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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Minister of State will reply to the letter of 30 January from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire . [57638]
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Yvette Cooper: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 8 March.
Council Housing
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in what circumstances he advises councils whose large scale voluntary transfer or arm's length management proposals are rejected on a tenant's ballot to hold a second ballot; what length of delay is recommended; what (a) evidence and (b) other submissions are required; and who pays the cost of the (i) first and (ii) second ballot. [39400]
Yvette Cooper: The timing, circumstances and evidence surrounding any decision to re-ballot tenants are entirely matters for the local authority. The costs associated with holding any ballot fall to the local authority. When local authorities apply for stock transfer they must demonstrate that the proposal has the support of tenants before transfer can be approved.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evidence was provided to him by Sefton Council on the conduct of its tenants' ballot in August; and what assessment he made of whether such evidence justified a second ballot. [39446]
Yvette Cooper: Sefton Council shared with officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister a file of alleged malpractices surrounding the conduct of the tenants' ballot in August 2005, the contents of which were noted. Officials in the ODPM did not undertake an assessment of whether such documentation justified Sefton Council's decision to hold a second ballot as that decision was entirely a matter for the authority.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements exist (a) to service and (b) to repay debt on council housing; and what the implications are of the number of units sold under right to buy for these arrangements. [50820]
Yvette Cooper: Local authorities manage their debt as a portfolio and do not borrow for specific purposes. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) makes a contribution towards the servicing of the authority's debt through a debit to the HRA broadly based upon the level of debt and the average rate of interest on all local authority borrowing for that year—the consolidated rate of interest.
There is no obligation for local housing authorities to repay debt. It is a Treasury management decision for them whether to do so.
Debt servicing and repayment arrangements have no effect upon the right to buy. The right to buy is a right of the local authority tenant and the authority has no discretion in the matter.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total income from stock transfer of council housing to registered social landlords has been to date; and for what purpose this income has been allocated. [49776]
Yvette Cooper:
Since 1997 stock transfer has levered in £10.594 billion in private finance of which £6.915 billion has been used by registered social landlords to invest in the transferred stock. The
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remaining £3.679 billion was received by local authorities. Of this, £1,787 billion has been used by authorities to pay housing debt and £297.32 million has been paid to Treasury in the form of LSVT levy. The remainder has been used by local authorities for whatever investment purposes they chose.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) rental income from council-owned homes, (b) management allowance and (c) major repairs allowance (i) was in each year since 1997 and (ii) is estimated to be in each of the next five years, broken down by local authority. [40870]
Yvette Cooper: Tables providing data, as far as possible, for 1997–98 to 2005–06 have been made available in the Library of the House. Data for 2004–05 and 2005–06 are provisional.
Rental income is defined as income accruing from rents and charges in respect of dwellings within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), gross of rent rebates and rent arrears but net of temporary reductions and other refunds made to take account of special circumstances (e.g. works in progress or other temporary loss of amenity), lost rental income due to voids, council tax, water rates, heating and service charges. Rental income for 2005–06 is not yet available and is therefore not shown in the 2005–06 table.
Management allowances were not separately identified within a combined management and maintenance allowance in 1997–98 and 1998–99. The combined management and maintenance allowance is provided for these years.
The major repairs allowance did not exist from 1997–98 to 2000–01.
Information is not available for future years at individual authority level. This is because the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not make or have forecasts of future rental income, management allowance or major repairs allowance at individual authority level. Such forecasts would themselves require forecasts of changes in the quantity and mix of stock which it would incur disproportionate cost.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will respond to the Audit Commission's report on financing council housing, with particular reference to (a) ending negative subsidy on individual local authority housing revenue accounts, (b) specific support for authorities with high debt levels and (c) conducting a review of the housing subsidy system. [40871]
Yvette Cooper:
The Commission's report was useful in bringing together a number of issues that had been raised in the past, not least in the 'blue skies' consultation that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (then Department of Environment, Transport and Regions) ran in 2002. The Housing Revenue Accounts (HRA) subsidy system is always under review and Ministers and officials will continue to take into consideration the policy issues the report raises, just as they take into consideration advice from other stakeholders.
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Departmental Staff
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the survey by ORC International on his Department's staff. [51076]
Jim Fitzpatrick: ORC International were commissioned to undertake a staff opinion survey for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005. Arrangements are being made to make copies of the narrative report available in the Library of the House.
Euro
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2006, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), Official Report, column 1618W, on the euro, how much producing the Valuation Tribunal Service Euro Conversion (High Level Plan) cost. [54522]
Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Tribunal Service estimate that the cost of producing the plan was around £2,500.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which (a) agencies and (b) other bodies for which his Department is responsible have been asked to produce a high level plan for the introduction of the euro; and what the date of approval was of each such plan. [54524]
Mr. Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for and has asked the following Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to produce a high level plan for the introduction of the euro:
(b) Non-departmental public bodies
The Office's Euro Preparations Programme Board approved all the plans in September 2004.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's high level plan on the introduction of the Euro; and on what date the most recent version was published. [54528]
Mr. Woolas: A copy of the Euro Conversion (High Level Plan) produced by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been made available in the Library of the House. The most recent version was published on September 2005.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance his Department has given local authorities on preparing for the introduction of the euro. [54529]
Mr. Woolas:
Guidance to local authorities on preparing for the introduction of the euro was issued by HM Treasury and the Office of the Deputy Prime
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Minister in conjunction with the Local Government Association on 18 June 2003. The guidance is available on the euro website at: www.euro.gov.uk.
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