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4 Dec 2006 : Column 180W—continued
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.
Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many right-to-buy sales in (a) the North West of England and (b) Chester there have been in each year since 1980. [106528]
Yvette Cooper: The number of right-to-buy sales can be found on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/383/Table648_id1156383.xls
Information on individual years is available from 1998-99 only.
Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has made available under the hostels improvement programme in (a) the North West and (b) Chester in each year since 2004-05. [106529]
Yvette Cooper: The Hostels Capital Improvement Programme has allocated funding to the North West as follows:
| £ | ||
| North West | Chester | |
Hugh Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the
(a) average price of a home and (b) average household income was in each higher tier local authority area in each of the last three years; and what the ratio of those two factors is for each local authority listed in descending order during that period. [106657]
Yvette Cooper: The average (median) price of a home in England and Wales by local authority level is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/160/Table586_idll56160.xls
The average (median) weekly earnings in the UK by local authority area is available on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13101&Pos=l&ColRank=l&Rank=192
Earnings data are collected by ONS in April each year. To maintain comparability with earnings, when calculating the ratio of median house prices to median earnings house price data from the first half of the year are used.
Figures for median house prices, median earnings and the ratio between the two for England are presented in a table that has been placed in the Library.
Housing (Oxfordshire)
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of homes sold in (a) Wantage constituency and (b) Oxfordshire in each year since 1997 were sold to first time buyers. [105927]
Yvette Cooper: The total number of homes sold to first time buyers is not collected. Although data on all house sales in England and Wales are collected by the Land Registry there is no information collected on buyers.
Information on mortgages to first time buyers and former owner occupiers for house purchases in the UK is collected by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). This includes the total number of loans to first time buyers and the percentage of loans to first time buyers. This information is published on their website at:
http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/filegrab/2ML2.xls?ref=4624.
Information on mortgage sales at county or constituency level is not available.
IT Projects
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which information technology projects are being undertaken by (a) her Department and (b) its agencies; what the (i) start date, (ii) original planned completion date, (iii) expected completion date, (iv) originally planned costs and (v) estimated planned costs are of each; and if she will make a statement. [101586]
Angela E. Smith [holding answer 23 November 2006]: IT projects undertaken by the Department for Communities and Local Government and its agencies are as follows:
| (b) Agencies of the Department | |||||
| Project | Start date | Original planned completion date | Expected completion date | Originally planned costs (£000) | Estimated planned costs (£000) |
The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre is not undertaking any information technology projects.
All figures include VAT where applicable.
Local Government Finance
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the results of bids for places on Round Six of the Arm’s Length Management Organisation Programme will be announced. [106664]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 30 November 2006]:I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on6 November 2006, Official Report, columns 881-82W.
Local Government Restructuring
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what effect on subsequent local government financial settlements the rejection of unitary authority status in a referendum will have in the area concerned. [105922]
Mr. Woolas: The local government finance settlement for each year will reflect the authoritiesin existence for the period of the settlement. A referendum will not be required to ratify or approve a move to unitary local government.
Ministerial Travel
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what cost was incurred by the Deputy Prime Minister’s (a) private office and (b) ministerial private office for taxi fares in 2005-06. [103933]
Angela E. Smith: In the financial year 2005-06 the Deputy Prime Minister’s private office spent £5,475 on taxi fares.
Planning
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of enforcement notices were followed by successful retrospective planning applications in the last period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [106259]
Yvette Cooper: The information requested is notheld centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of retrospective planning applications were approved in England in the last period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [106260]
Yvette Cooper: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not record statistics on the number of retrospective planning applications received or approved by local authorities. However, a one-off survey carried out in 1999 showed that just over 3 per cent. of all applications to district planning authorities and county councils for planning permission were applied for retrospectively. The success rate for retrospective applications was 85 per cent. as against 88 per cent. overall.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many appeals against (a) retrospective local planning applications and (b) local planning applications have been received by each local authority in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement. [106321]
Yvette Cooper: The following summary table shows the number of planning appeals received in England (a) against retrospective planning applications and (b) in total in each of the last six years. Data on appeals received for retrospective applications are basedon the appellant’s description of the nature of the development and therefore have limitations. Tables giving detailed breakdowns of the numbers for each local planning authority for each year have today been placed in the Library of the House.
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