   10p rate of income tax in each year since its introduction. [167905]

Dawn Primarolo: All income taxpayers benefit from the 10p starting rate. The Survey of Personal Incomes estimates there are about 4,000 and 5,000 state retirement pension age taxpayers in the Burnley constituency in 2000–01 and 2001–02 respectively. Figures for 1999–2000 are currently not available.

Tax Exemptions (Manchester)

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Manchester Gorton have benefited from the 100 per cent. tax exemption for the purchase of computer and internet equipment. [167474]

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Tax Returns

Mr. Flook: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax returns have been issued to trustees of pension schemes who carry no tax liability or refund in each tax year since 1997. [167584]

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.
 
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Antisocial Behaviour

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many injunctions for antisocial behaviour from tenants have been requested by Merseyside's local authorities in the past 12 months. [165916]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not request that local authorities supply information on the number of injunctions they seek relating to the antisocial behaviour of tenants.

Asbestos

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the buildings occupied by his staff, including agencies, which require (a) remedial work on and (b) the removal of asbestos; what that work will cost; what budgets are available for this work for (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; and what budget is available for future asbestos surveys. [159363]

Yvette Cooper: Asbestos surveys undertaken in accordance with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 have revealed that the following buildings occupied staff of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, including agencies, contain asbestos-based materials:

Ashdown House, Victoria Street, Westminster.

Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.

Government Office for London, Riverwalk House, Westminster.

Government Office for the North East—Wellbar House, Newcastle.

The Budget allocated for asbestos removal and remedial action is:

2004–05—£800,000

2005–06—£0

The budget figure of £800,000 in 2004–05 is for asbestos removal from Riverwalk House. Although the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has overall responsibility for this building, the Government Offices carry out functions on behalf of 10 Departments.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not allocated specific funds for future asbestos surveys; these will be funded from existing maintenance budgets.

Computer Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to update computer (a) hardware and    (b) software standard packages used in his Department. [166360]

Yvette Cooper: Plans to update computer hardware and software packages used by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are covered by our Corporate Information and Communications Technology Strategy and underpinned by Service level Agreements with our IT suppliers.
 
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Over the next year we will be upgrading our corporate desktop software from Microsoft NT to Microsoft XP. Our computer hardware is upgraded as part of a rolling equipment upgrade and replacement programme for obsolete equipment.

Development Planning

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out a timetable for the revision of    planning guidance notes into planning policy statements; what his policy is on reallocation of land zoned for employment, industrial and commercial development into residential land; and what action he is taking to ensure that each authority provides sufficient affordable housing. [166944]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to make an announcement shortly on the timetable for the revision of Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG) into Planning Policy Statements (PPS).

In July 2003, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published the consultation document 'Supporting the delivery of new housing'. This proposed to add new policy to PPG3: Housing requiring local planning authorities to consider favourably applications for housing development on allocated unneeded industrial and employment sites unless it can be demonstrated that the site is still needed for that purpose or that it would undermine the planning for housing strategy. This would complement paragraph 42 of PPG3 which expects local authorities, when revising their plans, to review all their non-housing allocations, including those for employment, and consider whether some of this land might better be used for housing or mixed use developments.

The consultation closed on 31 October 2003. Our aim is to publish the final policy in the summer, alongside practice guidance to help local planning authorities in reviewing employment land allocations.

The "Sustainable Communities Plan" (published on 5 February 2003) set out a comprehensive programme of action to increase the provision of affordable housing, including a large increase in expenditure. £3.3 billion is   being provided for the Housing Corporation's programme over the next two years (2004–06). This will provide funding for 67,000 new affordable homes for both rent and low cost home ownership.

Also in July 2003, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published the consultation document 'Influencing the size, type and affordability of housing'. It proposed that local planning authorities should address the housing requirements of the whole community by ensuring a better match between a community's housing needs and supply, and that all local planning authorities must have policies on affordable housing to help deliver affordable housing where it is needed. We aim to publish the final update in the autumn, alongside practice guidance.
 
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I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 16 December, 2003, Official Report, column 856W, on the mechanism for monitoring local planning authority performance and the actions that could be taken where their policies are not having the desired effect.

Homelessness

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1440–1W, on homelessness, if he will introduce best value performance indicators on (a) homelessness prevention and (b) tenancy sustainment. [166128]

Yvette Cooper: A review of the Best Value Performance Indicators is currently being taken forward in order to ensure that they reflect the key national and local priorities, and accurately inform Comprehensive Performance Assessment ratings. As part of that review, we are considering whether there is a need for extra homelessness related performance indicators in addition to those which are already in place.

Housing Corporation

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the actual expenditure of the Housing Corporation was over the last 10 years; and what its budget is for the next three years. [166894]

Keith Hill: The expenditure by the Housing Corporation over each of the past 10 years is tabled as follows, together with the indicative budget for 2004–05 and 2005–06. The figures do not include spending on the Housing Corporation's administration.
Housing Corporation Expenditure

	Total (£ million)
1993–94	2,297.80
1994–95	2,038.40
1995–96	1,722.60
1996–97	1,608.20
1997–98	1,298.80
1998–99	1,217.00
1999–2000	1,300.00
2000–01	1,374.20
2001–02	1,387.40
2002–03	1,712.90
2003–04 (Provisional outturn)	2,059.95
2004–05 (Budget)	1,660.61
2005–06 (Budget)	1,680.74

Note:
Figures for 2001–02 to 2003–04 include expenditure on the Starter Home Initiative and the Safer Communities Supported Housing. Budgets for 2006–07 are subject to the outcome of the 2004 Spending Review. The Housing Corporation Final Accounts for 2003–04 are expected to be published in June.

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