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4 Sep 2006 : Column 1660W—continued
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the number of families in temporary accommodation in each region for each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement. [87438]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 24 July 2006]: Information reported each quarter by local authorities about their activities under homelessness legislation includes the number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of the quarter and, since 2002, separately identifies those that include dependent children or a pregnant woman.
The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled
home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
The total number of households in temporary accommodation (as arranged by local authorities) as at 31 March in each year since 2001, and the number of these with dependent children or an expectant mother since 2002, in each region of England are presented in the following table.
| Households in temporary accommodation( 1) arranged by local authorities, by Government office region | |||||
| 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | |||
| All households | All households | o.w families | All households | o.w families | |
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | ||||
| All households | o.w families | All households | o.w families | All households | o.w families | |
| (1) Households in accommodation arranged by local authorities awaiting allocation of a settled home following acceptance of a main duty Source: DCLG P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly) | ||||||
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the data sources are for her Department’s house price index. [88086]
Meg Munn: The Department for Communities and Local Government’s monthly house price index is a weighted average of prices for a standard mix of dwellings. Dwelling prices come from mortgage completion data from the regulated mortgage survey of the Council of Mortgage Lenders and BankSearch.
The index is “mix-adjusted” to allow for the fact that different houses are sold in different periods and is achieved partly by fitting a model. The variables in the model include two variables that define similar areas. One is a classification of local authorities into clusters derived by the Office for National Statistics and the other neighbourhood type based on postcode data produced by CACI Ltd. (ACORN). In addition weightings in the “mix-adjustment” are based on transaction data, partly based on data from the Land Registry and partly on past data from the mortgage survey.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of the total housing stock is key worker housing. [88701]
Yvette Cooper: As at mid year 2004 the estimated total amount of housing stock in England was 21,613,000 dwellings.
In recent years the Government have funded a number of schemes to offer specific housing assistance to key workers in areas experiencing recruitment and retention difficulties: from April 2001 to March 2006, over 22,000 homes for key workers have been provided through the starter home initiative (SHI) and key worker living (KWL) programmes. These include both new homes and provision of equity loans to support purchase of existing homes.
In addition, certain local authorities will make provision in the planning system for a proportion of new homes to be affordable housing for key worker groups based on specific local needs. We do not hold such information centrally.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many key worker homes have been built in each region in each of the last five years. [88702]
Yvette Cooper:
In recent years the Government have funded a number of schemes to offer specific housing assistance to key workers in areas experiencing recruitment and retention difficulties: from April 2001 to March 2006, over 22,000 homes for key workers
have been provided through the starter home initiative (SHI) and key worker living (KWL) programmes. These include both new homes and provision of equity loans to support purchase of existing homes.
The following table details the number of new build homes provided for key workers through SHI and KWL over the past five years. 2005-06 completions are provisional until the Housing Corporation end of year processes are finalised.
| 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | ( 1) 2005-06 | ||
| (1) Provisional | ||||||
In addition, certain local authorities will make provision in the planning system for a proportion of new homes to be affordable housing for key worker groups based on specific local needs. We do not hold such information centrally.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) council, (b) other registered social landlord and (c) private homes have been built in each London borough since 1997. [88714]
Meg Munn: A table showing the number of new build dwellings as reported by the Housing Corporation and each local authority in London, in each year from 1997-98 to 2004-05, has been placed in the Library of the House. The figures presented are for completed new dwellings and are broken down by tenure.
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the main obstacles to the building of affordable housing in rural areas. [88857]
Yvette Cooper: In July 2005 my Department and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set up the Affordable Rural Housing Commission to inquire into the scale, nature and implications of the shortage of affordable housing for rural communities in England and to make recommendations to address unmet need.
The Commission reported in May 2006 setting out its findings, including barriers to the supply of affordable housing in rural areas. The Government aim to respond constructively to the agenda it has set using a range of channels and mechanisms, including the forthcoming comprehensive spending review.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 39WS, on the Housing Act 2004, why the guidance to local authorities was not published on her departmental website on 6 July. [85449]
Yvette Cooper: The guidance note on empty dwelling management orders was available on request on Thursday 6 July and was subsequently posted on the Department for Communities and Local Government website on Monday 10 July.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many properties have been (a) bought and (b) part-bought under the social homebuy scheme; [83096]
(2) how many (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations are offering the social homebuy scheme. [83097]
Meg Munn: The social homebuy scheme became available in April 2006 and provides a new opportunity for tenants of participating local authorities and housing associations to purchase a share in their home. The scheme is currently being offered by 42 housing associations and one local authority. My officials are in discussions with other local authorities which have expressed an interest in social homebuy. The Housing Corporation plans to hold a further bidding round in the autumn to enable more housing associations to participate.
To date, there has been one completed sale in the housing association sector. The purchaser bought outright with the available discount. More sales are expected shortly. Although a number of local authority tenants have applied to buy shares in their homes, no sales have yet been completed.
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much she has allocated to (a) Newham’s Local Space initiative, (b) Ealing's Safe Haven partnership and (c) L&Q Housing Trust’s HILS programme; what targets were set for these programmes for the number of families in temporary accommodation to be provided with settled homes; how many families in temporary accommodation have been provided with settled homes through each programme; and if she will make a statement. [86704]
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