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Right to Buy

Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the right to buy for (a) housing association and (b) council house tenants. [3748]

Yvette Cooper: The right to buy is available to secure tenants of local authorities and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs). In addition, assured tenants of RSLs who have transferred with their homes from local authorities have a preserved right to buy. Around 2.9 million tenants have the right to buy or preserved right to buy.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many housing association tenants are eligible for (a) the right to buy, (b) the preserved right to buy, (c) the right to acquire and (d) voluntary purchase grants. [4274]

Yvette Cooper: Approximately 65,000 housing association tenants have the Right to Buy.

Another 930,000 housing association tenants who have transferred with their homes from local authorities have a Preserved Right to Buy.

A further 146,000 housing association tenants may qualify for the Right to Acquire scheme introduced by the Housing Act 1996 because their homes have been built with public funds since April 1997. Some of the tenants who have transferred from local authorities may also qualify for the Right to Acquire scheme.

It is not possible to say how many tenants are eligible for Voluntary Purchase Grants. This scheme is offered at the discretion of housing associations, which bid to the Housing Corporation for funds to cover the discount offered to the tenant. Eligibility therefore depends on whether housing associations choose to participate in the scheme, which properties are included, and the availability of funding.

Social Housing

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish figures for the number of households in (a) council housing and (b) housing associations in England in each year since 1997. [4273]

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of local authority and housing association (registered social landlord) dwellings at 31 March each year since 1997 are tabled as follows:
Units: thousands of dwellings

	Local authority	Registered social landlord
1997	3,401	985
1998	3,309	1,040
1999	3,178	1,146
2000	3,012	1,273
2001	2,812	1,424
2002	2,706	1,467
2003	2,457	1,621
2004	2,335	1,665

Source:
Local Authority HSSA returns to ODPM; Housing Association RSR returns to Housing Corporation




 
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Solent Gateway

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will state how much (a) greenfield and (b) green belt land there is in the Solent Gateway area. [4173]

Yvette Cooper: The Government do not collect statistics on the proportions of greenfield land, and there is no land designated as green belt in the Southampton, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Portsmouth and Havant areas.

Spatial Strategy (Water)

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what mechanisms the panel established to conduct the examination in public into the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy will use (a) to calculate the amount of water required for each new dwelling, (b) to establish the source for the water of each dwelling, (c) to establish the sustainability of the source of water for each new dwelling and (d) to establish the impact on local rivers, the environment and the biodiversity of the area. [4078]

Yvette Cooper: The Environment Agency is responsible for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales, and will be presenting evidence to the forthcoming examination in public of the East of England plan.

The water companies' water resource plans, which must be submitted for periodic scrutiny and review by the Environment Agency, provide the mechanisms for calculating the amount of water required for each new dwelling and the source, or sources, likely to be available. The current plans were rolled forward in 2004, and the Environment Agency published its advice to Ministers in July 2004. The next full review is due in 2009, but plans will be monitored by the agency, and revised and updated by the water companies, on an annual basis.

The water companies have generally allowed for the level of growth currently planned to 2016; hence the panel's role will be to test whether the water companies' plans have allowed for the additional development proposed in the East of England plan. Where they have not, the panel will wish to be satisfied that, on the evidence presented by the water companies, the Environment Agency and others, it is reasonable to conclude that any forecast increase in demand can be met when it arises.

The agency has indicated that it intends to make the results of its most recent water resource modelling available to the examination. As part of the testing process, the panel will consider the sustainability of proposals for meeting additional demand and possible environmental impact. From 2008 onwards, this will
 
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include considering the links with the river basin plans which the Environment Agency will be producing to implement the Water Framework Directive.

Special Advisers

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the names of the special advisers currently employed in his Department. [4287]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Joan Hammell, Mick Halloran and Alan Schofield are currently employed as special advisers to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister; Tim Williams is currently employed as special adviser to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Communities and Local Government.

Telephone Boxes

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what powers his Department has given to local authorities to remove derelict telephone boxes. [2494]

Mr. Woolas: Outside designated areas, licensed electronic communications code system operators are authorised under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO) (as amended by SI 2115/2003) to install public call boxes. Under permitted development rights telecommunications apparatus should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable after it is no longer required for telecommunications purposes. If this is not carried out the local planning authority may serve a breach of condition notice requiring the removal of the equipment.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Abortion

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the membership is of the working party established to develop guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland; how many times it has met; and where each meeting was held. [4053]

Mr. Woodward: Following the order made by the Court of Appeal on 26 November 2004, a small departmental working group was subsequently established to consider how best we might meet the requirements of the order. The working group comprises the Department's director of family and elderly care, representatives from family policy unit and departmental solicitor's office, chief medical officer, chief nursing officer, a senior medical officer and the head of midwifery at the Royal jubilee maternity service.

A sub group with the specific remit of developing guidance on abortion has not yet been established.

Academically Gifted Children

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) guidance is issued and (b) research has been undertaken by his Department in relation to educating academically gifted children (i)exclusively with other academically gifted children and (ii) with non-academically gifted children. [3492]

 
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Angela E. Smith: The Department of Education has not issued specific guidance to schools or undertaken research in relation to the education of academically gifted children.

Ards and Down Area Plan

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the status of the Draft Ards and Down Area Plan is following the Judicial Review; and if he will make a statement. [4105]

Angela E. Smith: The status of the Draft Ards and Down Area Plan have not altered following the application for a Judicial Review. It remains a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.

Following consideration of the written judgment of the High Court, which clarified a number of important issues, the Department of the Environment has withdrawn the precautionary appeal and has written to the Planning Appeals Commission setting out a framework within which it is anticipated that the public inquiry can proceed.

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the public inquiry into the Draft Ards and Down Area Plan. [5738]

Angela E. Smith: The Department of the Environment has recently written to the Planning Appeals Commission setting out a framework within which it is anticipated that the public inquiry can proceed. We understand that the Planning Appeals Commission is to hold a meeting on 28 June 2005 to consider the timetable for the resumption of the inquiry.

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