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24 Feb 2009 : Column 556W—continued
No figures are collected centrally on schemes providing incentives for social tenants to move to smaller socially-rented properties.
Social Rented Housing: Standards
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of social housing in (a) London, (b) Birmingham, (c) Liverpool, (d) Leeds, (e) Sheffield, (f) Bristol, (g) Manchester, (h) Leicester, (i) Coventry, (j) Kingston upon Hull, (k) Bradford, (l) Stoke-on-Trent, (m) Wolverhampton, (n) Nottingham, (o) Plymouth, (p) Southampton, (q) Reading, (r) Derby, (s) Dudley and (t) Newcastle upon Tyne (i) met the decent home standard (A) in December 2007 and (B) in December 2008 and (ii) is expected to meet the standard by 2010. [249779]
Mr. Iain Wright: The following table provides the information requested. This is drawn from the Business Plan Statistical Appendix—Annual Monitoring data from Local Authorities for 2007-08 published by CLG last month. The RSL data is from the Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR) for 2007-08 published by the Housing Corporation (now Tenant Services Authority) last autumn.
| Percentage of Social Housing meeting the Decent Homes Standard | |||||
| Local authorities | RSLs | ||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2010 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| (1) No current stock. (2) Housing transfer to new RSL November 2009. | |||||
Decent Homes forecasts by local authority for registered social landlords’ property is not available.
Social Rented Housing: Sustainable Development
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social rented homes she expects to be built in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010; and to what level under the Code for Sustainable Homes she expects such homes to be built. [257533]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 20 January 2009, Official Report, columns 1278-79W, to the hon. Member for Solihull (Lorely Burt).
Standards of Living
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the 10 per cent. (a) most and (b) least deprived lower level super output areas are in (i) London and (ii) Sutton and Cheam constituency. [257174]
John Healey: A table that lists the most deprived 10 per cent. and the least deprived 10 per cent. Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in London has been placed in the Library of the House. This table also lists the 10 per cent. most and least deprived LSOAs in the parliamentary constituency of Sutton and Cheam.
Supporting People Programme: Learning Disability
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her answers of 2 April 2008, Official Report, column 1902W, on supporting people programme: learning disability, and 3 April 2008, Official Report, column 1306W, on learning disability: adults, what proportion of the supporting people budget has been allocated to people with learning disabilities in each of the last five years. [257502]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Supporting People programme is administered at the local level by the relevant administering authority. It is for the authority to decide which services to fund, informed by the local needs and priorities identified in their five year Supporting People Strategies. The following table sets out the amount spent on Supporting People services for people with a learning disability, as reported to the Department by administering authorities. It will not identify all funding spent on people with a learning disability who access Supporting People services: some may have a different service classification (for example, people with a learning disability may access support from Supporting People services that help them move on from domestic violence or homelessness).
| Spend reported on services for people with a learning disability (£) | Proportion of the total reported spend (percentage) | |
Theology Board of Muslim Scholars
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who has been appointed to the Theology Board of Muslim Scholars; how many workshops the board has held; and when she expects the Board to publish its recommendations to the Government. [256965]
Mr. Khan: This initiative is now called the ‘Contextualising Islam in Britain’ project. Cambridge university, with participation from the universities of Exeter, Glasgow and Westminster are hosting a series of independent symposia to engage in academic debate and discussion about Islam in a British context. As the project is being delivered through a series of seminars, contributors are being invited by Cambridge according to their specific expertise and views. There are no formal appointments being made, and it is for Cambridge university to decide on who should contribute to the symposia.
The discussions and debates hosted by Cambridge will be captured in a report and published by Cambridge university in summer 2009.
Travelling People
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Shipley of 22 February 2008, Official Report, column 1098W, on Travelling people, what (a) financial and (b) other support her Department has given to developing services for Gypsies and Travellers in each year since 2005. [258059]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department for Communities and Local Government has given no financial or logistical support to an annual conference called Developing Services for Gypsies and Travellers. An annual conference on this topic is arranged by the private sector and Ministers and officials have supported it by attending as speakers.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate his Department has made of the potential taxpayer liability for (a) fines disallowance and (b) other penalties as a result of late payment under the single farm payment scheme and other precursor common agricultural schemes since 1997; [241252]
(2) what (a) fines, (b) disallowance and (c) other penalties the Government has incurred as a result of late payments under the single payment scheme and other precursor common agricultural schemes since 1997; and from which budget each penalty was paid. [241253]
Jane Kennedy: DEFRA financial corrections incurred as a result of late payments on the single payment and other common agricultural policy schemes have been £144.8 million since 1999. This is based on EU Commission Ad Hoc Decisions from February 1999 to November 2008.
To analyse the data prior to February 1999 would involve a disproportionate cost.
These corrections have been met from a separate ring fenced disallowance budget.
It is not possible at this stage to say what further decisions may be published this year.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent steps the Government has taken to assist arable farmers; [256933]
(2) what recent steps the Government has taken to assist livestock farmers. [256934]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 23 February 2009]: The Government’s wider economic policies are aimed at assisting arable and livestock farmers emerge stronger from the global recession just as they are for other businesses.
The Government also works closely with the arable and livestock sectors on sector specific issues to further our objective of a thriving farming and food sector with an improving net environmental impact. We are pressing the case here and in Europe for policies that are evidence based and take account of the principles of better regulation, such as in the case of the Commission’s proposals on pesticides and electronic identification of sheep. We also strongly support the continued process of greater market orientation of the CAP and the recent health check agreement will contribute to improved competitiveness by further reducing trade distorting coupled payments and the regulatory burden on farmers.
Over the last 12 months, the regional development agencies have begun delivering a £300 million programme of investment in improving the competitiveness of farming and forestry under the Rural Development Programme for England, of which at least £107 million will be targeted at the livestock sector to help it meet the particular challenges that it faces. The continued progress of the Rural Payments Agency in making more timely payments under the Single Payments Scheme has helped farmers’ cash flow, with just under £1.37 billion in payments made by 16 February, equivalent to around 84 per cent. of the estimated total fund.
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the ceiling is in each region for direct payments in (a) pounds sterling and (b) euros. [257296]
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