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28 Nov 2005 : Column 196W—continued
Cabinet Appointment
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated cost to his Department is in 2005–06 of making the Minister of Communities and local government a Cabinet Minister. [28746]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Information about the level of individual ministerial salaries is available in the Library of the House.
Compulsory Purchase Orders
Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many compulsory purchase orders have been made on empty properties by (a) Luton council and (b) the local authority recorded as the best performing in each of the last three years. [30636]
Yvette Cooper: Luton borough council has, in the last three years, made one compulsory purchase order on an empty property.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect data on the number of compulsory purchase orders made each year by local authorities.
Consultants
Mike Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost to his Department was of hiring consultants in the last year for which figures are available; how many consultants were hired; and from which firms. [32197]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
The total cost of consultants hired during the financial year 2004–05 was £79,831,087.
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The number of consultants hired by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 June 2005, Official Report, columns 666–69W to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell).
Correspondence
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many letters (a) he and (b) the Minister of Communities and local government have written since May. [28749]
Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has written over 800 letters and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Communities and local government has written over 1,600 letters since May 2005.
The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on Departments' and Agencies' performance on handling Members' and peers' correspondence. The Report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, column 137WS.
Council Bungalows
Ben Chapman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued to local authorities on eligibility for those other than pensioners for housing in council-owned bungalows. [31335]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not issued guidance to local authorities on this matter.
It is for local authorities to ensure that they make the best use of their stock to meet the housing needs in their district, including accommodation which is accessible or readily adapted for use by people with access needs.
Local authorities must give reasonable preference to certain categories of people when allocating social housing, including those who need to move on medical and welfare grounds. The legislation has recently been amended to make clear that medical and welfare" grounds include grounds relating to a disability. This was intended to ensure that people with access needs are given appropriate priority for social housing; and that accessible housing is allocated to those who need it most.
Council Tax Revaluation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Valuation Office Agency is continuing to collect (a) dwelling house codes and (b) value significance codes data, following the postponement of the council tax revaluation. [29710]
Mr. Woolas: Listing officers of the Valuation Office Agency continue to collect data as required, as part of their statutory responsibility to maintain valuation lists for council tax purposes.
Design for Manufacture Competition
Sarah Teather:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official
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Report, column 876W to the hon. Member for Meriden(Mrs. Spelman), on Design for Manufacture competition, how many of the 430 affordable homes being built on former NHS sites under the Design for Manufacture competition will be (a) social rented units, (b) for sale under a shared equity scheme and (c) for sale at £60,000. [28821]
Yvette Cooper: In my answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 876W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), I stated the anticipated numbers of affordable housing units expected on each of the ten sites within the Design for Manufacture competition. It will not be possible to provide precise breakdowns of housing types and tenures until all final bids have been received and evaluated for all the sites, and planning processes completed.
Successful developers were announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on 3 November 2005 for four of the Design for Manufacture sites. This included Renny Lodge in Newport, Pagnell which is 1.5 ha of former NHS land that is now within English Partnership's hospital sites programme. It is proposed that it will have a housing mix of 21 social rented units, 21 built at a construction cost of £60,000, with the balance out of a total of 68 units being for open market sale. The preferred developer here is SIXTYK Consortium led by Crest Nicholson.
There are three other former NHS land sites in the competition: Park Prewett in Basingstoke, Linton in Maidstone and Rowan in Merton, London. Preferred developers for these sites are yet to be selected. However, it is envisaged that a good proportion of the homes on these site will be social for rent or other forms of affordable housing or shared ownership.
English Partnerships is also looking at including homes built through Design for Manufacture in its First Time Buyers Initiative, making some of the houses for sale available for first time buyers under which eligible people will be able to purchase an initial equity stake in the homes, with the residual equity held by English Partnerships. The number of first time buyer homes on each site has not yet been agreed.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 807W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on Design for Manufacture Competition, what English Partnerships' (a) estimated base valuations were for each of the sites under the Design for Manufacture Competition and (b) estimate was of projected sales prices for the mix of homes on each site. [28842]
Yvette Cooper:
In my answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 807W, given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), I stated that English Partnerships has carried out base valuations of the sites before the commencement of the competition, which included an estimate of projected sales prices for the mix of homes. Currently, preferred developers have only been announced for four of the 10 sites and these legal agreements are being developed. Announcements
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will be made about the preferred developers for the remaining six sites in the near future. Thus, at this stage of the competition with final negotiations for the sites yet to complete, the precise valuations and estimates for each site remain commercially confidential. The final sales prices of individual homes will be determined by the developers in due course according to the local market circumstances that apply to each site.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and English Partnerships are working to prepare a publication drawing out the lessons that have been learned from the Design for Manufacture Competition. This publication will include information about costs and values. We aim to publish this document in the spring of 2006.
English Partnerships
Vera Baird:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how much funding English Partnerships has allocated to local authorities in the Tees Valley for each of the next five years; [29514]
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(2) which local authorities in Tees Valley have been in receipt of funding from English Partnerships in each of the past five years, broken down by amount. [29530]
Yvette Cooper: Distribution of English Partnerships investment nationally and including that in the Tees Valley is a matter for English Partnerships' Board, in accordance with their annual corporate plan priorities as approved by Ministers. Discussions are currently under way with English Partnerships on their future national programme and priorities for the years 2005–06 to 2008–09. Once these planning round discussions have been finalised, which is likely to be in the next two months, and Ministers have agreed English Partnerships corporate plan a summary of the plan will be published. Funding for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's programmes, including English Partnerships, for 2008–09 to 2010–11 will be dependent on the results of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
The following allocations have been made to local authorities within Tees Valley Regeneration in each of the last five years (all figures rounded to nearest £000):
In addition, English Partnerships has made the following investments in the local authority areas withinTees Valley Regeneration (all figures rounded tonearest £000):
(104)There could be adjustments in the figures in 2005–06 between the two tables, as it is possible some spend for the remainder of the year on projects might be taken forward through allocation to the local authority rather than invested directly by English Partnerships.
Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1)whether English Partnerships funding is allocated (a) on a per capita basis to individual local authorities in the Tees Valley and (b) on a competitive bid basis to individual projects; [29527]
(2) what guidance he has issued on the relationship between the use of English Partnerships funding and private funding for council development projects; and whether the criteria for council development allow English Partnerships wholly to fund a building project; [29531]
(3) what the criteria are for grant funding by English Partnerships, with particular reference to the use of private finance. [30621]
Yvette Cooper: English Partnerships' funding is not allocated on a per capita basis to individual local authorities, nor through invitations to local authorities to bid in funding competitions. English Partnerships allocates its funding in accordance with its annual corporate plan and the priorities therein, as approved by Ministers. Investment decisions on specific projects are made in relation to a number of criteria, namely: the fit with their corporate plan; their available budgets; the quality and value for money of any proposed project; and its effectiveness in meeting sustainable communities objectives and the regeneration needs of the area. When considering the value for money of any proposed scheme, whether and to what extent the scheme attracts private sector investment, is among the factors which are taken into account. Attraction of private sector investment is also one of English Partnerships' key corporate targets.
There is no guidance specifically on the relationship between the use of English Partnerships funding and private funding for council development projects. When assessing projects, English Partnerships follows guidance by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Assessing the Impact of Spatial Interventions: Regeneration, Renewal and Regional Development"
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which covers guidance on assessing interventions in a way that rigorously identifies value for money. It also follows HM Treasury's Green Book Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government".
English Partnerships may exceptionally wholly fund a project if it meets English Partnerships' criteria including fulfilling value for money considerations. In general, however, English Partnerships delivers its lead role in facilitating development through partnering with a range of public, voluntary and private sector bodies. Partnering allows for more efficient use of public and private sector investment, as well as bringing in a wider skills and experience base. It assists English Partnerships in focusing its activity where it can add most value and helps it to avoid replicating activities of the private sector or other public or voluntary bodies.
As regards the use of private finance, whenever English Partnerships supports regeneration development projects it generally aims to involve the market, and private sector investment, to the greatest extent possible. Private sector investment and involvement are often more likely to ensure that a regeneration project can be self-sustaining in the long term, allows for more efficient use of public and private investment, and ensures that risks can be borne and managed by those best placed to bear them.
Mike Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultation he plans to hold with hon. Members on the future of English Partnerships. [30119]
Yvette Cooper: English Partnerships' status and functions were last reviewed in 2001–02 and the results announced in July 2002. The outcome confirmed English Partnerships' new role as a key delivery agency in the Government's sustainable communities agenda and the national regeneration agency for our towns and cities, an ongoing role which is still fully relevant. There are no plans for a further review of English Partnerships at this point in time, nor to consult Members or other stakeholders on its future.
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