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17 July 2008 : Column 587W—continued
Regional Spatial Strategies: Eco-towns
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 4 June 2008, Official Report, column 983W, on eco-towns, whether regional spatial strategies will include plans for eco-town developments where the development is not supported by the local planning authority. [213932]
Caroline Flint: Regional spatial strategies (RSS) set out a vision for how a region can tackle housing shortages and affordability. New eco-towns could be part of how regions meet their housing shortfall.
The 15 shortlisted eco-town locations have only reached the first stage. Bids that have cleared the first hurdle will face considerably tougher tests ahead if they progress and will need to improve proposals still further. All the shortlisted locations will face further examination including public consultation and a detailed sustainability appraisal which will test the merits and challenges for each one. Importantly no new eco-town housing will be on the green belt.
All proposals for eco-towns will be subject to the planning process and subject to local planning decisions. However it is too early to speculate on what may happen in each local area and on local planning authority support.
Rented Housing
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation governs regulation of the private rented sector; and what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals affecting regulation of the sector. [219521]
Mr. Iain Wright: Primary and secondary legislation flowing from the Housing Acts of 1985, 1988, 1996 and 2004 govern the regulation of the private rented sector. In January of this year we announced an independent review of the private rented sector to be carried out by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes at the university of York. The review has a wide ranging terms of reference including regulation of the sector and will report in October 2008. We will consider any proposals for legislation that emerge as part of work on the Housing Green Paper due later this year.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which organisations have (a) met the team leading the independent review of the private rented sector announced by her Department on 23 January 2008 and (b) been invited to contribute to the review of houses in multiple occupation announced by the Housing Minister on 9 April 2008. [219532]
Mr. Iain Wright: The independent review of the private rented sector is not due to report until October this year and, therefore, it is not possible to give a full list of organisations that the review team have met. So far the team have met over 200 stakeholders, ranging from Government interests and consumer groups to landlords and institutional investors, through one to one and round table meetings. A list of all organisations which have had an input to the team's evidence gathering will be included in the report on the review when it is issued in October.
ECOTEC Research and Consulting, the organisation undertaking research into high concentrations of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) on behalf of the Department, has spoken to a range of stakeholders including representatives of local authorities, universities, housing providers and their representative bodies, members of the national HMO lobby and colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive. A full list of organisations that took part in interviews and focus groups will be published as part of the research.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Antisocial Behaviour
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests and (b) prosecutions for (i) being drunk and disorderly, (ii) being found drunk on a highway, public place or on licensed premises and (iii) being drunk in or when entering a designated sports event there have been in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 1997. [219162]
Mr. Coaker:
The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for the offences of (i) being
drunk and disorderly (ii) being drunk on a highway, public place or on licensed premises and (iii) being drunk in or when entering a designated sports event can be found in the following tables. Data have been broken down by police force area in England and Wales from 1997 to 2006.
The arrests collection held by the Ministry of Justice covers persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only. Details of the circumstances of an arrest are not collected centrally. Summary offences of ‘being drunk and disorderly' are non-notifiable and as a result are not covered by the collection.
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