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24 July 2007 : Column 965W—continued


Housing: Standards

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if the Government will set a target date for improving the standard assessment procedure (SAP) rating of the two million properties identified in the English House Condition Survey 2005 with a SAP rating below 30. [148431]

Mr. Iain Wright: We currently have no plans to set a specific target date for improving the SAP ratings of these homes, as we have existing policies and programmes which are successfully raising levels of domestic energy efficiency throughout England.

The Government are committed to meeting its statutory requirement of eradicating fuel poverty in the households of vulnerable people by 2010 and in all households across England by 2016. To date 1.4 million
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households have received help in making their home more energy efficient, through the "Warm Front" programme.

Additionally, the decent homes standard requires homes to have both efficient heating and effective insulation. Since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent social sector homes by over 1 million, with over 700,000 council homes receiving work to improve their central heating and over 600,000 local authority dwellings receiving work to improve their insulation.

We have increased the proportion of vulnerable households in the private sector who live in decent homes to 66 per cent., up from 43 per cent. in 1996.

Landlord and Tenant: Rents

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what studies have been undertaken by her Department on the levels of rent paid by private sector tenants and their security of tenure; and whether there are any plans to change policy in this areas. [150508]

Mr. Iain Wright [holding answer 18 July 2007]: Through the annual Survey of English Housing the Department collects a range of information about the attitudes of private tenants towards their accommodation. This includes information on rents and satisfaction levels with accommodation. The Department has not undertaken any studies in relation to security of tenure in the private rented sector.

We monitor the operation of the private rented housing market to ensure that the sector continues to offer good quality and safe accommodation for people who do not qualify for social housing and are not in a position to enter home ownership. We have no immediate plans to make changes to the legislation on rent levels and security of tenure governed by the Housing Act 1988.

Local Authorities: Newspaper Press

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for which purposes local authorities are required to place notices in local newspapers. [152398]

Mr. Iain Wright: The Government's policy is that information should be made widely available by public bodies, including local authorities, through a variety of appropriate channels. We will take the opportunity, where possible, to allow authorities more discretion on how best to publicise matters in their area. We do not hold centrally, information on the requirements placed on local authorities to insert notices in local newspapers.

Local Government: Grants

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the central grant payment to local authorities in each year since 1997. [152318]

John Healey: The following table shows the total amount of formula grant, which comprises Revenue Support Grant, redistributed business rates, principal formula Police Grant, SSA Reduction Grant (SSA
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Review). SSA Reduction Grant (Police Funding Review) and Central Support Protection Grant, where appropriate, for all authorities, the previous year's formula grant adjusted for changes in funding and function to enable like-for-like comparisons, the change in formula grant and the percentage change in formula grant for the period 1997-98 to 2007-08.

Current y ear Previous year's adjusted formula gran t (£ million) Current year's formula grant (£ million) Change (£ million) Percentage c hange

1998-99

34,799.547

35,436.867

637.320

1.8

1999-2000

35,436.867

37,110.829

1,673.962

4.7

2000-01

37,110.980

38,516.380

1,405.400

3.8

2001-02

38,343.957

40,024.446

1,680.489

4.4

2002-03

38,399.009

40,323.132

1,924.123

5.0

2003-04

41,444.087

43,894.370

2,450.282

5.9

2004-05

43,706.797

46,124.222

2,417.425

5.5

2005-06

46,428.755

49,015.925

2,587.170

5.6

2006-07

24,091.464

24,813.914

722.450

3.0

2007-08

24,706.400

25,633.008

926.608

3.8


Prior to 2006-07 support for schools was provided via formula grant; from 2006-07 onwards support for schools was provided via the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Members: Official Correspondence

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to reply to question 148411 tabled by the hon. Member for Isle of Wight on 4 July 2007 on tree preservation orders. [151775]

Mr. Iain Wright [holding answer 23 July 2007]: I answered the question from the hon. Member on 23 July 2007.

Ordnance Survey Act 1841: Fines

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fines were levied for breaching the Ordnance Survey Act 1841, in relation to preventing a representative of Ordnance Survey from entering a property to conduct an inspection in each year since 1997. [152418]

Mr. Iain Wright: There has been no breach of the Ordnance Survey Act 1841 requiring formal action in relation to prevention of a representative of Ordnance Survey from entering a property in any year since 1997. No fines have been levied in any of these years.

Planning

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how a single-issue revision to a planning policy may be initiated; on which occasions such a revision has been initiated in the last 10 years; and what the subject was of each such revision. [149975]

Mr. Iain Wright: A single-issue revision to a national planning policy is initiated when Government decide that an aspect of planning policy needs to be changed or withdrawn. There is a variety of reasons which
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might prompt Government to revise policy. These include for example, when policies are not being implemented as expected, where new information emerges that suggest a change is needed, or where a change is required as a result of a court judgment.

The following table sets out all single-issue revisions that have been made since 1997, and the planning policy document to which the amendment relates.

Title of document Amendment to which planning policy document

2007

Circular 03/2007 “The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007”

Planning Policy Guidance note 19: (1992)

2007

Circular 01/07 “Revisions to Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings”

Planning Policy Guidance note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (1994)

2006

Written Ministerial Statement “PPS22” (Yvette Cooper)

Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy (2004)

2005

“Planning for Sustainable Communities in Rural Areas”

Planning Policy Guidance note 3: Housing (2000)

2005

“Supporting the Delivery of New Housing”

Planning Policy Guidance note 3: Housing (2000)

2005

Circular 09/2005 “Arrangements for Handling Heritage Applications—Notification to National Amenity Societies Direction 2005”

Planning Policy Guidance note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (1994)

2005

Circular 02/2005 “Temporary Stop Notice”

Planning Policy Guidance note 18: Enforcing Planning Control (1991)

2001

DETR News Release 155 and PQ Mark Todd—“Countryside Planning”—(21 March 2001, Official Report, columns 253-55W)

Planning Policy Guidance note 7: The Countryside (2004)

2001

Circular 01/2001 “Arrangements for Handling Heritage Applications—Notification and Directions by the Secretary of State”

Planning Policy Guidance note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (1994)

2000

DETR News Release 416 and PQ Dr. Whitehead—“Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty”—(13 June 2000, Official Report, columns 555-56W)

Planning Policy Guidance note 7: The Countryside (2004)

1997

Circular 14/97 “Planning and the Historic Environment—Notification and Directions by the Secretary of State”

Planning Policy Guidance note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (1994)


Planning Permission: Appeals

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government within what period of time from a planning appeal being received the Planning Inspectorate is obliged to set a start date for the appeal. [152371]

Mr. Iain Wright: There is no statutory period, following receipt of a planning appeal, for setting a starting date. However, when an appeal is received, and provided it is submitted within the time limit and contains all the essential documents listed in the appeal form, it typically takes the Planning Inspectorate five to seven working days to set the starting date.

Planning Permission: Cornwall

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications that have limited weeks per year
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occupancy as an incorporated feature have been approved in Cornwall in the last 10 years. [152095]

Mr. Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally.

Communities and Local Government collects quarterly aggregate statistics on development control from all local planning authorities in England. However, we do not collect information on individual planning applications.

Property Development: East Sussex

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of (a) parkland and (b) greenfield land has been developed in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex in the last 10 years. [151357]

Mr. Iain Wright: Information on the percentage of “parkland” that has been developed in Eastbourne or East Sussex is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because central Government do not hold data on the stock of “parkland”. The land use change statistics do not have a category which corresponds exactly to “parkland”. The nearest category would be “outdoor recreation”.

Land use change statistics show the amount of land changing its use from “outdoor recreation” to previously-developed (“brownfield”), but this figure can only be compared against the overall amount of change or the total area of Eastbourne or East Sussex.

The land use change statistics show that between 1996 and 2005:

Information on the percentage of “greenfield” land that has been developed in Eastbourne or East Sussex is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because central Government do not hold data on the stock of “greenfield” land.

Land use change statistics show the amount of land changing its use from non previously-developed (“greenfield”) to developed (“brownfield”), but this figure can only be compared against the overall amount of change or the total area of Eastbourne or East Sussex.

Land use change statistics show that between 1996 and 2005:


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