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21 July 2009 : Column 1666W—continued
Property Development
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued on the definition of the (a) front and (b) back of a property for the purposes of the new permitted development rights for small household extensions and works. [288108]
John Healey: The terms 'front of a property' and 'back of a property' are not included in part 1 of schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. The Department has not issued guidance on the interpretation of these terms. Where terms are properly capable of more than one meaning it is for local planning authorities to take a view in the first instance. Ultimately, statutory interpretation is a matter for the courts.
Regional Planning and Development
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what effect delays in introducing regional spatial strategies will have on his Department's allocation of growth point funding to local authorities in those regions. [288325]
John Healey: The Growth Point fund was paid to all local authorities in December 2008 for the period 2009-10, with indicative amounts also announced for 2010-11, subject to variation by the Secretary of State in exceptional circumstances.
Confirmation of final allocations for 2010-11 will be made following consultation on the savings that are being made to the growth point fund in 2010-11.
The award of growth point funds is not based on whether the Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) timetable changes.
Retail Trade: Planning Permission
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for (a) abolition of the needs test and (b) publication of final planning guidance on out-of-town retail development. [288293]
John Healey: On 5 May 2009 we published a consultation draft planning policy statement 4 (PPS4): 'Planning for Prosperous Economies'. This brings together all of the Government's key planning policies relating to the economy in both urban and rural areas into one single document. This new PPS incorporates draft PPS 4: 'Planning for Sustainable Economic Development'; PPG 5: 'Simplified Planning Zones'; PPS 6: 'Planning for Town Centres'; and the economic development policies in PPS 7: 'Sustainable Development in Rural Areas'. Draft PPS4 maintains the proposal to remove the requirement to demonstrate 'need' in respect to planning applications as set out in the PPS6 proposed changes consultation document last year.
GVA Grimley has also published a 'living draft' town centres practice guidance to support the implementation of town centre policies as set out in draft PPS4, and is informally consulting upon the guidance over the PPS consultation period.
The consultation period for draft PPS4 ends on 28 July 2009 and we aim to publish the final policy before the end of this year. The practice guidance will be published alongside the final PPS.
Social Rented Housing
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will undertake a privacy impact assessment in relation to the extension of the National Register of Social Housing. [288104]
John Healey: The National Register of Social Housing (NROSH) is a central record of each individual unit of social housing compiled from information provided by local authorities and housing associations. It does not collect personal data and does not therefore come under the auspices of the Data Protection Act.
There are no current plans to extend NROSH.
Social Rented Housing: Low Incomes
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what regional targets have been set for affordable housing (a) starts and (b) completions in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; how many such starts and completions are expected to be for (A) intermediate low cost ownership and (B) social rent; on what date the targets were set; and what the previous regional targets had been. [287846]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 July, Official Report, column 905W.
Social Rented Housing: Waiting Lists
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of giving priority to local people on housing waiting lists on the eligibility for social housing of (a) New Age Travellers, (b) Irish Travellers and (c) Gypsies with no local connection to the area in which they are applying for accommodation; [288251]
(2) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of giving priority to local people on housing waiting lists on the eligibility for social housing of (a) migrant workers from member states of the EU prior to 2004 and (b) those with refugee status; [288318]
(3) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of giving priority to local people on housing waiting lists on the eligibility for social housing of non-European economic area nationals with (a) indefinite leave to remain and (b) limited leave to remain; [288319]
(4) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of giving priority to local people on housing waiting lists on the eligibility for social housing of (a) A8 nationals on the Worker Registration Scheme and (b) A2 nationals on the Worker Authorisation Scheme. [288320]
John Healey: The proposals announced in "Building Britain's Future" relate to the allocation of social housing. We have no plans to change rules on eligibility to apply for social housing.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether an equality impact assessment has been prepared for the proposals for giving priority to local people on housing waiting lists; [288287]
(2) what assessment has been made of the compatibility with the Human Rights Act 1998 of proposals for giving priority to local people on housing waiting lists; [288288]
(3) whether he plans to bring forward legislation to allow local authorities to give people with a local association priority on council housing waiting lists. [288330]
John Healey: As I informed the House on 7 July, we plan to bring forward before the end of the month revised guidance for local authorities on social housing allocations. Our proposals will give local authorities more flexibility to take into account local housing needs and pressures when determining their allocations policies. The guidance will be issued for consultation, accompanied by an equalities impact assessment and a statement on compatibility with the Human Rights Act.
Supporting People Programme
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in each client group received a Supporting People grant in each of the last three years. [288485]
John Healey:
The Supporting People programme is administered at the local level by the relevant administering authority. It is for each authority to decide which services to fund; this is informed by locally identified needs and
agreed priorities within their Supporting People strategies. People who are eligible for Supporting People funding tend to use a service, rather than receive a cashable grant.
Data are collected on the amount of housing related support services available to different client groups (measured in household units). The following tables
provide a snapshot of the services available at a particular point in time during each of the last three years, but does not reflect the total number of households who have accessed services during each year. Household unit information is reported to the Department on a quarterly basis, by administering authorities.
| Figures for 2006 to 2009 | ||||||
| Frail elderly | Generic | Homeless families with support needs | Mentally disordered offenders | Offenders or people at risk of offending | Older people with mental health problems/dementia | |
| Older people with support needs | People with a physical or sensory disability | People with alcohol problems | People with drug problems | People with HIV aids | People with learning disabilities | |
| People with mental health problems | Refugees | Rough sleeper | Single homeless with support needs | Teenage parents | Traveller | |
| Women at risk of domestic violence | Young people at risk | Young people leaving care | Total | |
| (1) Data for Q4 of 2008/09, although collected, are not yet available. The Q3 2008/09 total includes an adjustment of 4,071 relating to some minor reporting inaccuracies from a small number of authorities. Note: The information in the tables shows the snapshot of household units available at the end of each of the last three years, where available. Data are collected on a quarterly basis and figures can be subject to fluctuations during the year. | ||||
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of the expenditure on Supporting People grants was allocated to each eligible client group in each of the last three years. [288490]
John Healey: The Supporting People programme is administered at the local level by the relevant administering authority. It is for each authority to decide which services to fund; this is informed by locally identified need and agreed priorities within their Supporting People Strategies. The following tables set out the amount spent on Supporting People services in England, by primary client group. Retrospective spend information is reported to the Department annually by administering authorities, and is provided for the last three years where complete data are available.
| Spend Figures for 2005-08 | |||||||
| Frail Elderly | Generic | Homeless Families with Support Needs | Mentally Disordered Offenders | Offenders or People at risk of Offending | Older people with mental health problems/dementia | Older people with support needs | |
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