| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
6 Jun 2007 : Column 534W—continued
Estimates of the number of children living in non-decent or in overcrowded homes in each of the London boroughs is not available.
Housing: London
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2007, Official Report, columns 1286-88W, on housing: London, how many dwellings in the category intermediate homes were allocated to (a) homeless families and (b) families on council waiting lists; and if she will break down the figures provided in the answer by London borough. [140693]
Yvette Cooper: This information is not collected centrally.
Housing: Low Incomes
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of (a) council and (b) Housing Association homes for controlled rent being built in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09; and how many were built in each of the last three years. [140527]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 4 June 2007]: For the years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 local authorities have provided 100, 299 and 245 social rented homes respectively. Over the same time frame registered social landlords provided 20,917, 23,020 and 24,580 social rented homes respectively. Almost all of these were grant funded through Housing Corporation but a small amount are through grant free Section 106. Figures for 2006-07 are provisional.
For 2007-08 we are currently estimating that of our target of 30,000 social rented units around 300 homes will be provided through local authorities and 28,000 through registered social landlords funded via Housing Corporation’s Affordable Housing programme. The remainder will be delivered through other routes such as Section 106 without grant.
For 2008-09 delivery of social rented homes will be subject to the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007. We have already stated that we intend to make the provision of social rented homes a priority.
Housing: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the policy of the Newcastle Gateshead Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder to achieve 25 per cent. affordable housing to rent or buy in its new, replacement or regenerated housing developments was set (a) with Government approval and (b) after Government guidance. [140190]
Yvette Cooper: All the housing market renewal pathfinders have developed evidence based strategies to address the housing needs and aspirations of all their residents and deliver a mix of dwelling types appropriate to their markets. As part of these strategies, pathfinders are expected to use their market intelligence and the views gathered in their engagement with communities to address the question of affordability in their intervention areas. The overall strategies have been approved by Government.
Planning: Environment Protection
John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the planned new independent infrastructure planning commission will have any duties to consider or protect tranquillity. [139223]
Yvette Cooper:
Paragraphs 5.39 to 5.48 of the White Paper ‘Planning for a Sustainable Future’ (Cm 7120) explain decision making by the infrastructure planning
commission. The commission would, in determining applications for development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects, be required to take into account relevant adverse local consequences that are incompatible with relevant EC and domestic law including human rights legislation. Relevant EC and domestic law for development consent covers a wide range of factors, including those relating to the impact on the local community and local environment. We do not propose a specific duty on the commission to consider or protect tranquillity.
The White Paper asks a consultation question on the framework for the commission to decide applications. We will listen to consultation responses and specify the framework for commission decisions in legislation to establish the commission.
Recycling: Warrington
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of Warrington borough council’s progress towards meeting targets for recycling. [139930]
Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
Recycling and composting targets for household waste were set for each local authority for 2003-04 and 2005-06. Targets have also been set for 2007-08.
Warrington borough council achieved a 13 per cent. recycling and composting rate in 2003-04, against their target of 20 per cent. In 2005-06, they reached a rate of 19 per cent. against their target of 30 per cent. While clearly there is a gap between the rates Warrington has achieved and their statutory targets, I understand that their performance has recently improved and is now moving close to their target of 30 per cent. for 2007-08.
My Department is working with the regional Government Offices on a programme of engagement with poor performing local authorities against their 2005-06 statutory recycling targets, including ministerial meetings with the very worst performers.
Regional Development: East of England
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to publish the final version of the East of England Regional Strategy. [139124]
Meg Munn [holding answer 24 May 2007]: We are considering the substantial number of representations, (12,000), on the Secretary of State's Proposed Changes to the East of England Plan (Draft Revisions to the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England). We intend, if possible, to publish the final version of the east of England plan before the summer recess.
Rented Housing
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the impact of trends in buy-to-let properties on (a) the housing market and (b) homelessness. [139978]
Yvette Cooper: Estimating the precise impact of buy-to-let on the housing market is difficult and there is little evidence available. The buy-to-let market has expanded rapidly in the last 10 years since the creation of dedicated buy-to-let mortgages in 1996, rising from 6 per cent. of the private rented stock in 2000 to almost 35 per cent. in 2006. Despite this increase in buy-to-let, the overall size of the private rented sector has remained relatively stable and has only experienced a slight increase as a proportion of total stock from about 10 per cent. to 12 per cent. There has been an increase in the proportion of private rented sector properties that are buy-to-let.
Evidence from the English House Conditions Survey shows that between 1996 and 2004 the percentage of ‘decent’ homes in the PRS has increased by nearly 35 per cent. compared to only 18 per cent. in the owner-occupied sector.
In recent years, due to the increase in supply of private rented properties, rents have not been rising as fast as house prices. This suggests that buy-to-let is unlikely to have had a significant impact on homelessness, which is currently at its lowest level since the early 1980s.
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of buy-to-let houses in (a) Luton, (b) the East of England and (c) England. [139981]
Yvette Cooper: Figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show that the number of outstanding buy-to-let mortgages in England has increased from around 120,000 in 2000 to around 850,000 in 2006. Despite this large increase, the private rented sector as a whole only increased over this period from about 10 per cent. to 12 per cent. of the total housing stock (Source: Communities and Local Government Survey of English Housing).
Information is not held centrally on the number of buy-to-let properties below the national level.
Second Homes: Coastal Areas
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact of second home ownership on the availability of affordable housing in coastal towns. [139684]
Yvette Cooper: The Government have not made an assessment of the impact of second homes ownership on the availability of affordable housing in coastal towns.
Multiple home ownership does not contribute significantly to house price inflation nationally, accounting for just 1 per cent. of the housing stock. However, in some highly localised areas, including some coastal towns, much higher levels of multiple home ownership are prevalent.
When planning for the provision of affordable housing, local planning authorities should aim to ensure that provision meets the needs of both current and future occupiers, taking into account information from a strategic housing market assessment.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Departments: Advertising
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) advertising agencies and (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was. [139435]
Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not keep a central record of amounts spent on consultancy services for advertising campaigns. This information, and the names of the advertising agencies and other organisations who have supplied consultancy services in each of the last five years, could be obtained only by requiring budget holders in the FCO and its agencies to examine all relevant invoices for this period. To do this would incur disproportionate cost.
Departments: Carbon Emissions
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what methodology is used by her Department to account for its carbon emissions. [140790]
Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office accounts for its carbon emissions from energy by applying the relevant carbon emission factor recommended by the Building Research Establishment to the total consumption for each type of energy used. The resulting value is weather corrected to reflect average ambient temperatures for the year.
For travel, the factor published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is applied to total miles travelled, where available, for each method of travel.
Egypt: Political Prisoners
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the Government of Egypt on Ayman Nour, the imprisoned leader of the El-Ghad party, with particular reference to (a) the justice of his incarceration and (b) his ability to receive medical attention; and if she will make a statement. [140145]
Dr. Howells: Mr. Nour was convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in December 2005 on charges of forging signatures required to register his newly-established political party, Al-Ghad. All appeals for his release have so far been rejected.
Mr. Nour has access to medical facilities, including hospitals. The National Council for Human Rights visited him in May this year. The latest appeal hearing to determine whether Mr. Nour should be released on medical grounds is scheduled for 12 June. We would of course welcome such a release.
At the time of Mr. Nour’s conviction we publicly voiced our concerns about his imprisonment and called for his release. In 2006, the EU raised the case with the Ministry of Justice and asked to visit Mr. Nour: the
request was eventually refused on legal grounds. We continue to follow his case closely and to raise it with Egypt at official level.
Russia
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Russian counterpart on Russians living in the United Kingdom who advocate violence against the Russian Government. [140632]
Mr. Hoon: The Russian authorities have raised concerns about Russian nationals resident in the UK with myself and other Government Ministers. But it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the legal position of any individuals. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear on 13 April, we deplore any statement which appears to call for the overthrow of the Russian Government by force.
Uganda: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 May 2007, Official Report, column 240, if she will make a statement on the report of the Commonwealth Secretariat on the choice of Uganda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. [139960]
Dr. Howells: The Commonwealth Secretariat issued a public statement on 26 April, confirming Kampala as the venue for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November. This is consistent with the decision made by Commonwealth Heads of Government at CHOGM in Abuja in 2003. We are not aware of the Commonwealth Secretariat issuing any other reports on this matter.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken working in collaboration with the National Farmers’ Union to ensure that those farmers affected by the late payment, partial payment, non-payment and mis-payment of the single farm payment (a) remain economically viable and (b) suffer no long-term effect to their business. [132277]
Barry Gardiner: The farmers concerned will be best served by the Rural Payments Agency’s continued focus on making payments under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and, where necessary, adjustments to SPS entitlement values, in the earliest possible time frame. The latest position on these issues was reported in the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 15 May 2007, Official Report, column 29WS.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will compensate farmers who incurred costs through delays in making single farm payments. [132417]
Barry Gardiner: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his statement of 22 June 2006, Official Report, column 1478, the Rural Payments Agency has been authorised to make interest payments at the London Interbank Offered Rate +1 per cent. on sums due under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme which were outstanding at the end of the EU Regulatory payment window for the scheme on 30 June 2006. Such payments are calculated from 1 July 2006 until the date of payment and are subject to a minimum interest payment level of £50. As at 3 May 2007, such payments have totalled £1,161,299.29.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the determination of single farm payments in 2007. [132714]
Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 15 May 2007, Official Report, column 29WS.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Rural Payments Agency's review of claims involving fruit, vegetable and potato single payment scheme authorisations has been completed; when claimants will be notified of their authorisation allocations; if he will publish the results of the review; and if he will make a statement. [134231]
Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency wrote to affected Single Payment Scheme applicants in January to explain the background to its, then recently completed, review of the allocation of fruit and vegetable authorisations and to confirm the outcome in respect of applicants' individual cases.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |