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Safe Water Projects

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the (a) names and (b) funding amounts of projects aimed at improving access to safe clean water funded (i) directly, (ii) on a multi-lateral basis and (iii) on a bi-lateral basis by his Department in the last two years. [167771]

Hilary Benn: DFID's overall aim is to reduce global poverty and promote sustainable development, in particular through achieving the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). DFID's goal in the water sector is to enable poor people to lead healthier and more productive lives by helping to increase and sustain their access to safe drinking water supply and appropriate sanitation.

The recent Water Action Plan shows that DFID's total bilateral expenditure on water and sanitation was £82 million in 1999–00, £91 million in 2000–01 and £87 million in 2001–02. These levels represent around 6 per cent. of DFID's total bilateral aid budget respectively in each year. DFID channels a significant proportion of its assistance through multilateral organisations such as the World Bank and UN organisations (£1.3 billion in 2001–02). DFID's contribution to multilateral spending on water and sanitation is estimated at around £40 million per annum.

The information on DFID's regional based development assistance to the water sector is currently being updated and will be available later this year. DFID's key focus at the moment is taking the Water Action Plan forward to help achieve the MDG's.

Water and Sanitation

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what analysis he has made of the implications of the World Bank Report, Global Development Finance 2004 for (a) public and (b) private financing of water and sanitation
 
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infrastructure in developing countries; and if he will ensure that his Department's budget for 2005 to 2008 provides the UK's full share of the increases in public financing indicated as necessary by that report. [170036]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) endeavours to consider all of the latest information on the world
 
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economy and development finance, including the World Bank's Global Development Finance 2004. This information informs DFID policies and the methods that it uses to provide funding to developing countries, including for the water and sanitation sector. It also informs the budgeting process, and will therefore be considered in relation to DFID's budget for 2005 to 2008.
 
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Buildings (Energy Performance) Directive

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made on implementing the EC directive on the energy performance of buildings; and if he will make a statement. [170971]

Phil Hope: Considerable progress has been made with preparing our proposals for implementation, which will be published this summer as part of the wider consultation on proposed amendments to the energy efficiency provisions in the Building Regulations. As indicated in the 2003 Energy White Paper, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister aims to bring these amendments into effect by the end of 2005 as part of our programme to reduce carbon emissions, and also in order to implement the Directive by the due date of 4 January 2006.

Camping Sites (West Sussex)

Mr. Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions she has had on exempting camping sites in West Sussex from revised planning controls. [170754]

Keith Hill: While DEFRA has policy responsibility for campsite certificates, under section 269 of the Public Health Act 1936, the responsibility for planning policy on campsites lies with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Currently, Part 27 of the "Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995" permits the use of land and the erection of tents by members of certain recreational organisations for the purposes of recreation or instruction, unless the land in question is a building or within the curtilage of a dwelling house.

The hon. Member will appreciate, however, that I am not able to comment on specific cases due to the appellate nature of the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister.

Housing

Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Wigan since 1997. [169267]

Keith Hill: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance we introduced in 2001–02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met
 
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by 2010. Wigan's allocations in the period 1997 to 2003–04 have risen by over 645 per cent. Wigan and Leigh Housing, an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), was set up on 1 April 2002 to manage and maintain council homes on behalf of Wigan council.

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Oldham, West and Royton since 1997. [170877]

Phil Hope: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance we introduced in 2001–02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Oldham's allocations in the period 1997 to 2003–04 have risen by over 430 per cent. following the creation of First Choice Homes Oldham, an arms length management organisation which manages and maintains council properties on behalf of Oldham council. These allocations have been supplemented by the announcement of £53.5 million to be made available to the Oldham/Rochdale Housing Market Renewal pathfinder project between 2003–04 and 2005–06.

Mortgage Repossession Orders

Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the number of (a) home owners, (b) private tenants and (c) other occupiers who become homeless as a result of mortgage repossession orders in each of the last 10 years. [170634]

Keith Hill: Annual figures for the total number of repossession orders made since 1997 are as follows:

	Number
1997	57,056
1998	66,055
1999	60,194
2000	52,081
2001	45,723
2002	39,748
2003	39,732

About three in five of such orders are usually suspended, and need not result in actual repossession so long as the borrower complies with the repayment arrangements set out in the suspended order. When an order is not suspended the parties can still negotiate a compromise to avoid repossession.

Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the support provided by central and local government to homeowners facing mortgage repossession orders in 2003. [170635]

 
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Keith Hill: 229,000 people were assisted through income support for mortgage interest in 2002–03 at a cost of £320 million. Local housing authorities have a duty to ensure that advice and information about homelessness and prevention of homelessness are available free of charge to anyone in their areas.

Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the number of mortgage repossessions carried out in each of the past 10 years. [170646]

Keith Hill: The following figures cover UK mortgage lending by Council of Mortgage Lenders members. The figures for repossessed properties include those that were voluntarily surrendered.

		Properties repossessed by the lenders during the period
	Number of mortgages at the end of the period	Number	Percentage
1993	10,137,000	58,540	0.58
1994	10,410,000	49,210	0.47
1995	10,521,000	49,410	0.47
1996	10,637,000	42,560	0.40
1997	10,738,000	32,770	0.31
1998	10,821,000	33,870	0.31
1999	10,981,000	29,990	0.27
2000	11,169,000	22,860	0.20
2001	11,243,000	18,280	0.16
2002	11,360,000	11,970	0.11
2003	11,458,000	7,630	0.07

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