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18 Dec 2008 : Column 1047W—continued
Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether an impact assessment has been prepared for the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme. [243754]
Mr. Iain Wright: In the current economic climate, Government needs to act quickly and responsively to help support households facing difficult circumstances. As part of a much wider package of real help for home owners, the recently announced Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme will enable ordinary hard-working households that experience a redundancy or significant loss of income to reduce their monthly payments to a more manageable level, by deferring a proportion of the interest payments on their mortgage for up to two years. The Government will guarantee to lenders they will get the payments back in return for them participating in the scheme.
Government are currently working closely with the lenders to agree the details of the scheme. Further details, including an impact assessment, will be published early in the new year.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of people who will be assisted by the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme in (a) the UK, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley district and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. [244902]
Mr. Iain Wright: In the current economic climate, the Government need to act quickly and responsively to help support households facing difficult circumstances. As part of a much wider package of real help for homeowners, the recently announced Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme will enable ordinary hard-working households that experience a redundancy or significant loss of income to reduce their monthly payments to a more manageable level, by deferring a proportion of the interest payments on their mortgage for up to two years. The Government will guarantee to lenders they will get the payments back in return for them participating in the scheme.
We are not setting a limit or a target for the number of households this scheme can help, either on a UK-wide or regional basis - this is a consumer and lender-led scheme, backed up by a Government guarantee. We want to see this scheme help as many households as possible.
Housing: Carbon Emissions
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what grants are available for the construction of low carbon buildings; and if she will make a statement. [245426]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Government are providing a number of financial incentives and support for the building of low carbon buildings.
The Government have introduced a time limited stamp duty land tax relief for new homes which meet Code Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
The Low Carbon Building Programme is the Government's £86 million grant programme to encourage and support the development of microgeneration technologies in new buildings, further information is available at
The new Homes and Communities Agency is responsible for a programme of investment with local areas and sub-regions which includes support for the development of low carbon buildings. It is a currently a condition of receiving HCA grant that new homes are built to higher energy performance standards than are in Part L of the current Building Regulations.
The Government have agreed also to provide pump priming funding for the zero carbon hub, which has been set up by industry to manage delivery of the programme for zero carbon homes from 2016.
Housing: Inspections
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home inspectors qualified to produce home condition reports were registered in England at the latest date for which figures are available. [244746]
Mr. Iain Wright: To date, 874 home inspectors who are qualified to produce home condition reports were registered in England.
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the number of registered home inspectors to meet consumer demand; and if she will make a statement. [244748]
Mr. Iain Wright: None. Home condition reports can be included in a home information pack on a voluntary basis.
Local Government Finance
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of any additional resources required by local authorities in England as a result of the proposed extra responsibilities in relation to education and training for 16 to 18 year olds, as set out in the Raising Expectations White Paper; and if she will make a statement. [244173]
John Healey: The Government are committed to ensuring that all new burdens falling on local authorities are fully and properly funded. Any policy which increases the cost of providing local authority services is subject to the new burdens doctrine and, where appropriate, funding is provided through the formula grant system or specific grants. The impact of the Education and Skills Bill, which received Royal Assent on 26 November 2008, has been taken into account.
Local Government: Reorganisation
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she expects the Boundary Commission's review of judging bids for unitary status in aggregate to take into consideration the effect of local government structural changes on existing unitary authorities in Devon. [244750]
John Healey: While it is for the Boundary Committee to decide how it proceeds, only if an alternative proposal involves changes to the boundaries of an existing Devon unitary authority, do we expect the Boundary Committee's assessment of that proposal to include consideration of any implications for the existing unitary authority.
However, our request to the Boundary Committee of 6 February 2008 made clear that any alternative unitary proposals which we asked the Committee to make should involve changes to the boundaries of existing Devon unitary authorities only if, on the basis of evidence received, the Committee considers that they are essential.
Mental Illness
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the recommendations relevant to her Department’s policy responsibilities made in the Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-Being; and if she will make a statement. [244013]
Mr. Khan: The Department was pleased to read the Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-Being. My Department will be considering how this report impacts on housing support for older people and people with mental health problems as well as on the promotion of mental well-being within our own work force.
Mobile Homes: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) for what reasons information on the number of (a) permanent caravans, (b) holiday caravans and (c) houses of multiple occupation in the catchment area of each principal seaside town in England is not held or available centrally; [244409]
(2) with reference to the answer of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 771W, on mobile homes: coastal areas, what consideration she has made of the merits of collecting such information centrally; and if she will make it her policy to collect such information. [244817]
Mr. Iain Wright: It is the policy of Communities and Local Government to reduce local authority burdens in the collection of data. The Department sees no merit in collecting information on the number of mobile homes in coastal areas.
Multiple Occupation
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008, Official Report, column 1274W, on multiple occupation, if she will publish a list of all those who have given evidence to the Building Research Establishment review of houses in multiple occupation legislation. [244418]
Mr. Iain Wright:
The Department is unable to provide this information. Evidence provided to the Building Research Establishment (BRE) by stakeholders has been treated in confidence. Details on the number of responses
and their views will be reflected in the final report on a non-attributable basis. The final report is due to be published in spring 2009.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 18 February 2008, Official Report, column 47W, on multiple occupation: licensing, for what reasons 14 per cent. of local authorities are not using a range of tools to identify houses in multiple occupation being operated illegally without a licence. [244429]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department does not hold this information. The Department has funded Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) to support local housing authorities in England and Wales in implementing mandatory licensing of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs). LACORS issues guidance, advice, and coordinates and disseminates best practice in relation to regulation of private sector housing.
The survey conducted by LACORs in August 2007 concluded that 86 per cent. of councils were using a range of tools to identify HMOs being operated illegally without a licence. LACORs produced good practice guidance for local authorities on tackling unlicensed HMOs in February 2008.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) with reference to the answer of 17 November 2008, Official Report, column 129W, on multiple occupation: coastal areas, for what reasons the information requested is not held centrally; [244439]
(2) with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008, Official Report, column 1274W, on multiple occupation: coastal areas, for what reasons information on the take-up of mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation licences in seaside towns is not available centrally; [244419]
(3) with reference to the Answer of 17 November 2008, Official Report, column 129W, on multiple occupation: coastal areas, if she will make it her policy to (a) collect and (b) hold centrally information on houses of multiple occupation in seaside towns. [244449]
Mr. Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government does collect from local authorities their estimates of the total numbers of HMOs but only at local authority level. It is not possible to break these figures down below local authority level but in many cases the local authority statistics on HMOs will approximate to the seaside towns that they either contain or constitute. The latest figures are for April 2007 and these can be found on the Department's website at:
The Department also collects information on licensing of HMOs. Although this is at property level the Department is not currently in a position to produce statistics for seaside towns. This is under review. For the latest statistics on HMO licensing for the local authorities that contain or constitute seaside towns I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 15 December 2008, Official Report, column 372W-73W.
It is not possible to calculate take up rates for HMO licensing, for either seaside towns or local authorities, because there is no practical source for information at local level on the total numbers of licensable HMOs.
Multiple Occupation: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 17 November 2008, Official Report, column 129W, on multiple occupation: coastal areas, what consideration she has made of the merits of collecting such information centrally; and if she will make it her policy to collect such information. [244818]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today (PQs 244439, 244419, 244449).
Multiple Occupation: Licensing
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 18 February 2008, Official Report, column 47W, on multiple occupation: licensing, what estimate she has made of the number and percentage of houses of multiple occupation that should be licensed in each of the next five years. [244820]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department does not hold this information. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) is carrying out a review of the houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing regime across all local authorities in England. This will include their estimate of the number of HMOs that are subject to mandatory HMO licensing. The final report is due to be published in spring 2009.
Non-Domestic Rates: Business
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on the circumstances under which they may refuse business rates relief under section 49 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 to voluntary groups; and if she will make a statement. [244220]
John Healey: The Department publishes guidance to local authorities in the form of a booklet called: ‘Non Domestic Rates: Guidance on Rate Relief for Charities and Other Non-Profit Making Organisations’. This is available on the Department's website at
Chapter 7 specifies that local authorities should decide on the facts of each case whether to exercise its powers under section 49.
A copy of the guidance on hardship relief as been placed in the Library for reference.
Regeneration: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008, Official Report, column 1277W, on regeneration: coastal areas, if she will make it her policy to collect centrally information on the work of each regional improvement and efficiency partnership in respect of seaside towns. [244407]
John Healey: We do not currently have any plans to make it policy to collect centrally information on the work of regional improvement and efficiency partnership in respect of seaside towns. However in the future, emerging findings from progress reports on economic development will give the opportunity to analyse the work of RIEPs on seaside towns.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which (a) organisations and (b) individuals her officials met during the consultation on the Government's Regeneration Framework document on seaside towns. [244408]
John Healey: The framework, ‘Transforming places; changing lives: a framework for regeneration’, sets out Government's vision for regeneration for the whole of England over the next 10 years.
During the consultation period, officials met the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) who invited members from their Seaside Network to attend the meeting. My officials have also taken opportunities to promote the draft framework since the document was launched in July and to engage seaside towns in the consultation exercise, through meetings of the RDA-led Coastal Areas Network and the main seaside town “umbrella” organisations, including the Coastal Communities Alliance (CCA), and the British Resorts and Destinations Association (BRADA).
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008, Official Report, column 1503W, on housing: standards, what measures her Department is taking to reduce the considerable variation in regeneration between the principal seaside towns of England. [244821]
Mr. Iain Wright: The role and use of regeneration schemes are a matter for local decision making. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) became operational on 1 December 2008. We established the HCA to join up the delivery of housing and regeneration and it will provide the expertise and the skills to assist local authorities and communities to deliver the ambitions they have for their area.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008, Official Report, column 1276W, on regeneration: coastal areas, if she will place in the Library a list of those who responded to the consultation on the regeneration of seaside towns. [244990]
John Healey: I have today placed in the Library a list of those who responded to the consultation on the proposed Regeneration Framework, "Transforming Places; changing lives": a framework for regeneration. The framework covers the whole of England—not just seaside towns.
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