| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
24 Apr 2006 : Column 933W—continued
Relative Need
John Hemming: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons the system was changed from formula spending share to relative need factors. [65415]
Mr. Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House when announcing the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 627.
John Hemming: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the formula is for converting relative need factors into monetary amounts. [65416]
Mr. Woolas: The full formula is given in Section 5 of the Local Government Finance Report (England) 2006–07.
A model showing the calculation of formula grant for all authorities can be found on the ODPM website at: http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/0607/grant.htm.
24 Apr 2006 : Column 934W
John Hemming: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total relative needs grant block is for 2006–07; and what the total of needs above threshold is for 2006–07. [65417]
Mr. Woolas: The relative needs amount for 2006–07 is £20,878,123,134. The total needs above the threshold is 0.23098045438450.
A model showing the calculation of formula grant for all authorities can be found on the ODPM website at: http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/0607/grant.htm
Retrospective Planning Applications
Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will introduce measures to speed up the procedures for considering retrospective planning applications. [62740]
Yvette Cooper: Retrospective planning applications are treated in the same way as planning applications, and have a statutory eight-week determination period. We have no plans to shorten this period.
Right To Buy (Yorkshire/Humber)
Mr. Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which rural areas in Yorkshire and Humber are exempt from the Right to Buy. [63571]
Yvette Cooper: No rural areas in Yorkshire and the Humber are exempt from the Right to Buy.
However, section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 allows social landlords to restrict the resale of properties sold under the Right to Buy scheme in specified rural areas. Such properties may only be sold to buyers who have lived or worked locally for at least three years. Alternatively, and with the consent of the Secretary of State, social landlords may require that properties sold under the Right to Buy scheme in these areas must be offered back to the former social landlords if the owners wish to sell them within 10 years of the Right to Buy sales.
In Yorkshire and the Humber, such restrictions may be imposed in the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks, the Nidderdale, Howardian Hills and North Pennines Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the districts of Craven, Harrogate, Scarborough, Ryedale and Richmondshire, excluding settlements with 3,000 or more residents.
Road Maintenance (Legal Proceedings)
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much (a) district, (b) city and (c) county councils spent on out-of-court settlements related to injuries sustained due to lack of maintenance of roads and pavements in each year since 2001. [64437]
Mr. Woolas:
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold the information requested centrally, and could provide it only at disproportionate cost.
24 Apr 2006 : Column 935W
Shared Equity Scheme
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of the people involved in the Shared Equity Scheme are living in Wirral, West. [64317]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold this information at constituency level.
Before the launch of the new Homebuy schemes on 1 April 2006, Government supported shared equity schemes consisted of Shared Ownership and the Homebuy equity loan scheme. Since 1997, 177 households within Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council were helped into home ownership through the Government's shared ownership scheme. There were no completions under the old Homebuy scheme.
Shell Haven
Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will make a final announcement on the London Gateway Port at Shell Haven. [64007]
24 Apr 2006 : Column 936W
Yvette Cooper: On 20 July 2005, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport, announced that he was minded to approve the proposal from P&O ports for a new container port at London Gateway and, in parallel, my right hon. Friend, the First Secretary of State, announced that he was minded to approve the proposed adjoining logistics centre, subject in particular to resolution of the highways impacts of the development.
We are currently considering the large amount of material submitted by the parties and will make a further announcement in due course.
Smoke Alarms
John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) fatalities and (b) non-fatal casualties have occurred as a result of dwelling fires in the UK (i)where a smoke alarm was present and (ii) where there was no smoke alarm in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [64835]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the number of (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal casualties in dwelling fires attended by the fire and rescue service in the UK, by presence and operation of smoke alarms.
(28)Includes fire-related deaths recorded by the MOD and media during industrial action in 2002 and 2003, with estimates calculated for the breakdown by alarm presence.
(29)Includes estimates for non-fatal casualties occurring during industrial action in 2002 and 2003.
Source:
Fire and Rescue Service FDR1 returns to ODPM.
Solar Power
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he plans to adopt to encourage the incorporation of (a) photovoltaic cells and (b) solar panels in new residential developments. [63067]
Yvette Cooper:
In line with commitments made in the Energy White Paper, the Government are raising the energy performance standards in Part L of the Building Regulations. These higher standards coming into effect in April will encourage greater take-up of low and zero carbon systems such as photovoltaic cells and solar panels. To encourage builders to do more, a Code for Sustainable Homes is being developed that will set environmental performance standards higher than those stipulated by regulation. To further promote on-site energy generation, new homes that use renewable technology will gain extra points in the code.
24 Apr 2006 : Column 937W
In addition to this, Planning Policy Statement 22 encourages the appropriate development of renewable energy schemes and as part of the launch of the new UK Climate Change Programme published on 28 March 2006, we have announced a package of measures to increase carbon savings through the planning system and the work of local authorities.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |