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15 Jun 2005 : Column 406W—continued
Council Tax
John Hemming: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total council tax take was for 2004–05; andhow much council tax was raised from second homes. [3733]
Mr. Woolas: The amount local authorities in England budgeted they needed to raise through council tax in 2004–05 was £20,299 million.
It is estimated that approximately £230 million was raised by local authorities from charging council tax on second homes in 2004–05.
Deputy Prime Minister (Properties)
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the addresses of the properties provided by theGovernment for the use of the Deputy Prime Minister. [4374]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 20 January 2005, Official Report, column 1037W.
Disabled Facilities Grants
Gregory Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what assessment he has made of the number of people eligible for the Disabled Facilities Grant who are deterred from applying because of the means testing of claims; [4161]
(2) when he expects the Disabled Facilities Grant Review Group to publish its report; [4162]
(3) if he will make a statement on the take-up of the Disabled Facilities Grant since the introduction of means-testing. [4163]
Yvette Cooper: The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) was first introduced in 1990 following the coming into force of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. It has always been subject to a means test.
Detailed information on the number of people deterred from applying for DFG because of the operation of the means test is not collected centrally. However, the latest evaluation of the DFG system in
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England carried out by PIEDA plc for the Department of Environment in 1996 showed that of 38,000 annual inquiries about the grant, 10 per cent. (3,800) drop out because their income would mean they received no grant, 2 per cent. (800) drop out because they cannot afford their assessed contribution towards the costs of the works and 1 per cent. (400) refuse to submit to a means test.
As part of the current review of the DFG system a team from Bristol University are looking at the operation of the DFG system including the means test. The review is continuing and Ministers will put forward any proposals for change later in the year.
Fire Service
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many attacks there have been on fire officers in each of the last five years, broken down by brigade; how many people have been successfully prosecuted for carrying out such attacks; how many prosecutions are ongoing; and if he will make a statement. [4159]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) on 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 114W.
John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many chemical or fuel spills or leaks or suspected chemical or fuel spills or leaks were attended by the Fire Service in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [2066]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Information is not collected centrally on attending incidents specifically concerning chemical or fuel spills or leaks.
The figures provided are for attending spills and leaks of all substances including those that are radioactive or hazardous, for standing by at spills or leaks and for attending gas leaks.
The number of spills or leaks incidents attended by the Fire and Rescue Service for the last 10 years in England is set out as follows:
| Number of incidents | |
|---|---|
| 1994–95 | 11,261 |
| 1995–96 | 13,228 |
| 1996–97 | 12,865 |
| 1997–98 | 13,153 |
| 1998–99 | 12,864 |
| 1999–2000 | 12,160 |
| 2000–02 | 13,529 |
| 2001–02 | 14,140 |
| 2002–03 | 13,097 |
| 2003–04 | 11,189 |
Source:
ODPM annual returns
The figures available cover dealing with all types of spills and leaks, and additionally incidents where only standby action was required.
Since 1994–95, the number of incidents attended has varied from year to year, but there was a discernable peak in 2001–02 when 14,140 incidents were attended. This represented a 26 per cent. increase compared with
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1994–95. The number of incidents attended has fallen in the last two years, and in the most recent year there was a fall of 15 per cent. in the incidents attended, and the number is now below the 1994–95 level.
John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many incidents were attended by the Fire Service which required standby or precautionary action in a potentially hazardous situation in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [2067]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The figures provided are for attendance at a potentially hazardous situation, which includes, for example, 'standing by' while explosives are unloaded, or during an aircraft landing or an electrical power failure, but exclude standing by at spills or leaks which is included in the figures for attending spills or leaks.
The number of standby or precautionary action incidents attended by the Fire and Rescue Service in England is set out as follows:
| Number of incidents | |
|---|---|
| 1994–95 | 1,941 |
| 1995–96 | 2,024 |
| 1996–97 | 2,126 |
| 1997–98 | 2,003 |
| 1998–99 | 1,753 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,965 |
| 2000–02 | 1,867 |
| 2001–02 | 1,904 |
| 2002–03 | 1,751 |
| 2003–04 | 1,634 |
Source:
ODPM annual returns
The number of incidents attended increased by 10 per cent. between 1994–95 and 1996–97. Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, the pattern was variable with some years increasing and others showing a fall in the number of standby incidents. Since 2001–02, the number of incidents attended has fallen sharply, by 14 per cent., to 1,634 in 2003–04. The latest figure is 23 per cent. below the peak of 2,126 in 1996–97.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) fire engines, (b) firefighters and (c) fire stations there were in London in each of the last five years. [2527]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of fire engines, firefighters and fire stations in the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority for the last five years is set out as follows:
| At 31 March: | Fire engines | Whole-time firefighters(9) | Fire stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 185 | 5,639 | 112 |
| 2001 | 185 | 5,693 | 112 |
| 2002 | 185 | 5,913 | 112 |
| 2003 | 185 | 5,875 | 112 |
| 2004 | 185 | 5,986 | 112 |
(9) Full-time equivalent
Source:
ODPM annual returns
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Homelessness
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many persons are (a) registered homeless with and (b) on the housing waiting lists of (i) Maidstone district council, (ii) Milton Keynes council and (iii) Basingstoke and Deane council. [2458]
Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly and is in respect of households rather than persons. Information on the numbers on local authorities' Housing Registers is collected annually and is also in respect of households.
The number of households accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need during 2004, and the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation as at
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31 December 2004 as reported by each of these local authorities is tabled as follows. Also shown is the number of households on each authority's Housing Register as at 1 April 2004.
The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
Information is also collected, since 1998, on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night—and these are also tabled.
(10) Households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty.
(11) Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting re-allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as homeless at home" that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by the authority.
(12) June 2004 estimates.
Source:
ODPM: Homelessness returns (quarterly) and Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (annual)
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people were registered as homeless in each London borough; and what the figures were per 1,000 population in the last year for which figures are available. [2546]
Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly and is in respect of households rather than persons. The number of households accepted by each London borough as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need during 2004, and expressed as a rate per 1,000 households, estimated to be living in the borough in 2003, is in the table.
The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
Information is also collected, since 1998, on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night—and these are also presented in the following table.
(13) Households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty. January to December 2004, unless stated.
(14) June estimates
(15) Denotes that data for one or more quarters during the year was not provided.
Sources:
ODPM: Homelessness returns (quarterly); and
Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (annual)
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