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23 Apr 2009 : Column 883W—continued
Flood Control
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many summaries of flood recovery progress have been published since June 2008; and if she will make a statement. [269966]
John Healey: Since June 2008 the Government have undertaken three data collection exercises in September 2008, November 2008 and March 2009 to monitor the progress being made in getting those people displaced by the 2007 summer floods back into their homes. Figures from these data collection exercises have been made public, with the most recent figures for March 2009 announced on 21 April 2009 in the following CLG press release
In addition since June 2008 the Government have published eight press notices covering a range of topics related to the recovery from the 2007 summer floods.
Housing
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department issues on the land area allocated to a two- or three-bedroom house in a local authority high density housing scheme. [270528]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Government have no specific existing policy or guidance on the land area for particular local authority housing schemes. However, the Government’s planning policy statement 3: Housing (PPS3) is clear on the need to achieve high quality new housing, including promoting designs and layouts which make efficient use of land, encouraging innovative approaches to help deliver high quality outcomes.
The HCA is continuing to currently operate under the regimes set in place by the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships establishing space standards for new homes funded by the public sector. Current published space standards are based on floor area and not on land area:
The Housing Corporation’s design and quality strategy and standards sets out space and quality standards requirements for all housing projects which receive social housing grant. In addition, the urban design compendium provides guidance and best practice examples of urban design and includes guidance on achieving a range of densities against a range of mixed uses.
The HCA is currently reviewing the benchmarks for high quality urban design, construction and environmental sustainability, including any space standards for new homes funded by the public sector.
Housing Market
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 973W, on the housing market, how much her Department has spent on commissioning Heriot-Watt university to produce a new analytical model; and how much she expects the contract to be worth in total. [270598]
Mr. Iain Wright: To date, the Department has paid Heriot-Watt university £112,444. The final contract value is expected to be £163,256.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 973W, on the housing market, when she expects the research to have been completed by Heriot-Watt university; and when it will be presented to her Department. [270599]
Mr. Iain Wright: We expect the housing need analytical model commissioned from Heriot-Watt university to be in use within Communities and Local Government, by autumn 2009.
Housing: Carbon Emissions
Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has undertaken on market demand for (a) code level 6 and (b) zero-carbon homes; and if she will make a statement. [267906]
Mr. Iain Wright: In July 2007, following public consultation, my Department confirmed that all new homes will be zero carbon from 2016. A further consultation to define the detailed definition of zero-carbon homes closed on 18 March 2009. The zero-carbon policy will be underpinned by regulations so that, subject to appropriate transitional arrangements, all new homes will be built to the zero-carbon standard from 2016. My Department has not conducted research on the demand for zero-carbon homes that would be expected in the absence of regulation.
There has however been research carried out by the Sponge Network, the Energy Saving Trust, Savills and Nationwide that suggest that consumers want to live in sustainable homes that are warm in winter and have low energy bills.
The Code for Sustainable Homes, which became operational in April 2007, is a sustainable building standard to help industry, Government and others understand how to build sustainable, energy efficient, low and zero-carbon homes. We anticipate that as the numbers grow, and as more people understand what sustainable homes can achieve in terms of cost savings and reduced impact upon the environment, this will help to stimulate demand.
Housing: Construction
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes have been commissioned in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years. [268430]
Mr. Iain Wright: During the period 2003 to 2008 there have been 27,500 housing completions, with 3,130 of these available as affordable homes in Essex. In the same period there were 721 housing completions in Castle Point of which 47 were affordable homes.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new build (a) starts and (b) completions there were in each region in the first quarter of 2009. [270637]
Mr. Iain Wright: CLG publish house building starts and completions on a quarterly basis. The latest house building figures covering house building starts and completions up to the end of December 2008 were published on 19 February 2009.
The next quarterly release will be published on 21 May 2009, and will cover house building starts and completions up to the end of March 2009.
Housing: Energy
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will estimate how long it will take for 90 per cent. of homes to reach efficiency level B or above in respect of energy. [270298]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department has not developed estimates for how long it will take for 90 per cent. of properties to reach EPC Band B. The EPC system is still very new, and there are insufficient numbers of properties transacted to estimate in a responsible manner a meaningful trajectory for properties to achieve this over time.
Housing: Low Incomes
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2009, Official Report, column 476W, on Home Ownership Incentive Schemes, how much of the funding brought forward from (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 is for use for (i) Decent Homes, (ii) the Community Infrastructure Fund, (iii) the National Affordable Housing Programme, (iv) support Department for Work and Pensions reforms of Support for Mortgage Interest and (v) other housing and regeneration programmes. [270695]
Mr. Khan: Communities and Local Government has brought forward £25 million of capital expenditure from 2009-10 and £1,475 million from 2010-11 as a result of initiatives announced in the September Housing Package and pre-Budget Report. The following table sets out how these monies have been applied.
| Application of brought forward funding | |||
| £ million | |||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
|
National Affordable Housing programme (including social rent, HomeBuy Direct and Mortgage Rescue) | |||
The pre-Budget report also offered flexibility to the regional development agencies who have brought forward £100 million of capital expenditure from 2010-11 to 2009-10. In addition, Communities and Local Government has already allocated £162 million to local authorities from a total pot of up to £175 million brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 to accelerate major repairs to council housing stock.
These figures do not include changes that may follow from the Budget 2009.
Land: Public Sector
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hectares of land are on the register of surplus public sector land. [270239]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Register of Surplus Public Sector Land is managed by the Homes and Communities Agency and is updated on a quarterly basis. Over 700 sites covering about 5,000 hectares of land were listed in the most recent quarterly report published in March 2009. This report is available on the Homes and Communities Agency website at:
Local Government
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of the proposals made in the 2006 Local Government White Paper have not been implemented; and for which such proposals no timetable for implementation has been set. [268881]
John Healey: Details of the main proposals within the 2006 Local Government White Paper to be implemented and the relevant timescales are set out in the third and final Local Government White Paper implementation plan, published on 19 March 2009. It is available at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localg overnment/implementationplanprogress3
However, the proposed arrangements in the White Paper for appointing parish councillors are undergoing further consultation with sector representatives before a final decision around implementation can be taken.
Local Government Finance
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the general fund revenue account outturn for (a) education, (b) highways and transport, (c) social care, (d) housing (excluding Housing Revenue Account), (e) cultural, environmental and planning, (f) the police, (g) fire and rescue services, (i) the courts service, (j) central services and (k) other local authority services was in each year between 1997-98 and 2004-05. [270413]
John Healey: Details of revenue expenditure for England for years 1997-98 to 2001-02 can be found in the “Local Government Financial Statistics No. 15 (2004)” publication. It can be found at:
Details of revenue expenditure for England for years 2002-03 to 2004-05 can be found in the “Local Government Financial Statistics No. 18 (2008)” publication. It can be found at:
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) specific and (b) special grants were made by her Department to local government in each year between 1997-98 and 2008-09; and what the total amount of such grants was in each year. [270414]
Mr. Khan: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ministers of Religion
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 89 of the report, The United Kingdom's Strategy for Countering International Terrorism, published in March 2009 and the development of a set of standards and a recruitment framework for all chaplains engaged in public service, what criteria will be used to select chaplains; who will select the chaplains; and what role the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board will play in the development of the set of standards and recruitment framework. [270451]
Mr. Khan: Following a tendering process in August 2008, Faith Matters were awarded the contract to pilot a draft framework of standards and recruitment process for public institutions to use when engaging Muslim chaplains, developed by The Experience Corps. Pilots will be undertaken in a number of public institutions, including prisons, hospitals and police forces.
Pilot sites will be selected by Faith Matters, based on public institutions which will be looking to engage a Muslim chaplain within the next couple of months, and willing to follow, or be assessed against, the recruitment process and use the framework of standards to assess candidates' suitability for the post.
As the framework of standards and recruitment process documents have already been developed by The Experience Corps, the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) have not played a role in developing these.
Faith Matters' evaluation of the pilots will incorporate the views of relevant officials within participating institutions, as well as wider stakeholder consultation with imams, other faith leaders, chaplains, and officials from other Government Departments and relevant associated agencies. Individuals who take part in MINAB may feed into the evaluation of the pilots as part of the wider stakeholder consultation.
Mortgages
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what forecasts her Department has made of the number of households which will have negative equity in the next 12 months. [270263]
Mr. Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government (CLG) do not make forecasts for the housing market and so have not made any forecasts of the number of households which will have negative equity in the next 12 months. However, CLG do closely monitor the housing market and take action to support both the market and homeowners where necessary.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what figures her Department holds on how many residential buy-to-let mortgages there are. [270264]
Mr. Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government do not hold any information on the number of residential buy-to-let mortgages. However data on the number of residential buy-to-let mortgages are published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders at:
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