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29 Nov 2004 : Column 36W—continued
School Toilets
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what regulations exist to ensure that children's toilet facilities in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools meet the standards set for adults in health and safety at work legislation; and if he will make a statement. [199762]
Mr. Miliband: The number of toilets required in both primary and secondary schools is detailed in the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999. There are no specific regulations governing the condition and maintenance of toilet facilities but there is a general requirement that every part of a school and of the land provided for a school shall be such that the health, safety and welfare of the occupants is reasonably assured.
Somerset Schools
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of total capital expenditure on schools in Somerset for each year from 1997 to 2005; and if he will make a statement. [199896]
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Mr. Miliband: The following table shows capital resources allocated to Somerset local education authority and its schools since 1997. Decisions on how resources should be invested in schools are taken locally in accordance with locally prepared asset management plans.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 3,845 |
| 1998–99 | 7,786 |
| 1999–00 | 6,988 |
| 2000–01 | 15,948 |
| 2001–02 | 11,760 |
| 2002–03 | 16,045 |
| 2003–04 | 19,249 |
| 2004–05 | 21,831 |
| 2005–06 | 10,001 |
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Barker Report
Mr. Soames: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the environmental (a) costs and (b) consequences of the Government's policy for implementation of the Barker Report. [200479]
Keith Hill: In addressing the specific recommendations in Kate Barker's report the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will adopt the same principles as set out in the Communities Plan.
The Government has accepted her central recommendation that there should be a step change in housing supply and has announced its intention to set a national market affordability goal (as recommended by Barker) as part of a package of measures by the end of 2005.
In order to inform this, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is commissioning two closely-related research projects. The first will analyse the relationship between housebuilding and affordability. The second, jointly commissioned with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will look at the implications of various levels of additional housebuilding for sustainable communities. It will consider a broad range of impacts, including social, environmental, economic and fiscal.
The projects will be completed by mid-2005 in good time to inform and allow for consultation on the setting of a national affordability goal.
Deprivation
Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list deprived areas within Greater London. [200313]
Keith Hill:
The Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2004 (ID04) can be used to assess the most deprived local authorities in Greater London. There are six presentations of multiple deprivation at the district level. These six summary measures capture the main ways in which multiple deprivation can be described at
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this level. No single summary measure is favoured over another, as there is no single best way of describing or comparing districts.
The following local authorities in Greater London score within the top 10 most deprived districts in England in at least one of these six measures:
The following local authorities in Greater London score within 11–20 most deprived districts in England in at least one of these six measures:
Electricity
Mr. Soames: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultation he has held with electricity providers in the south-east on his plans for new building targets. [200478]
Phil Hope: As part of the Regional Assembly's process of developing the regional spatial strategy for the South East that will replace the Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG9), there will be a number of opportunities for the electricity providers to comment on the emerging strategy. The Regional Assembly will be consulting on alternative spatial options in the new year.
House Prices (Greater London)
Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the average price of a (a) one bedroom, (b) two bedroom and (c) three bedroom house in the Greater London area is. [199676]
Keith Hill: Estimates of the average price of residential properties sold within the Government Office Region of London and where completion took place during September 2004 are in the table:
| Size of dwelling | Average price (£000) |
|---|---|
| one bedroom | 172,603 |
| two bedrooms | 225,446 |
| three bedrooms | 276,933 |
Notes:
1. The figures are based on a sample of purchases made with a mortgage. Cash purchases, which represent about 18 per cent. of sales in London, are not represented in the sample.
2. The estimates shown are simple average prices, not mix-adjusted. In other words the price estimates could be influenced by the types of properties sold and the location of these sales in September.
3. The estimates are based on the following numbers of purchases: 633 one-bedroom properties; 1,264 two-bedroom properties and 1,005 three-bedroom properties.
Source:
Survey of Mortgage Lenders
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Housing
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate his Department has made of the cost (a) in total and (b) per unit of new housing of providing or upgrading the necessary infrastructure to support the 20,000 homes that are due to be built in Kent Thameside in the next 20 years. [199428]
Keith Hill: To date, £54 million has been allocated to support projects across Kent Thameside to 2006. There are also a number of North Kent wide initiatives that Office of the Deputy Prime Minister support separate to this and further programme funding to be allocated.
These resources are spread across a range of projects that support the creation of infrastructure necessary for growth and creation of Sustainable Communities. These include mixed use developments, transport infrastructure, public realm and environmental projects, and community facilities. It is therefore not possible to give a meaningful estimate that corresponds to individual housing units.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister works in partnership with other Government bodies and the private sector to secure full costs for infrastructure. Our funding therefore acts as a catalyst for growth including the 30,000 homes and 50,000 jobs planned for Kent Thameside. There are also a number of other government funding streams that support the Thames Gateway agenda—for example Department for Transport/Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's £200 million Community Infrastructure Fun and Department of Health's additional £40 million for Growth Areas. The Department for Transport's funding towards CTRL Domestics and the Fastrack bus system are also significant funding commitments towards area growth.
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Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the grants his Department has made for housing developments in the London Borough of Wandsworth in each of the last three years. [199670]
Keith Hill: Grants made for housing development in the London Borough of Wandsworth in each of the last three years are as follows:
And the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme (ADP) 2002–03 £11,971,073. 2003/04-£15,818,000.
The London Housing Board allocated £900,000 in 2004–05 to Wandsworth as lead authority in the Empty Homes scheme, for the South West London sub regional partnership.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to reintroduce minimum room sizes for dwelling houses; and if he will make a statement. [199913]
Phil Hope: The Government have no plans at present to introduce minimum room size standards for new dwellings into the Building Regulations.
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the decision-making structures will be for the Housing Market Renewal initiative in Liverpool. [199815]
Keith Hill: The Merseyside market renewal pathfinder is governed by a board established in August 2002. It is an unincorporated association with an independent chair. Liverpool city council acts as the accountable body for the pathfinder. The Board has adopted a formal Memorandum of Agreement which sets out its governance arrangements. The current membership of the board is tabled as follows:
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