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Pensions

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish in full the responses to the Treasury's December 2003 consultation paper on the taxation of pensions. [181384]

Ruth Kelly: The summary of responses to the consultation is on the Inland Revenue website, and the non-confidential responses have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Retirement Annuities (Tax Refunds)

Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many United Kingdom recipients of retirement annuities are eligible for refunds of any part of the basic rate tax deducted at source from such payments. [180664]

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available.

The Inland Revenue are setting up a joint working group, including representatives from both RAC providers and those who represent the pensioners interests such as the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group, to carry out an assessment of the scale of the problem and to explore options for resolving this issue by April 2007. The group will also look at practical solutions in the short term to help those pensioners who may be suffering a cash flow disadvantage under the current system.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Rural Housing

David Davis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the projected demand for rural housing is in the East Riding of Yorkshire for the next 10 years; and how he intends to meet that demand. [181589]

Keith Hill: East Riding of Yorkshire Council has estimated the annual average rate for new housing provision over the next 10 years to be 1,050 dwellings per annum. More specific figures for rural areas are not available.

The Regional Planning Body and the Regional Housing Board have agreed a joint methodology for estimating the scale and distribution of new housing to be used in the Regional Spatial Strategy (draft to be submitted to Government Office for Yorkshire and Humber in April 2005) and the revised Regional Housing Strategy to be submitted to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister for approval in May 2005. The Regional Spatial Strategy will include figures at local authority level, which authorities will then use in
 
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producing their Local Development Frameworks.The Regional Housing Board's investment strategy is already delivering the region's share of the Government's affordable rural housing target for 2004–05 and 2005–06. Investment in later years will be determined in future Spending Reviews.

The Housing Corporation/Countryside Agency have commissioned a regional housing needs study with a view to developing a methodology to identify the wards with the largest affordability problems. The research findings are due to be finalised later this year and will be used to prioritise capital investment targeting across the region.

Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act

Paul Flynn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects a third commencement order to bring into force the various remaining leasehold provisions in the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 to be made. [181710]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister anticipates making a commencement order in November 2004 for the remaining leasehold provisions in respect of England. The Welsh Assembly has devolved responsibility for secondary legislation in Wales. The hon. Member may wish to write to that office in respect of a commencement order for Wales.

Exploding Fuel Tanks

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many fire service personnel were (a) injured and (b) fatally injured during the course of their duties as a result of exploding fuel tanks in each of the last 10 years. [181486]

Mr. Raynsford: Information collected by the office of the Deputy Prime Minister on firefighter injuries in these circumstances is available from 1994, and is tabled as follows:
Fire and rescue service personnel casualties (excluding precautionary checks) at fires where a fuel tank exploded. UK. 1994–2002

	Casualties
	Fatal	Non-fatal
1994	0	75
1995	0	80
1996	0	51
1997	0	41
1998	0	40
1999	0	30
2000	0	35
2001	0	30
2002(7)	0	25

⁽⁷⁾ Excluding any casualties that may have occurred during the period of industrial action in November 2002.
Source:
ODPM, FDR1 returns.

Fire Service (Radio Procurement)

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what conclusions relevant to the procurement of a digital radio system for the Fire Service he has drawn from the performance of the Airwave police radio network. [181555]

 
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Mr. Raynsford: The main requirements for a wide-area radio system for the Fire and Rescue Services were set out in an EU procurement notice in October 2002. Subsequently the Invitation to Submit Proposals issued 31 July 2003 set out the functional requirements for a national wide-area radio system that meets the operational needs of the Fire and Rescue Service in a changing environment. Companies were invited to put forward their own technical solutions to meet those requirements and the contract is still under negotiation.

Housing

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list by local authority area (a) the amount of local authority social housing grant paid in the year 2002–03, (b) the amount of housing capital receipts for the year 2002–03 and (c) the amount of housing corporation grant for the period 2004–05. [181566]

Keith Hill: Social Housing Grant paid through Local Authorities in 2002–03; the amount of housing capital receipts for the year 2002–03; and the allocations of Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme for 2004–05 listed by local authority has been made available in the library of the House.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the assessment of the backlog of housing need used in Chapter 5 of the Barker Review of Housing Supply in the UK. [181633]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not make national or regional estimates of housing need, as such estimates are unable to reflect adequately the diversity of needs and priorities at the local level. In the past, such estimates have led to the provision of new housing in areas where this did not represent the best use of resources. However, we have accepted in principle the case made by Kate Barker in her Review of Housing Supply in the United Kingdom that a significant increase in social housing is needed and will be working through the detailed implications over the next 18 months.

Regional Housing Boards in drawing up Regional Housing Strategies, Regional Planning Bodies and local authorities are the main bodies charged with making assessments of housing need in order to carry out their housing functions.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does collect and publish data from local authorities on decisions made on applications for assistance under the homelessness legislation and the number of households in temporary accommodation.

Neighbourhood Renewal

Harry Cohen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much neighbourhood renewal money has been spent in Leyton in each financial year since the inception of the allocation; how much has been allocated to the area to date; what the arrangements are for people to discover in detail how the money has been spent; and if he will make a statement. [180747]

 
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Phil Hope: The London Borough of Waltham Forest has been awarded a total of £10.85 million Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) from April 2001 until March 2006. Of the £54.7 million allocated up to March 2004, it is not possible to define precisely how much NRF has been specifically spent in Leyton as a number of cross cutting interventions have been commissioned that cross ward boundaries. However, last year 200k was specifically allocated to Leyton.

While the Local Strategic Partnership has agreed to spend the majority of future NRF on a cross cutting agenda (14–19 year olds), it has also agreed to allocate £200k (for the next two years) to each of the five priority areas, of which Leyton is one.

Further, in December 2003 Leyton was awarded a Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder which attracts £300k per year for up to seven years.

Details on NRF spend are reported through the Community Councils on a regular basis. The £200k NRF spend specific to Leyton is determined locally by the Leyton Neighbourhood Forum, a representative of which has a seat on the Leyton Neighbourhood Management Board and reports directly to it.

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