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23 Oct 2006 : Column 1665W—continued
Departmental Expenditure
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what annual remuneration Sir Michael Lyons receives in respect of his roles as (a) Audit Commission Chair and (b) Chair of the review of local government. [94655]
Mr. Woolas: Sir Michael Lyons’ remuneration as the Audit Commission’s Acting Chairman from 24 January to 30 October 2006 was £40,131.94.
For his work from September 2004 to December 2006 on the two stages of his independent inquiry into local government, Sir Michael is receiving flat rate fees totalling £269,500 (plus VAT).
Departmental Staff
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff there are in her Department's ministerial private offices, broken down by grade; and how many there were in the predecessor Department in 2005-06. [83081]
Angela E. Smith: As at 30 June 2006 the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) had 28 posts in the ministerial private offices. A breakdown by grade is as follows:
| Grade | Number |
Direct comparisons with predecessor Departments are not possible because DCLG has a different range of departmental responsibilities.
East of England Plan
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how she intends to promote public consultation on her proposed changes to the draft East of England plan. [91550]
Meg Munn: The proposed changes will be publicised in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Regional Planning) (England) Regulations 2004. Comments submitted either by post or electronically will be accepted, and the consultation will run for a minimum period of 12 weeks.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to publish her proposed changes to the draft East of England plan. [91551]
Meg Munn: The Secretary of State's proposed changes will be published in winter 2006-07.
Ecton Lane Travellers' Site
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will complete the review of Ecton Lane Travellers' site in Northamptonshire. [95666]
Meg Munn: My Department is not undertaking any review of the refurbishment scheme at the Ecton Lane park caravan site. I wrote to the chief executive of Northampton borough council on 28 June to express my concern and to ask to be notified of the outcome of the council's own investigation. I understand that this is complete and I am now waiting to hear from the council as to its outcomes and any action that it intends to take.
English Partnerships
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the progress of English Partnerships' pilot hardcore brownfield programme. [91530]
Yvette Cooper: English Partnerships has developed a pilot programme of feasibility studies on brownfield sites in 14 areas to help inform development of proposals for a national strategy to increase the reuse of brownfield land.
The main objective of the pilot projects is to identify the brownfield sites of greatest concern at local level, to assess the hurdles that prevent the reuse of brownfield land and test different solutions to redevelopment, through local brownfield partnerships. The partnerships have already identified potential sites, tested the feasibility of the project proposals, whether housing, commercial or open space, and assessed current delivery mechanisms to bring projects forward. A total of eight projects are now being taken forward by English Partnerships with local authority, community and other partners. The next stage of the work will involve determining how each site could best be brought forward for development that meets local need.
In the six remaining pilot sites English Partnerships will not take a direct delivery role. Delivery mechanisms have however been identified to facilitate the regeneration of these sites and English Partnerships remains in an advisory role to assist with redevelopment of the sites for the benefit of local communities.
Government Art Collection
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which works of art are on loan from the Government Art Collection to her Department. [94857]
Angela E. Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government currently has the following works of art on loan from the Government Art Collection.
| Title | Artist | Type |
This answer does not include buildings occupied by Government Offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.
Harlow Council v. Hall
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2006, Official Report, column 138W, on Harlow Council v. Hall, how many such tenancies have been terminated; and if she will make a statement. [90111]
Yvette Cooper: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Home Condition Reports
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether HM Revenue and Customs will have access to the Home Condition Report register. [95858]
Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 May 2006, Official Report, column 1657W.
Housing
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of new affordable houses required in (a) the North West, (b) Cumbria and (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale in each year until 2020. [88856]
Yvette Cooper: Local planning authorities are required to conduct a housing needs assessment and to consider the requirement for new affordable housing as part of the local development plan. The Regional Assembly is expected to assess the need for affordable housing to inform the Regional Housing Board decisions and the Regional Spatial Strategy. The Department has not conducted separate specific estimates.
Planning policy on affordable housing is set out at a national level in PPG3. Planning authorities are required to have regard to these policies when preparing their development plans and these policies may be material to individual planning decisions.
Regional policies on affordable housing are set out in Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the north-west of England, formerly known as RPG13. Policy in existing RSS states that development plans should make provision for a range of dwelling types, and sizes to meet the assessed need of all sectors of the community in both rural and urban areas based on up-to-date local housing needs studies. Regional policies provide guidance for local authorities when making decisions on the level of affordable housing in their local development plans; however they do not stipulate numbers for affordable housing. It is up to individual authorities to decide on the level of affordable housing required in their area in their local development plans in accordance with RPG13 and draft PPS3.
The RSS is currently in the process of being reviewed. The North West Regional Assembly published the revised Draft RSS for a 12 week consultation on March 20 2006. The responses to the consultation will be examined by a panel set up by the Secretary of State. The panel will then carry out an Examination in Public to debate selected topics, based on issues raised in the consultation responses, before making their recommendations to the Secretary of State. As RSS is being revised local authorities continue to refer to the existing RSS for regional policy on affordable housing until the publication of the final RSS document—which is expected to be late 2007.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of new affordable homes required in the East Riding of Yorkshire in each year until 2015; and if she will make a statement. [91882]
Yvette Cooper: The current Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for Yorkshire and Humber sets a target of 4,000 affordable homes per year in Yorkshire and Humber as a whole but does not break this down to individual local authority areas. The new draft RSS proposes to increase the regional target to 6,000 affordable dwellings per year and proposes to provide a figure for
each local planning authority expressed in terms of the percentage of affordable homes on sites of more than 15 homes. For East Riding of Yorkshire council, it is suggested that there is a “high level of need” and that 40 per cent. of homes should be affordable on sites of more than 15 homes. This approach is currently being tested at the Examination in Public. The panel will make recommendations to the Secretary of State and the final RSS will be agreednext year.
Local planning authorities have responsibility for setting a numerical target for affordable housing provision in their area, taking account of relevant housing market assessments and local and regional strategies. The target should also take account of the anticipated levels of finance available for affordable housing, including public subsidy from the Housing Corporation and the level of developer contribution that can realistically be sought through Section 106 agreements. East Riding of Yorkshire council has set a target of providing 200 extra affordable homes per year to meet the loss of affordable homes and maintain the status quo. A Housing Needs Study has just been completed and is currently being assessed.
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of Government targets on void times on people seeking to move from the private rented sector into local authority housing; and if she will make a statement. [93517]
Yvette Cooper: The Government have not set a target in respect of void times.
Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) BV212 measures the average time taken to re-let local authority housing. However, BV212 does not differentiate according to the type of tenure the person was in prior to the letting. Targets set against the indicator are determined by individual local authorities themselves.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless people there were in (a) England and (b) each local authority area in each of the last 20 years. [93795]
Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected in respect of households rather than persons. The number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need for each year in England since 1986-87, and the number of households in England in temporary accommodation arranged by the councils under homelessness legislation as at 31 March in each year, are in the following table.
The duty owed to a household 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.
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