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30 Oct 2007 : Column 1174W—continued


Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) councils and (b) housing associations are participating in the (i) social homebuy scheme, (ii) open market homebuy scheme and (c) new build homebuy scheme. [153500]

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is as follows:

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts have been exchanged for properties under the (a) social homebuy scheme, (b) open market homebuy scheme and (c) new build homebuy scheme in each government office region. [153501]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle Upon Tyne Central (Jim Cousins) (question 141752).

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social homebuy sales have been completed in each government office region in England. [153908]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 30 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Jim Cousins) (question 141752).

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties have been purchased under the open market homebuy schemes. [155676]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 30 October (question 109682).

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of social homebuy purchasers have purchased (a) 100 per cent. shares and (b) shares between 10 per cent. and 100 per cent. [155855]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 30 October (question 109683).

Of the 88 sales up to the end of September under the pilot social homebuy scheme, a quarter of sales involved the purchase of shares between 25 per cent. and 75 per cent.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many transactions have been completed for sales under the new build homebuy scheme; [157456]

(2) how many transactions have been completed for sales under the open market homebuy and extended open market homebuy schemes. [157458]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to my response of 30 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) (question 109683).

Most of the social homebuy pilot sales have been in the housing association sector, with three up to the end of September in the local authority sector.

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2007, Official Report, columns 1331-2W, on housing: low incomes, how many of the new (a) local authority social lettings and (b) registered social landlords lettings were to foreign nationals from (i) EU states and (ii) non-EU states. [161475]


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Yvette Cooper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Housing: Peterborough

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will hold discussions with Peterborough city council on the impact of EU migration on the provision of social housing in Peterborough. [159577]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 19 October 2007]: Ministers have received no request from Peterborough city council to hold discussions on the impact of EU migration on the provision of social housing in Peterborough. However, a Minister from Communities and Local Government regularly discusses the impact of migration on services throughout the United Kingdom, including housing, at meetings of the Migration Impacts Forum. The forum is jointly chaired between this Department and the Home Office. The forum is made up of representatives from both within and outside of government and the most recent meeting of the forum took place on 17 October.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individuals who are not UK citizens were housed by (a) Cross Keys Homes and (b) other registered social landlords in Peterborough under the auspices of the Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) Regulations 2004 in each month since May 2004; and if she will make a statement. [160972]

Yvette Cooper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individuals from EU Accession 8 countries have been classified as not habitually resident in the UK but homeless in Peterborough constituency in the period since May 2004; how many have subsequently been housed through the Peterborough city council choice- based lettings system; and if she will make a statement. [160977]

Yvette Cooper: Data on habitual residency is not held centrally.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many citizens of EU Accession 8 countries have been refused admittance to the housing waiting list of Peterborough city council under section 160A(7) of the Housing Act 1996 since May 2004; and if she will make a statement; [160978]

(2) how many individuals who are not UK citizens are on the priority banding system of the Peterborough city council housing waiting list at (a) band 1, (b) band 2, (c) band 3, (d) band 4 and (e) band 5; and if she will make a statement; [160979]


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(3) if she will make an estimate of the number of people on the Peterborough city council housing waiting list who have (a) Lithuanian and (b) Polish nationality; [161105]

(4) if she will make an estimate of the proportion of the Peterborough city council choice-based lettings housing waiting list which is made up by individuals who do not hold British nationality. [161106]

Mr. Iain Wright: Local authorities in England report the numbers of households (not people) on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual housing strategy statistical appendix returns. However, information is not collected centrally on (a) whether the household has been refused admittance to the housing waiting list; (b) information on the priority banding system of the waiting list; (c) the nationality of the household on the waiting list or (d) individual choice-based lettings registers,

The number of households on Peterborough’s housing waiting list, as at 1 April each year, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in table 600. The link for this table is given as follows:

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 on to the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.

Since this Government came into power, we have strengthened the regulations which determine eligibility for access to social housing for foreign nationals.

Licensing: Home Information Packs

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether information on (a) applications and (b) consents for premises selling alcohol or regulated entertainment under the Licensing Act 2003 is (i) required or (ii) at the seller’s discretion for inclusion in home information packs. [157399]

Yvette Cooper: This information may be included in the home information pack at the seller’s discretion.

Local Authorities: Voluntary Organisations

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice she has given to local authorities on the resource implications of implementing local compacts between local public bodies and the voluntary and community sector; and if she will make a statement. [160115]

Mr. Dhanda: Effective, mutually beneficial partnership working underpins our relationship with the third sector. If utilised, local compacts can help deliver real change for communities.

Resourcing of local compacts is, however, a local issue. The compact’s code of good practice on funding and procurement recognises that the main partners
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comprising local partnerships should work together to effectively resource local compacts, through;

In addition, our local area agreement guidance refers to local authorities having regard to the capacity of the sector.

Local Government: Redundancy

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated expenditure is on redundancy compensation as a consequence of the forthcoming local government restructuring and establishment of unitary local government. [157664]

John Healey: In the nine areas in which the Secretary of State is currently minded to implement unitary structures, the authorities estimate that the staff release costs are in the order of £70 million. These costs variously include the costs of redundancy, early retirement and pension fund costs. Once implemented, these nine proposals, on the basis of councils' current estimates, will save over £150 million annually.

Muslim Council of Britain

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures her Department uses to assess whether the Muslim Council of Britain is tackling extremism and promoting shared values. [160814]

Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 25 October 2007]: The Government have made it clear that they are rebalancing their engagement towards those organisations that show leadership in tackling extremism and upholding shared values.

The Department keeps its relationships with stakeholders under ongoing review to ensure that patterns of engagement continue to reinforce our objectives. The Department uses a range of measures to assess appropriate levels of engagement with all stakeholders. These include consideration of organisations’ public statements and practical actions undertaken.

Non-Domestic Rates

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage change was in the average business rates bill in England in each year since 1997-98. [153682]

John Healey: Details of the percentage change in the average national non-domestic rates (i.e. business rates) bill in England in each year since 1997-98 are shown in the table this information is available on the Department’s website:


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Percentage change

1997-98

-0.1

1998-99

3.2

1999-2000

-0.3

2000-01

18.1

2001-02

5.4

2002-03

4.1

2003-04

0.7

2004-05

1.8

2005-06

7.5

2006-07

6.0

2007-08

2.0


The data, which refer to the local lists only, are taken from national non-domestic rates returns submitted by billing authorities.

Average business rate is calculated by dividing the net rate yield from local authorities’ lists by the number of hereditaments on local list as at 31 December of the previous year.

It is not possible to compare years as the rateable values for individual properties, and hence actual rates bills, vary greatly.

Changes in the figures for the years around 2000-01 and 2005-06 are affected by adjustments made to the multiplier at the time of revaluation.

In addition the figures for the years around 2000-01 are affected by the transfer of both Crown properties and properties from the central list (where NNDR is paid directly to this department) to local lists (where NNDR is paid to local authorities).

Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether funding allocated to local authorities from the preventing violent extremism pathfinder fund will be in the form of project-related grants. [141727]

Mr. Dhanda: Funds from the preventing violent extremism pathfinder fund are paid through the safer and stronger communities fund as part of local area agreements. They are not paid to local authorities in the form of project-related grants.

Regional Planning and Development: Greater Manchester

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress she has made on alternative economic strategies for east Manchester; and if she will make a statement. [161108]

John Healey: The Prime Minister has asked the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to consider, with other Government Departments, whether deprived areas can be equally well served by forms of regeneration other than a regional casino. To this end, a review of alternatives to casino-led regeneration was commissioned. This work is at an advanced stage and my right hon. Friend will report on it to the Prime Minister shortly.


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