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12 Sept 2005 : Column 2450W—continued
Green Belt
Mr. Paice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many hectares of undeveloped green belt there were in Cambridgeshire in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available; [14585]
(2) what proportion of Cambridgeshire comprised undeveloped green belt in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [14586]
Yvette Cooper: In 1997, the extent of designated green belt in Cambridgeshire amounted to 26,690 hectares of which 430 hectares are estimated to be built-up land. Therefore, undeveloped green belt land in Cambridgeshire in 1997 was around 26,260 hectares, 9 per cent. of the total land area of Cambridgeshire. The extent of green belt in 2003 remained the same as in 1997, over the period an estimated 32 hectares of Greenfield land, within the designated green belt in Cambridgeshire has been developed.
Data on the extent of designated green belt in each local authority area in England in 1997 and 2003 were published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 16 September 2004. Copies are available in the Library of the House. The publication is also available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_planning/documents/page/odpm_plan_031125.hcsp
Homeless Households
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless households in the Southend, West constituency have been resident in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in each year since 2000; and what percentage of them claimed benefit in each year. [14280]
Yvette Cooper: Information on statutory homelessness is not collected at constituency level, only at local authority level. Information reported by Southend on Sea borough council about the number of households in bed and breakfast style accommodation as at 31 March of each year since 2000 is tabled as follows. Also included are comparable data on the number of households in all forms of temporary accommodation.
The number of these households claiming, or in receipt of, housing or social security benefits is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
n/a denotes not available; data collected from March 2002 onwards
(99)Bed and breakfast-style accommodation (involving shared-use of bathroom and/or kitchen facilities) arranged by the local authority pending inquiries, or after being accepted, under homelessness legislation.
(100)Families are households with dependent children or an expectant mother.
Source:
ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly).
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Mr. Paice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households in (a) South Cambridgeshire and (b) East Cambridgeshire were accepted as homeless in each year since 1997. [14588]
Yvette Cooper: A summary of information reported by South Cambridgeshire and East Cambridgeshire district councils about the number of households accepted under homelessness legislation as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, in each year since 1997–98 is tabled as follows:
(101)Households found to be eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and falling within a priority need group, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty by the local authority.
(102)Based on mid-year estimates of household population.
Source:
ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly)
Housebuilding (Wellingborough)
Mr. Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of houses to be built in Wellingborough constituency in each of the next 20 years. [14770]
Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy published on 17 March 2005 gives figures for housing provision for each local authority area, for each of the five year phases over the period 2001–21. For the local authority areas relevant to your constituency the annual average rates are tabled as follows:
| Local authority area | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wellingborough | East Northants | |
| 2001–06 | 595 | 520 |
| 2006–11 | 595 | 520 |
| 2011–16 | 685 | 420 |
| 2016–21 | 685 | 420 |
Housing
John Hemming:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated shortfall or surplus of low-cost
12 Sept 2005 : Column 2452W
housing for rent was in each local housing authority area on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many such housing units there were in each housing authority area on that date. [11297]
Yvette Cooper: Information in the format requested is not available centrally. However information on the number of dwellings available for rent owned by local authorities and registered social landlords (RSLs) on 1 April 2004 is given on a table that has been placed in the Library of the House. These data have been taken from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return and the Housing Corporation's Regulatory and Statistical Return. The table also shows the number of households on the housing register and the number of vacant dwellings. Local authorities that have common housing registers with RSLs in their area are indicated on the table.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to end the use of the private finance initiative as a method of achieving the Decent Homes Standard; and if he will make a statement. [12858]
Yvette Cooper: Use of the private finance initiative (PFI) will remain an option for local authorities seeking additional funding to achieve the Decent Homes Standard.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to pay the consultancy fees for councils that have not yet submitted stock options. [12860]
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many stock transfers of council housing to registered social landlords his task force has overseen since 1999. [12861]
Yvette Cooper: The Community Housing Task Force was established is May 2001 and has been available to advise all 59 housing transfers that have taken place since that date.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much per household per week was transferred out of the housing revenue account of each Yorkshire and Humberside local authority in cross-subsidisation in the last year for which figures are available. [12932]
Yvette Cooper: The weekly per-dwelling figures for those authorities in positive and negative subsidy in the Yorkshire and Humberside region are given in the following table. These figures are taken from the latest data available for 2004–05 as provided by the authorities on their subsidy claim forms.
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The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Subsidy regime is based, in part, on the assumed income and expenditure for each authority. Those authorities with a notional income greater than their notional expenditure are negative subsidy authorities. Their subsidy surplus is
12 Sept 2005 : Column 2454W
pooled centrally and redistributed to deficit authorities. This redistribution occurs at a national, rather than regional level.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2005, Official Report, columns 962–63W, on the Decent Homes Standard, what performance rating was achieved by (a) Waltham Forest, (b) Stockton and (c) Stockport; and what the funding implications are in each case. [13414]
Yvette Cooper: ALMOs must secure at least a two star rating, on a scale of zero to three stars, to qualify for additional Government funding. The ratings and funding implications for the ALMOs tabled as follows, are:
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if the Government will ensure that the full results of the research on the environmental implications of increasing housing supply are made available at the same time as they publish their proposals to revise national planning policy guidance on housing for consultation; [13645]
(2) what assessment he has made of the implications of releasing extra land for housing in line with Kate Barker's recommendations five and nine for (a) urban regeneration and (b) the Government's target for 60 per cent. of housing development to go on previously developed sites; [13646]
(3) when the Government plans to publish the results of the research it commissioned on the implications of a significant increase in housebuilding for the environment and other sustainable development considerations. [13647]
Yvette Cooper: In addressing the specific recommendations in Kate Barker's report we will adopt the same principles as set out in the Sustainable Communities Plan. The Government have accepted her central recommendation that there should be a step change in housing supply and has announced their intention to respond to her recommendations by the end of 2005.
In order to inform the response, we have commissioned two closely-related research projects. The first analyses the relationship between housebuilding and affordability. The second, jointly commissioned with DEFRA, looks at the implications of various levels of additional housebuilding for sustainable communities. It considers a broad range of impacts, including land use as well as social, environmental, economic and fiscal impacts.
The research is still being finalised and, in order to ensure that the findings are robust and credible, the research will be subject to peer review before publication later this year.
Mr. Soames: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Housing Corporation committed towards the provision of affordable housing for each district area in West Sussex in each of the last five years. [10172]
Yvette Cooper: The funding provided via the housing corporation for each district area in West Sussex for the past five years is detailed in the table.
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Mr. Soames: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much of the Housing Corporation's affordable housing programme he expects to be committed to help provide affordable housing in the Mid Sussex district over the next three years; and how much the Government intends to commit to the provision of affordable housing in West Sussex in each of the next three years. [10173]
Yvette Cooper: Decisions on the overall level of funding for affordable housing in each region in 2006–07 and 2007–08 will be taken over the summer in the light of advice from the regional housing boards. The allocation of these funds across the regions, which will be announced early next year, will reflect advice from the boards and the quantity and value for money of bids to the housing corporation. Provision from 2008–09 will be dependent of the outcome of the next spending review in 2006.
Mr. Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate has been made of the (a) impact on public expenditure of and (b) likely timescale for bringing remaining local authority housing up to the decent homes standard whilst retaining ownership and management by the local authority; and if he will make a statement. [10410]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has set a target to bring all social housing up to the decent homes standard by 2010. Local authorities can opt to retain ownership and direct management of their stock if they can afford to meet the target through the resources currently available to them.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new housing developments have been approved in North Shropshire in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [10932]
Yvette Cooper: The numbers of planning applications for new housing developments in North Shropshire granted by the local authority in the last five years are:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 146 |
| 2001–02 | 125 |
| 2002–03 | 155 |
| 2003–04 | 150 |
| 2004–05 | 146 |
12 Sept 2005 : Column 2456W
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homes have been built in the North East Milton Keynes constituency in each of the last five years. [13238]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister collects housebuilding data only at local authority level so there are no figures available for the constituency of North East Milton Keynes. The annual numbers of new build completions reported for Milton Keynes local authority since 2000–01 are tabled as follows.
| New-build completions | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 1,475 |
| 2001–02 | 1,246 |
| 2002–03 | 1,239 |
| 2003–04 | (103)1,074 |
| 2004–05 | 1,064 |
(103)Missing June 2003 quarter P2 return from Milton Keynes.
Source:
Returns (P2/NHBC) to ODPM on building control completions
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what appointments were made to lead bodies providing services related to housing provision for which he is responsible in each year since 1997; and what their (a) role, (b) pay, (c) length of tenure at appointment and (d) previous experience in the (i) public sector and (ii) private sector was in each case. [14374]
Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, some of the information requested can be found in the Annual Reports of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and in the Cabinet Office's annual publication Public Bodies", which will be available shortly on the Public Bodies website.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many and what percentage of (a) one-parent families and (b) two-parent families have been living in (i) private rented housing, (ii) local authority housing, (iii) owner-occupied housing with a mortgage, (iv) owner-occupied housing owned outright, (v) shared accommodation and (vi) housing association accommodation in each year since 1997. [14278]
Yvette Cooper: Estimates of the numbers of households by housing tenure from 1997 to 2004 are set out for two types of household: (a) lone parents with dependent children and (b) couples with dependent children. Tables showing the equivalent percentages are also included.
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Source:
Labour Force Survey
Note that the number of social renters in council-owned accommodation may be an over-estimate; conversely the number of households in accommodation provided by housing associations may be an under-estimate. This is as a result of the ongoing transfer of council-owned stock to housing associations. It has been noted (in the 2001 census and in most household surveys—including the labour force survey) that households living in dwellings where there has been a change of ownership have a tendency to continue to report that they rent from the council rather than a housing association for some time after the transfer.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the local authorities in the South-East (a) whose housing waiting list is open to applicants who live and work in the area and (b) that operate a closed list available only to applicants with a direct local connection. [14752]
Yvette Cooper:
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold the information requested, and in any event it is not lawful for a local authority to maintain a closed" waiting list. This is because changes to the allocation legislation (Part 6 of the Housing Act 1996) introduced by the Homelessness Act 2002 removed the power for local authorities to implement blanket exclusions of certain categories of applicant. All
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applicants are eligible for an allocation of accommodation, with the exception of certain persons from abroad, and those whom the authority decide to treat as ineligible as a result of serious unacceptable behaviour. However, local authorities may take into account any local connection which exists between the applicant and the local authority district in determining priority for an allocation.
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