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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

House Building (Southend-on-Sea)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many houses have been built in Southend-on-Sea in each year since 1980; and if he will make a statement. [213165]

Yvette Cooper: The annual numbers of new build completions reported for Southend-on-Sea since 1981 are tabled as follows:

	Completions
1981	290
1982	210
1983	443
1984	447
1986	403
1987	402
1988	249
1989	648
1990	539
1991	402
1992	395
1993	410
1994	288
1995	248
1996	241
1997	154
1998	187
1999	153
2000	152
2001	122
2002	128
2003	120

Referendum

Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidelines have been issued by his Department concerning whether a referendum on (a) whether to adopt a directly elected mayor and (b) a local issue held under the Local Government Act 2003 may be held at the same time as a (i) general election and (ii) local election; and if he will make a statement. [213118]

Mr. Raynsford: Guidelines on the combination of a referendum on whether to adopt a directly elected mayor with a parliamentary or local election, have been issued in the New Council Constitutions Guidance, chapter 13. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has issued no such guidance in respect of holding a local referendum.

Right-to-Buy

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proposals he has for giving a right to buy to tenants of registered social landlords; and on what terms. [209629]

Keith Hill: The Right to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes, which enable eligible housing association tenants to buy their home, will continue as modified by the Housing Act 2004.

The Government plans to make it easier for all social tenants, including housing association tenants, to buy a home through a new offer—the Choice to own. Details
 
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are set out in Sustainable Communities Homes for all"—the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Five Year Plan—published on 24 January.

The proposals include a new Homebuy scheme to help housing association and local authority tenants to buy a stake in their homes that can be increased over time. We will encourage social landlords to offer the scheme, which will be voluntary, as widely as possible. We plan to consult on further details by Easter and have the scheme running by April 2006.

Ropetackle Site (Shoreham)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2005, Official Report, column 765W, on South East England Development Agency, if he will break down the £3,421,562 budget for the development of the Ropetackle site in Shoreham-by-Sea by category referred to; on what criteria the decision to provide a community and arts facility was made; what the evidential basis is for his statement that the section 106 agreement provided for a community and arts facility only completed to shell finish; and whether this was altered by subsequent agreements concerning the eventual square footage of the facility. [213334]

Yvette Cooper: The £3,421,562 budget for the development of the Ropetackle site in Shoreham-by-Sea by category is broken down in the following table:

	£
Site acquisitions	1,200,000
Professional/legal fees	150,000
Site works/reclamation	1,850,486
Other capital costs/service diversions	221,076
Total	3,421,562

On what criteria was the decision to provide a community and arts facility made? The facility was required under Deed of Agreement (Pursuant to Section 106 Town and Country Planning Act 1990) dated 10 December 2002 in accordance with Adur district council's planning brief for the site.

What the evidential basis is for his statement that the section 106 agreement provided for a community and arts facility only completed to shell finish: The definition of the 'Community Facility' states 'completed to shell finish'—page 6 of the Deed of Agreement (Pursuant to Section 106 Town and Country Planning Act 1990) dated 10 December 2002.

Was this altered by subsequent agreements concerning the eventual square footage of the facility? Discussions are ongoing to establish a subsequent agreement between SEEDA and Adur district council. This agreement will allow for part of the Community Facilities to be incorporated into a development for an Enterprise Centre, which will provide premises for new and growing businesses in Shoreham. In return SEEDA will contribute towards the fitting-out of the remaining Community Facilities.

Southend Borough Council

Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he and the Minister of State for Local and Regional
 
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Government will meet a delegation from Southend-on-Sea borough council to discuss the 2005–06 financial settlement. [213163]

Mr. Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister made clear, in the letter dated 2 December to local authorities on the provisional local government finance settlement 2005–06, that Ministers would not meet individual authorities this year during consultation on the Government's proposals. This follows the practice in recent years when no significant changes to the formula have been made. I have also subsequently made this clear in correspondence with Southend-on-Sea borough council. However, I can confirm that we carefully considered all written representations received during the consultation period, including those made by, or on behalf of, Southend-on-Sea.

I met with major groups representing local authorities including the Local Government Association and a group representing the interests of unitary authorities during the consultation process. Southend-on-Sea was represented in that delegation.

I laid before the House on 27 January, the Local Government Finance Report (England) 2005–06. MPs can debate this report in the House on Wednesday 2 February.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received with regard to Southend-on-Sea's financial settlement for 2005–06; and if he will make a statement. [213167]

Mr. Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received three letters from Howard Briggs, leader of Southend-on-Sea borough council. Ministers have replied to the first two letters and will reply to the third in due course. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has also received a letter on behalf of the council from the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (Sir Teddy Taylor) dated 6 January, to which a reply has also been sent.

I laid before the House on 27 January, the Local Government Finance Report (England) 2005–06. MPs can debate this report in the House on Wednesday 2 February.

Welsh Language Scheme

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department's Welsh language scheme was approved by the Welsh Language Board; and on what date the scheme was implemented. [211343]

Yvette Cooper: The former Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions agreed a scheme with the Welsh Language Board that was published on 17 July 2001.

Following machinery of Government changes in May 2002, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has continued to operate a Welsh language scheme on this basis. An updated version will be published later this year.
 
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HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol-related Offences (Stoke-on-Trent)

Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol-related violent offences have been reported in Stoke on Trent in each year since 1997; and how many have led to (a) prosecution and (b) conviction. [209904]

Ms Blears: From the information collected on recorded crime and court proceedings, it is not possible to identify those violent offences which are alcohol-related. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in either data series.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders (Gloucestershire)

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders in Gloucestershire. [210237]

Ms Blears: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are one of a number of tools being used in Gloucestershire as part of their local strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour. Local practitioners have taken a robust stance against antisocial behaviour and report that ASBOs have been effectively used alongside other interventions such as mediation and referral to treatment drug and alcohol programmes.

17 ASBOs were granted in Gloucestershire between April 1999 and June 2004 (latest figures available).

Local people should be encouraged to support agencies by identifying and reporting ASBO breaches. The Together Academy, Action Line and website are able to advise local agencies on how to work together to ensure the effective use of ASBOs.

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for extensions to existing antisocial behaviour orders have been (a) granted and (b) refused in Gloucestershire. [210243]

Ms Blears: For antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued within Gloucestershire, up to 30 June 2004 (latest available), the Home Office has not been notified of any applications that have resulted in extending the duration of an existing order.

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been breached in Gloucestershire; and what action has been taken against those breaching the orders. [210244]

Ms Blears: Data on the number of breaches of an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO), taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, are currently available for the period 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2002. Persons breaching on more than one occasion during the period are counted once only based on the breach incurring the severest penalty.

Of the five ASBOs issued, as notified to the Home Office, within Gloucestershire for the above period, one person breached and received a detention and training order.
 
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Data on ASBOs breached during 2003 are due to be released shortly.

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