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29 Nov 2007 : Column 687W—continued
Since then the university of Reading has continued to develop the model, and the Department will be publishing details of the latest version of this model in due course.
The National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU) has recently published a response to the Government's housing Green Paper, which used this model to examine a range of housebuilding scenarios.
In addition to the research outlined above, a range of other evidence and analysis was used as part of the decision-making process underlying the housing Green Paper announcement that 3 million homes would be built by 2020. This included the official household projections produced by the Department and examination of housing supply data and the regional plans existing at that time.
Railway Stations: Hampshire
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 785-6W, on railway stations in Hampshire, what the
schedule is for including in the Railways for All programme those Hampshire railway stations which have not been announced for inclusion in the programme; and if she will make a statement. [168912]
Mr. Tom Harris: I have been asked to reply.
The Department is currently drawing up the next list of stations to be targeted for investment under the Access for All Programme, and will make an announcement before the end of the year. Stations in Hampshire will be considered, alongside other stations not selected so far, for enhancement during the 2012 to 2015 period.
In addition, annual rounds of Access for All Small Schemes Funding will continue to support smaller scale enhancements, such as the low height ticket counters being installed at Havant, Southampton Central, Farnborough and Brockenhurst over the same period.
Regional Planning and Development: Northamptonshire
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account was taken of the capacity of the A14 in setting housing development targets for north Northamptonshire; and if she will make a statement. [168507]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub Regional Strategy (MKSM SRS) sets out the district level housing targets for North Northamptonshire. At the Examination in Public the Highways Agency accepted that possible capacity constraints on the A14 would need to be investigated further.
Since then, the North Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit has been developing a core strategy which is currently at the Examination in Public stage, and has worked closely with the Highways Agency, which has been carrying out studies to look at online improvements and options for the potential widening of parts of the A14. The Highways Agency has presented information to the Examination in Public to show improvements that can be made to the A14 to meet the anticipated housing trajectory.
Regional Planning and Development: South West Region
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 12 September 2007, Official Report, column 2138W, on Regional Planning and Development: South West Region, how much affordable housing she expects to be built in (a) Forest of Dean constituency and (b) Gloucestershire in the next five years. [166304]
Mr. Iain Wright: It is for each of the Gloucestershire Local Planning Authorities to determine both the need and the amount of affordable housing to be built in their areas, having regard to the planning guidance set out in PPS3 and the draft Regional Spatial Strategy. The Gloucestershire planning authorities are now preparing local development documents in which they will set an overall (i.e. plan-led) target for the amount of affordable housing to be provided in their areas.
Religion: Publications
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what publications her Department and its predecessors have produced relating to faith communities since 1997. [168126]
Mr. Dhanda: Since 1997, 20 publications have been produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government and its main predecessor organisations which relate predominantly to faith communities. The 20 publications focusing entirely on faith issues are:
1. “Guidance on New Measures to Outlaw Discrimination on Grounds of Religion or Belief: (Part 2, Equality Act 2006)” Communities and Local Government, 2007.
2. “2005 citizenship survey: race and faith topic report” Communities and Local Government, 2006.
3. “Review of the Evidence Base on Faith Communities” Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2006.
4. “Incitement to religious hatred” Home Office, 2006.
5. “Working Together: Co-operation between Government and Faith communities—Progress Report” Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2005.
6. “Ministers of Religion from abroad: second stage consultation” Home Office, 2005.
7. “Community Cohesion Pathfinder Programme” Faith and Cohesion Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004.
8. “Working Together: Co-operation between Government and Faith Communities” 03m Faith Communities Unit Home Office, 2004.
9. “Religion in England and Wales: findings from the 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey” Home Office Research Study 274 Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, 2004.
10. “Tackling Religious Discrimination: practical implications for policy makers and legislators” Home Office Research Study 221 Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, 2001.
11. “Religious Discrimination in England and Wales” Home Office Research Study 220 Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, 2001.
12. “Information about Ministers of Religion” Immigration and Nationality Directorate ISBN 1858935083 Home Office, 2001.
13. “Transport requirements of minority ethnic and faith communities: research findings” Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, 2002.
14. “A forum for faith communities and government” Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, 2001.
15. “Faith, communities and social work: shifting identities and changing realities” Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1999.
16. “The local inter faith guide: faith community co-operation in action” Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions in association with the Inter Faith Network for the UK, 1999.
17. “Faith, communities and social work: shifting identities and changing realities: symposium report” Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1999.
18. “Involving communities in urban and rural regeneration: a guide for practitioners” (includes specific section on faith communities) Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1997.
19. “Challenging religious discrimination: a guide for faith communities and their advisers” Department of Environment, 1997.
20. “Faith interaction: Inner Cities Religious Council newsletter” Department of Environment, 1993-98.
Rented Housing: Finance
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons private-sector housing renewal and grant support to those living in that sector are not included in the public service agreements for her Department. [167882]
Mr. Iain Wright: Progress to increase the proportion of vulnerable households living in decent homes in the private-sector to 70 per cent. by 2010 is ahead of target. Progress on private-sector renewal remains important work for my Department and will contribute to our departmental strategic objectives. We will continue to monitor progress through the English House Condition Survey.
Local authorities’ duties and responsibilities remain unchanged. Many services and activities undertaken by local government, alone or in partnership, are not directly reflected in the national indicator set but will continue to be important to local areas and the people they serve. We expect local authorities to continue to set priorities, determine performance indicators and monitor and review performance.
Rented Housing: Standards
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many landlords have signed up to the Respect Standard for Housing Management. [167549]
Mr. Iain Wright: As of 31 October 2007, 374 social landlords have signed up to the Respect Standard. We estimate that this constitutes 68 per cent. of landlords and 5.5 million social housing tenants.
Social Rented Housing: Rents
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who is responsible for setting the upper limit of social housing rent which each local authority is authorised to charge; how that upper limit is calculated; and if she will make a statement. [165544]
Mr. Iain Wright: Rent-setting powers of local authorities are set out in section 24 of the Housing Act 1985. Local authorities are free to set whatever rents they consider reasonable. Government have no rent-setting powers.
When setting rents, local authorities will have regard to the ‘guideline rent’ for their authority. This is the notional rent that operates inside the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy system and is used to calculate the assumed rental income for the authority, that calculation forming part of the authority's overall entitlement to HRA subsidy. Each authority has its own guideline rent.
Local authorities will also have regard to the ‘limit rent’ for their authority. This is the maximum level to which the Department for Work and Pensions will pay housing benefit on the dwellings in that authority.
Guideline and limit rent is calculated using a formula that takes a number of factors into account, including the type and location of the housing authority's
dwellings, local factors such as manual worker salaries in the county the authority is in, and national factors such as inflation.
Tuberculosis: Leeds
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many cases of tuberculosis there were in (a) Leeds and (b) Leeds, West constituency in each year since 1997. [168125]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
The number of reported tuberculosis cases in the Leeds local authority since 1997 is as follows.
| Number | |
| Note: There are no data on the number of cases occurring in the Leeds West constituency, as this information is not collected on a constituency basis. Source: Health Protection Agency enhanced tuberculosis surveillance system. | |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Cyprus
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the UK's role in Cyprus. [167727]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The UK has a unique role in Cyprus, as both countries are EU, UN and Commonwealth members, and the UK is one of the three guarantor powers for Cyprus. The UK has a strong bilateral relationship with Cyprus, a key trading partner. We maintain a structured dialogue and co-operate on a wide range of issues.
The UK is fully supportive of the UN's efforts to promote the reunification of Cyprus and we have lent our full support to the 8 July agreement between the two leaders. The UK works with its EU and UN partners to achieve this goal. In north Cyprus, we have supported the EU's efforts to bring the Turkish Cypriot community closer to Europe, facilitating the reunification of Cyprus through economic development.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to encourage the reunification of Cyprus following the 2004 Annan plan. [167728]
Mr. Jim Murphy: In 2004, the UN plan for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem was approved by the Turkish Cypriots, but rejected by the Greek Cypriots. The UK continues to support a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, established on the basis of political equality. We have fully supported the UN's efforts to restart settlement negotiations between the two communities on this basis, and have lent our full support to the 8 July agreement between the two leaders.
We engage fully with Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot leadership, encouraging them to play a full and positive part in the settlement process. During her last visit to the island, my right hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Joan Ryan), the UK's recently appointed Special Representative for Cyprus, urged both communities to show the flexibility and political courage required to bridge the gap between words and deeds.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on trade with Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. [167730]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The EU made a commitment in April 2004, reiterated in January 2007, “to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots and facilitate the reunification of Cyprus” with “particular emphasis on the economic integration of the island and on improving contact between the two communities and with the EU”. We fully support these objectives.
The EU wants direct trade with northern Cyprus and the Government have supported the attempts of successive EU presidencies to realise this goal. We believe that this would bring Turkish Cypriots closer to Europe, slow the economic integration of northern Cyprus with Turkey, promote economic integration within Cyprus and reduce economic disparities between the two communities, so facilitating a settlement.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Turkish troops situated in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [163217]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Government estimate that there are between 20,000 and 30,000 Turkish troops in northern Cyprus. We believe that a reduction in the number of Turkish troops would help build trust on the island. A settlement would allow comprehensive demilitarisation of the island.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) processes for and (b) impact of commercial development in the buffer zone in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [163219]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The monitoring and control of development in the buffer zone is a matter for the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, whose mandate we strongly support.
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