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31 Oct 2005 : Column 755W—continued
Departmental Policies
Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Gateshead, East and Washington, West constituency, the effects in Gatehead, East and Washington, West of changes to his Department's policies since 1997. [22282]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Along with other Government Departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to improving the lives of people across the whole of the UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister provides grant funding that benefits the Gateshead East, and Washington, West constituency through a number of programmes.
For example, over the period 2001–06 Gateshead has received £19.7 million of neighbourhood renewal fund (NRF) resources to help the local authority, in collaboration with the local strategic partnership, improve services in the most deprived neighbourhoods in the area.
Gateshead will get the safer and stronger communities fund cleaner safer greener element worth £2.1 million over the next two years (2006–07 and 2007–08). It will also get the neighbourhood element worth £1.6 million.
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More broadly, since 1997 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the total amount of Government grant given to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Gateshead local authority has received an average annual increase in formula grant since 1997 of 4.2 per cent.
The neighbourhood statistics service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at
Design for Manufacture Competition
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who will determine the final sale prices for the homes constructed in the Design for Manufacture competition. [17378]
Yvette Cooper: The Design for Manufacture competition is being run by English Partnerships on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. English Partnerships is currently evaluating bids from developers for Stage 3 of the Competition. Final development proposals and planning applications for each site will determine the mix of housing types, sale prices and community facilities.
Final sales prices will be determined by the developers on a site-by-site basis to accord with local supply and demand. English Partnerships and the ODPM will not determine the sales prices. It is anticipated that there will be a mix of tenure on each site, with some homes being available under shared equity for first time buyers.
Directly-elected Mayors
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government has to promote the adoption of directly-elected mayors; and if he will make a statement. [19875]
Mr. Woolas: Currently, whether a mayoral form of governance is adopted by a local authority is a matter of local choice. The vibrant local leadership discussion document covered the issue of directly-elected mayors and consideration will be given to any responses to that document in due course.
Disabled Facilities Grant
Gregory Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) when he plans to announce the findings of the review into the disabled facilities grant; and if he will make a statement; [23136]
(2) how many representations he has had supporting the abolition of the means-tested element of the disabled facilities grant; and if he will make a statement. [23137]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 28 October 2005]: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made on 27 October 2005 about the review of disabled facilities grant, Official Report, column 14WS.
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Gershon Review
Mr. Francois: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review. [21304]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Progress on both headcount reductions in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Central), Government Offices for the Regions and ODPM's executive agencies and on cost savings was reported in the ODPM Departmental Annual Report, 2004. Further progress will be reported in the Autumn Performance Reports, which will include figures for headcount reduction in NDPBs as well as the core Department and at aggregate level in the pre-Budget report.
Mr. Francois: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review. [21310]
Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State is responsible for the overall delivery of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's efficiency programme.
Housing
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brent East (Sarah Teather) of 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 613W, on housing as a result of section 106 agreements, if he will break down the figures for each year by local authority. [19688]
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Yvette Cooper: A table showing the number of dwellings built as a result of section 106 agreements in each local authority in England, in each year from 2000–01 to 2003–04, has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of houses to be built in (a) Braintree constituency and (b) Essex in the next 10 years. [21808]
Yvette Cooper: The review of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England is currently considering how many homes will be built in Braintree district and Essex county over the next 10 years.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 20 October 2005, Official Report, column 1140W, on housing, if he will update Table A to include the number of households on the housing register per thousand people in each local authority. [22423]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 27 October 2005]: Table A is as follows with the appended column showing the percentage of total households that are on the local authority's housing register.
Local authorities in England report the number of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Local authorities sometimes maintain a common waiting list with the housing association/s in their district. However, information is not held centrally where a housing association maintains a separate waiting list to the local authority.
Ms Keeble: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent assessment he has made of overcrowding in housing. [22302]
Yvette Cooper:
According to the latest results from the Survey of English Housing (SEH), some 560,000 households in England (2.7 per cent.) did not meet the
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bedroom standard in 2004–05. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimates that 14,000 households do not meet the statutory overcrowding standards in the Housing Act 1985.
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