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22 Feb 2008 : Column 1045W—continued
Job Creation: Thames Gateway
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of jobs which will be created in the Thames Gateway area which will be taken by people already resident in the area; and if she will make a statement. [184623]
Caroline Flint: The Thames Gateway Delivery Plan, launched by the Prime Minister in November 2007, announced that we now expect to see 225, 000 new jobs created in the Thames Gateway area by 2016, significantly more than previous estimates.
The Government are dedicated to ensuring that existing residents of the Gateway share in the economic benefits of the area's regeneration and are equipped with the skills required to secure the new, high- value jobs being created. The Thames Gateway delivery plan announced a pan- gateway skills plan developed by the Learning and Skills Council to invest £1.6 billion in teaching and learning, and £850 million in new building for further education. The delivery plan also reiterated our commitment to a Thames Gateway guarantee of assured progression, ensuring that every level three course on offer in the Gateway leads directly to entry to a suitable level four course for learners who want to progress further.
This new employment will therefore benefit both existing and new residents as the Gateway becomes an increasingly attractive place to live. However the precise balance will inevitably depend upon the investment decisions of private sector investors in the Gateway over the next few years.
Multiple Occupation: Foreign Workers
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government has taken on (a) eviction practices and (b) temporary homelessness in multi-occupancy housing areas with large migrant worker populations. [187316]
Mr. Iain Wright: People living in Houses in Multiple Occupation have the same rights and protection as other tenants in the private rented sector. They cannot be asked to move out without adequate notice and cannot usually be evicted without a court order. We have, however, commissioned an independent policy review of the private rented sector, to improve our understanding of the sector and how it is operating, which is due to report in October. Eviction practices is an issue that may well be considered in the context of this review.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken in relation to car usage and parking provision in multi-occupancy housing areas with large migrant worker populations. [187317]
Caroline Flint: Local authorities have powers to implement permanent or temporary traffic management or parking controls, and are best placed to do so.
The Government's Planning Policy Statement 3 "Housing", issued in November 2006, states that local planning authorities should, with stakeholders and communities, develop residential parking policies for their areas, taking account of expected levels of car ownership, the importance of promoting good design and the need to use land efficiently.
Planning: Lancashire
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the use of section 106 monies at Royal Ordnance, Lancashire. [188565]
Mr. Iain Wright: The making and implementation of planning obligations (also known as ‘Section 106 Agreements’), under the terms of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, are matters for local planning authorities and those with an interest in a piece of land. The Secretary of State would not normally be involved, and in the case referred to she has had no dealings with any of the planning obligations which are in place, and which are recorded, and required to be made available for inspection by the public on the local authority’s planning register. She will therefore not be making a statement about the developer contributions agreed in the planning obligations.
Planning: Renewable Energy
Gregory Barker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of (a) the likely impact of allowing for the off-site provision of renewable energy sources in planning decisions on the renewable energy industry
and (b) the ability of off-site provision to contribute to the Government's targets for building zero-carbon houses; and if she will make a statement. [167072]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 31 January 2008, Official Report, column 588W, which explains how our new Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on climate change sets out how local plans should help secure much greater use of local renewable and low-carbon energy in new development. The final PPS is supported by an impact assessment (available on the Department's website).
‘Building a Greener Future’ policy statement (available on the Department's website) set out the definition of zero carbon new homes. It recognises that there may be certain circumstances or particular sites where it may be difficult for developers to achieve zero carbon without considering off-site solutions. As new evidence emerges about costs and practicalities, and as technologies develop, we will develop the definition of zero carbon for the purposes of building regulations, after full consultation and within a sensible time frame that will allow the industry to adjust before the planned changes in 2016.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of how much onsite renewable energy capacity will be delivered in England as a result of the 2016 Zero Carbon Homes initiative in (a) 2010, (b) 2013 and (c) 2016, as referred to in the answer of 29 October 2007, Official Report, column 681W, on renewable energy. [167185]
Caroline Flint: The regulatory impact assessment published alongside ‘Building a Greener Future’ policy statement in July 2007 (both available on the Department's website) indicates that the requirement to meet the zero carbon standard in new homes from 2016 will result in an additional amount of energy being sourced from renewable sources compared to a scenario without the policy. It also suggests that this additional amount of renewables as a result of the policy could be equivalent to around 1 per cent. of the total UK electricity demand by 2020. The modelling did not disaggregate capacity from on-site renewables.
Property
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will introduce legislation requiring all properties to display a number or name. [187005]
Mr. Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government has no plans to introduce legislation of this nature.
Rented Housing: Rents
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to announce her decision whether to return to the basic rent restructuring formula with caps and limits or extend rent restructuring to reduce the steepness in the trajectory guideline and actual rent rises. [164190]
Caroline Flint: Communities and Local Government consulted on the mechanism for the setting of guideline rents in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy regime in August. The options consulted on were guideline rents predicated on a rent convergence date of 2011-12, or extending the convergence date to lower annual guideline rent increases. A decision on the preferred option (extending the convergence date to 2016-17, solely for the purpose of calculating guideline rents in the HRA subsidy system for 2008-09) was included in the HRA subsidy determination for 2008-09 which was issued in draft for consultation on 23 November 2007 and in final form on 15 January 2008.
Zero Carbon Homes Taskforce
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the criteria were for deciding on the membership of the Government's Zero Carbon Homes Taskforce; and if she will appoint representatives of providers of affordable housing to the taskforce. [175007]
Caroline Flint: We welcome the contribution which providers of affordable housing can make towards our zero carbon homes programme.
The 2016 Taskforce was established to identify the barriers to implementation of the zero carbon 2016 target, and to put in place measures to address them. Therefore the membership of the Taskforce consists of representatives of the principal industries and stakeholders that have a role to play in achieving this, for example housebuilders, energy companies and local authorities. There are no plans to extend the current membership of the Taskforce.
Culture, Media and Sport
Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many supermarkets in England and Wales (a) applied for and (b) were granted (i) an extension of their alcohol sales licence and (ii) a 24-hour licence in (A) 2006 and (B) 2007. [187453]
Mr. Sutcliffe: This information is not held centrally.
However, DCMS Statistical Bulletin on Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing, published on 8 November 2007, shows that between April 2006 and March 2007 there were 917 supermarkets and stores with a 24-hour alcohol licence in force on 31 March 2007 in England and Wales (based on 83 per cent. of all licensing authorities).
Archaeology
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff have been employed on the portable antiquities scheme since it started. [187792]
Margaret Hodge: The numbers of staff employed on the Portable Antiquities Scheme since it started are as follows:
| Scheme status | Full-time staff | Part-time staff | Total staff | |
Arts Council of England: Bassetlaw
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on the number of visits made to Bassetlaw constituency by staff of Arts Council England over the last three years. [187779]
Margaret Hodge: My Department does not hold this information. The Arts Council have informed me that they do not collect information about visits made by staff to individual constituencies.
Departmental ICT
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of his Department's personal digital assistants were (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last five years; and what the value of those items was. [185277]
Mr. Sutcliffe: In the past five years the following have been lost or stolen:
| Lost | Stolen | |
My Department does not hold information regarding the value of the items.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) mobile telephones, (b) personal digital assistants and (c) laptop computers issued to departmental staff were reported (i) lost, (ii) missing and (iii) stolen since 2001. [184325]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Since 2001 staff in my Department have reported:
PDA's—15 lost and 7 stolen
Laptops—1 lost, 1 missing and 2 stolen.
My Department does not hold this information on mobile telephones.
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