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4 Feb 2009 : Column 1296W—continued

High flood risk areas account for about 10 per cent. of land in England.

Planning policy on development and flood risk was strengthened in 2006 with the publication of Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25), reflecting the importance of avoiding and managing flood risk in the location of new development. The Government’s policy is to avoid inappropriate development in areas of risk of flooding, and to direct development away from areas at highest risk. However it is not always possible to find a location at low flood risk. In parts of the country where virtually all land is within high flood risk areas and there are few, if any, low risk sites for development PPS25 imposes new requirements on planners to show that the need for development outweighs the flood risk, and to ensure that homes that have to be built in higher risk areas are safe and less susceptible to flood damage.


4 Feb 2009 : Column 1297W

4 Feb 2009 : Column 1298W
Number of dwellings built in flood risk areas, 1997-2007

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 1997-2007

North East

200

100

100

0

100

100

200

100

100

100

200

1,500

North West

1,000

1,200

800

1,100

1,400

1,100

1,400

1,000

900

1,200

1,100

12,100

Yorkshire and the Humber

1,700

800

1,300

1,700

1,500

1,400

2,000

1,300

1,800

2,300

3,200

19,100

East Midlands

1,600

800

1,200

1,500

1,500

2,100

1,900

1,700

1,700

2,300

2,400

18,700

West Midlands

600

800

800

400

500

900

400

700

600

800

500

6,900

East of England

1,500

1,100

1,300

1,100

900

1,300

1,400

1,400

1,900

2,100

1,700

15,800

London

3,400

3,500

3,200

3,000

2,900

3,200

4,700

6,600

3,100

3,600

4,100

41,300

South East

1,800

1,900

2,000

1,900

1,800

1,600

2,100

1,800

1,900

2,300

1,800

21,100

South West

1,700

1,000

1,400

1,300

1,500

1,700

1,500

1,300

1,400

1,600

1,200

15,500

England

13,500

11,400

12,300

12,000

12,100

13,400

15,600

15,900

13,300

16,400

16,200

151,900

Notes:
1. There is an inevitable time-lag between land use change occurring and it being recorded, therefore data are constantly being updated.
2. The data in the table are based on records received from Ordnance Survey up to June 2008, consistent with the October 2008 update of LUCS.
3. Figures may not add up due to rounding.
4. The definition of high flood risk areas used by Communities and Local Government is the high risk zone mapped by the Environment Agency as being at a probability of flooding, excluding the presence of flood defences, of at least one in one hundred each year for river flooding and at least one in 200 for coastal flooding. High flood risk areas account for about 10 per cent. of land in England, including parts of major cities such as London.

Public Buildings: Fire Prevention

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of the proportion of public buildings, schools and social housing which have been equipped with a fire safety water sprinkler system; and if she will make a statement. [253746]

Mr. Khan: This information is not currently held centrally and thus could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Regeneration: North West

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which wards and programmes within Sefton have received funding from the Government Office for the North West programmes for (a) capital investment in housing, (b) major repairs allowance, (c) disabled facilities grants, (d) the Working Neighbourhoods Fund Community Empowerment Fund, (e) Community Learning Chest, (f) the Objective 1 Programme, (g) the Community Champions Fund, (h) UK Online, (i) Connexions, (j) Children and Young People, (k) drug and alcohol training, (l) Lifelong Learning Partnerships, (m) renewable energy, (n) Mersey Basin Campaign, (o) building safer communities, (p) Wardens Scheme, (q) small retailer in deprived areas, (r) Partnership Support Development, (s) CCTV, (t) Partnership Support Programme, (u) Target Policing Initiative, (v) prostitution and (w) violence against women. [253342]

Mr. Khan: Where Government funding is paid to the local authority decisions on how this funding is, or has been distributed within the authority in the past, are made locally. Information on expenditure at ward level is therefore not readily available. Some of the information requested relates to funding programmes which no longer exist, and for which information cannot readily be obtained.

A number of funding streams as follows now form part of the area based grant which has been paid to local authorities since April 2008. Local areas have discretion to use this funding as they see fit to support delivery of local, regional and national priorities in their area, including the achievement of LAA targets. Sefton has received the following funding in 2008-09:


4 Feb 2009 : Column 1299W
Grants administered by Department for Children, Schools and Families £

School Development Grant

2,430,237

Extended Schools Start-Up Grants

523,887

Primary National Strategy—Central Co-ordination

138,565

Secondary National Strategy—Central Co-ordination

182,536

Secondary National Strategy—Behaviour and Attendance

68,300

School Improvement Partners

126,280

Educational Health Partnerships

93,065

School Travel Advisors

35,000

Choice Advisors

33,418

School Intervention Grant

78,600

14-19 Flexible Funding Pot

88,694

Sustainable Travel—General Duty

21,402

Extended Rights to Free Transport

25,115

Childrens Fund

789,660

Childrens Trust Fund

4,883

Positive Activities for Young People

289,101

Teenage Pregnancy

130,000

Childrens Social Care Workforce

94,528

Care Matters White Paper

180,652

Child Death Review Processes

37,425

Young People’s Substance Misuse

38,896

Preventing Violence and Extremism Toolkit

8,000



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