House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 16 Jan 2006 (pt 23)

16 Jan 2006 : Column 966W—continued

Housing Act 2004

Mr. Pope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to issue guidance relating to the Housing Act 2004. [40038]

Yvette Cooper: The following table sets out the timetable for guidance relating to the Housing Act 2004. Guidance covering Wales is a matter for the National Assembly.
Housing Act 2004: Timetable for guidance

Provision/Part Proposed/Actual publication date of guidance

Part 1—Housing Conditions Statutory guidance for local authorities on the operation of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System was laid before Parliament on 28 November. Subject to the parliamentary procedure, it will be published before part 1 of the Act is implemented on 6 April, together with non-statutory guidance for other users of the rating system.

Parts 2, 3, 4 and 7—HMO and Selective Licensing The Act does not provide for formal guidance but explanatory information will be made available for landlords and tenants. It is also intended that informal advice will be issued to local authorities in due course.

Part 4—Empty Dwelling Management Orders March 2006

Part 5—Home Information Packs Draft SI The Home Information Pack Regulations 2006" and accompanying guidance published for consultation (consultation period ended 30 December 2005). Final version of regulations and guidance planned to be made in spring 2006. This will be supplemented by more general consumer guidance as part of planned publicity campaign on home information packs.

Part 6—Right to Buy modifications Guidance has been issued for the changes to Right to Buy. The guidance booklet entitled 'Your Right to Buy your home' was revised together with the relevant Right to Buy forms. Copies of these have been issued to local authorities and housing associations.

Guidance on landlords' discretion not to require repayment of discount, which was clarified by section 185 of the Act, was also issued in January 2005.

Part 6—Suspension of certain rights in connection with antisocial behaviour ASB measures in part 6 of the Act commenced in June 2005. They include enabling local authorities to extend the period of introductory tenancies and withhold consent to mutual exchange on ASB grounds as well as measures to prevent tenants exercising the right to buy. We will be issuing a factsheet on these measures in the near future following commencement of associated regulations.

Part 6—Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessments We intend to publish guidance under section 226 of the Housing Act, in respect of section 225, which relates to the assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers, in January 2006.

Part 6—Tenant Deposit Protection Explanatory information to be issued from spring/summer 2006.

Provision/Part	Proposed/Actual publication date of guidance
Part 1—Housing Conditions	Statutory guidance for local authorities on the operation of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System was laid before Parliament on 28 November. Subject to the parliamentary procedure, it will be published before part 1 of the Act is implemented on 6 April, together with non-statutory guidance for other users of the rating system.

Parts 2, 3, 4 and 7—HMO and Selective Licensing	The Act does not provide for formal guidance but explanatory information will be made available for landlords and tenants. It is also intended that informal advice will be issued to local authorities in due course.

Part 4—Empty Dwelling Management Orders	March 2006

Part 5—Home Information Packs	Draft SI The Home Information Pack Regulations 2006" and accompanying guidance published for consultation (consultation period ended 30 December 2005). Final version of regulations and guidance planned to be made in spring 2006. This will be supplemented by more general consumer guidance as part of planned publicity campaign on home information packs.

Part 6—Right to Buy modifications	Guidance has been issued for the changes to Right to Buy. The guidance booklet entitled 'Your Right to Buy your home' was revised together with the relevant Right to Buy forms. Copies of these have been issued to local authorities and housing associations.
	Guidance on landlords' discretion not to require repayment of discount, which was clarified by section 185 of the Act, was also issued in January 2005.

Part 6—Suspension of certain rights in connection with antisocial behaviour	ASB measures in part 6 of the Act commenced in June 2005. They include enabling local authorities to extend the period of introductory tenancies and withhold consent to mutual exchange on ASB grounds as well as measures to prevent tenants exercising the right to buy. We will be issuing a factsheet on these measures in the near future following commencement of associated regulations.

Part 6—Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessments	We intend to publish guidance under section 226 of the Housing Act, in respect of section 225, which relates to the assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers, in January 2006.

Part 6—Tenant Deposit Protection	Explanatory information to be issued from spring/summer 2006.

Park Homes

Mr. Pope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to conclude the review of park homes legislation. [40037]

Yvette Cooper: The Government introduced several provisions in the Housing Act 2004, which came into force on 18 January 2005. These implement some of the key recommendations of the Park Homes Working Party. The provisions in the Act also allow us to insert further amendments to the Implied Terms and Written Statement. We expect to make regulations in early 2006 that insert further amendments.

The remaining recommendations relate to the model standards, the commission payment and site licensing. We are currently consulting on proposed amendments to the model standards for park home sites, with a view to issuing the revised model standards by autumn 2006. We intend to consult on the commission payment during summer 2006. We consulted on proposals to amend the site licensing regime during spring 2005 and issued a summary of responses in summer 2005. The proposals require primary legislation. We will take this forward as soon as practicable.

Planning

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what rights of appeal residents have to a proposed development by a statutory undertaking in accordance with Schedule II, Part 17 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/418). [40964]

Yvette Cooper: Residents do not have a right of appeal in relation to the permitted development of statutory undertakers authorised by the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO). In exceptional circumstances a local planning authority may consider that normal planning control should apply to permitted development. The planning authority can make and submit to the Secretary of State, my right hon.. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister a direction under Article 4

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ofthe GPDO seeking the removal of the particular permitted development right and requiring an application for planning permission. Each submission for an Article 4 direction is considered on its own merits.

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many developments have been made by statutory undertakings in each of the last five years using powers contained in Schedule II, Part 17 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (S.I., 1995, No. 418). [40967]

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which organisation will be responsible for the collection of the Planning-gain Supplement. [42065]

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.

Alongside the 2005 Pre-Budget Report, the Government published Planning-gain Supplement: a consultation as part of its response to the Barker Review of Housing Supply. Box 1.3 of the consultation paper highlighted the main features of the proposed Planning-gain Supplement (PGS), including that PGS would be payable under a self-assessment regime administered by HM Revenue and Customs.

Mr. Benton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria his Department used in taking the decision that the Ikea application for a new store in the town of Bootle would result in a negative rating. [41236]

Yvette Cooper: The First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister called-in the application for an IKEA store at Dunnings Bridge Road, Netherton, Sefton as it was considered that the proposal might conflict with national policies on important matters, in particular retail policies as set out in PPS6. The applicant has now withdrawn the application.

Private Rented Accommodation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many students living in private rented accommodation were recorded in total in England on form CBT1 returned by local authorities on 21 October 2005. [41876]

Yvette Cooper: Information on the numbers of dwellings within each billing authority area that are subject to exemptions from council tax, or where some residents are disregarded for council tax purposes, are collected on the CTB1 (Supplementary) form. While some of the categories largely relate to students (e.g. exemption class N, for a dwelling which is occupied only by students, the foreign spouses of students, or school and colleague leavers"), they do not provide a basis for making reliable estimates of the number of students living in private rented accommodation. This is because it does not include other information such as the tenure of dwellings, and the number of students in each dwelling, that would be needed to make an estimate.

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Regional Government

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1700W, on regional government (1) if the Government will review its classification of the regional chambers as voluntary bodies to take account of their new statutory powers and responsibilities over planning; [40043]

(2) whether the regional chambers are public authorities. [40042]

Yvette Cooper: Regional assemblies are bodies formed voluntarily within each region that have since been designated by Government to undertake specific activities. In the performance of these activities we would regard them as undertaking a public role and therefore need to be mindful of their duties, for example under the Human Rights Act 1998.

Right to Buy

Mr. Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many right-to-buy completions there were in each London borough in each year since 1996–97. [41610]

Yvette Cooper: The number of right-to-buy completions in each London borough, for each of the most recent years can be found tabulated on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website (table 4) at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/embedded object.asp?id=l156373

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