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24 Oct 2007 : Column 376W—continued


Housing: Disabled

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people have received the disabled facilities grant in the last 12 months. [158050]

Mr. Iain Wright: According the data provided by the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix, there were an estimated 37,972 recipients of the disabled facilities grant in 2006-07.

Housing: Low Income

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on building new affordable homes for rent in the most recent period for which figures are available; how many homes were built in each of the last 15 years; and how many are planned to be built in each of the next three years. [157727]

Mr. Iain Wright: In 2006-07 the Housing Corporation spent over £1.4 billion on the provision of social rented homes through their affordable housing programme.

The following table shows the number of additional social rented homes provided between 1991-92 and 2006-07 through Housing Corporation investment and other sources such as local authorities and Section 106 agreements without grant. These figures include homes provided through both new build and acquisition and refurbishment.

Number

1991-92

25,705

1992-93

57,023

1993-94

48,941

1994-95

52,190

1995-96

56,949

1996-97

42,465

1997-98

35,780

1998-99

33,579

1999-2000

28,794

2000-01

27,087

2001-02

26,810

2002-03

23,955

2003-04

22,661

2004-05

21,029

2005-06

23,411

2006-07 (provisional)

25,844


We have a target to deliver 30,000 social rented homes in 2007-08, of which the Housing Corporation is expected to provide 28,000.

Our recent Housing Green Paper announced, on 23 July, that we are increasing the supply of new affordable housing in England to at least 70,000 homes a year by 2010-11 of which 45,000 homes will be for social rent. This will be supported by an investment in affordable housing of £8 billion over the next three years, initially through the Housing Corporation and then through the new homes and communities agency.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the social housing waiting list of Peterborough city council was on 1 October in each year since 1997. [160803]

Mr. Iain Wright: Information is not collected as at 1 October. Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns.

I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave him on 8 October 2007, Official Report, columns 5-52W.

Housing: Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what her Department's timetable is for finalising the Climate Change Planning Policy Statement; and if she will make a statement; [159368]

(2) when she expects the Climate Change Planning Policy Statement to be published. [159377]

Yvette Cooper: As stated in our White Paper “Planning for a Sustainable Future” we propose to finalise the Planning Policy Statement by the end of 2007.


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Local Government: Northern Region

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings on local government reorganisation in the northern region have been attended by the Minister for the North East. [159737]

Mr. Dhanda: Over the summer recess, the Minister for the North East has formally met the leaders of every strategic local authority in the north-east, or their representatives, and has met individual councillors from district authorities in Northumberland and Durham. No meeting has exclusively discussed the local government reorganisation. The Minister has also discussed the issue with senior public servants in the region.

Local Government: Publications

Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy for local government public documents to be provided in English-language versions only. [158887]

Mr. Dhanda: The planned guidance on translation for local authorities and public bodies will set out steps local authorities can take to ensure they only translate where necessary and will put a greater focus on promoting English. It will be for local authorities to achieve the right balance in their areas.

Regional Government: Ministers

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff support each of the Ministers for the Regions in their regional roles, broken down by grade; what the engagements of each Minister were from the date of their appointment to 1 October 2007; over what budget for 2007-08 for each region each Minister has control; what each Minister’s regional responsibilities are; and what the cost is of the staff of each Minister. [159271]

Mr. Dhanda: The role of Regional Ministers is set out in paragraphs 115 to 118 in “The Governance of Britain” and their responsibilities include:

Regional Ministers do not have control of a specific budget. Alongside their departmental private offices, Government offices also provide support for the Regional Ministers. This varies from one to 3.5 full-time equivalent staff, across the grade scale, depending on the requirements of the Minister at the time.


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Regional Ministers are currently developing a forward plan of events for the coming year. From the date of their appointment up until 1 October they have attended a variety of engagements including meetings with the heads of regional development agencies, regional assemblies, local government and the business sectors on the outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and the flooding that affected many of the regions and other region-specific issues.

Religion

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her criteria are for assessing the effect of the activities of (a) Muslim and (b) other community organisations on tackling extremism and promoting shared values. [159866]

Mr. Dhanda: As stated in the PSA 26 (“reduce the risk to the UK and interests from international terrorism”), the objective of the PREVENT strand of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy is to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting violent extremism.

Within this, the Department leads on work to enable local communities to be able to challenge robustly ideas of those extremists who seek to undermine our way of life, set out in the Preventing Violent Extremism Action Plan published in April 2007. Key to this is the building of strong communities, confident in themselves, open to others and resilient to violent extremism.

Planning Authorities: Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what advice her Department is giving to local planning authorities wishing to adopt a Merton planning rule requiring onsite renewable energy; and what changes have been made to that advice since the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006, Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22; [159370]

(2) whether it is Government policy that all local planning authorities should require on site renewable energy installations in all major new developments; and if she will make a statement. [159374]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 October 2007, Official Report , columns 860-61W.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what her Department's estimate is of the total cost to local planning authorities of developing Merton planning rules as directed by the Housing Minister in the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006, Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22; [159379]

(2) what her Department's estimate is of the amount of time spent by officials and inspectors in her Department in promoting the Merton rule as required by the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006, Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22; [159380]


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(3) what her Department's estimate is of the total cost to the public purse of promoting the Merton rule as required by the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006, Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22; [159381]

(4) what advice planning inspectors are giving to local planning authorities who wish to adopt Merton rules requiring on site renewable energy in their local development frameworks; [159391]

(5) what steps she is taking to ensure that the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006, Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22, is implemented in full. [159392]

Yvette Cooper: The Department wrote to all planning authorities enclosing a copy of my June 2006 statement and in doing so underlined that those authorities which had not yet taken steps to include such policies in their plans should do so at the next available opportunity. Government Offices are active in their regions in encouraging planning authorities to bring forward local development documents in line with national policies.

All inspectors who will undertake the examination of development plan documents have also had the statement drawn to their attention. An inspector will check that a planning authority has prepared a development plan document legally and test whether it is ‘sound’. In doing so, the Inspector will consider whether the document is consistent with national planning policy. After the examination, the Inspector will produce a report with recommendations which will be binding on the authority.

No estimates have been made of the costs to local authorities of developing local policies on the use of on-site renewable energy, or of the time invested by officials in encouraging such policies, or of the proportion of the time spent by inspectors in their examination of development plan documents that is attributable to such policies. These estimates could only be assembled at a disproportionate cost.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the role of the Merton Rule in delivering the Government's microgeneration strategy; and if she will make a statement. [157357]

Yvette Cooper: We work closely with colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on both the regulatory framework for planning and planning policies. Our shared objective is for the planning system to give effective support to the Government's energy policies set out in the Energy White Paper and to sectoral strategies, including on microgeneration.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many non-governmental organisations opposed the continuation of the Merton planning rule in their responses to the December 2006 consultation on the climate change planning policy statement; [159339]


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(2) what percentage of respondents to the December 2006 climate change planning policy statement consultation objected to the Merton planning rule requiring onsite renewable energy in all major new developments; and what percentage of respondents to the consultation objected to the rule on grounds of cost. [159340]

Yvette Cooper: The consultation draft of the planning policy statement (PPS): planning and climate change sought views on the proposal that local planning authorities should ensure that a significant proportion of the energy supply of substantial new development is gained on-site and renewably and/or from a decentralised, renewable or low-carbon, energy supply. Of the 324 consultation responses received, 52 per cent. of respondents agreed with this approach and 6 per cent. disagreed. No non-governmental organisation disagreed with the approach.

The report of consultation on the draft PPS was published on 23 July 2007 and is

available on the Department's website at:

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if she will list the representations she has received on the Merton Rule since January 2007; [159336]

(2) what representations her Department has received from the UK microgeneration industry on the Merton planning rule; and if she will make a statement; [159338]

(3) what steps her Department has taken since March 2007 to consult the UK's onsite renewable energy industry on the future of the Merton planning rule. [159369]

Yvette Cooper: In response to our consultations on the draft planning policy statement on climate change and building a greener future we received a range of representations on the role of planning in securing local low and zero carbon energy use in new development. The reports of the consultations are available on the Department's website. We have continued the dialogue with stakeholders, including with the micro-generation and on-site renewables industry, on the development of our planning policies on climate change.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what advice she has received from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the role of the Merton planning rule in delivering the Government's micro-generation strategy; and if she will make a statement; [159344]

(2) what discussions the Housing Minister has had with the Energy Minister about the Merton planning rule and its role in delivering the Government's microgeneration strategy. [159387]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Chesterfield (Paul Holmes) today (PQ 157357).


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