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20 Jun 2007 : Column 1854W—continued
Council Tax: Valuation
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007, Official Report, column 1539W, on Valuation Office: contracts, for what reasons the contract with Rightmove does not seek to collect data from Wales. [143456]
Mr. Woolas: The contract with Rightmove was entered into to support work in preparation for the (now postponed) council tax revaluation in England.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent by (a) her Department and its predecessor and (b) Ordnance Survey on the National Spatial Address Infrastructure. [143459]
Angela E. Smith: Communities and Local Government and its predecessors spent approximately £50,000 in support of the National Spatial Address Infrastructure (NSAI). Ordnance Survey’s external expenditure on NSAI totals £98,000.
In addition, both organisations invested significant management time in the initiative, but the time spent by individual members of staff is not separately identifiable.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many appeals were forecast to arise by the Valuation Office Agency in relation to the 2005 business rates revaluation. [143502]
Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency made no specific forecast.
Electric Cables: Health Hazards
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007, Official Report, column 292W, on electric cables: health hazards, if she will publish the advice which she sought from the Health Protection Agency; and if she will make a statement; [144088]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007, Official Report, columns 291-92W, on electric cables: health hazards, when the Government plan to respond to the report by the Stakeholder Advisory Group on extremely low frequency waves and electric magnetic fields. [144091]
Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply
The recently published report from the stakeholder advisory group on extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields, known as the SAGE report, is currently under consideration by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The Government have asked HPA for advice concerning the report's recommendations. This advice will be published once Ministers have had the opportunity to consider it.
Energy: Conservation
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if the Government will consider the merits of publishing a low carbon milestone document to ensure that policies on housing plans and energy initiatives are co-ordinated following the publication of the Energy White Paper. [143867]
Yvette Cooper:
The Government’s strategy to move towards a low carbon economy are set out in the Energy White Paper, which explains how the domestic
sector and planned new housing will play their part in meeting our climate change objectives. The Climate Change Bill will establish legally binding carbon budgets and targets to help this country meet its commitment to tackle climate change. The Government are also consulting on a timetable for zero carbon homes within 10 years.
Family Intervention Project
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Family Intervention Project. [143422]
Meg Munn: In 2004 Communities and Local Government commissioned a two year evaluation of six Intensive Family Support Projects which pioneered new ways of working with families at risk of eviction as a result of antisocial behaviour. The evaluation found that in more than eight out of ten families (85 per cent.), at the point at which they exited the projects, complaints about antisocial behaviour had ceased or reduced and tenancies were stabilised resulting in a reduction in the risk of homelessness. Two further pieces of research have been commissioned. One will track a sample of families who worked with the six Intensive Family Support Projects and the other will be on the study that helped inform roll-out of the 53 Family Intervention Projects which the Government announced in April. The findings of both studies (in the case of the second piece, the first stage of the project) will be published later in the year.
Fire Services: Information and Communications Technology
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Fire Service Emergency Cover risk assessment and response toolkit system is compatible with the software to be used in the regional fire control centres. [142952]
Angela E. Smith: The Risk Management Toolkit and Optimal Resource Location tool specified for the Regional Control Centres will use the same data, algorithms and techniques as the Fire Service Emergency Cover toolkit. The software will have a similar look and characteristics.
Fire Services: Manpower
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many operational fire control room staff are employed in each brigade emergency fire control room, broken down by region; and what her latest estimate is for planning purposes of the number to be employed in operational roles in each regional fire control centre. [142955]
Angela E. Smith:
The following table gives by region, the number of staff we expect will be employed in the each Regional Control Centre (RCC) and the number of staff currently employed in control rooms. The numbers include control room operators as well as data and gazetteer specialists and operational managers. These numbers have been used to calculate the costs in the
latest version of the business case published on 14 June. The assumptions in the business case are kept under review. The actual number of staff employed by each RCC will be for the RCC Company to determine. We expect fewer staff to be employed in the RCC network than at present. Fire and Rescue Authorities are encouraged to look for other jobs for staff who will not transfer to the RCCs. The Department will meet the reasonable costs of retaining these control room staff.
| Current FRS control rooms 05/06 | Planned RCC numbers | |
| Note: All numbers are in terms of full-time equivalents | ||
Housing: Eco-towns
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individual dwellings are planned to be built under the plans for five eco-villages; what total public funding is planned to be provided by central Government for those plans; and where they will be built. [143469]
Yvette Cooper: Decisions about plans for eco-towns, including potential funding support, more detailed criteria, and potential locations (making use where possible of brownfield land) will be set out in due course.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the construction of five eco villages. [143641]
Yvette Cooper: Further information about plans for eco-towns will be set out in due course.
Housing: Energy
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government is taking to remedy the two million properties that the English House Condition Survey 2005 identifies as having an energy efficiency rating below SAP 30. [143693]
Yvette Cooper: Existing policies and programmes have seen the proportion of homes with an energy efficiency rating of SAP30 or below fall from 17 per cent. of the total housing stock in 1996 to 10 per cent. (2.2 million homes) in 2005.
Programmes such as Warm Front, Decent Homes and the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) continue to deliver energy efficiency improvements in homes. Over the period from 1996 to 2005, there has been a doubling of the number of properties with insulated cavity walls and a 19 per cent. rise in the number of homes using gas central heating.
We are currently consulting on proposals for a new Carbon Emissions Reduction Target that would double the activity under the existing EEC programme from 2008-11.
Housing: Environment Protection
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procedure will be followed to determine the location of the eco-homes announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. [144051]
Yvette Cooper: Our planning system has a plan-led approach with development plans and policies at both local and regional level on which the public is consulted, and which then provide a framework for assessing individual planning applications. We expect our national planning policies, including on housing and tackling climate change, to be taken into account in the preparation of these plans and they may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications. We will set out further information on eco-towns in due course.
Housing: Middlesbrough
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to regenerate housing in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. [143425]
Yvette Cooper: Planning Policy Statement 3 on Housing encourages local authorities to achieve a wide choice of high quality homes, to widen opportunities for home ownership, to improve affordability and to create sustainable communities. The Local Government White Paper places emphasis on the need to focus on place shaping and we are working with a wide variety of partners nationally and in the North East region to achieve this.
Middlesbrough borough council and Redcar and Cleveland borough council are currently completing, with other partners, a costed and prioritised Tees Valley Sub-regional Housing Strategy which will form the basis of the next round of Government funding through the Single Housing Investment Pot (SHIP) of the North East Housing Board. The Tees Valley authorities have banded together to form Tees Valley Living which act as a strategic co-ordinating group for housing and regeneration activities.
Both Middlesbrough BC and Redcar and Cleveland have ‘fit for purpose’ housing strategies in place and both are working to address the key housing priorities which include tackling housing market failure; improving the condition of housing stock by meeting the decent homes standard; providing appropriate supported and specialist housing and ensuring the provision of suitable and sufficient affordable housing in the future.
Social housing stock in Middlesbrough is now managed by Erimus Housing Association and in Redcar and Cleveland by Coast and Country Housing. Both of these RSL’, together with others operating in the area are well on track to meet the 2010 target for achieving Decent Homes status.
Housing: Migration
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate she has made of future net migration for the purpose of formulating household projections; and what her most recent estimate is of household formation attributable to net migration between 2004 and 2026. [137282]
Yvette Cooper: The ‘2004-based’ household projections for England are derived from the Office for National Statistics’ population projections.
The 2004 based household projections show that the biggest factor is more people living alone and net migration accounts for 73,000 (33 per cent.) of the 223,000 annual household growth between 2004 and 2026.
Housing: Standards
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations (a) she and (b) her predecessor responsible for housing policy received on the impact of section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 on the willingness of tenants to complain to private landlords about the condition of privately rented accommodation. [143310]
Yvette Cooper: Only one representation has been received requesting a meeting to discuss the impact of Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 on the willingness of tenants to complain to private landlords over the condition of privately rented accommodation. A meeting was subsequently arranged with my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) and representatives from the Citizens’ Advice Bureau to discuss a Bureau report which explores this issue.
Tenants have a right to request that their landlord carries out repairs for which he or she is responsible under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and we condemn any landlord who would evict their tenants for exercising their statutory rights.
Non-Domestic Rates
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the net yield from business rates was in each local authority in England in 2006-07; [143482]
(2) what the average business rates cost was in each local authority in England in 2006-07. [143495]
Mr. Woolas: A table giving details of both the net yield from business rates and the average business rate in each local authority in England, in 2006-07, has been placed in the Library of the House.
Planning Permission: Green Belt
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Green Belt areas in (a) the South East and (b) the South West of England received permission for development in 2006-07 as a result of appeals allowed by (i) planning inspectors and (ii) her. [142685]
Yvette Cooper: The number of appeals in the Green Belt during the period from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 which have been allowed and, for contextual purposes, dismissed, can be seen as follows:
| Decisions taken by Planning Inspectors | |||
| Allowed | Dismissed | Total | |
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