House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 26 Jan 2005 (pt 29)

26 Jan 2005 : Column 440W—continued

Regional Chambers

David Maclean: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will issue guidance to (a) members of and (b) contributors to unelected regional chambers on where legal liability resides when a law suit is brought against the chamber; and if he will make a statement. [210919]

Mr. Raynsford: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to issue such guidance.

Social Housing

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of the 14,000 social housing units planned to be funded with Transitional Local Authority Social Housing Grant were built in 2003–04; and how many he estimates will be completed in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06. [209699]

Keith Hill: In 2003–04 a total of 4,916 homes were completed with funding through Transitional Local Authority Social Housing Grant (LASHG).

26 Jan 2005 : Column 441W

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's current estimates for transitional LASHG schemes to complete in 2004–05 and 2005–06 are that 4,800 and 2,200 homes will be provided.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much private capital arm's length housing transfers have contributed to housing since they started; and how much the Government has paid to them to date. [210638]

Keith Hill: Arms length management organisations (ALMOs) set up by local authorities to manage their social housing stock are financed entirely by public funds and receive no private capital. The Government's support for qualifying ALMOs was £56 million in 2002–03 and £321 million in 2003–04, and is forecast to be about £590 million in 2004–05.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many arm's length management organisations (ALMOs) have not been given all the money promised by Government before start up; how much has been held back; from which ALMOs; and for what reasons. [210650]

Keith Hill: All offers of Government funding for Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) are conditional on the local authority receiving approval from the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister to delegate its housing management functions to the ALMO and the ALMO being awarded a two or three star rating from the Housing Inspectorate. No funding has been held back from any ALMOs on the programmes that have fulfilled these conditions.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many registered social landlords have not maintained their guarantees to existing tenants in large scale voluntary transfers not to increase the rents for five years. [210654]

Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are not aware of any transfer Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) that have been unable to honour the rent guarantees given to tenants when consulted on a housing transfer. Since 2002 any such guarantees have been required to comply with policy for rent restructuring in the local authority and RSL sectors.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) council tenants and (b) former council tenants have transferred to (i) registered social landlords and (ii) arm's length management organisations exercising their right to buy in each year since 1995. [211095]

26 Jan 2005 : Column 442W

Keith Hill: Figures for council and registered social landlord right to buy sales for England since 1995–96 are tabled as follows.
Number of right to buy sales Thousand

(a) local authority (b) registered social landlord

1995–96 31.5 2.9

1996–97 33.2 2.4

1997–98 41.3 4.5

1998–99 40.3 4.4

1999–2000 54.3 7.2

2000–01 52.4 7.1
(of which 5.2 preserved
right to buy)

2001–02 52.0 8.2
(of which 6.7 preserved
right to buy)

2002–03 63.4
(of which at least
3.3 from ALMO) 10.5
(of which 8.9 preserved
right to buy)

2003–04 69.6
(of which at least
8.9 from ALMO) 14.5
(of which 11.7 preserved
right to buy)

	(a) local authority	(b) registered social landlord
1995–96	31.5	2.9
1996–97	33.2	2.4
1997–98	41.3	4.5
1998–99	40.3	4.4
1999–2000	54.3	7.2
2000–01	52.4	7.1 (of which 5.2 preserved right to buy)
2001–02	52.0	8.2 (of which 6.7 preserved right to buy)
2002–03	63.4 (of which at least 3.3 from ALMO)	10.5 (of which 8.9 preserved right to buy)
2003–04	69.6 (of which at least 8.9 from ALMO)	14.5 (of which 11.7 preserved right to buy)

Prior to 2002–03, sales from Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMO) are assumed to be nil. Figures on Preserved Right to Buy are not available prior to 2000–01.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average rent levels for (a) housing association tenants and (b) council tenants have been in each of the last four years. [210626]

Keith Hill: The average weekly rents for housing association tenants and local authority tenants in the year to April are tabled as follows:
Average weekly rent for social housing tenants by tenure in

2001 2002 2003 2004

Housing association 53.29 55.53 57.05 58.34

Local authority 47.87 49.93 50.96 ⁽⁸³⁾52.78

⁽⁸³⁾provisional
Sources:
Housing Corporation HAR/10, RSR (Regulatory and Statistical Return) and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Second Advance Claim Form.

	2001	2002	2003	2004
Housing association	53.29	55.53	57.05	58.34
Local authority	47.87	49.93	50.96	⁽⁸³⁾52.78

Staff Vacancies

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department spent on advertising staff vacancies in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003. [209571]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. The amount spent on advertising staff vacancies in 2002 and 2003 was £241,966 and £259,712 respectively.