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30 Nov 2009 : Column 520W—continued
Housing Market
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what forecasts of housing market trends (a) his Department, (b) the Homes and Communities Agency and (c) the Tenant Services Authority have commissioned. [300430]
Mr. Ian Austin: CLG does not commission forecasts of housing market trends relating to house prices, housing transactions, and new housing supply. It has however commissioned the construction of models for various aspects of the housing market including these. An example of this in recent years is the housing affordability model. Some information about it can be found at:
The HCA have commissioned material from Oxford Economics, which includes their forecasts relating to the wider economy and the housing market, available via subscription.
The TSA have not commissioned any research into housing market trends. Where necessary they currently use publicly available information.
Surveys, sometimes commissioned, are an additional tool used by the Department and the agencies to garner information about the housing market, which can include what people think will happen going forward. An example is the Survey of English Housing, available at:
Housing: Bristol
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what recent estimate he has made of the average cost per unit of building a home on the Hanham Hall site in Bristol; [300429]
(2) how much the Homes and Communities Agency has spent on the Hanham Hall development (a) in total and (b) per unit. [300523]
John Healey: Total spend to date by the Homes and Communities Agency at Hanham Hall is £4,697,232.
We are unable to provide estimates of the average cost per unit as this is commercially confidential information. The lead developer has not yet gone out to tender on the build contract and therefore revealing this information would prejudice the tender process.
Housing: Carbon Monoxide
Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to require carbon monoxide monitors to be fitted in vehicle garages which are connected to domestic properties. [301642]
Mr. Ian Austin: The current consultation to revise part J (combustion appliances and fuel storage systems) of the building regulations includes proposals to require carbon monoxide alarms where solid fuel appliances are installed in homes. There are no current proposals to require carbon monoxide monitors to be fitted in vehicle garages which are connected to domestic properties.
In support of the current part J consultation the Department has published the report: "Study on the Provision of Carbon Monoxide Detectors under The Building Regulations: BD2754". This can be viewed via the link:
Housing: Elderly
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to take steps in response to the recent findings of the Office of Fair Trading on the contracts signed by occupants of purpose-built owner-occupied retirement homes. [303070]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are investigating the terms found within leases for occupants of purpose built owner occupied retirement homes, and has written to 26 retirement companies who operate in this sector setting out its concerns over terms providing for exit fees to be charged when residents sell, rent or otherwise transfer their properties. Following this, the OFT has now proposed a draft set of standard undertakings to be given by these companies which will mean that such terms will not be used in future leasehold agreements or enforced in existing leasehold agreements used in this sector. Comments on these proposals are also being sought from other interested parties.
Housing: Offices
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the monetary value of (a) buildings and (b) leases owned by (i) the Tenant Services Authority and (ii) the Homes and Communities Agency and their predecessors and used as offices was in each of the last three years. [300439]
John Healey:
For the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and its predecessor organisations (English
Partnerships, the investment arm of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities):
The value for buildings owned by the Agency for 2008-09 and 2007-08 are reported in note 20 on pages 78-79, of HCA's published financial statements 2008-09. See further below for 2006-07.
Annual commitments against operating leases for land and buildings for 2008-09 and 2007-8 are reported in note 40 on page 98, of the HCA's published financial statements 2008-09. See further below for 2006-07.
For the Tenants Services Authority (TSA) and its predecessor organisation (the regulation arm of the Housing Corporation):
The TSA did not own any buildings in 2008-09 and 2007-08; see below for 2006-07.
Annual commitments against operating leases for offices for 2008-09 and 2007-08 are reported in note 23 on page 102 of the TSA's financial statements for 2008-09. See further below for 2006-07.
For 2006-07, for English Partnerships (EP):
The value of buildings owned by EP were reported on in note 13 on page 84 and note 10 on page 114, of EP's published financial statements for 2006-07.
Annual commitments against operating leases for land and buildings for 2006-07 are reported in note 27 on page 93 and note 21 on page 123, of EP's published financial statements for 2006-07.
For 2006-07, for the Housing Corporation (its investment arm being the predecessor for the HCA and its regulation arm being the predecessor the TSA):
There were no buildings owned by the Housing Corporation.
Annual commitments against operating leases for offices for 2006-07 were shown in note 26 of the Corporations financial statements for 2006-07.
For 2006-07, for the Academy for Sustainable Communities:
The Academy did not own any buildings.
The charge for rent on offices was £107,000.
Housing: Prices
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to his Answer of 23 November 2009, Official Report, column 13W, on housing: prices, what the average sale price of a new three-bedroom property in Yate, South Gloucestershire was in April 1991; and on what evidence he bases such an estimate. [302384]
Barbara Follett: The VOA does not compile average sales prices for any type of property, in any locality, for council tax purposes.
Immobilisation of Vehicles
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its predecessors have paid in vehicle clamping charges incurred on (a) privately-owned and (b) publicly-owned land in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [302753]
Barbara Follett: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Kickstart Programme
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what applications he has received for funding under his Department's Kickstart programme; what funding has been made available; and if he will make a statement. [300258]
John Healey: 136 housing schemes have to date been announced as approved for investment under the Kickstart programme. Details of approved schemes and level of funding are posted on the Homes and Communities Agency's website, at:
Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what grants have been made to projects in (a) Thanet, (b) Dover and (c) Canterbury under the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Scheme in each year since its inception. [302134]
Barbara Follett: Local Authority Business Growth Incentive (LABGI) grants have been awarded to Thanet district council, Dover district council and Canterbury city council as set out in the following table. LABGI grants are not awarded to specific projects and decisions about how to spend them are a matter for individual local authorities.
| £ | |||
| Thanet | Dover | Canterbury | |
Local Government Services: Leisure
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities applied for funding from his Department to assist with funding for leisure facilities in each of the last five years. [301647]
Barbara Follett: We are not aware of any local authorities that have applied for funding from this Department to assist them with funding for leisure facilities over the last five years.
Local Government: Pensions
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average employer contribution to the local government pension scheme was in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. [302245]
Barbara Follett: The average employer contribution per member to the local government pension scheme in England in 2008-09 was £3,200.
This information is available in the statistics release Local Government Pension Scheme Funds England 2008-09 that is available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
Mortgages: East of England
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in (a) Peterborough constituency, (b) Peterborough City Council area and (c) Cambridgeshire have taken up the Homeowners Mortgage Protection Scheme. [301994]
John Healey: Homeowners Mortgage Support is part of the range of assistance available at every stage to households struggling with their mortgage. The scheme encourages lenders to allow households who have suffered a temporary income shock to defer some of their interest payment, if this is necessary to make their monthly payment affordable. The Department plans to publish information in December on the number of households who have been helped through Homeowners Mortgage Support. Statistics from the Financial Services Authority show that more than 135,000 borrowers were benefiting from forbearance offered by their lender at the end of June 2009, an increase of 17 per cent. on the previous quarter.
Neighbourhood Wardens
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many neighbourhood wardens were funded by his Department in each of the last five years. [302343]
Barbara Follett: CLG no longer directly funds warden schemes, and therefore no data is collected centrally on the number of schemes in operation.
Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the effect of levels of empty property rates on the number of buildings that have been demolished in the latest period for which figures are available. [302310]
Barbara Follett: No estimate has been made.
Our reforms to empty property relief are principled and right for the long-term. However, we have listened to owners. In 2009-10 all empty properties with rateable values up to £15,000 are eligible for full relief from business rates-70 per cent. of all properties are under this threshold and, if empty, are not liable for rates in 2009-10. This temporary measure is providing real help to owners to manage short-term pressures in a difficult property market.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of empty property rates on the number of business closures in the latest period for which figures are available. [302311]
Barbara Follett: No estimate has been made.
Our reforms to empty property relief are principled and right for the long-term. However, we have listened to owners. In 2009-10 all empty properties with rateable values up to £15,000 are eligible for full relief from business rates-70 per cent. of all properties are under this threshold and, if empty, are not liable for rates in 2009-10. This temporary measure is providing real help to owners to manage short-term pressures in a difficult property market.
Planning Permission: Appeals
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2009, Official Report, column 14W, on planning permission: appeals, what criteria are used to decide whether an application for a residential development of over 150 units would be considered to have an impact significant enough to instigate a recovery of a planning appeal by the Secretary of State. [302650]
Mr. Ian Austin: The relevant criterion is
"any proposal for residential development of over 150 units or on sites of over five hectares, which would significantly 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".
Appeals are considered under this criterion and no additional criteria are used.
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