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19 Nov 2008 : Column 506W—continued
Departmental NDPBs
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by her Department; and what budget each has been set for (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [236918]
Mr. Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 October 2008 , Official Report, columns 227-28W. Information on NDPBs' remits may be found on their websites.
Energy Performance Certificates
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has made an assessment of the suitability of reduced data SAP conventions as a model for producing energy performance certificates. [235482]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure (RDSAP) was developed from the Government's Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), which apply to all new buildings, for the specific purposes of undertaking energy surveys of existing dwellings. The assessment on suitability was carried out during a three year development period which saw extensive research, analysis and testing by industry relating to the projects specific purposes, and the Building Research Establishment, before RDSAP was approved for use.
Essex County Council
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with Essex County Council on its proposal for privatisation of its services; and if she will make a statement. [236975]
Mr. Khan: No such discussions have taken place.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the effect on the supply of private rented accommodation of the introduction of the local housing allowances. [237251]
Mr. Iain Wright: No assessment has been made of the effect on the supply of private rented accommodation of the introduction of the local housing allowance as it is too early to do so. The local housing allowance became operational, nationwide, from 7 April 2008 and only applies to new claimants or existing claimants who have moved to a different address.
The independent review of the private rented sector which Ministers commissioned on 23 January 2008 concluded on 23 October and the published report, headed by Julie Rugg of the university of York, contains major recommendations to improve the way in which local authorities secure accommodation in the private rented sector for low income and vulnerable people.
Housing: Derelict Land
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she plans to take to make brownfield sites available for housing development. [229864]
Mr. Iain Wright: Building on brownfield land is essential if we are going to develop the homes that the country needs. Communities and Local Government's policies and programmes play a key part in ensuring that this happens. Through ‘Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 3: Housing’, for example, local planning authorities are required to plan for the long term by identifying developable sites for housing. The policy guidance maintains a continuing focus on recycling land and retains the national target that at least 60 per cent. of new homes should be built on brownfield land. Current performance against this target is 77 per cent.
Policy guidance is also supported by priorities given to delivery bodies, such as the new Homes and Communities Agency which will be established later this year. Sustainability, including the reuse of brownfield land, will be at the heart of its work with a priority to bring about the most effective use of land and the ability to acquire derelict land for the provision of new housing.
Also, in March this year the Government published their response to English Partnerships' recommendations for a national brownfield strategy. The strategy considers brownfield land in the widest sense including all types of development and will help site owners, developers and regulators in the process of returning brownfield land to beneficial use. Work in developing the strategy has demonstrated the importance of a joined-up approach to developing brownfield policy. CLG and DEFRA have agreed to sponsor a new national body—the National Brownfield Forum—to secure better co-ordination at national level. The forum brings together key Whitehall Departments, agencies and industry stakeholders and promotes a more cohesive and inclusive approach to brownfield policy development and encourages knowledge sharing and best practice.
Housing: Low Incomes
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 3 November 2008, Official Report, columns 124-5W, on housing: low incomes, and with reference to the December 2004 letter to local authority directors of housing from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Divisional Head of Housing Data and Statistics, which property attributes and fields were requested by the Valuation Office Agency; and which were (a) top priority and (b) mandatory. [236152]
John Healey: The information requested is provided in the following list. No information was imported directly into the Valuation Office Agency's property attribute database.
Address
Data provider's property reference number
Reference number of the data provider
Report date
Date that the data relates to
Report generator
Valuation
Valuation cloned or not
Date of valuation
Type of dwelling or other form of accommodation
Form of structure within which the dwelling is located
Lifts
Year built
Floorspace
Number of private living rooms
Number of bedrooms
Number of bathrooms for exclusive use of the tenants
Housing: Valuation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 22 July 2008, Official Report, column 1400W, on housing: valuation, how many localities have been given a name in addition to a unique reference number. [235869]
Information Commissioner
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will implement the recommendations made in respect of her Department by the Information Commissioner in Practice Recommendation, reference FPR0189170. [236132]
Mr. Khan: Communities and Local Government will implement the recommendations made by the Information Commissioner in his Practice Recommendation, and is already making significant improvements in its performance.
Local Authorities: Business
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have introduced business improvement districts. [236182]
John Healey: The following list shows the local authorities which have introduced business improvement districts:
Bedford borough council
Great Yarmouth borough council
Ipswich borough council
Derby city council
North Kesteven district council
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Islington council
LB of Havering
LB of Camden
LB of Southwark
LB of Lambeth
LB of Ealing
LB of Redbridge
Waltham Forest
Westminster city council
Arun district council
Brighton and Hove council
Croydon council
Fareham borough council
Winchester city council
Bristol city council
Plymouth city council
Swindon borough council
Taunton Deane borough council
West Dorset district council
Hartlepool borough council
Allerdale borough council
Blackburn with Darwen borough council
Blackpool borough council
Bolton metropolitan borough council
Halton borough council
Hyndburn borough council
Liverpool city council
Oldham borough council
Vale Royal borough council
Birmingham city council
Cannock Chase DC
Coventry city council
Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council
Rugby borough council
Sandwell metropolitan borough council
West Sussex county council
Hull city council
Ryedale borough council
Local Authorities: Debt Collection
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers local authorities have to hire bailiffs to collect unpaid (a) council tax, (b) council housing rent and (c) parking fines. [235833]
John Healey: Local authority enforcement powers, including the levying of distress, for the collection of unpaid council tax are contained in schedule 4 to the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and part VI of the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/613).
Under part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 and the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (England) General Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/3483) local authorities in England that have civil parking enforcement powers have the right to use certificated bailiffs to enforce unpaid penalty charge notices.
There are no powers for local authorities to use privately-employed certified bailiffs in respect of arrears of rent owed by their residential tenants. Action against tenants in rent arrears must take the form of court proceedings, in which case, court bailiffs may be used for enforcement of the order.
Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Scheme
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the policy basis was on which the NUTS 2 territorial groupings were used for the distribution of the new round of funding from the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Scheme. [235928]
John Healey: The proposed basis for the distribution of rewards in the new round of the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme is currently subject to consultation. The consultation closes on 20 November 2008. Local authorities have been invited to include, in their responses to the consultation, the sub-regional groupings they consider to be appropriate. No decision has yet been made about the groupings to be used for distributing reward in 2009-10.
Local Government: Bank Services
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what estimate she has made of the average change in rate of return on local authority investments in 2009-10 resulting from new investment strategies prompted by the collapse of Icelandic banks; [235834]
(2) what estimate she has made of the aggregate loss incurred by local authorities as a result of a reduction in interest earned upon unreturned deposits held by Icelandic banks. [235836]
John Healey: We have made no such estimates. The rate of return on investments by local authorities is a matter for individual councils, taking into account the Department’s investment guidance.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the length of time it will take for local authorities to recover assets deposited in Icelandic banks. [235835]
John Healey: The Government continue to work with the Icelandic authorities to ensure a fair deal for all UK depositors. The administrators of Heritable Bank Plc and Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Limited bank, Ernst and Young have agreed to provide an estimate on the level of recoverable funds so that local authorities may take this estimate into account in planning their budgets for financial year 2009-10.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities may invest in government-guaranteed bank bonds. [235837]
John Healey: A local authority may invest in government-guaranteed bank bonds provided that this has been agreed by full council as part of its annual investment strategy.
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