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16 Jan 2007 : Column 1097W—continued
Departmental Expenditure Limit 2006-07
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written statement of 21 November 2006, Official Report, column 23, on departmental expenditure limit 2006-07, if she will break down the (a) component parts and (b) purpose of the £1.36 million of expenditure on the development of English regions. [114458]
Angela E. Smith: The £1.361 million comprises take up of end year flexibility (EYF) for the Northern Way (£800,000), regional development agencies (RDAs) (£10,000) and the London Development Agency (LDA) (£551,000).
£800,000 was the resource contribution for the 2006-07 financial year from Communities and Local Government to the Northern Way Growth Fund.
The take up of EYF for the RDAs and the LDA was to bring the level of voted provision for these bodies into line with the budgets that had been allocated to them for the year.
Equality and Diversity
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to implement the recommendations of the Civil Service capability review of her Department on equality and diversity among staff. [114518]
Angela E. Smith: Communities and Local Government has already taken significant steps including the creation of a workplace equalities team in October. This has contributed to work on the new race equality and disability equality schemes and the forthcoming gender equality scheme.
In direct response to the capability review we will be drawing on this work and will publish a workplace equality strategy this March. Key themes included will be in line with Whitehall's ten point plan on equality: targets and measurement; leadership and accountability; recruitment and promotion; development, learning culture and working practices, and communications.
We have already introduced practical measures including signing up to become an "exemplar" employee (as recommended by the Women and Work Commission) and opening all new jobs to flexible working wherever possible.
Fire Service College
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are employed at the Fire Service College, broken down by category of employment. [115711]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested is in the following table.
| Fire Service College: Staff in post as at January 2007 | |
| Number | |
| (1) Of whom 22 are part-time | |
Government Office for London
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) programme expenditure and (b) administration costs of the Government office for London were in each year since 1996-97; and what the forecast is for 2006-07. [114744]
Angela E. Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 November 2006, Official Report, columns 753-54W.
The only figures to have changed since that answer are the running cost forecast and programme budget figures for 2006-07, which we would expect to change as these figures are regularly updated throughout the financial year. The running cost forecast for 2006-07 has decreased from £18.2 million to £18.0 million, as GOL has been able to cover a large proportion of its accommodation shortfall. The programme budget figure for 2006-07 has increased from £3,074 million to £3,096 million as a result of additional programme budgets which have been delegated to GOL.
Home Information Packs
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether financial incentives are being provided to estate agents to participate in the home information pack dry run in each of the pilot areas. [114579]
Yvette Cooper: No financial incentives are being provided specifically to estate agents to participate in the home information pack area trials. Payment for the free and reduced cost home information packs (HIPs) available in these areas will be made directly to the organisation compiling the HIP.
Housing
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition she uses of the term ‘affordable housing’; how many affordable homes there are in the Chelmsford local authority area; and how many there were in 1997. [114809]
Yvette Cooper: Affordable housing includes social rented and intermediate housing, provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. Affordable housing should:
Meet the needs of eligible households including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices.
Include provision for the home to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or, if these restrictions are lifted, for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision.
This new definition is provided in “Planning Policy Statement 3—Housing” (CLG, December 2006, page 25), and replaces the definition in “Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing (PPG3)” and “DETR Circular 6/98 Planning and Affordable Housing”.
Reported data on the number of affordable homes in the Chelmsford local authority area show that:
In 1997 there were 1,437 social rented homes provided by RSLs and 7,796 by the local authority.
In 2006 there were 9,141 social rented homes provided by RSLs and none by the local authority.
At least 272 intermediate (low cost home ownership) homes were provided in 1997-98 to 2005-06, of which 199 received Housing Corporation grant.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social houses there are in the Chelmsford local authority area. [114810]
Yvette Cooper: As at 31 March 2006, there were 9,141 social houses in the Chelmsford borough area. The stock is owned and managed by housing associations or registered social landlords (RSLs) operating in the borough.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people (a) living within the Chelmsford local authority area and (b) living outside the Chelmsford local authority area are on the Chelmsford housing waiting list; and what the figures were in 1997. [114812]
Yvette Cooper: There are currently 4,940 households on the Chelmsford local authority housing waiting list. Of these, 3,900 are living within the local authority area and 1,040 are living outside the authority area.
In 1997, there were 3,600 households on the waiting list living within the local authority area. There was a negligible number of households on the waiting list who were living outside the area as the pre-2002 allocations policy did not allow people living outside the Chelmsford LA area to register for housing, with the exception of a small number of homeless cases.
Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those
who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.
Housing: Planning Permission
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will revise Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 to ban building of houses in back gardens; and if she will make a statement. [107304]
Yvette Cooper: No. The final Planning Policy Statement 3 published on 29 November gives local authorities greater flexibility around the location and kind of housing in their area and gives them greater flexibility to address concerns around development on garden land in areas where it is a problem. We do not believe a blanket ban is appropriate.
Masts
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to review Planning Policy Guidance 8, on masts. [114511]
Meg Munn: We will be revising the Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development this year and will be reviewing Planning Policy Guidance 8: Telecommunications in tandem with that work.
Migration
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s latest estimate is of net migration (a) per year and (b) over the next 20 years into (i) each Government Office region in England and (ii) England. [114499]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 16 January 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question about the latest estimates of net migration (a) per year and (b) over the next 20 years at England and Government Office Region level. I am replying in her absence. (114499)
The Office for National Statistics publishes international migration estimates for calendar years in its migration annual reference volume (series MN) which can be found on the ONS website at http://nswebcopy/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=507. The most recent estimates on this basis are for 2004.
Mid-year to mid-year estimates of net international migration are calculated as a component of change within the official population estimates. Table 1 shows the 2003-04 and 2004-05 net international migration used in these estimates.
The ONS is also responsible for the regular production of official national and subnational population projections. In producing these, the ONS makes assumptions on the future levels of international migration over the projected period. These assumptions are based upon observed historic trends in
migration and are the subject of a consultation with key users and local authorities. Table 2 shows the assumptions on future levels of net international migration for years 2005-06 to 2007-08 as used in the most recent, 2004-based, sets of projections. The international migration assumptions for the year 2007-08 are the long-term assumptions and remain at the same level for the following 20 years. Note that these assumptions are based on historic data to mid 2004 only and so are not consistent with the 2004-05 estimates shown in Table 1.
| Table 1: Net international migration( 1) for England and Government Office Regions used in the mid-year estimates | ||
| Thousand | ||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | |
| (1) Excludes cross border flows to and from other UK countries Source: Office for National Statistics | ||
| Table 2: Net international migration( 1) for England and Government Office Regions used in the 2004-based subnational population projections | |||
| Thousand | |||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | ( 2) 2007-08 | |
| (1) Excludes cross border flows to and from other UK countries (2) The international migration assumptions for the year 2007-08 are the long-term assumptions and remain at the same level for the following 20 years Source: Office for National Statistics | |||
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