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4 Dec 2006 : Column 176W—continued


Firefighters' Pension Scheme

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of likely savings to public expenditure arising from the changes announced to firefighters' pensions on 8 September 2005 for each year from 2006-07 to 2030-31; and if she will make a statement. [101136]

Angela E. Smith: The annual savings for fire and rescue authorities in England from reduced employer contributions will be 12.3 per cent. of pensionable pay for each employee who joins the new firefighters' pension scheme. The introduction of two-tier ill-health arrangements for members of the firefighters' pension scheme 1992 from April 2006 are estimated to save2 per cent. of pensionable pay. The estimated pensionable payroll is currently £910 million per annum.

Flood Risk (Development)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from the Environment Agency on decisions by the East of England Development Agency to propose development in flood risk areas. [104323]

Meg Munn: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has not received any representations from the Environment Agency on decisions by the East of England Development Agency to propose development in flood risk areas.

Health Services: Thames Gateway

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate provision of health care services for planned housing development and population growth in the Thames Gateway. [107148]

Yvette Cooper: The Thames Gateway Interim Plan which my Department published last week recognises the importance of health care and other public services both for existing residents of the Gateway and for those who move into the area. My Department will work with the Department of Health and others to overcome barriers to the provision of modern integrated services. And we will work with delivery partners in the Gateway to help them prepare plans for new social infrastructure that will guide future investment decisions.

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health about future health care provision in the Thames Gateway. [107147]

Yvette Cooper: The Thames Gateway Interim Plan published last week has the full support of colleagues including my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State
4 Dec 2006 : Column 177W
for Health. I and my Department worked with a wide range of other Departments and delivery partners on the Policy Framework that forms part of the Interim Plan. I look forward to working with my right hon. Friend and others as we develop a detailed delivery plan for the Gateway.

Homelessness

Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding for homelessness prevention services her Department made available in (a) the North West and (b) Chester in each year since 2001-02. [106527]

Yvette Cooper: The following amounts of homelessness grant revenue funding have been allocated to the North West.

North West (£) Chester (£)

2001-02

2,418,278

289,434

2002-03

4,043,174

228,650

2003-04

5,117,647

246,650

2004-05

3,468,057

200,000

2005-06

3,532,557

200,000

2006-07

3,842,536

200,000

2007-08 indicative

3,543,057

200,000

Total

25,965,306

1,564,734


4 Dec 2006 : Column 178W

Hostel Provision

Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to reduce the requirement of a Meteorological Office forecast of zero degrees Celsius or lower for three consecutive nights for additional hostel provision. [101579]

Yvette Cooper: The commonly adopted trigger of zero degrees Celsius or lower for three consecutive nights, was proposed as a workable timescale in which to activate severe weather emergency provision (SWEP) following an informal consultation with local authorities and London voluntary agencies, as it provides enough time in which to open, staff and publicise the provision, as well as to encourage clients to take up spaces.

However, local authorities are free to determine what trigger they use to activate severe weather emergency provision within their area.

Housing

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were registered for rehousing with each local authority in Tyne and Wear in each year since 2000. [106004]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 30 November 2006]: The number of households on the waiting list for social housing in each local authority in Tyne and Wear since 2000, as at 1 April each year, is tabled as follows:

Gateshead Newcastle upon Tyne North Tyneside South Tyneside Sunderland Tyne and Wear

2000

4,700

4,400

3,300

12,200

4,500

29,000

2001

4,800

5,400

2,500

8,700

5,200

26,500

2002

5,400

6,300

2,900

10,200

5,800

30,500

2003

6,000

6,600

3,400

10,800

22,300

49,100

2004

9,900

10,200

4,000

12,300

25,800

62,300

2005

4,200

13,100

4,300

8,600

16,200

46,500

2006

10,300

18,900

5,600

8,400

1,500

44,700

Source:
Communities and Local Government's Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) return

The England totals may not be equal to the sum of individual region’s figures, due to rounding.

Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred housing option or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get on to the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are on housing waiting lists in England. [106460]

Yvette Cooper: The number of households on the waiting list for social housing in each local authority in England as at 1 April 2006 was 1,634,301.

Local authorities (LAs) in England report the number of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Where the local authority maintains a common waiting list with registered social landlords (RSLs) in their district, the list will also include households placed on the list by RSLs. The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect information on households on individual RSL waiting lists.

Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred option or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get on to the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what proportion of people on a housing waiting list refused the first offer of a property in (a) Hemsworth
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constituency, (b) Yorkshire and Humberside and (c) England in the last year for which figures are available; [106469]

(2) what the average waiting time is on a housing list for a property in (a) Hemsworth constituency (b) Yorkshire and Humberside and (c) England. [106465]

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many right to buy (a) applications and (b) sales there were in Yorkshire and Humberside in each year since 1980. [106471]

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of right-to-buy sales and applications can be found on the Department for Communities and local Government website at:

Information on individual years is available from 1998-99 only.

Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applicants are registered on housing waiting lists in each local authority in the North West of England. [106526]

Yvette Cooper: The number of households on the waiting list for social housing in each local authority in the North West of England, as at 1 April 2006, is tabled as follows:


4 Dec 2006 : Column 180W
2006
Local authority name Number

Allerdale

2,013

Barrow-in-Furness

1,446

Blackburn with Darwen DA

7,520

Blackpool UA

2,706

Bolton

21,422

Burnley

1,376

Bury

3,353

Carlisle

3,976

Chester

3,882

Chorley

1,652

Congleton

1,168

Copeland

2,035

Crewe and Nantwich

2,460

Eden

1,043

Ellesmere Port and Neston

1,297

Fylde

3,600

Halton UA

2,523

Hyndburn

3,430

Knowsley

3,075

Lancaster

1,538

Liverpool

12,924

Macclesfield

3,133

Manchester

16,994

Oldham

7,520

Pendle

1,572

Preston

3,187

Ribble Valley

891

Rochdale

6,552

Rossendale

2,947

Salford

12,074

Sefton

12,694

South Lakeland

3,255

South Ribble

1,474

St. Helens

2,172

Stockport

6,821

Tameside

7,169

Trafford

6,067

Vale Royal

3,522

Warrington UA

9,725

West Lancashire

2,318

Wigan

5,801

Wirral

13,252

Wyre

3,818

Source:
Communities and Local Government’s Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) return.

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