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27 Mar 2006 : Column 821W—continued
Flood Reports
Michael Gove: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultations have taken place on the role of flood reports in home information packs. [60643]
Yvette Cooper: The consultation paper Contents of the home information pack", ODPM 2003, sought views on whether the pack should include an environmental report covering, among other things, flood risk. The draft Home Information Pack Regulations 2006" and associated guidance published for consultation in October 2005 proposed that a flood risk search should be an authorised component of the home information pack. The results of that consultation are currently being discussed with key industry stakeholders, consumer representatives and others.
Homelessness (Luton)
Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding Luton borough council has received from the homelessness and housing support directorate in each year since 2002. [60206]
Yvette Cooper: The following amounts of grant have been paid to Luton borough council since 2002–03 to assist the authority to achieve the aims of their homelessness strategy.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 59,402 |
| 2003–04 | 95,989 |
| 2004–05 | 80,000 |
| 2005–06 | 80,000 |
Luton borough council has also received the following amounts of Supporting People administrative and programme grant for housing-related support services:
| Admin (£) | Programme (£) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 186,853 | — |
| 2003–04 | 186,432 | 4,686,462 |
| 2004–05 | 192,125 | 4,621,754 |
| 2005–06 | 125,700 | 4,429,224 |
The Supporting People programme went live in April 2003. Prior to this date the Government contributed towards the administration costs of administering authorities in establishing the programme.
Hostels Improvement Programme
Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the refurbishment schemes in the East of England being delivered with funding from the Hostels Improvement Programme. [60205]
Yvette Cooper:
There are a number of schemes in the East of England which are being delivered with funding from the £90 million Hostels Capital Improvement Programme. They include a feasibility study for a proposed new hostel in Luton; improvements to the Victoria road hostel in Cambridge; a controlled drinking residential project in Cambridge, and funding for five refuges for women fleeing domestic violence in the region.
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Household Projections
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the sub-regional household projections will be published; and if he will make a statement. [60512]
Yvette Cooper: Sub-regional household projections (2003 based) will be published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website on 5 April.
Housing
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has for tackling overcrowding in residential accommodation in West Lancashire; and if he will make a statement. [58412]
Yvette Cooper: The Government intend to consult this year on the statutory overcrowding standards which are set in 1935. The definition fails to capture the complexity of modern society and is dated.
In West Lancashire, funding from the Housing Corporation and the District Council will continue to support schemes and measures to tackle a range of housing issues including overcrowding. Part of this approach will be to better understand need, and the council's recent housing needs survey and the Annual Monitoring report will inform this.
Changing the definition alone, will not tackle overcrowding, therefore the government will continue promoting better preventative approaches, and support investment in areas where required. The Government have doubled its investment in social housing from 1997 levels, and the Housing Corporation's programme of social housing investment over the next two years for every region will be available shortly at: www.housingcorp.gov.uk.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of households which (a) rented in the private sector, (b) rented in the social housing sector, (c) were owner occupiers owning outright, (d) were owner occupiers with mortgage and (e) purchased a property for the first time with a mortgage in year since 1996–97. [60128]
Yvette Cooper: In answer to (a), (b), (c) and (d), the estimated number of households in England by tenure in each year since 1996 was as follows.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey
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(e) I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 February 2006, Official Report, columns: 914W–15W.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the likely impact of net immigration on housing demand in England over the next 20 years. [43008]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's 2003 based household projections for England, estimated that out of 209,000 additional household per year between 2003 and 2026 about 65,000 per year (31 per cent.) is attributable to net migration into England. This assumes migrants have a similar average household size to the average population.
Research for the Town and Country Planning Association takes account of the higher average household size of recent migrants and estimates that 23 per cent. of household growth is attributable to net migration. In the longer term, however, the average household size of migrants may move towards that of the overall population.
Out of the 209,000 additional households per year it is projected that 150,000 of these will be single person households, 72 per cent. of the growth. Most of these 'one person households' are projected in the older age groups, with 137,000 over 35 years and 55,000 over 65 years.
Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will introduce legislation to establish the legal powers of the Housing Corporation. [55690]
Yvette Cooper: As we have previously announced, we are seeking to legislate to modernise the Housing Corporation's decision making powers, at the earliest opportunity. We expect to publish legislation shortly.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps the Government are taking to meet its target to provide 60 per cent. of new homes on brownfield sites by 2008. [60445]
Yvette Cooper: The policies in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing" (PPG3) and in draft Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing" (PPS3), published for consultation in December 2005, in particular the policy to give priority to developing suitable brownfield land in preference to greenfield, support the target that, by 2008, 60 per cent. of additional housing should be on brownfield land. The latest Land Use Change Statistics show that 72 per cent. of new dwellings were built on brownfield land in 2004.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether it is his Department's policy to use urban greenfield land for social housing developments. [60448]
Yvette Cooper:
The Government's planning policy for housing set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing" (PPG3) gives priority to re-using suitable brownfield land in preference to the development of greenfield. Draft Planning Policy Statement 3 Housing" (PPS3), published for consultation in December 2005, continues the priority for development of brownfield land. However, both PPG3 and draft
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PPS3 recognise that there may be circumstances where suitable greenfield land is needed to meet the level of housing provision set out in Regional Spatial Strategies.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how much brownfield land has been sold for social housing development since 1997; [60449]
(2) how much urban greenfield land has been sold off for social housing development since 1997. [60446]
Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not available centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how much funding for housing each London borough has received in each financial year since the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 came into force; and if he will make a statement; [60542]
(2) how many applications for funding under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 within each London borough have been (a) successful, (b) refused and (c) put on the waiting list; and if he will make a statement. [60543]
Yvette Cooper: Information on Government funding in support of London borough councils' housing capital investment in each financial year since the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 came into force has been placed in the Library.
The Government does not collect centrally the number of applications for renovation grants or information on waiting lists. Information on the number and the total value of renovation grants under the 1996 Act completed in London boroughs in each year since 1997 has also been placed in the Library.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the likely distribution of housing growth between cities and rural areas over the next 20 years; and what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the balance of housing growth on the provision of affordable housing in rural areas. [57365]
Yvette Cooper: The distribution of housing growth between cities and rural areas, and a region's approach to meeting rural housing and rural affordable housing needs, is determined as part of the process of preparing regional spatial strategies. In determining the distribution, regional planning bodies should undertake a sustainability appraisal and take into account evidence such as the need for housing and the availability of land for housing.
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he issues to local authorities which plan to ballot tenants on housing stock transfer proposals; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's proposed review of strategic investment in council housing on that guidance. [53341]
Yvette Cooper:
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Housing Transfer Manual—2005 Programme" provides guidance to authorities who wish to transfer ownership and management of all or part of their housing stock to a registered social landlord. Section 10
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deals with the consultation exercise and establishing tenants views on the proposals. We are not proposing to change the guidance.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the number of empty residential properties owned by local authorities. [59030]
Yvette Cooper: The Deputy Prime Minister collects data on the number of empty residential properties owned by local authorities on an annual basis through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix. The latest figures available show that as at 1 April 2005 there were 48,000 vacant dwellings (2.2 per cent. of the total stock), this includes many that are unavailable for letting because they are awaiting major works or earmarked for demolition. These figures are for all vacant dwellings, including dwellings that have been empty for less than six months, some for less than one month.
A breakdown of the reasons why local authority owned dwellings are empty is collected in the Business Plan Statistical Appendix—Annual Monitoring return. These include minor repairs, works and awaiting demolition. This information is reported at the level of individual local authorities.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many affordable homes have been (a) started and (b) completed in the last five years in each London borough; and if he will make a statement. [60544]
Yvette Cooper: The numbers of registered social landlord and local authority dwellings for rent started and completed as reported by building control can be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's web site: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/66/Table253Excel860Kb_id1156066.xls. Information is only available for years shown.
For the total supply of social homes including new build and acquisitions, as reported by the Housing Corporation, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 21 March 2006, Official Report, column 279W.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what initiatives are in place to assist (a) first time home buyers and (b) first time home buyers with little or poor credit rating. [59940]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 22 March 2006]: Our new HomeBuy scheme, incorporating the First Time Buyers Initiative (FTBi) and the Key Worker Living programme, will begin on 1 April 2006. This will replace the existing low cost home ownership programme and offers affordable home ownership on an equity sharing basis to social tenants, those on the housing register, key public sector workers and other first time buyers prioritised for assistance in their region by Regional Housing Boards. Over the five years to 2010, we aim to help over 100,000 households into sustainable home ownership who would not otherwise be able to afford it.
There will be three HomeBuy products: Social HomeBuy will enable social tenants of participating local authorities and housing associations to buy a share in their current home at a discount; New Build HomeBuy, including FTBi which uses public sector
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land, will enable people to buy a share of a newly built property; and Open Market HomeBuy will enable people to buy a property on the open market with the help of an equity loan. Homebuy agents, who provide a one-stop shop for applicants for HomeBuy products, and other registered social landlords, will take credit ratings into account in assessing applicants' suitability to access and sustain home ownership.
Income support for mortgage interest is available to provide protection for all home owners whose circumstances deteriorate so that they need to claim income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance or state pension credit. Home owners are also encouraged to make provision through savings and private insurance.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the proposed home condition report will contain information on the (a) fittings, (b) fixtures, (c) number of bedrooms, (d) number of parking spaces, (e) number of garage spaces, (f) central heating and (g) size of garden of a domestic property. [56089]
Yvette Cooper: The Home Condition Report will be of a similar level of detail as the current Homebuyer's Survey.
The report will provide a summary, giving general information about the property, including the number of bedrooms, the number of allocated parking spaces, and if any garage is a single, double, or larger. The summary will reveal whether there is a garden, but not the size of the garden.
The summary will also provide information about the type of central heating within the home, and the report will allocate a condition rating based on a visual inspection of the visible parts, as well as a condition rating for fittings such as built in kitchens and bathrooms.
Other documents included within the Home Information Pack will enable further information to be provided, such as the home contents form, detailing what is included in the sale, and title plans showing the extent of the property and land.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1359W, on home information packs, what estimate he has made of the price of a home information pack including VAT; whether all elements of the home information pack will have VAT levied on them; and what estimate he has made of the annual VAT revenue which will be raised from home information packs. [60186]
Yvette Cooper: The cost of a Home Information Pack will be determined by the market, however ODPM estimates that a pack will cost between £600 and £700, including VAT, for an average home.
The contents of the pack will be specified in regulations to be made later this year. With the exception of the Home Condition Report, all items proposed to be included in the pack are already established elements of the present home buying and selling process. The Home Condition Report will be additional in transactions where currently no survey is carried out. With the exception of local searches
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provided by a local authority, and documents provided by the seller, elements of the pack are likely, as is the case now, to be liable to VAT.
No estimate has been made of the revenue yield from home information packs.
The introduction of home improvement packs is likely to reduce the amount of wasted expenditure by buyers and sellers, for example where several buyers currently pay for the same information on the same property when sales fall through.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the Government's most recent estimate is of the percentage of new build homes that have been sold and let to key workers, broken down by Government office region. [60121]
Yvette Cooper: For the regions in which the Key Worker Living programme operates, the percentage of homes built for key workers that have been sold and let (or are in the process of being sold and let) to key workers is:
The remaining units are in the process of being marketed for sale/let.
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