| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
5 Mar 2007 : Column 1784W—continued
| 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
| (1) Based on the Defra Rural Definition (2004). (2) Communities and Local Government 2003 based household and population estimates. Source: Statistical returns from local authorities. | ||||||
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has commissioned into tenant satisfaction with the choice-based lettings schemes; and if she will make a statement. [120535]
Yvette Cooper: The Department has not commissioned research into tenant satisfaction with choice-based lettings schemes (which would have used a quantitative survey approach).
However, the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) has carried out two qualitative studies for the Department into applicants’ perspectives of choice based lettings:
(i) as part of the evaluation of the Government-funded CBL pilot programme (which ran from 2001-2003). “Applicants’ perspectives on Choice-Based Lettings” was published in May 2004 and is available on the CLG website at www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1153279
(ii) as part of a research project looking into the longer term impact of choice based lettings. The BMRB study looked at applicants’ experience and views of choice based lettings in general, and the impact on community cohesion in particular. “Monitoring the Longer Term Impact of Choice Based Lettings”, which presents the findings of the BMRB study, together with the study carried out by Heriot Watt University that focuses mainly on social landlords, was published in October 2006 and is available on the CLG website at www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1503598
Overall, the longer-term research reveals a number of positive outcomes attributable to choice based lettings: improved tenancy sustainment; good outcomes for homeless households; a tendency for choice based lettings to result in more dispersed, rather than concentrated; lettings to ethnic minority households; and a tendency to speed up the re-letting of empty properties.
Housing: Climate Change
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will publish the report required by section 14 of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 explaining the steps that have been taken to secure greater compliance with the provisions of building regulations for the purpose of (a) furthering the conservation of fuel and power and (b) reducing emissions of greenhouses gases. [125202]
Angela E. Smith: The report due under section 14 of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 was laid in Parliament on 21 February 2007 and is published on the Department's website. It was laid in the Library of the House in conjunction with the report due under section 6 of the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004 under the title ‘Monitoring the Sustainability of Buildings’.
Housing: Energy
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to increase the number of private landlords introducing energy efficiency schemes. [122353]
Yvette Cooper: The Government have put systems and incentives in place to increase energy efficiency in the private rented sector. The landlords energy saving allowance provides tax allowances for landlords who implement energy efficiency measures in their rented properties. The energy efficiency commitment and Warm Front schemes also encourage private landlords to take up energy efficiency measures.
When they are introduced, energy performance certificates will also provide landlords with information on what measures that they can take to raise the energy performance of their properties and the carbon emissions that they will save.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2007, Official Report, column 1W, on energy performance certificates, whether she expects their cost to vary according to the size of a domestic property. [124367]
Yvette Cooper: The price of energy performance certificates will be set by the market and not by Government. This is likely to vary according to a number of factors, including the size of a domestic property, as this will affect the amount of time taken on site to carry out an assessment.
Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect on (a) energy efficiency and (b) carbon emissions of using electric heating twinned with microgeneration in new building developments. [124462]
Angela E. Smith: The regulatory impact assessment accompanying the changes to part L of the Building Regulations that came into operation in April 2006 contained assessments of the energy efficiency that would be required by electric heating systems in general to achieve the new standards. No assessment was made of the impact of twinning electric heating with microgeneration but builders are able to choose this approach and my Department has published guidance to help in this.
Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration she is giving to electric heating as part of requirements to reduce the carbon footprint of new buildings. [124463]
Angela E. Smith:
We are consulting on further amending the building regulations energy efficiency requirements in 2010, 2013 and 2016 moving towards our goal of net zero annual carbon emissions from new
buildings. Detailed proposals will need to be prepared before any change can be made and in the normal way the electric heating industry and other stakeholders will be consulted before final decisions are made.
Housing: Hampshire
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of affordable homes were built as a result of section 106 planning agreements in (a) England, (b) Hampshire and (c) each (i) district, (ii) borough and (iii) unitary authority in Hampshire in each year since 2003. [124114]
Yvette Cooper: The information is as follows.
| Affordable homes provided: Hampshire | ||||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | Proportion of affordable homes( 1) | |
| (1 )Proportion of affordable homes delivered which incorporated a contribution through an agreement under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Notes: ‘Affordable home’ includes social rent, low-cost home ownership and other sub-market rental products. Source: Housing Corporation, statistical returns from local authorities. | ||||
Housing: Harlow
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what dates in the last 12 months she met the Minister of Housing and Planning to discuss policy on the Harlow sub-regional growth area. [124281]
Angela E. Smith: The Secretary of State has not met the Minister for Housing and Planning to discuss policy on the Harrow sub-regional growth area.
Housing: Low Incomes
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the merits of using community land trusts to increase access to property ownership by lower-income householders. [122354]
Yvette Cooper: Community land trusts are an interesting and promising new option for delivering affordable housing and we are keen to explore whether they will allow for more households on lower incomes to access and sustain home ownership.
The Housing Corporation and English Partnerships are working with a number of potential Community land trust schemes with the aim of establishing some viable pilots. The Housing Corporation is currently appraising several specific schemes and expect some of those to be up and running later this year. These will help us to test different mechanisms and decide which approaches provide the greatest advantages for lower income households.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about expenditure on affordable housing in the next comprehensive spending review. [123885]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 27 February 2007]: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has had and will continue to have wide ranging and regular discussions with the Chancellor and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury about preparations for the 2007 comprehensive spending review.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people from (a) the London borough of Havering and (b) Romford constituency are taking part in the key worker living programme. [124925]
Yvette Cooper: Since its launch in 2004, we have helped 142 key workers into a home in the London borough of Havering under the key worker living programme. The aim of the key worker living scheme is to help front-line public-sector workers live within reasonable travelling distance of their place of work: the Housing Corporation does not collect data on where beneficiaries previously lived, but does collect data on where they purchase properties. Figures are collected at local authority level and are not available on a constituency basis.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |