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13 Jun 2005 : Column 118W—continued
Listed Buildings
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many grade (a) one and (b) two listed buildings in England have been (i) demolished, (ii) lost by fire and (iii) otherwise lost since 1997. [3400]
Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not available in the format specified. English Heritage who maintain the statutory list however confirmed that 683 buildings have been removed from the statutory list since 31 December 1996.
Local Authority Housing Stock
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to implement his plans to allow councils to resume building of council housing. [1750]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 6 June 2005]: Local authorities have been given the financial freedom to build new social housing through the Private Finance Initiative. Increasingly local authorities are taking up this option.
Local Government
Mr. Allen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the progress made by local authorities in producing written constitutions; and if he will make a statement. [2825]
Mr. Woolas: By the end of December 2002 all principal local authorities had adopted and implemented their constitutions, under the Local Government Act 2000. The Act requires each local authority to keep its constitution up to date and to make copies available for inspection by members of the public.
Local Government Finance
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) housing, (b) regeneration and (c) social exclusion scheme funding streams that will be in operation in 2005–06. [1115]
Yvette Cooper: The following lists set out the funding streams from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister currently in operation in 2005–06:
Housing Bill Implementation (Home Buying and Selling, Landlord Licensing and Safety Ratings, Tenants Deposit Scheme)
Single Housing Capital Pot (includes Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme and Local Authority Supported Capital Expenditure for Housing)
The Government also funds the work of the Social Exclusion Unit. The Unit does not administer funding streams directly but does work with Government Departments and other stakeholders to ensure that a wide range of Government funding programmes contribute to the reduction of social exclusion.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also funds research on housing, regeneration and social exclusion.
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Local Strategic Partnerships
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what executive powers local strategic partnerships have. [2644]
Mr. Woolas: Local strategic partnerships (LSPs) are non-statutory, non-executive bodies which bring together public, private, voluntary and community interests to work together more effectively. They have no executive powers and rely on the goodwill of their partners to operate.
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the composition of each local strategic partnership is. [2646]
Mr. Woolas: The Department does not hold information on the composition of each local strategic partnerships (LSPs). LSPs are non-statutory bodies intended to provide a forum for a range of local organisations and interests, with the specific membership of individual LSPs dependent on local circumstances. However, research shows that almost all LSPs have high representation from across the local public, private, voluntary and community sectors.
London Housing Board
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the minutes of his meetings with the London Housing Board in (a) December 2003 and (b) January 2004 concerning its recommendations on investment allocations in 2004 to 2006. [3937]
Yvette Cooper: There were no meetings between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Ministers and the London Housing Board in December 2003 or January 2004. Minutes and papers for London Housing Board meetings are available on the Government Office for London website (www.gos.gov.uk/gol).
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will require the London Housing Board to dedicate sufficient resources to ensure that it delivers the London Plan target of 70 per cent. of new affordable housing being social rented homes. [3938]
Yvette Cooper: Decisions on the allocation of resources for housing investment in England are taken by Ministers in the light of national and regional housing objectives. Regional Housing Boards provide recommendations on the split of funding for their region between different activities and the distribution across the region. These recommendations need to take account of national housing targets and regional priorities and any targets set out in Regional Housing and Spatial Strategies.
Housing Boards are currently submitting recommendations on allocation of resources for 2006–07 and 2007–08. Decisions on these, including the balance of funding for social rented and other affordable housing in London, will be taken later this year.
Mobile Phone Masts
Mr. Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to review national planning policy guidance on mobile telephone telecommunications masts; and if he will make a statement. [2740]
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Yvette Cooper: Current planning guidance for all electronic communication developments is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised) (PPG8). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has also issued a Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development. In September last year we commissioned the University of Reading and Arup to undertake an independent study to assess the impact that the code has had since its introduction. The report will be published in due course. This forms part of a review the Government are undertaking of all the planning arrangements surrounding telecommunication masts.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received since 2001 against the current planning law on mobile phone telecommunications masts; and if he will make a statement. [2747]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister receives many representations on matters relating to the telecommunications industry. The information about such representations is not readily available in the breakdown requested and could be only provided at disproportionate cost.
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