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6 Jul 2005 : Column 408W—continued

Fire Service

Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many fire crews have trained for Essex fire brigade in each of the last five years; and how many are on the waiting list for training. [9971]

Jim Fitzpatrick: This is a matter for the local fire and rescue service. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Flooding (North Yorkshire)

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will provide funds under the Bellwin Formula for the funding of repairs and clear-up following the recent floods in North Yorkshire; if he will ensure that payments are made swiftly; and if he will relax the deadline for applications. [9459]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Emergency financial assistance is available to the affected local authorities under the Bellwin scheme to help with their costs incurred in taking immediate action to safeguard life or property or to prevent severe inconvenience to the inhabitants of the area. Local authorities have one month from the end date of an incident in which to notify OPDM of an
 
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intention to make a claim. This deadline is fixed but we are prepared to consider extending the usual two month eligible spending limit, subject to the relevant local authorities providing a reasonable case for this. To date one local authority in the North Yorkshire area has been in touch to register a possible Bellwin claim.

Once a valid claim is received, we will make payment as swiftly as possible. This is usually within 15 working days.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will reconsider the restrictions on Bellwin Formula payments excluding claims for personal items. [9460]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Emergency financial assistance is available to the affected local authorities under the Bellwin scheme to help with their costs incurred in taking immediate action to safeguard life or property or to prevent severe inconvenience to the inhabitants of the area. It has been the policy of successive Governments not to pay compensation to householders or businesses for any losses suffered as a result of flooding as this is an insurable risk. If the Government were to underwrite insurable costs, it would remove the incentive for people to take out appropriate insurance cover with considerable dissatisfaction on the part of those who had chosen to take out cover. However, in cases of genuine hardship, help may be available from the social fund; details are available from Benefits Agency offices.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make available emergency funds to repair the damage to roads following the recent floods under the Bellwin formula in North Yorkshire county council area. [9466]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Emergency financial assistance is available to the affected local authorities under the Bellwin scheme to help with their costs incurred in taking immediate action to safeguard life or property or to prevent severe inconvenience to the inhabitants of the area. Such costs can include the immediate repairs to highways, pavements and footpaths but longer term repairs are deemed ineligible under Bellwin. The Department for Transport operate a scheme which specifically deals with emergency road repairs.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will allocate emergency funds under the Bellwin formula to be made available for the clear-up of the countryside and carriageways of people's possessions and debris in North Yorkshire following the recent floods. [9468]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Emergency financial assistance is available to the affected local authorities under the Bellwin scheme to help with their costs incurred in taking immediate action to safeguard life or property or to prevent severe inconvenience to the inhabitants of the area. It has been the policy of successive Governments not to pay compensation to householders or businesses for any losses suffered as a result of flooding as this is an insurable risk. If the Government were to underwrite insurable costs, it would remove the incentive for people to take out appropriate insurance cover. However, in cases of genuine hardship, help may be available from the social fund; details are available from Benefits Agency offices.
 
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HMOs (Licence Fees)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received from (a) landlord and (b) tenant organisations on houses in multiple occupation licensing fees; and what response he has made. [6420]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 5 July 2005 (ref. 4872).

Homeless (Hornsey and Wood Green)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the number of homeless people in Hornsey and Wood Green in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [8402]

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level and is in respect of households rather than persons. Hornsey and Wood Green are within the London borough of Haringey.

The number of households accepted by the borough as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need for each year since 2000–01, and the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by the borough under homelessness legislation as at 31 March in each year is tabled as follows. Information is also collected 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 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.
London borough of Haringey reported activity on homelessness

	Decisions(4)during the year
	Accepted(5) as owed a main duty	In temporary(6) accommodation as on 31 March	Rough sleepers (persons)
2000–01	1,436	3,709	2
2001–02	1,138	3,520	2
2002–03	—	—	8
2003–04	—	4,774	6
2004–05	1,175	5,309	4

'—'denotes an authority failed to provide a return for 1 or more quarters.
⁽⁴⁾Data shown where 4 quarterly returns were received.
⁽⁵⁾All households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category and consequently owed a main homelessness duty during the year.
⁽⁶⁾Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting allocation of a settled home following acceptance.
Sources:
ODPM: Homelessness returns (quarterly)
HOUSING Strategy Statistical Appendix (annual)





 
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Independent Tenant Advisers

Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will establish a register for independent tenant advisers; and if he will make a statement. [9959]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to establish a register for independent tenant advisers.

Pensions

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost will be to local authorities of revoking the changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme in the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2004. [4282]

Mr. Woolas: A full statement on the outcome of the recently concluded statutory consultation exercise to amend the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2004 in England and Wales will be made shortly.

Referendums

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 497W, on referendums, what the expenses limit for (a) political parties and (b) registered third parties in mayoral referendums. [5562]

Mr. Woolas: The expenses limit specified by The Local Authorities (Conduct of Referendums) (England) Regulations 2001 of 2,000, plus 5p per elector on the relevant register of local government electors, applies to expenses incurred by or on behalf of an individual or body for the purpose of promoting a particular result in a referendum. The same limit applies to all individuals and bodies, including political parties.

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