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Borrowing

23. Mr. Boswell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the relationship between the level of taxation and levels of Government net borrowing. [221088]

Mr. Boateng: The 2004 pre-Budget report set out the Treasury's latest projections for net borrowing and tax receipts.

Projections will be updated in the Budget in the usual way.

Tax Compliance

25. Mr. Leigh To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue's revised compliance strategy and supporting performance measures, will be published; and what assessment he has made of consequent improvements in taxpayer compliance and tax yield. [221090]

Dawn Primarolo: Work on the Inland Revenue compliance strategy has been subsumed into work on a strategy for HM Revenue and Customs the new organisation that will integrate direct and indirect taxes. Public Sector Agreement targets for HMRC are available on the Inland Revenue website at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/psa/ind05_08.htm.

Pre-owned Assets

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will issue final regulations and guidance notes on implementation of legislation on pre-owned assets. [220827]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the written statements which I made on 7 and 8 March 2005, Official Report, columns 99–100WS and 103–04WS respectively.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Capping Criteria

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1)when he will make a statement on the Government's criteria for capping for 2005–06; [220768]

(2) what the expected time scale and procedure for capping local authorities will be in 2005–06; and when he expects that any revised bills would be issued. [220887]

Mr. Raynsford: No decisions on capping have been taken for 2005–06. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will take decisions on capping after authorities have set their budgets for 2005–06.

Car Parking

Mr. Chope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out the terms of reference of the research study being carried out by his Department into car parking provision consistent with policies on sustainable residential environments; when the research project began; and when he expects it to be concluded. [220847]

 
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Keith Hill: Consultants were commissioned in October 2003 to carry out this research study. The terms of reference are contained within the Specification of Requirements: Car Parking Standards and Sustainable Residential Environments", which has been made available in the Library of the House. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister plans to publish the research study in the summer.

Council Tax

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average parish council precept in areas with parish councils in England is on band D bills for 2004–05. [220539]

Mr. Raynsford: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 324W.

English Partnerships

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will require English Partnerships to ensure that social rented housing is included on the long-term derelict site chosen as part of its pilot hardcore brownfield programme. [220994]

Keith Hill: The purpose of the National Brownfield Strategy is to engage with local communities and businesses in the 14 local authorities taking part in the pilot programme to identify sites that are of greatest concern in those areas. All sites brought forward in this way will be assessed to understand the barriers to re-use of the sites and to identify development opportunities for both hard" (e.g. housing, employment) and soft" (e.g. public space, leisure) end uses.

Once a shortlist of sites has been identified in each pilot project area, they will be evaluated and feasibility studies undertaken. In each case work will be led by a local brownfield partnership" with representatives from the local authority, English Partnerships, the Regional Development Agency, development industry and local business and community groups.

The aims will be to develop at least one long-term brownfield site in each area with funding being acquired through private sector investment. It will be for the local brownfield partnership, in consultation, to agree the objectives for the sites within their areas which may or may not include an housing element.

English Partnerships takes account of local strategies and consults the local authority and local community with regard to its projects including local housing need.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many social rented homes will be built on the East India Dock Road site acquired by English Partnerships under its London-wide initiative. [220997]

Keith Hill: The number of social rented homes built on the East India Dock site will be determined through the normal planning process. In addition, the site will provide affordable homes for sale to key workers and other first time buyers. The number of these will be the subject of discussions with the London borough of Tower Hamlets and other stakeholders. As part of this process, full account will be taken of local housing need.
 
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Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which development and management partnership has been chosen for the East India Dock Road site acquired by English Partnerships under its London-wide initiative. [220998]

Keith Hill: No final decision has been made on which Development and Management Partner will work with the various stakeholders to take forward this site. Once a decision is made, all stakeholders, including the London borough of Tower Hamlets, will be informed to allow proposals to be worked up collaboratively.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the London borough of Tower Hamlets can require planning gain as a condition in relation to the properties for market sale to be built on the East India Dock Road site acquired by English Partnerships under its London-wide initiative. [220999]

Keith Hill: It is for the local planning authority to decide whether or not it would be appropriate to negotiate a planning obligation as part of this proposed development. Current policy guidance on the appropriate use of agreements made under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991) is set out in DOE Circular 1/97. Revised draft guidance was issued for consultation in November 2004.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which three long-term derelict sites have been identified in Tower Hamlets for consideration under English Partnerships hardcore brownfield programme. [221000]

Keith Hill: At the present time, 7 March 2005, no sites have been identified for consideration under the National Brownfield Strategy. Tower Hamlets has been included along with 13 other local authorities to take part in a pilot programme aiming to tackle England's brownfield legacy.

From the National Land Use Database 87 hectares of brownfield land has been identified (including nine hectares of hardcore land) within Tower Hamlets and the pilot study is expected to reveal additional sites.

These will be taken forward as part of the pilot study as described in the answer given to my hon. Friend today UIN 220994.

Growth Areas

Phil Sawford: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding his Department has earmarked for growth areas to ensure that they have the resources required to meet the demands of a growing population. [218335]

Keith Hill: Through the growth areas fund, in the period 2003–08 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is making £840 million available in the Thames Gateway and £425 million for the newer growth areas. This funding will support a range of projects which will unlock development sites and ensure that new and expanding communities have the facilities that they need.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently consulting on three-year financial settlements for local government. As part of this process we are considering whether forward looking population data should be used to take account of planned housing growth.
 
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The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also providing more help to local authorities who are facing financial pressures as a result of rapid growth by abolishing the 'ceilings' from the financial year 2005–06.

A number of other Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's funding streams are benefiting the growth agenda by providing funding for individual services and programmes in these areas. For example, between 2003–04 and 2005–06 local authorities in the four growth areas are estimated to receive a combined total of around £1.3 billion of housing investment. This includes the major repairs allowance, part of local authorities' housing revenue account subsidy entitlement for the capital costs of maintaining their housing stock in its present condition and to repay the capital element of housing debt. It excludes Gypsy sites funding. The Housing Corporation, sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, has allocated around £396 million to schemes within the growth areas as part of their approved development programme for 2004–05 to 2005–06.

The local authorities in the growth areas have been allocated a combined total of over £8.6 million between 2003–04 and 2004–05 as part of the planning delivery grant (PDG) for their contributions to housing delivery. Provisional figures indicate that these LAs will receive a combined PDG allocation total of around £9.5 million for 2005–06.

10 growth area local authorities are also benefiting from the neighbourhood renewal fund, with a combined allocation total of around £278 million from 2001–06. In addition six growth area local authorities have been allocated a combined total of around £314 million between 2000–01 and 2010–11 from the new deal for communities fund. Three local authorities within the growth areas are also receiving a combined total of over £10 million in funding allocated by the Department's liveability fund, from 2003–04 to 2005–06.

Between 2004–05 to 2007–08 English Partnerships will be allocating around £600 million to a variety of schemes in the growth areas, including London.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister provides the majority of funding to the regional development agencies' (RDAs) single programme which is coordinated by the Department of Trade and Industry. The RDAs undertake activities that will contribute to delivering Government and regional economic priorities, including in the growth areas. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's contribution for the four RDAs whose regions include the growth areas, is estimated as £462.2 million 2004–05; £454.2 million 2005–06; £467.9 million 2006–07; and £478.6 million 2007–08.

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