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23 Mar 2009 : Column 65W—continued
Sports: Grants
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consideration he has given to including the grants made by the Big Lottery Fund to community sport in the new Sport England Community Sport Strategy. [256484]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 12 February 2009]: Sport England is responsible for the national strategy to develop a world-leading community sport system. The Big Lottery Fund provides support for community sport through its funding of health, education, environment and charitable purposes, and shares its experience with all its stakeholders, including Sport England. The strategy has been informed by the Big Lottery Fund’s experience of funding community sport.
Sports: Public Consultation
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which organisations (a) have been and (b) are planned to be consulted in drawing up the new whole sport plans. [264526]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Whole Sport Plan process was conducted by Sport England. It provided the national governing bodies of 46 sports with the opportunity to present their vision for the whole of their sport, and many will have consulted widely as part of this process. The plans then went through a rigorous process of review by the Sport England engagement team, peer review and finally a national advisory panel, including representatives of the National Equality Partners (Sporting Equals, the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation and the English Federation of Disability Sport).
Tourism: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in British seaside resorts which are dependent on the tourism industry. [265489]
Barbara Follett: The number of jobs in British seaside resorts dependent on tourism is unavailable. The number of jobs dependent on tourism is available only for the UK as a whole and is as follows:
| Thousand | |||
| Employee jobs | Self-employed jobs | All jobs | |
| Notes: 1. This table provides estimates of the number of people working whose jobs are supported by tourism. 2. The figures above are calculated by summing employee jobs and self-employment jobs (including self-employed as second job). 3. These estimates are based on the ‘UK Tourism Satellite Account—First Steps Project’ (TSA), which assesses the proportion of employment that is supported by tourism. 4. Due to revisions to the Workforce Jobs Survey in December 2008, back data have been revised. | |||
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of visits made to the English coast for the purpose of outdoor recreation in each of the last three years. [265492]
Barbara Follett: VisitBritain have advised that they do not hold the information in the format requested. Research methodology changed mid-way through 2005 and full year data for overnight trips are only available for 2006 and 2007.
There were 20.7 million domestic overnight trips to the English seaside in 2006 and 20.4 million domestic overnight trips to the English seaside in 2007. No data detailing the purpose of these visits are held.
For day visits, the latest data are from Natural England's 2005 survey and include the purpose of these visits, details of which can be found at the following web link:
http://livelink/livelink/livelink.exe/fetch/2000/51254/246618/51948/51949/110303/England_Leisure_Day_Visit_Survey_ 2005.pdf?nodeid=2909669&vernum=-2
Communities and Local Government
Community Relations
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2009, Official Report, column 476W, on community relations, how much her Department is paying (a) the Tavistock Institute and (b) De Montfort University for the research commissioned from them. [264902]
Mr. Khan: The total value of the contract for the research conducted by the Tavistock Institute is £24,500 plus VAT. The total cost for the De Montfort University research contract is £65,600 plus VAT.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2009, Official Report, column 476W, on community relations, by what date she expects (a) the Tavistock Institute and (b) De Montfort University to report to her Department on the results of their research into the national and international factors contributing to violent extremism. [264903]
Mr. Khan: The research that the Tavistock Institute is carrying out for Communities and Local Government has two phases. The first phase was finished in February, and the second phase, setting out guidelines for carrying out evaluation, is due to be available in April.
The final report for the Rapid Evidence Assessment research being carried out by De Montfort University is due to be completed in May.
Council Housing: Rents
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 March 2009, Official Report, columns 71-2WS on local authority rents, what the timetable is for (a) additional subsidy to be granted and (b) rents to be reduced. [263033]
Mr. Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government wrote to local authorities on 11 March with further information following the announcement on 6 March by the Minister for Housing, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett), of the reduction by half in the national average guideline rent increase for 2009-10.
The letter sets out a broad timetable for implementation of the changes for those authorities accepting our offer. After a short period of consultation on new guideline rents for each authority, we envisage issuing the final 2009-10 amending Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy determination with reduced rental income for participating authorities in May. It would then be for those authorities to introduce the changes to their own timetables for reducing their tenants' rents.
Home Ownership Incentive Schemes
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price of a property purchased through the Own Home scheme has been since the initiative began. [265005]
Mr. Iain Wright: The average price of property purchased through Own Home is £175,000.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average monthly interest charged by First Time Buyers Initiative (a) funders and (b) providers has been since the scheme began. [265009]
Mr. Iain Wright: This information is not held centrally. However, there is no interest to pay on the loan for the first three years following purchase.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) the Government and (b) its partners have provided for the First-Time Buyers Initiative; and how much will be provided in each of the next three years. [265013]
Mr. Iain Wright: The First Time Buyers Initiative programme is funded through a government-only equity loan. The maximum level of investment under the programme will be £250 million. To date, around £137 million of the total budget has been committed. The investment phase of the programme will end in March 2010. The final level of investment will be dependent on the number of purchasers that buy a home on one of the programme's designated new build schemes.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) the Government and (b) its partners have provided for the OwnHome scheme; and how much will be provided in each of the next three years. [265018]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Government have provided £33.8 million for OwnHome in 2008-09. This was augmented with funding from Places for People. Over the three years 2008-11, we are investing over £8 billion in affordable housing through the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). We have not allocated specific funds for OwnHome for each of the next two years to allow full flexibility within the Affordable Housing Programme operated by the HCA. Future levels of funds beyond 2010-11 will be dependent upon the next spending review.
Homebuy Scheme
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on publicising each of the Homebuy schemes to date; and how much she expects to be so spent in each of the next two financial years. [265912]
Margaret Beckett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 31 January 2008, Official Report, columns 585-86W to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell).
Homelessness
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many private sector properties were leased by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations in order to house homeless households in each year since 1997. [265241]
Mr. Iain Wright: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.
Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes so.
Information on the numbers of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figure includes: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which enquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a
limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
The number of households in temporary accommodation, housed in private sector properties leased by local authorities and registered social landlords at the end of the each year since 1997, is shown in the following table:
| Households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation, housed in private sector properties leased by LAs and RSLs, as at 31 December, 1997 to 2008 | ||
| Private sector properties leased by: | ||
| (a) Local authorities | (b) Registered social landlords | |
| Source: CLG P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly) | ||
Housing: Construction
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how often her Department makes estimates of the number of new home builds; and if she will make a statement. [264994]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department publish quarterly information on the number of new house building starts and completions in England. The latest National Statistics release “House Building: December Quarter 2008, England” was published on 19 February 2009, and is available on the Department's website at:
New house building completions are the main component of net supply of housing, which measures the absolute change in the dwelling stock between 1 April and 31 March the following year.
Net supply to dwelling stock is published annually. The latest statistical release “Net supply of housing: 2007-08, England” was published on 27 February 2009, and is available on the Department’s website at:
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been built on land formerly owned by (a) the Ministry of Defence, (b) the National Health Service, (c) schools and (d) other government bodies in each year since 1997. [265070]
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