| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
23 Jun 2009 : Column 840W—continued
Right To Buy Scheme
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much right to buy receipts were in each year since 1997; and how much of them was retained by local authorities in each year; [277969]
(2) how much accrued to the Exchequer from Right to Buy receipts in each year between 1997-98 and 2004-05. [277968]
Mr. Ian Austin: The following table shows the level of receipts received by local authorities arising from right to buy (RTB) sales.
| Financial year | RTB receipts (£ million) |
| (1 )Final figures not yet available. | |
Local authorities retain 25 per cent. of the proceeds from RTB sales, but the Department does not hold records of these amounts. The data provided to the Department by local authorities may include figures for other relevant consents and so it is not possible to provide an accurate split between the proportion of receipts retained by the authority and that collected by the Department.
However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 27 April 2009, Official Report, column 1118W. This states the total amount of local authority housing receipts which have been transferred to the Exchequer since 01 April 2004.
Shared Ownership Schemes
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what recent representations he has received from housing associations on provision of credit to those seeking to purchase property under shared ownership schemes from lenders (a) wholly in the private sector and (b) wholly or partly publicly-owned; [281696]
(2) what information his Department holds on the level of cash deposits requested by lenders granting mortgages for those participating in shared ownership schemes. [281707]
John Healey: Representations have been received by the Department from the National Housing Federation concerning the availability of mortgages and deposit requirements for shared ownership homes.
The level of deposit required is a commercial decision for lenders which they base on their assessment of risk in prevailing market conditions and the circumstances of the purchaser. Of the 18 lenders currently willing to offer mortgages to shared owners, the maximum loan to value available on the share being purchased by the shared owner ranges from 75 per cent. to 100 per cent.
Social Rented Housing: Construction
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average grant per unit from the £100 million fund for local authorities to build social homes in 2009-10. [281207]
Mr. Ian Austin: Our estimation, at this very early stage of the programme, is approximately £55,000 grant per home, with the expectation that the local authority might borrow a further £55,000 per home to complete a development.
Social Rented Housing: Copeland
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) by what date he expects all Copeland properties leased by social landlords to be at the decent homes standard; [281339]
(2) how many homes leased by social landlords in Copeland are below the decent homes standard. [281340]
Mr. Ian Austin: In June 2004 Copeland borough council transferred 3,780 homes to Copeland Homes which was part of the Home Group, a registered social landlord. It was agreed that these properties would be brought up to the decent homes standard by December 2010 apart from 538 properties for which Home was granted a waiver until December 2013. Copeland Homes is now fully merged into the group and does not report to the Tenants Services Authority separately on achievement of the Decent Homes Standard for the ex Copeland district council housing stock.
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take to meet the demand for social rented housing in Copeland. [281343]
Mr. Ian Austin: Copeland has been allocated over £1.2 million from the Homes and Communities Agency's 2008-11 Affordable Housing Programme to build 31 additional affordable homes, of which 23 will be for rent.
Social Rented Housing: Tamworth
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take to meet demand for social rented housing in Tamworth constituency. [281693]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Department does not itself directly take steps to match demand for social rented housing in local authorities. We encourage authorities to assess the housing needs of their area as part of their strategic housing role and then work in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and local registered social landlords (RSLs) to deliver the required number of homes through our National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP). This has already delivered £1.296 million of funding in 2008-09 for two schemes in Tamworth for rent and low cost home ownership.
Nationally, The HCA has an additional £635 million from the April 2009 Budget to stimulate the housing market, including Kickstart Housing Delivery and funding for local authorities to deliver new council housing. The funding, announced in the 2009 budget, will allow councils to bid to deliver up to 900 new homes, building on their own land. Homes will be for social rent, built to high environmental standards. The first bidding round for this is currently under way and successful bidders will be announced in September. Tamworth could submit a bid for their funding if they so wished.
Temporary Accommodation: Essex
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were in temporary accommodation in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years; and what the average time spent in such accommodation was. [280453]
Mr. Ian Austin: 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.
The number of households housed in temporary accommodation by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter, is also recorded. This figure consists of those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which inquiries 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.
Summary tables including the total number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by each local authority as at the end of each year between 1997-98 and 2008-09 (TA by LA), have been deposited in the Library.
The county of Essex includes the following local authorities: Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maiden, Rochford, Tendring, Uttlesford; and the unitary authorities, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.
We do not collect centrally the average time spent in temporary accommodation for these households.
Temporary Accommodation: Greater London
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were in temporary accommodation in (a) the London Borough of Bexley and (b) Greater London in each of the last five years; and what the average time spent in such accommodation was. [280685]
Mr. Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) today, Official Report, (PQ 280453).
Temporary Accommodation: Milton Keynes
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were in temporary accommodation in Milton Keynes in each of the last five years; and how long on average households spent in such accommodation. [281683]
Mr. Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) today, Official Report, (PQ 280453).
Health
Maternity Services
13. Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the adequacy of the level of provision of maternity services in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) England. [281547]
Ann Keen: In 2008, the Healthcare Commission published ‘Towards better births, a review of maternity services in England’ which assessed the quality, capability and efficiency of maternity services in England.
Peterborough primary care trust commissions most of its maternity services from Peterborough and Stamford hospitals national health service foundation trust. The caesarean section rate is one of the lowest in the country.
18. Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of maternity services in (a) Kettering constituency and (b) England. [281552]
Ann Keen: In 2008, the Healthcare Commission published ‘Towards better births, a review of maternity services in England’ which assessed the quality, capability and efficiency of maternity services in England.
Kettering General Hospital NHS foundation trust is currently considering the feasibility of designating part of its existing midwifery unit as a midwife led unit, to increase the range of choices offered to women.
Social Care Green Paper
14. Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the forthcoming social care Green Paper. [281548]
Phil Hope: The Care and Support Green Paper is to be published in early July, presenting an exciting opportunity for a comprehensive debate in England about developing a care and support system fit for the 21st century that rises to the challenge of people living longer, increased demand for services and higher expectations for the quality of care.
Berkeley Hospital
15. Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on the relocation of Berkeley hospital; and what plans he has for the future use of the existing site. [281549]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is for the local national health service to determine how best to provide services that suit the needs of the local population, in consultation with clinicians and the general public.
NHS Targets
16. Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of targets in raising standards of care in the NHS. [281550]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Supported by this Government’s historic levels of sustained investment, the national health service has delivered significant improvements in patient care and experience. A small number of national targets, focused on the things that matter most to patients, have helped achieve this—providing cleaner hospitals; shorter waits for treatment; and shorter waits in accident and emergency.
Greater Manchester Ambulance Service
17. Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to improve the response time of the Greater Manchester ambulance service. [281551]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts to support ambulance trusts to ensure national response time standards are delivered and sustained locally.
The Department, via its performance delivery team, discusses performance with strategic health authorities to ensure that they work with local organisations to address performance issues.
Hospital-acquired Infections
19. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further steps he plans to take to reduce the level of hospital-acquired infections. [281553]
Ann Keen: We are determined to build on the progress that has been made in reducing Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAIs) over the last few years.
As well as ongoing implementation of the current programme to reduce HCAIs, we will be introducing appropriate new mechanisms such as the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Objective to drive the number of infections down further.
First Aid Training
20. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to promote first aid training for members of the public. [281554]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department has no plans to promote first aid training for members of the public.
Thalidomide
21. Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals for a new compensation scheme for thalidomide victims in cases where the drug was prescribed on the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [281555]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Thalidomide victims are already compensated through a private settlement, agreed between the Thalidomide Trust and Diageo plc.
It is the Department’s long-standing policy not to make ex-gratia payments to patients whose health has been adversely affected by the use of pharmaceutical products. Responsibility rests with the pharmaceutical company concerned.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |