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25 July 2007 : Column 1134W—continued
Communities and Local Government
Best Value
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), of 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1524W, on best value, what estimate she has made of the number of Best Value inspections that will take place each year under the Comprehensive Area Assessment regime. [152425]
John Healey: The 2006 Budget announced a rationalisation of the number of inspectorates and proposals to significantly reduce the cost of inspection by around a third in the medium term. The Audit Commission is on target to meet this reduction as a result of a more targeted and proportionate approach to inspection and a reduction in the volume of inspections needed for CPA. In its commission to the local services inspectorates, the Government made it clear that they expected the new assessment and inspection regime as a whole to reduce the burdens on the inspected and fit with the Government’s commitment to a one-third reduction in the cost of public service inspection by 2008.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) of 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1524W, on best value, whether best value performance indicators will still be collected under the comprehensive area assessment regime. [152426]
John Healey: The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, which is currently before Parliament, will abolish Best Value Performance Indicators (except for Welsh Best Value authorities and the police). In line with our commitment in the local government White Paper “Strong and Prosperous Communities” we are developing a single set of national indicators for local government, working alone or in partnership, which will replace existing sets, including BVPIs. This set of indicators will underpin the new performance framework, including Local Area Agreements and the Comprehensive Area Assessment.
Computers: Carbon Emissions
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has allocated to the Green Shift cyber-warming programme. [152402]
Mr. Iain Wright: Greenshift is not a Communities and Local Government project, so no funding has been allocated to it from this Department.
Council Housing: Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing projects were funded by private finance initiatives in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority. [151528]
Mr. Iain Wright:
A total of 19 schemes have signed since the Housing PFI Programme started, of which 12
have been decent homes schemes and seven have been additional social rented schemes.
There are also two combined heating and power schemes funded through the programme in Manchester and Tower Hamlets.
In addition a further 12 schemes are in procurement (six of each); and seven are developing outline business cases (four decent homes, three additional social rented).
The housing projects funded by the Department's private finance initiative since 1997 are listed, by local authority, in the following table.
| Local authority | Project name | Year of signature |
Council Housing: Waiting Lists
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many households there were on local authority waiting lists for social housing in each Government office region in each year for which figures are available since 1986; [152513]
(2) how many households there were on local authority waiting lists for social housing in England in each year since 1986. [152514]
Mr. Iain Wright: The following tables show the number of households on local authority waiting lists for social housing in each Government office region and in England for every year since 1986.
Local authorities in England currently report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns.
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.
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