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7 Jan 2008 : Column 246W—continued
Floods: Maps
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information the Ordnance Survey’s Mastermap product holds on the flood risk of individual properties. [176186]
However a combination of OS Mastermap datasets such as topography, address and height data may be used by others, in combination with specialist information from other sources, to model flood risks down to individual properties.
Green Belt
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 9 October 2007, Official Report, columns 563-4W, on green belt, what the loss in hectares of designated green belt was in each Government office region in each year since 1997 for which data are available, excluding additions to the green belt in the same period. [176453]
Mr. Iain Wright: The gross change in the number of hectares of green belt land that had green belt designation removed is not held centrally. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Housing
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) proportion and (b) number of first time buyers in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) England and Wales purchased properties in the three or four per cent. stamp duty band in the most recent year for which figures are available. [176619]
Mr. Iain Wright: Data on first time buyers (FTBs) using a mortgage in the UK are available from the Regulated Mortgage Survey which is supplied to Communities and Local Government by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The survey is a sample so data on the total number of FTBs are unavailable.
However the Council of Mortgage Lenders publishes figures on the total number of FTBs in the UK, but not for England and Wales. In order to estimate numbers of FTBs in the UK in each stamp duty bracket proportions calculated from the Regulated Mortgage Survey have been applied to the published figure of FTBs in the UK.
The number and proportion of first time buyers in the UK that purchased properties in the 3 and 4 per cent. stamp duty bands during 2006 is shown in the following table.
| Number and proportion of first time buyers that purchased properties in the 3 or 4 per cent. stamp duty bands during 2006, UK | |||
| 3 per cent. stamp duty band | 4 per cent. stamp duty band | 3 or 4 per cent. stamp duty bands | |
| Source: Regulated Mortgage Survey and Council of Mortgage Lenders | |||
As information on the total number of FTBs in England and Wales is not available, only the proportions in each stamp duty band can be derived from the Regulated Mortgage Survey.
The proportion of first time buyers in England and Wales that purchased properties in the 3 and 4 per cent. stamp duty bands is shown in the following table.
| Proportion of first time buyers that purchased properties in the 3 or 4 per cent. stamp duty bands during 2006, England and Wales | |
| Percentage | |
| Source: Regulated Mortgage Survey | |
Housing: Carbon Emissions
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the range of the additional build costs of a zero carbon home in addition to Part L of the 2006 building regulations. [176617]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 11 December 2007, Official Report, column 545W and to the answer given to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 8 October 2007, Official Report, column 35W.
Housing: Cleethorpes
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses in multiple occupancy there were in Cleethorpes constituency in each year since 1997. [176871]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department does not hold this information.
Housing: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what central Government public expenditure on housing was in each year since 1996-97; and what the forecast levels are for each of the next three years. [176191]
Mr. Iain Wright: Data on public expenditure by function are published annually in ‘Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses’. The latest edition was published in April 2007 (Cm 7091) and includes data for years up to and including 2007-08. Spending plans for the three years 2008-09 to 2010-11 were published in ‘Meeting the Aspirations of the British People: 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review’ (Cm 7227). Annex D5 includes details of the Government's housing plans.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the planned expenditure is on the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder Scheme in each of the next three years. [176229]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder Schemes submitted business plans in November 2007 for the period 2008-11. Ministers are currently considering these business plans and will announce specific funding allocations in the next few weeks. Total funding for the Housing Market Renewal programme for 2008-11 will be around £1 billion.
Housing: Low Incomes
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s definition is of affordable housing; and what changes have been made to the definition since May 1997. [176592]
Mr. Iain Wright: Affordable housing is defined in detail in Planning Policy Statement 3 Annex B. In essence it includes social rented and intermediate units provided to households whose needs are not met by the market. This excludes ‘low cost market’ housing—for example, homes which do not remain affordable on resale.
The new definition was adopted because Government wished to ensure that developer contributions are used to help provide genuinely affordable housing for households in need over the long term.
Housing: Parking
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the recommended maximum limit is on the number of parking spaces for new residential developments, following the publication of Planning Policy Statement 3. [176622]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 December 2007, Official Report, column 900W.
Housing: Prices
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the average price was of a property purchased by a first time buyer in England in (a) 1996-97 and (b) the latest period for which figures are available; [176185]
(2) what the average price was of a property purchased by a first time buyer in each local authority area in England in the most recent period for which figures are available. [176199]
Mr. Iain Wright: Using data from the Regulated Mortgage Survey, the mix-adjusted average price of a property purchased by a first time buyer in 1997 for England was £58,391.
The mix-adjusted average price of a property purchased by a first time buyer for England in 2006, the last full-year for which data are available, was £155,089.
The mix-adjusted average price of a property purchased by a first time buyer in Q3 2007, the latest period available for England, was £173,134.
Influenza
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have made a contingency plan for responding to a influenza pandemic. [167161]
Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
The Government do not formally collect information on the emergency plans and business continuity arrangements maintained by individual local authorities.
Part 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 establishes a statutory framework for civil protection activity at the local level. Under this legislation, all principal local authorities are required to maintain emergency plans and business continuity arrangements, informed by risk assessments, to ensure that they can mobilise an effective emergency response, and are able to continue to exercise their other functions during a full range of emergencies, including health emergencies. The legislation also requires local authorities and other key partners to exercise these plans. The performance of English local authorities against the duties set out in the Act is assessed by the Audit Commission as part of the comprehensive performance assessment.
Law and Order: Antisocial Behaviour
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of the Government's antisocial behaviour legislation in problem areas; and if she will make a statement. [174008]
Mr. Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
The Home Office is responsible for policy on tackling antisocial behaviour. Earlier this year a survey of 1,000 practitioners was conducted to assess the impact of the Respect programme on local communities. The outcome was that:
92 per cent. of practitioners felt more was being done in their areas to tackle ASB compared with three years ago;
79 per cent. had the backing of their community in tackling antisocial behaviour;
73 per cent. felt the right kinds of tools and powers were available to them to tackle antisocial behaviour, and;
41 per cent. felt that better partnership/multi-agency approaches have made a difference in tackling antisocial behaviour.
We have appointed IPSOS Mori to undertake a qualitative study investigating the circumstances in which different antisocial behaviour interventions are most effective. The outcome is to be published in 2008. In the meantime three independent reports have confirmed our approach to tackling antisocial behaviour is working. These were the Home Affairs Select Committee report (2005), the Audit Commission report (May 2006) and the NAO report (December 2006).
Local Authorities: Standards
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) targets and (b) performance indicators (i) English Partnerships and (ii) its successor agency is developing for local authorities. [176614]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 December 2007, Official Report, columns 684-85W.
Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes the Government have made to the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme since its introduction; and what further changes her Department is planning. [176201]
John Healey: The Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme was announced in the 2002 pre-Budget report and introduced in 2005-06, to reward local authorities for increasing their business rateable value base. The scheme was simplified in its second year by removing the ceiling on payments to local authorities.
A further change was made during 2007, in response to a challenge to the scheme under Judicial Review. As a result, additional year 1 and 2 payments were made to eligible local authorities in September 2007. These payments reflected increases in rateable value attributable to business expansion.
Following further consideration of the new legal challenges that have been made against the current Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme and the inherent uncertainty that this causes to the remaining LABGI pot, the Government are today drawing local authorities’ attention to their intention to re-consider all aspects of the approach used to distribute the remaining resources available for year 3 of the LABGI Scheme.
It should also be noted that the sum total of remaining LABGI resources available for distribution will be dependent on the amounts that may be required to meet any potential consequences arising from the court’s decisions on the legal challenges for years 1 and 2 of the LABGI Scheme.
A further announcement will be made shortly.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many letters her Department received from hon. Members and Peers in each session of Parliament since 1997. [174938]
Mr. Dhanda: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. Information relating to 2007 will be published as soon as it has been collated. The report for 2006 was published on 28 March 2007, Official Report, columns 101-04WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
National Identity Register
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans her Department has to make use of data on the national identity register when it is established; and what the estimated annual cost to her Department of that use is. [174031]
Mr. Dhanda:
Communities and Local Government will be working with the Home Office prior to the introduction of the national identity scheme to
establish how identity information held on the proposed national identity register might be used to provide easier access to services. It is too early in the process to establish the detailed costs and benefits.
Planning Permission: Aerials
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will end the practice of deemed planning consent for mobile telephone masts where telecommunications companies do not receive any notification. [174764]
Mr. Iain Wright: We are currently reviewing the planning regulations governing the installation of mobile telephone masts contained in part 24 of schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended). The prior approval process, to which the hon. Member refers, is being considered as part of that review. Should our review result in any substantive proposals for change we will consult publicly on any options.
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