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21 May 2009 : Column 1526W—continued


Social Security Benefits: Prisoners

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether procedures are in place to review the entitlement to welfare benefits of prisoners sentenced to custody. [275490]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 14 May 2009]: Prisoners convicted of a criminal offence and given a term of imprisonment do not get benefits. An exception is made in certain cases of housing benefit and council tax benefit where the overall absence will not exceed 13 weeks, on the grounds that loss of the home or falling into arrears of council tax in these circumstances would be an indirect and unjustified consequence of the punishment. Additionally payment of certain War Pensions and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits is suspended for up to a year and paid on release, the reason being that these particular benefits are paid by way of compensation rather than to meet specific or general needs or to provide a measure of income-maintenance.

Details of all newly convicted prisoners in England, Scotland and Wales are sent weekly to the Department for Work and Pensions to check if any are receiving benefits or national insurance credits and for the appropriate action to be taken.

State Retirement Pensions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners received state pension (a) overpayments and (b) underpayments in each of the last five years. [272473]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information about the number of pensioners who are overpaid or underpaid state pension is not held.

Communities and Local Government

Departmental Procurement

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 24 March 2009, Official Report, column 214W, on departmental procurement, which items were purchased for the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office; and if she will place a copy of each invoice in the Library. [272242]


21 May 2009 : Column 1527W

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) by my hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan) on 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 970W.

All expenditure in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office was conducted in accordance with the principles of “Government Accounting” and the Treasury handbook on “Regularity and Propriety”.

Derelict Land: Property Development

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes for (a) social rent and (b) intermediate affordable housing were built on surplus public sector land in each of the last five years. [274831]

Mr. Iain Wright: This Department does not hold this information centrally. However, we are working with the Homes and Communities Agency and Government Departments to develop a robust system of data collection so that we can identify and record what housing development is taking place on public sector sites. The Homes and Communities Agency is also seeking the help of local authorities in establishing this database.

Employment Tribunals Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many actions under employment law were brought against the Department in each of the last three years, broken down by category of action; and how many were contested by the Department at an employment tribunal. [275626]


21 May 2009 : Column 1528W

John Healey [holding answer 14 May 2009]: In each of the last three years the Department for Communities and Local Government have received less than five actions under employment law. As a consequence, this information is not disclosed on grounds of confidentiality.

Empty Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many vacant social sector dwellings there were in each region in each of the last three years; [273763]

(2) how many dwellings owned by (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords in each region were vacant in each of the last five years; and what percentage of the total number of unoccupied dwellings in each region that figure represents in each year. [273896]

Mr. Iain Wright: The term social sector dwellings has been interpreted to mean “social rented” dwellings.

A table showing estimates of the number of social sector domestic empty dwellings in the last three years, and estimates for each of the last five years of the numbers of dwellings owned by local authorities and registered social landlords in each region which are vacant, and the percentage of all vacant dwellings that these represent, is provided in the following table.

Total vacant dwellings reported by local authorities through council taxbase returns include long term and short term empty dwellings.

Figures for registered social landlords are for self-contained general needs units only.

Estimates of the numbers of dwellings owned by local authorities and registered social landlords in each region which a re vacant, and the percentage of all vacant dwellings that these represent
2004

North East North West Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands West Midlands

Local authority

Number of vacants

6,800

10,620

9,810

4,970

6,880

Dwelling stock

190,000

308,000

326,000

218,000

238,000

LA vacants as a percentage of LA stock

3.6

3.4

3.0

2.3

2.9

LA vacants as a percentage of total vacants

14.9

8.2

11.4

8.4

8.5

Registered social landlords

Number of vacants

3,470

11,810

4,310

2,470

5,970

Dwelling stock

106,000

299,000

121,000

94,000

221,000

RSL vacants as a percentage of RSL stock

3.3

3.9

3.6

2.6

2.7

RSL vacants as a percentage of total vacants

7.6

9.2

5.0

4.2

7.4

Total

Number of vacants

45,730

128,840

86,300

59,090

80,940

Dwelling stock

1,126,000

2,989,000

2,189,000

1,842,000

2,258,000

Vacants as a percentage of stock

4.1

4.3

3.9

3.2

3.6

Vacants as a percentage of total vacants

100

100

100

100

100


21 May 2009 : Column 1529W

21 May 2009 : Column 1530W

East London South East South West England

Local authority

Number of vacants

4,210

8,950

3,040

2,260

57,540

Dwelling stock

226,000

483,000

206,000

140,000

2,335,000

LA vacants as a percentage of LA stock

1.9

1.9

1.5

1.6

2.5

LA vacants as a percentage of total vacants

6.4

10.3

3.1

3.8

8.1

Registered social landlords

Number of vacants

2,090

6,810

4,020

2,350

43,290

Dwelling stock

153,000

291,000

258,000

158,000

1,702,000

RSL vacants as a percentage of RSL stock

1.4

2.3

1.6

1.5

2.5

RSL vacants as a percentage of total vacants

3.2

7.9

4.1

3.9

6.1

Total

Number of vacants

65,670

86,730

97,800

59,840

710,940

Dwelling stock

2,367,000

3,146,000

3,471,000

2,247,000

21,636,000

Vacants as a percentage of stock

2.8

2.8

2.8

2.7

3.3

Vacants as a percentage of total vacants

100

100

100

100

100


2005

North East North West Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands West Midlands

Local authority

Number of vacants

5,210

7,740

7,320

4,990

5,050

Dwelling stock

170,000

267,000

273,000

214,000

232,000

LA vacants as a percentage of LA stock

3.1

2.9

2.7

2.3%

2.2%

LA vacants as a percentage of total vacants

11.0

5.8

8.5

7.9

6.5

Registered social landlords

Number of vacants

3,590

9,500

4,240

1,540

5,110

Dwelling stock

116,000

322,000

161,000

94,000

220,000

RSL vacants as a percentage of RSL stock

3.1

3.0

2.6

1.6

2.3

RSL vacants as a percentage of total vacants

7.5

7.2

4.9

2.4

6.6

Total

Number of vacants

47,570

132,440

85,660

63,200

77,390

Dwelling stock

1,131,000

3,007,000

2,202,000

1,860,000

2,274,000

Vacants as a percentage of stock

4.2

4.4

3.9

3.4

3.4

Vacants as a percentage of total vacants

100

100

100

100

100


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