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4 Mar 2008 : Column 2476W—continued
Multiple Occupation: Licensing
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to begin the review of the licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation. [171398]
Caroline Flint:
The Department is committed to an ongoing review of the operation and effectiveness of the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing regime. As part of this process the Department has recently introduced flexibility for local authorities in respect of the prescribed standards for the numbers of toilets, bathrooms and wash hand basins in all HMOs. The Department is committed to the Building
Research Establishment (BRE) conducting a study in 2008-09 on the practical implication, effectiveness and impact of the HMO licensing regime since implementation.
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 7 December 2006, Official Report, column 703W, on houses in multiple occupation, how many applications for houses in multiple occupation licences have been (a) received and (b) approved in each local authority since April 2006. [171399]
Caroline Flint: Up to 4 February 2008, 265 local authorities had provided information on the number of applications received for licences for houses in multiple occupation and these totalled 24,926. 239 local authorities had also provided information on the number of licenses issued or refused and these totalled 14,193 and 93 respectively. This left 10,640 for which an outcome had yet to be notified in a usable form to the Department. It is the local authorities with substantial numbers of applications where the usable data is outstanding. The Department is working with these authorities to resolve this issue.
51 local authorities had confirmed that they had received no applications and 38 local authorities had provided no information. The full list of local authority returns has been placed in the Library of the House.
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what sanctions are available to her Department to take action against local authorities who do not implement the licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation. [171400]
Caroline Flint: A local authority that does not implement the mandatory licensing scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) under the Housing Act 2004 is failing in its statutory duty, and could therefore be challenged through the courts.
Natural Gas: Safety Measures
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many prosecutions there were of landlords for breach of gas safety regulations in residential properties in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [184899]
Mrs. McGuire: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is in the following table:
NHS: Public Participation
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to broaden the membership of local involvement networks compared to patients' forums; and what assessment she has made of the impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review funding settlement for local involvement networks on that broadening. [190252]
Ann Keen: I have been asked to reply.
Local involvement networks (LINks) will enable genuine involvement of a far greater number of people than is currently available under patients’ forums, ensuring local communities have a stronger voice in the process of commissioning health and social care and enabling them to influence key decisions about the services they both use and pay for.
LINks offer several key benefits over patients’ forums:
they will cover health and social care services (rather than just health);
they will give more people the opportunity to become involved;
they will build on the work of voluntary and community sector groups; and,
they will be flexible to local circumstances (rather than being centrally prescribed).
These changes are aimed at promoting open and transparent communication between communities and the health service, and will develop trust and confidence, increasing accountability to local people.
We know from the experience of patients forums that the statutory nature of membership has limited their diversity. We are clear that LINks must be able to be flexible and reflect the nature of local communities. We therefore do not wish to centrally prescribe details on membership. However, we do think it is important to provide models of good practice in terms of recruitment, support and conduct of those involved in LINk activity and these will be set out in LINks guidance.
The Department received an allocation of £84 million over three years from HM Treasury to fund the establishment and costs incurred by LINks and has no plans to bid for any further funds.
Although the remit of LINks and levels of involvement will be greater than those of forums, we believe that they will be able to make better use of existing levels of funding by drawing on the resources and activities, which are already present in local communities.
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre: Government Departments
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what bookings the QEII Conference Centre has arranged, at commercial rates, for Whitehall-based Government departments in the last six months. [191092]
Mr. Dhanda: All room-hire bookings made by the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre are arranged at commercial rates for whichever sector is making the booking. Details of bookings made by or for Government Departments and their arm's length bodies from September 2007 to February 2008 are as follows:
Regional Ministers
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which stakeholders regional Ministers consulted on the Government draft legislative programme in September and October of 2007; what response regional Ministers made to each of these stakeholders; and what steps were taken as a result of this consultation. [190891]
Mr. Dhanda: As stated in the answer given to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May), on 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 1157W, all Regional Ministers consulted with stakeholders on the Government draft legislative programme in September and October. In addition a number wrote to interested parties inviting their views. Among those consulted were representatives from local authorities, business, public institutions, voluntary and community sectors, hon. Members and Noble Lords, and environmental groups.
Regional Ministers were asked to lead a discussion with regional stakeholders on the Government draft legislative programme and all comments received by Regional Ministers were forwarded to the Cabinet Office. To provide further information on responses to stakeholders and further steps taken, would incur disproportionate costs.
Regional Ministers: Community Development
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many meetings have taken place between regional Ministers and Treasury officials to discuss regeneration in each Minister's region since the regional Ministers were appointed. [190685]
Mr. Dhanda: Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not disclosed.
Social Rented Housing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she has plans to replace the MoveUK scheme with different arrangements. [189540]
Caroline Flint: The Government recognise the importance of promoting mobility within the social housing sector. In July we re-launched two of the former moveUK schemes, the Seaside and Country Homes and LAWN, and these are on target to deliver 500 to 600 mobility (home moves) per year.
We have also announced additional funding of £3.8 million to support sub-regional choice based lettings schemes to widen the scope for mobility.
We are also considering how best to support and facilitate other wider national mobility options.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the cause of the recent performance of the MoveUK scheme; and if she will make a statement. [189554]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2006, Official Report, column 133WS, on Housing Employment Mobility Services (moveUK). The then Minister for Housing and Planning outlined that the Department
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