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25 Nov 2009 : Column 173W—continued
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of jobs advertised by his Department in the last 12 months were online only applications; and what provision his Department makes for those wishing to apply for jobs in his Department who do not have access to the internet. [301546]
Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government did not advertise any jobs in the last 12 months as online only applications.
Home Information Packs
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of home information packs produced in each month since August 2007. [300706]
John Healey:
The Department does not have a record of the number of HIPs produced. As HIPs must include an energy performance certificate (EPC), estimates are
based on the number of EPCs lodged on the EPC register. The following table shows:
The number of EPCs lodged on the EPC Register between 1 August 2007 and 21 September 2008. These totals include some 87,000 EPCs produced by local authorities and housing associations for rented homes as part of the social housing pilot.
The number of EPCs produced for marketed sales since 22 September 2008. These totals are listed on a weekly basis and exclude EPCs for new homes using SAP as it is not possible to distinguish between EPCs produced in respect of new homes being built for rent and those being built for sale.
| Number | |
Homelessness: South East
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless people there were in (a) Lewes constituency, (b) Sussex and (c) the South East in each year since 1997. [301278]
Mr. Ian Austin: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library and via the CLG website:
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 available, and this information is also collected.
The regional figures for the number of applicants accepted as owed a main duty and the number of households in temporary accommodation, for each financial year since 1998-99 can be found in Tables 3 and 7 of the latest Statistical Release. The equivalent 1997-98 figures can be found in earlier additions of the Release, accessible from this link:
Data are not collected at constituency level. Lewes constituency covers most of Lewes local authority and part of Wealden. Data are also not reported at County level. Sussex County is divided into East and West. The following local authorities form part of East Sussex: Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Rother and Wealden. West Sussex comprises of the following local authorities: Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid-Sussex, and Worthing.
For local authority level acceptance and temporary accommodation figures between 1997-98 and 2008-09 (including those listed above), I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 June 2009, Official Report, column 843W, to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink).
Information is also collected and reported on the number of people who sleep rough-that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. Local authority data and count guidance can be found here:
Homes and Communities Agency
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the reasons were for the requirement for an advance from the National Loans Fund to the Homes and Communities Agency referred to on page 56 of the Agency's annual report and financial statement 2008-09. [300605]
John Healey: The advance from the National Loans Fund (NLF) was made to the Housing Corporation, one of the predecessor bodies for the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), in 2007-8. This was re-paid by the Housing Corporation before the launch of the HCA on 1 December 2008 (though this appears in the HCA's financial statements for 2008-09 as these were prepared on a merger accounting basis to give results for the full financial year in 2008-09) and the amount owed was £ nil as at 31 March 2009.
The purpose of the NLF loan to the Housing Corporation had been to continue to fund some residual historical loans made by the Housing Corporation dating from the 1990s made to assist with right to buy purchases.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many property interests with negative value the Homes and Communities Agency holds; and if he will make a statement. [300611]
John Healey: Negative valued assets are those that have future liabilities attached to them. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) holds nine property interests with negative value.
The future liabilities associated with these assets are fully provided for in Note 31 "Provisions for liabilities and charges" on page 86 of the HCA financial statements, as laid in the House.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what salary has been set for each Homes and Communities Agency regional director for 2009-10. [300900]
John Healey: As at the end of October 2009 the salary for each Homes and Communities Agency regional director was set at:
| £ | |
The salary award was backdated to 1 July 2009.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessor received in interest payments in each of the last three years. [300438]
John Healey: This information for the years ending 31 March 2009 and 31 March 2008 can be found in the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) Annual Report and Financial Statements 2008-09. For the year ending 31 March 2007, the information can be found in the published annual report and accounts for English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation.
Housing: Planning
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the written ministerial statement of 30 June 2008, Official Report, columns 43-44WS, on how many occasions in each region the Secretary of State has exercised powers to recover a planning appeal under section 79 of and paragraph 3 of Schedule 6 to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 where the main reason for recovery was because the proposal was for a residential development of over 150 units which would have a significant impact on the Government's planning objective on housing supply balance and communities set out in the Statement. [301664]
John Healey: Planning Inspectors determine the vast majority of planning appeals, which numbered around 20,000 in 2008-09. The following table sets out the number of occasions in each region where appeals have been recovered since 30 June 2008 and the main reason for recovery was because the proposal was for a residential development of over 150 units which would have a significant impact on the Government's objective to secure a better balance between housing demand and supply and create high quality, sustainable, mixed and inclusive communities.
| Number | |
Land Use
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much surplus public sector land there was in each (a) region and (b) local authority area in each of the last eight quarters. [300597]
Mr. Ian Austin: The register of surplus public sector land identifies land held by central Government and its agencies that is surplus to operational requirements. The register is published quarterly by the Homes and Communities Agency, and shows the county and local authority area where the surplus land is located. The reports of the last eight quarters, including the most up-to-date version that was published in September 2009, are available on the Homes and Communities Agency website at:
Legal Opinion
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) cost and (b) purpose was of each piece of legal representation and advice obtained by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in each year since May 1997. [300331]
Barbara Follett: Communities has spent the following amounts on legal services in the last three fiscal years. Figures for earlier years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
| £ | |
Legal advice was provided on a regular and ongoing basis. The majority will be protected by legal professional privilege or commercial confidentiality or both. Providing detailed information about advice obtained would be at disproportionate cost.
The Fire Service College has supplied the following:
| £ | |
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