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18 Feb 2008 : Column 28W—continued



18 Feb 2008 : Column 29W
2005 2006

FRS area

Provisional Final Provisional

England

379

388

405

Bedfordshire

8

8

5

Cambridgeshire

6

6

6

Essex

10

16

9

Hertfordshire

4

4

5

Norfolk

8

7

8

Suffolk

5

5

8

Eastern total

41

46

41

Derbyshire

4

3

3

Leicestershire

5

5

9

Lincolnshire

3

3

10

Northamptonshire

4

4

8

Nottinghamshire

9

7

9

East Midlands total

25

22

39

Greater London

46

60

47

Cleveland

4

4

5

Durham

5

5

5

Northumberland

1

3

2

Tyne and Wear

7

6

8

North East total

17

18

20

Cheshire

8

9

4

Cumbria

8

4

7

Greater Manchester

37

36

29

Lancashire

13

10

25

Merseyside

12

17

5

North West total

78

76

70

Berkshire

2

3

2

Buckinghamshire

7

6

3

East Sussex

4

4

8

Hampshire

10

9

17

Isle of Wight

1

1

1

Kent

15

13

7

Oxfordshire

3

2

4

Surrey

14

12

9

West Sussex

3

2

6

South East total

59

52

57

Avon

9

10

7

Cornwall

6

7

2

Devon

6

4

10

Dorset

3

3

5

Gloucestershire

4

4

3

Isles of Scilly

0

0

0

Somerset

5

5

3

Wiltshire

1

1

4

South West total

34

34

34

Hereford and Worcester

3

3

4

Shropshire

2

3

4

Staffordshire

6

6

11

Warwickshire

4

4

1

West Midlands

24

23

30

West Midlands total

39

39

50

Humberside

6

6

4

North Yorkshire

5

3

7

South Yorkshire

12

14

16

West Yorkshire

17

18

20

Yorkshire and Humber total

40

41

47


First-time Buyers

Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues on steps to assist first-time buyers to purchase homes. [183944]

Mr. Iain Wright: From time to time, including, in the context of the comprehensive spending review, ministerial colleagues discuss Government plans and review progress. This includes policy proposals for increasing the supply of affordable housing and further steps to assist first-time buyers on to the property ladder, including expanding the low cost home ownership programme, as set out in the Government’s Housing Green Paper, published in July last year.

Floods

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people have not yet returned to their homes following flooding in summer 2007. [185614]

John Healey: Around 48,000 households were affected by the June and July floods. As of 17 January, around 8,750 of these households remained wholly or partially displaced from their homes. This figure is based on the best available data provided by local authorities as part of the data collection for the January Flood Recovery Grant scheme.

On 31 January I announced that nine councils with the largest number of households still displaced would receive a share of a further £1 million in Flood Recovery Grant to support the most vulnerable people in their communities affected by the floods. This brings the total paid out in Flood Recovery Grant to £18.4 million.


18 Feb 2008 : Column 30W

Floods: Finance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated to local authorities under the extended Bellwin formula to provide 100 per cent. of the eligible costs arising from the floods in summer 2007; and if she will make a statement. [185113]

John Healey: To date, the Department has paid £8.8 million under the Bellwin scheme in respect of the 2007 floods. Under the standard 85 per cent. grant rate which usually applies for Bellwin schemes, £7.5 million would have been paid. More payments are expected shortly.

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding for flood relief and recovery in addition to that delivered through the local government settlement she will make available to Surrey County Council in 2008-09. [185173]

John Healey: In the aftermath of last summer’s exceptional and widespread floods we have made available up to £71.8 million to date to assist the affected regions and help those in greatest need.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has no plans in place at present to make any further funding available to Surrey county council for flood relief and recovery in 2008-09 in addition to that delivered through the local government settlement. If and when future emergencies occur the Government make available financial assistance to help local authorities deal with the aftermath.


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