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19 Mar 2009 : Column 1290W—continued
Disadvantaged: Sutton
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the indices of multiple deprivation data are for each lower layer super output area in the London borough of Sutton. [264089]
John Healey: I have placed in the Library of the House a table which lists the lower super output areas (LSOAs) for the London borough of Sutton, and provides the rank and score for each of the domains within the Indices of Deprivation. It also contains scores and ranks of the overall Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Home Information Packs
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on informing (a) buyers and (b) sellers of properties about home information packs in each year since their introduction was proposed. [264737]
Margaret Beckett: In relation to publicity expenditure on Home Information Packs (HIPs) prior to 7 February 2008, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 7 February 2008, Official Report, column 1309W.
Since January 2009 the Department has conducted a campaign to meet its duty to inform industry and consumers of forthcoming changes to HIPs and also to promote Government information for those buying or selling homes. The Department's promotional spend has not been split by buyers and sellers and we do not hold information in the format requested. The spend has been broken down by industry and consumers (consumers including both buyers and sellers) and is as follows:
| £ | |
The Department expects to spend a further £181,834.30 as part of this campaign before the end of the financial year 2008-09.
Homebuy Scheme
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Homebuy homes have been sold on the open market by their first owner in each region in England. [264070]
Margaret Beckett: Information on the number of homes subsequently sold on the open market by the first owner under the three HomeBuy products (New Build, Open Market and Social HomeBuy) is not held centrally.
Subsequent sales information will be collected for New Build HomeBuy (shared ownership) homes which have been allocated funding through the Homes and Communities Agency National Affordable Housing Programme from April 2008.
New Build and Social HomeBuy homes may only be sold on the open market if the landlord is unable to nominate the next purchaser from their waiting list. Where New Build and Social HomeBuy purchasers own 100 per cent. of their home, the landlord has the first option to buy back the home on resale.
Open Market HomeBuy purchasers select their property on the open market and may resell on the same basis but are required to repay their equity loan before doing so. If purchasers wish they may redeem their equity loan at any time when they can afford to do so and continue to live in the property.
Information on the total number of equity loan redemptions (both full and partial) and shared owners increasing their equity share in the last three years is set out in the table. Resales of the properties are not identified separately and redemptions are not broken down by region.
| Number of open market HomeBuy equity loan redemptions | |
| Number | |
Housing Revenue Accounts
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which local authorities (a) are due to receive a negative housing revenue account subsidy in 2009-10 and (b) have received a negative housing revenue account subsidy in each of the last five years; what the level of each negative subsidy was; how many relevant dwellings there were in each authority; and if she will make a statement; [264640]
(2) which local authorities (a) are due to receive a housing revenue account subsidy in 2009-10 and (b) have received a housing revenue account subsidy in each of the last five years; what the level of each subsidy was; how many relevant dwellings there were in each authority; and if she will make a statement. [264641]
Margaret Beckett: Information on whether a local authority may be in either positive or negative Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy in 2009-10 is not yet available.
The information requested for the last five years is available on the Department’s website or in the Library of the House. However, for convenience separate tables showing which local authorities received negative HRA subsidy, and which received positive subsidy, including the levels of subsidy and each authority’s housing stock for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09, have been placed in the Library of the House.
Housing: Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to accelerate the completion of private finance initiative housebuilding schemes. [263927]
Margaret Beckett: The Department, through its Central Private Finance Unit in association with the Homes and Communities Agency, is actively engaged in measures to help ensure the efficient and effective procurement of its Housing PFI programme and projects.
Steps taken by the Department include: transfer of Housing PFI delivery responsibilities from DCLG to the HCA; setting procurement target timescales; updating the Housing PFI Procurement Pack Guidance, currently under way; monitoring the progress of individual projects; and keeping in close contact with local authorities on projects, offering advice and support as required.
The Department is keeping the procurement of its Housing PFI projects under regular review.
Non-Domestic Rates: Small Businesses
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of the rate of take up of relief by small businesses under the small business rate relief scheme; and if she will make a statement. [264585]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 April 2008, Official Report, column 319W, to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Alan Duncan).
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the rate relief available under the small business rate relief scheme is not granted to qualifying businesses automatically; and if she will make a statement. [264586]
John Healey: Small Business Rate Relief can be granted to ratepayers who occupy only one business property. Without the application it would be very difficult for the local authority to establish whether a ratepayer occupies more than one property, which is a condition of entitlement to the relief, particularly if that property is located outside of the billing area in which relief is being claimed. Ratepayers certifying that they meet the given criteria then receive the relief.
Work and Pensions
Children: Maintenance
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of Child Support Agency cases are being managed manually. [264040]
Kitty Ussher [holding answer 16 March 2009]: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about child maintenance, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Child Support Agency cases are being manually managed. [264040]
Figures relating to clerical cases are routinely published in Table 20 of the Child Support Agency’s Quarterly Summary of Statistics; the latest version of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or online at:
The number of cases the Agency managed clerically at 31st December 2008 was 49,000, which represents less than 4% of the total caseload.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Council Tax Benefits
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners not in receipt of pension credit are (a) eligible for and (b) in receipt of council tax benefit. [261560]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 6 March 2009]: The latest estimates of the numbers eligible for means-tested benefits in Great Britain, covering income support, pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income based) are published in the report ‘Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2006-07’, a copy of which is in the Library.
Estimates of the pensioner population who are not in receipt of pension credit but who are eligible for council tax benefit are not available.
The requested information about those in receipt of council tax benefit is in the table.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pensioners and (b) people of working age who are not eligible for council tax benefit live in households where no one is eligible to pay income tax. [264630]
Kitty Ussher: Analysis of the Family Resources Survey for 2006-07 suggests that 10 per cent. of pensioner families with a council tax liability but no entitlement to council tax benefit are in households where no one is liable to pay income tax.
For people of working age 3 per cent. of families with a council tax liability but no entitlement to council tax benefit are in households where no one is liable to pay income tax.
These estimates refer to Great Britain and are based on survey data and modelling so are subject to sample variation and to other forms of errors.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of applicants for council tax benefit whose application was successful in the latest period for which figures are available. [264631]
Kitty Ussher: We estimate that in 2007-08 67 per cent. of all new council tax benefit claims were successful.
Notes:
1. Not all local authorities return their quarterly clerical forms; Figures for any non-responding authorities have not been estimated.
2. Claim processing data are supplied to DWP by local authorities and are unaudited.
Source:
Quarterly Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Administration Data.
Mortgage Relief: Crosby
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1284-85W, on homelessness, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Crosby constituency who will receive support from the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme in each year following its entry into force. [263001]
Kitty Ussher: The information is not available.
Mortgages: Government Assistance
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people registered as unemployed in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency have received assistance with the cost of meeting mortgage interest repayments in the last six months. [263800]
Kitty Ussher: The information requested is not available.
Pension Credit
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an estimate of the weekly pension credit entitlement to the nearest whole pound of an individual retiring at age 68 in (a) 2028, (b) 2038, (c) 2048 and (d) 2058 with a full basic state pension but no other pension saving. [261949]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In 2028, the state pension age will be 66, in 2038 it will be 67 and in 2048 and 2058 it will be 68.
The vast majority of individuals with a full basic state pension retiring at the state pension age will also accrue some additional pension.
A median earner in all these scenarios, retiring at the state pension age, would get around £160 per week in state pension (including additional pension), in real weekly earnings terms. This represents just over a third of the income they received during their working life. In each of these cases, they would be ineligible for pension credit.
Note:
The example given assumes a median earner, working from 25 years of age to state pension age with no other income from saving.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of pension credit applications were processed within (a) 15 days, (b) 20 days and (c) 30 days in each year since 2005. [263721]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We are unable to provide the level of detail requested. However, the following table details the average actual clearance times (AACT) for pension credit, each year since 2005, along with the percentage of total applications this represents.
The AACT is calculated by dividing the total number of working days taken to clear cases by the total number of cases cleared.
| Pension credit clearance times | ||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | February YTD( 1) 2008-09 | |
| (1) YTD—Year to date. (2) AACT—Actual average clearance time. Source: Pension Service Legacy System. | ||||
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