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20 July 2009 : Column 824W—continued
The Agency notified the occupiers of these properties of the findings of the review as and when each review was completed. The exact date and method of notification varies from port to port and occupier to occupier.
Information on the date that each separate assessment was made and information on the number of separate assessments within ports that have been re-assessed in each of the years 2007, 2008 and 2009 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Privacy: Impact Assessments
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on performing privacy impact assessments to accompany new regulations or legislation. [284917]
Mr. Malik: It is the Department's policy to follow the Information Commissioner's guidance on when a privacy impact assessment is required and how it should be carried out.
Regional Government: Operating Costs
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the running costs were of each regional Government Office in the last year for which figures are available. [287018]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening) on 12 June 2009, Official Report, columns 1062-64W.
Regional Planning and Development
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated through regional efficiency and improvement partnerships in the last three years. [286577]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships were set up in April 2008 and receive core funding from my Department. My Department has provided £50 million core funding for Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships since their inception in April 2008, and is committed to providing a further £135 million core funding over the remaining CSR07 period, including the £68 million investment I confirmed on 15 July 2009 for this year (2009-10). We also provide additional money for specific projects. Funding provided is as follows:
| £ | ||
| Revenue funding | Capital funding | |
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial support his Department has provided to local authorities and their representative bodies through (a) regional efficiency and improvement partnerships and (b) regional empowerment partnerships in the last three years. [286579]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships were set up in April 2008 and receive core funding from my Department. My Department has provided £50 million core funding for Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships since their inception in April 2008, and is committed to providing a further £135 million core funding over the remaining Comprehensive Spending Review 07 period, including the £68 million investment I confirmed on 15 July 2009 for this year (2009-10). We also provide additional money for specific projects.
It would not be possible to disaggregate how much the RIEPs support individual local councils and their representatives bodies.
This Department has also provided funding, via the Community Development Foundation, to the Regional Empowerment Partnerships (REPs), to support local government of all types to help improve their empowerment and engagement practice. It would not be possible to disaggregate how much the REPs support different types of councils.
Regional Planning and Development: West Midlands
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government at what phase of the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy review an assessment of ecotown applications will be made. [288327]
Mr. Malik: The Examination in Public into the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy took place between 28 April and 24 June 2009. The Examination considered what role in principle eco-towns or new settlement proposals might have in providing for housing development in the region.
The Panel Report is anticipated in September. Following this the Secretary of State aims to publish Proposed Changes to the Regional Spatial Strategy before the end of the year.
Rented Housing: Carbon Emissions
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made towards the target for all new (a) private sector and (b) social rented housing to be zero carbon by 2016. [286524]
John Healey: The Government announced in July 2007 that all new homes will be zero carbon from 2016. Following a consultation paper released last December, I made a written ministerial statement to the House announcing further decisions on the definition of zero carbon homes on 16 July 2009 Official Report, columns 43-44WS. A summary of consultation responses and updated impact assessment were published on the same day see:
Government continue to support the transition to low and zero carbon homes in a number of ways:
in my 16 July 2009 statement, I announced the first four pioneering locations for eco-towns in England and the publication of the planning policy statement on eco-towns. Eco-towns will demonstrate the highest levels of sustainability and will be zero carbon across all the town's buildings;
the Technology Strategy Board is working with partners to enable it to harness the market for environmentally sustainable buildings, since 2004 investing £46 million in this area. Under its Low Impact Buildings Innovation Platform a further total of £50 million is now earmarked for allocation to research relevant to new build by 2011. This includes over £30 million of capability building work to be awarded over the next two years and up to £8.5 million in new build demonstration programmes;
the Government's Code for Sustainable Homes (the Code) provides a single national standard to guide industry in the design and construction of sustainable new homes. Recently, post-construction certificates were issued for the first homes built to Code level 6 (zero carbon achieved on-site or via private wire);
the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) Carbon Challenge programme aims to accelerate the home building industry's response to climate change by building homes that reach Code level 6. Four new communities are planned which will together provide around 1,700 zero carbon and highly sustainable homes. Work on the first site at Hanham Hall, near Bristol, is expected to start in late 2009;
Budget 2009 announced a £400 million Kickstart Housing Delivery programme targeted at currently stalled sites, to support construction of high quality mixed tenure housing developments. This amount was subsequently increased under the Housing Pledge as part of Building Britain's Future last month. Homes built to higher levels of the Code are encouraged under this programme;
my Department is providing funding support to the Zero Carbon Hub, the industry-led delivery body for zero carbon homes. The Hub reports to the 2016 Task Force, which I jointly
chair with the Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation and which provides strategic oversight of our zero carbon homes policy;
stamp duty land tax exemption or reduction is available for the first acquisition of a zero carbon home.
In relation to social housing:
social housing funded under the National Affordable Housing Programme is required to meet level 3 of the Code. The HCA is reviewing the timetable for requiring housing funded under this programme to be built to higher levels of the Code;
Budget 2009 announced £100 million of new funding for local authorities to deliver new social housing at higher energy efficiency standards. This funding has been increased under the Housing Pledge to enable up a four-fold increase in new social homes to be built by local authorities.
Social Rented Housing: Essex
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of (a) local authority and (b) housing association homes in (i) Essex and (ii) Castle Point met the decent homes standard in each of the last five years. [285481]
Mr. Ian Austin: The following table outlines the proportion of (a) local authority and (b) housing association homes in (i) Essex and (ii) Castle Point that failed to meet the decent homes standard in each of the last five years.
| Proportion of dwellings that are non-decent | ||||||||||
| Percentage | ||||||||||
| Local authority | Registered social landlords | |||||||||
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Source: Annual returns, from all LAs that retain social housing stock, to Communities and Local Government and annual return from Registered Social Landlords. | ||||||||||
Social Rented Housing: Standards
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social homes in each region have not reached the Decent Homes standard; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of bringing such homes up to the standard. [283831]
Mr. Ian Austin: The following table provides the information requested:
| Number of social sector non-decent dwellings as 1 March 2008 | |||
| Non-decent dwellings | Total stock | Percentage non-decent | |
| Source: Annual returns, from all LAs that retain social housing stock, to Communities and Local Government and annual return from registered social landlords. | |||
Landlord statistical returns show that the 18 per cent. of the social housing stock is non-decent compared to 38 per cent. in 2002.
The cost per house of meeting the decent homes standard varies across the country and the Department does not collect that information. Some landlords are refurbishing the houses in their area above the decent homes standard. Any higher local standard, and how that is to be achieved, will be determined by local circumstances and the level of resources that can be delivered into the programme locally. The Government expect over £40 billion to have been spent on refurbishing council houses by 2010.
Temporary Accommodation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) disabled and (b) elderly people were in temporary accommodation in each year since 1997. [288493]
John Healey: The information requested is not held centrally.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) dependent children, (b) expectant mothers and (c) children aged (i) 16 and (ii) 17 years were in temporary accommodation in each year since 1997. [288494]
John Healey: Information is not collected or available in the form requested.
Work and Pensions
Atos
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people who undertook a health test administered by Atos on behalf of her Department were scored at zero out of 15 in the latest period for which figures are available. [283983]
Jim Knight [holding answer 3 July 2009]: The information is not held centrally and could be made available only at disproportionate cost. Decisions about the total points applicable from a work capability assessment or a personal capability assessment are made by Jobcentre Plus decision-makers in each case, taking account of the available evidence, including any evidence provided by the claimant in a work capability assessment questionnaire, a personal capability assessment questionnaire, the claimant's general practitioner, and advice provided to Jobcentre Plus by the Atos health care professional. Although the decision-maker records the points scored in each individual case, there is no central record of how many people score zero points.
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