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24 Jan 2005 : Column 205W—continued
Social Housing
Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many units of affordable housing for (a) rent and (b) sale were built with funding generated by recycled capital grant in 2003–04; and how many existing social housing units were refurbished with recycled capital grant funding. [209708]
Keith Hill: In 2003–04, 464 homes for rent, 436 homes for sale and 1,769 refurbished dwellings of Registered Social Landlords (RSL) stock were provided through recycled capital grant fund (RCGF).
Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how much recycled capital grant was spent by registered social landlords to fund investment in refurbishment to bring existing stock up to the Decent Homes Standard in each year since 1997; [209710]
(2) if he will make a statement on the use of recycled capital grant by registered social landlords to fund investment in bringing existing stock up to the Decent Homes Standard rather than building new affordable housing. [209711]
Keith Hill: Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) can spend or commit recycled capital grant to projects that would be eligible for Social Housing Grant (SHG) within three years of the receipts being received or repay the grant to the Housing Corporation. For example, the recycled grant can be used to fund new dwellings and major repairs.
The Housing Corporation collects data on the extent of re-improvements and major repairs to RSL stock funded through the Recycled Capital Grant Fund (RCGF). The following table shows the total from the RCGF used in respect of re-improvements and major repairs to RSL stock between 1997–98 and 2003–04.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 0.000 |
| 1998–99 | 0.372 |
| 1999–2000 | 1.888 |
| 2000–01 | 16.575 |
| 2001–02 | 25.100 |
| 2002–03 | 30.818 |
| 2003–04 | 35.232 |
| Total | 109.985 |
Supporting People Programme
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what formula was used for the outline allocation for the 2005–06 Supporting People programme; and if he will make a statement. [210302]
24 Jan 2005 : Column 206W
Yvette Cooper: Supporting People grant allocations in 2005–06 have been informed by the use of a needs based distribution formula which aims to ensure that funding better reflects relative need.
The new Supporting People distribution formula was specifically developed for the Supporting People programme and takes into account levels of deprivation, population and social economic factors within an authority.
Detailed information on the formula and its use is available on the Supporting People web site at: http://www.spkweb.org.uk/Subjects/Finance/Distribution_formula/
Use Class Orders
Jim Knight: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans (a) to finalise and (b) to publish changes to the Use Class Orders for Use Class 'A'. [210894]
Keith Hill: The amendments to the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (the UCO) will take the form of two statutory instruments, one amending the UCO itself; the other amending the General Permitted Development Order. The statutory instruments have been finalised and will be published very shortly.
Voting Rights (Foreign Nationals)
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the UK residency requirements are to vote in local elections; and if he will make a statement on the eligibility of (a) citizens from the European Union, who are not UK or Irish citizens and (b) non-EU migrants with a right to remain, to vote in local elections in the UK. [210347]
Mr. Raynsford: Under Section 4(3) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (the 1983 Act) a person is entitled to be registered in the register of local government electors for any electoral area if on the relevant date he is resident in the area and satisfies other criteria on legal capacity, age and citizenship. Registration, along with the satisfaction of other criteria, brings with it the right to vote in local elections in that area.
(a) Such citizens of the European Union member states resident in the UK have been eligible to register and to vote in local government elections in the UK since 1996. This is as a result of the UK Government applying the European Council Directive 94/80/EC which allows EU nationals to vote and stand in local government elections of the member states they are resident in.
(b) Non-EU migrants who have a right to remain on the UK are not eligible to register and vote in UK local government elections, unless they are also qualifying Commonwealth citizens.