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20 Jan 2005 : Column 1065W—continued

Stachybotrys Chartarum

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action his Department has taken in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive and other agencies to assess (a) the prevalence and (b) appropriate action to deal with the toxic mould fungus stachybotrys chartarum in (i) the workplace and (ii) the wider environment. [208517]

Jane Kennedy: The Department for Work and Pensions and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are not engaged in any specific action to assess the prevalence of the mould Stachybotrys chartarum in the workplace. HSE does not assess the effect of microorganisms in the wider environment and is not aware of any assessment of the mould's prevalence by other agencies.

Employers have a statutory duty to identify workplace risks from all biological agents (including moulds) and to put control measures in place to manage those risks under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). Guidance on assessing risks to workers is available in the COSHH Approved Code of Practice and other guidance documents.
 
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Winter Fuel Allowance

Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pensioners and (b) pensioner households in Sunderland (i) are eligible for winter fuel allowance, (ii) have not yet received their entitlement and (iii) have reported non-receipt of their allowance; and if he will make a statement. [209537]

Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to provide an estimate of the number of people or households in Sunderland who are eligible to receive a winter fuel payment. Nor is it possible to say how many have not yet received their entitlement. The great majority of those who are entitled to a payment receive this automatically. Others have until 30 March 2005 to make their claim. So far there have been 78 reports of non-receipt of the winter fuel payment from people in Sunderland. These are being investigated and payments posted as appropriate.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Housing

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the low cost home ownership units being built or acquired in Tower Hamlets between 2004 and 2006 housing associations have been reported as being for people from black and minority ethnic communities. [209616]

Keith Hill: 668 Low Cost Home Ownership properties in Tower Hamlets were allocated grant in the 2004–06 Approved Development Programme. Of these 361 dwellings (54 per cent.) have been identified by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) in their bids as being intended for people from black and minority ethnic communities. Allocations are subject to variation.

Boot Estate

Mr. Wareing: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to visit the Boot Estate in Norris Green, Liverpool; and if he will make a statement. [209462]

Yvette Cooper: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister currently has no plans to visit the Boot Estate in Norris Green, Liverpool.

Mr. Wareing: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Minister of State for Housing and Planning will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby of 9 December 2004 in respect of the Boot Estate, Norris Green, Liverpool. [209463]

Keith Hill: I replied to my hon. Friend on 18 January 2005.

External Supplies

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many tenders were let by his Department to external suppliers in financial year 2003–04; and what the value was. [209112]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002 and since its inception has operated devolved procurement arrangements.
 
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Although certain information relating to procurement activity is centrally managed, the number of tenders issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister during this period is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Greater London Assembly

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the value for money of the Greater London Assembly. [209363]

Keith Hill: Londoners voted for a Mayor and Assembly for London in a referendum in 1998. The Greater London Authority, constituting the Mayor and Assembly, came in to existence in 2000 and is accountable to the voters of London.

The Mayor provides strategic leadership over London-wide issues while the Assembly's role is to scrutinise the Mayor's activities. The Audit Commission has recently carried out an Initial Performance Assessment of the Authority. The results will be published shortly.

Homelessness

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless households on average were in (a) temporary accommodation and (b) bed and breakfast accommodation in England in each year since 1990–91. [207969]

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities report their activities under homelessness legislation quarterly, and this includes the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation as on the last day of the quarter. Tabled as follows are the numbers of such households distinguished by accommodation type, including bed and breakfast, as at 31 March for each year since 1991, together with a four quarter annual average for each year.
Households in temporary accommodation1 arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation as at 31 March, together with the annual average for each financial year England

		Bed and breakfast hotels(21)		Hostels/Women's refuges
	Total number of households	Number	Percentage of total	Number	Percentage of total
March 1991	50,000	12,240	24	10,230	20
Average for 1990–91	46,050	11,920	26	9,170	20
March 1992	62,090	12,220	20	10,310	17
Average for 1991–92	59,620	12,810	21	10,280	17
March 1993	61,380	7,570	12	10,890	18
Average for 1992–93	63,630	8,840	14	10,970	17
March 1994	52,340	4,920	9	10,460	20
Average for 1993–94	55,090	5,620	10	10,500	19
March 1995	46,350	4,480	10	10,380	22
Average for 1994–95	47,190	4,540	10	10,190	22
March 1996	43,240	4,750	11	10,090	23
Average for 1995–96	45,000	4,920	11	10,210	23
March 1997	41,250	4,100	10	9,680	23
Average for 1996–97	42,640	4,280	10	9,960	23
March 1998	47,520	4,820	10	9,730	20
Average for 1997–98	45,350	4,620	10	9,340	21
March 1999	56,580	6,570	12	9,840	17
Average for 1998–99	53,070	6,270	12	9,730	18
March 2000	65,170	8,680	13	10,300	16
Average for 1999–2000	61,810	8,160	13	10,030	16
March 2001	75,200	10,860	14	10,610	14
Average for 2000–01	71,920	9,770	14	10,550	15
March 2002	80,440	11,840	15	9,610	12
Average for 2001–02	78,190	11,840	15	10,050	13
March 2003	89,400	12,070	14	10,010	11
Average for 2002–03	85,160	12,560	15	9,790	11
March 2004	(22)97,290	7,170	7	10,850	11
Average for 2003–04	(22)94,490	9,280	10	10,540	11

 
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	Private sector accommodation(23)		Other types (including LA/ RSL's own stock)
	Number	Percentage of total	Number	Percentage of total
March 1991	5—	(24)—	27,530	55
Average for 1990–91	(24)—	(24)—	24,960	54
March 1992	25,190	41	14,370	23
Average for 1991–92	22,900	38	13,640	23
March 1993	26,270	44	16,200	26
Average for 1992–93	27,810	44	16,010	25
March 1994	20,860	40	16,100	31
Average for 1993–94	23,270	42	15,710	29
March 1995	14,130	30	17,360	37
Average for 1994–95	16,380	35	16,080	34
March 1996	11,410	26	16,990	39
Average for 1995–96	12,000	27	17,880	40
March 1997	14,040	34	13,430	33
Average for 1996–97	11,920	28	16,490	39
March 1998	14,820	31	18,150	38
Average for 1997–98	14,370	32	17,030	38
March 1999	19,270	34	20,900	37
Average for 1998–99	17,610	33	19,470	37
March 2000	20,060	31	26,130	40
Average for 1999–2000	19,000	31	24,620	40
March 2001	25,610	34	28,120	37
Average for 2000–01	24,280	34	27,330	38
March 2002	28,370	35	30,620	38
Average for 2001–02	26,410	34	29,900	38
March 2003	37,130	42	30,210	34
Average for 2002–03	33,250	39	29,580	35
March 2004	50,080	51	29,190	30
Average for 2003–04	45,440	48	29,230	31

⁽²⁰⁾ Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting re-allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as "homeless at home" that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by authorities.
⁽²¹⁾ From 2002 Q1 onwards, some self-contained accommodation in annex-style units previously recorded under B and B now more appropriately attributed to private sector accommodation.
⁽²²⁾ Provisional.
⁽²³⁾ Private sector properties leased, or under licence, to social landlords, or rented directly from a private landlord.
⁽²⁴⁾ Included in "other".
Note:
Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding.
Source:
ODPM P1E homelessness returns
The latest quarterly Statistical Release on statutory homelessness, published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 13 December, presents more detailed analyses from 1997 up to the end of the third quarter of 2004. Key summary, including numbers of households in various forms of temporary accommodation, at local authority level is contained in an associated supplementary table. These have been made available in the Library of the House, and via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.





 
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