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20 Mar 2006 : Column 59W—continued
Housing
Mr. Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many empty homes there were in Suffolk in each year since 1997. [56361]
Yvette Cooper: The number of vacant dwellings in Suffolk, from 1997 to 2004, is tabled as follows. These figures are the latest available data:
| Snapshot date | Vacant dwellings | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1 April | 13,200 |
| 1998 | 1 April | 11,500 |
| 1999 | 1 April | 10,900 |
| 2000 | 1 April | 8,900 |
| 2001 | 1 April | 9,400 |
| 2002 | 1 November | 9,100 |
| 2003 | 3November | 9,500 |
| 2004 | 1 November | 9,200 |
Source:
The figures for 1997 to 2001 are based on a combination of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) return, and the Housing Corporation's Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR). For the years 2002 to 2004 the figures are based on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Council Tax Base 1 (CTB1) return.
These figures are for all vacant dwellings, including dwellings that have been empty for less than six months, some for less than one month. The Government are
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introducing new powers from April 2006 for local authorities to reduce the number of long-term empty homes in their area.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2234W, to the hon. Member for Brent East, on housing, what weighting is given in the (a) management and maintenance allowance and (b) major repairs allowance formulae to compensate local authorities in London for the costs associated with medium and high rise tower blocks. [57175]
Yvette Cooper: The detailed calculations of both management and maintenance allowances and major repairs allowance (including archetype weightings) are set out in the commentary on the 2006–07 Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Determination. A copy of this is available in the Library of the House or on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.
(a) Management allowances take into account the proportion of high and medium rise flats in a local authority. The greater is an authority's proportion of high and medium rise flats, the greater the management allowance per dwelling in that authority.
Maintenance allowances are calculated assuming a level of responsive repairs, planned works, basic works for relets and terminations, crime related work to voids. Each of these items of work is assumed to take a different cost depending on the dwelling type it is associated with. The stock mix of an authority therefore determines their maintenance subsidy entitlement.
(b) The calculation of the major repairs allowance (MRA) takes into account the stock mix of dwellings within an individual local authority. Each of 13 different archetypes attracts a different level of MRA.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses have been sold under the right-to-buy scheme in Milton Keynes each year since 1998. [54670]
Yvette Cooper: The number of council houses sold in Milton Keynes under the right-to-buy scheme in each year since 1998–99 as reported by Milton Keynes can be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/383/Table648Excel545Kb_id1156383.xls Information is only available for the years shown.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many empty homes there were in (a) the Milton Keynes unitary authority area and (b) South East England in each of the last 10 years. [54671]
Yvette Cooper: The number of vacant dwellings in Milton Keynes unitary authority area and South East England, from 1995 to 2004, is tabled as follows. These figures are the latest available data:
(23) No figure supplied.
Source:
The figures for 1995 to 2001 are based on a combination of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) return, and the Housing Corporation's Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR). For the years 2002 to 2004 the figures are based on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Council Tax Base 1 (CTB1) return.
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These figures are for all vacant dwellings, including dwellings that have been empty for less than six months, some for less than one month. The Government are introducing new powers from April 2006 for local authorities to reduce the number of long-term empty homes in their area.
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on alternatives to housing stock transfer as a method for strategic investment in council housing. [53340]
Yvette Cooper: Where local authorities require additional resources to meet the decent homes target, they can opt to establish an arms length management organisation (ALMO) or private finance initiative (PFI) scheme, as an alternative to transferring their stock. Where authorities can meet the target through their own resources they can opt to retain their stock.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) council houses and (b) flats are owned by each local authority. [58939]
Yvette Cooper: A table with the requested data has been deposited in the House Library. The table shows the number of houses (including bungalows) and the number of flats owned by each local authority at 1 April 2005, as reported on the audited base data return forms that LAs complete in order to claim Housing Revenue Account Subsidy. The table includes shared ownership and PFI dwellings.
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses in (a) Sunderland city council and (b) Houghton and Washington, East constituency (i) have been brought up to the decent homes standard and (ii) remain to be brought up to that standard. [57685]
Yvette Cooper: Sunderland city council transferred all of its housing stock to six Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) in 2001.
In 2002 these RSLs reported that they had 23,000 homes which failed the Decent Homes standard. In 2005 they reported that only 43 were non-decent. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold data on non-decency at a constituency level.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much grant was used by housing associations to buy land for key worker housing in each of the last five years. [55767]
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Yvette Cooper: Grant funding is provided to housing associations to deliver housing and is not provided specifically in relation to land costs and construction costs. The following table details the amount of grant provided to housing associations to develop new build homes for key workers over the last five years.
| Starter Home Initiative | Challenge Fund | Key working living | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | 112,609 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | 6,262,914 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | 17,548,536 | 158,502,207 | 0 |
| 2004–05 | 246,116 | 4,055,218 | 231,985,257 |
Note:
Key worker figures for Challenge Fund assumed to be 50 per cent. of total Challenge Fund approvals
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what data he collects on the size of new homes. [55769]
Yvette Cooper: Local authorities do not supply information on the size of new build completions. The National House Building Council, however, provides information on whether the new dwelling is a house or flat and the number of bedrooms. The NHBC report on around 50 per cent. of new build completions in England therefore this data enables an estimate to be made of proportions of total completions by type and number of bedrooms. This information for England and the regions is published in statistical tables 251 and 252 on the ODPM website. http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l 156032
Mr. Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of new homes to be built in Wellingborough constituency over the next 15 years. [56670]
Yvette Cooper: The Secretary of State my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's policy on development in Northamptonshire is set out in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub Regional Strategy, which was published in March 2005. This document sets out the future housing provision for local authority areas for the period 2001–21. The hon. Member's constituency covers the borough council of Wellingborough and part of East Northamptonshire district council. The level of housing provision within the Wellingborough local authority area over the next 15 years (2006–21) is set at 9,825 new dwellings. The level of housing provision within the East Northamptonshire local authority area over the next 15 years (2006–21) is set at 6,800 new dwellings.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what projection he has made of the proportion of the budgeted social housing grant which will be spent in 2005–06; and if he will make a statement. [55776]
Yvette Cooper:
The Housing Corporation provides regular forecasts to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and has estimated that around 98 per cent. of its budget for social housing grant will be spent in 2005–06.
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Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether unspent local authority funds for social housing may be transferred to shared ownership programmes. [55777]
Yvette Cooper: There are no barriers to local authorities using their own funding to provide social housing and low cost home ownership schemes. This is a matter for local authorities to decide.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of new social housing is (a) built to and (b) easily adapted to the high wheelchair standard. [56285]
Yvette Cooper: In 2004–05, 8 per cent. of new social housing units in schemes approved as part of the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme in England, were built to the high wheelchair standard. Information is not available on housing that can be adapted to the high wheelchair standard.
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