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16 Mar 2009 : Column 883W—continued
Housing: Low Incomes
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department has allocated for affordable housing in Hemel Hempstead in the next three years. [262976]
Mr. Iain Wright: Dacorum/Hemel Hempstead falls within the London Commuter Belt Housing Sub Region. The indicative resource level for the sub region for the period 2008-11 was £179.9 million.
The current new resource to Dacorum for 2008-11 comprises:
£645,000 to fund 13 new homes in Hemel Hempstead;
£630,000 to fund a minimum of 13 homes under the HOLD Programme (Home Ownership for People with Learning Disabilities). This resource is for Dacorum as a whole and not specific to Hemel Hempstead.
The Homes and Communities Agency now operates a system of Continuous Market Engagement meaning that bids for new funding can be submitted at any point in the year.
Housing: Research
Margaret Moran:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable she has set for her Department’s research to identify the housing options for households at risk of domestic
violence; whom she has consulted during the research; and who is carrying it out. [263637]
Mr. Iain Wright: This research consists of three studies examining different aspects of current accommodation and support provision for households at risk of domestic violence. All three studies are due to be completed by the end of December 2009.
The first study is examining what housing assistance is available for adults without dependant children who are at risk of domestic violence. This will include consideration of the responses of local authority housing departments. The work is being carried out by the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, University of Cambridge. The second study, identifying the current provision of accommodation and housing related support, is being carried out by the Centre for Housing Policy, University of York. The third study, which will identify good practice in the provision of schemes to enable households at risk of domestic violence to remain safely in their own homes, is also being carried out by the Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York.
A number of stakeholders and experts have agreed to act as a Reference Group for all three studies. This group includes Women’s Aid, Refuge, Imkaan, Respect, the Greater London Domestic Violence Project, the Association of Chief Police Officers, and the Home Office. The Reference Group are consulted at key stages of each project, and several members have been interviewed by each of the research teams.
In addition there will be interviews and focus groups with people who have experienced domestic violence and with representatives of local authorities and service providers, whose identities will not be disclosed, in line with normal practice on confidentiality of research interviews.
Local Government Finance: Sefton
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1298-1300W, how much funding Sefton Council has received for (a) capital investment in housing, (b) major repairs allowance and (c) disabled facilities grants in each year since 1995. [262947]
Mr. Iain Wright: Allocations to Sefton council of capital funding for housing purposes over the period 1995-96 to 2009-10 exceeds £123 million.
The following table shows the funding Sefton have received for capital investment in housing, major repairs allowance and disabled facilities grants in each year.
Payments of major repairs allowance ceased in 2006, following the transfer of housing stock to a new registered social landlord.
Local Government: Electronic Government
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have failed to meet the deadline to put in place a code of connection to facilitate access to the Government Connect service; and if she will make a statement. [262516]
Jonathan Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
The initial deadline is 31 March 2009 and the final deadline is 30 September 2009 for local authorities to achieve compliance with the Government Connect Code of Connection. It is, therefore, not yet possible to state how many local authorities have complied.
Government Connect applies to 410 local authorities in England and Wales. Of these, 106 were granted up to six-month exemption to the initial deadline shortly after its announcement in July 2008. Of the remaining 304 targeted for 31 March 2009, the majority have either achieved compliance or are believed to be on track.
Achieving compliance with the Government Connect Code of Connection is a local authority responsibility and, therefore, the Department cannot state with certainty when compliance will be achieved.
Based on progress to date, the Department estimates that of the 304 targeted for March 2009, 53 will be late by less than one month and a further 43 will be late by two to three months.
Providing those late authorities demonstrate commitment to achieving Code of Connection compliance, the Department anticipates providing continued support and granting short-term exemptions to the deadline.
The current connectivity status can be found on the Government Connect website at:
London Pensions Fund Authority
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated size of the London Pension Fund Authority's pensioners sub-fund deficit is; and what proportion of that deficit is attributable to pension commitments in relation to former employees of the (a) Greater London Council and (b) Inner London Education Authority. [262444]
Mr. Khan: The 31 March 2007 actuarial valuation of the London Pensions Funds Authority shows that the total deficit attributable to the former employees of the Greater London Council, the Inner London Education Authority, the London Residuary Body and others amounted to £210 million. Further details to breakdown this figure can be obtained from the authority.
Multiple Occupation: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the effect of former seaside guest houses and hotels which are now operated as houses of multiple occupation on the prospects for businesses in those towns. [262998]
Mr. Iain Wright: No analysis has been made of the impact on businesses in seaside towns of guest houses and hotels changing into houses of multiple occupation. We would envisage that such local authorities would consider the effects as part of the local strategies that they develop with their local partnerships.
Non-Domestic Rates: Business
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of domestic properties had their tax registration changed to business property in each county in each of the last 12 months. [262827]
John Healey: The number of domestic properties that were reclassified as business properties in each county in each of the last 12 months is shown in the following table.
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