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2 Dec 2009 : Column 782W—continued
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many deaths there were of people aged (a) one to four, (b) five to 10, (c) 11 to 16, (d) 17 to 24, (e) 25 to 29, (f) 30 to 59, (g) 60 to 64, (h) 65 to 79 and (i) 80 and over, per million population, in domestic fires in England in each year since 2000. [303378]
Mr. Malik: The fatal casualties in dwelling fire rates per million population by age group, are shown in the table.
| Fatal casualties in dwelling fires rates per million population by age group, England, 2000 - 08( 1) | |||||||||
| Age group | 2000 | 2001 | 2002( 2) | 2003( 2) | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008( 1) |
| (1 )Data for fatal casualties 2008 are provisional and subject to change. (2 )Excluding incidents not recorded during periods of industrial action in 2002 (total of 18 incidents) and 2003 (total of five incidents). Sources: Fire incidents data base, Communities and Local Government, and Mid-Year Population Estimates 2000 to 2008, Office for National Statistics. | |||||||||
Fires: Elderly
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what recent assessment has been made of the vulnerability of older people to domestic fires; and if he will make a statement; [303376]
(2) what plans he has to reduce the number of deaths of older people caused by fires in domestic dwellings. [303377]
Mr. Malik: The Government are committed to reducing all fire deaths and use research and statistics to inform more effective targeting of fire safety messages. We are aware of the potential vulnerability of older people to domestic fire. The latest fire statistics (2007) show that over 50 per cent. of the fatalities in accidental dwelling fires were aged over 65.
Independent research, published in 2006, highlighted five key groups who were more vulnerable to fire and harder to reach with crucial messages, one of whom was
older people. The Government's Fire Kills campaign seeks to reduce fire deaths in older age groups through specifically targeting its television advertising at programmes that older people are likely to watch. The campaign recognises the importance of partnership working. We are pursuing a range opportunities with Help The Aged/Age Concern, the main suppliers of oxygen to hospital out-patients, and Bowls England, as a means to deliver fire safety messages to older people through their trusted communication channels.
Between 2004 and 2008, Government provided pump-priming funding of £25 million to fire and rescue services to deliver a programme of home fire risk checks. Firefighters target this free service to vulnerable groups in their communities, including older people and provide tailored fire safety advice and, where necessary, install free smoke alarms. Fire and rescue services continue to deliver this programme and funding is now available through the Revenue Support Grant Block Grant.
Green Belt: Property Development
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the green belt is not adversely affected by housing development. [302082]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Government are committed to the protection of green belt and its crucial characteristics of openness and permanence. Under our policy in PPG2 (Planning Policy Guidance Note 2, Green Belts), house building in green belt other than limited infill in villages or affordable housing for local needs allowed for in development plan policies is 'inappropriate development'. Any such proposal would be subject to the tests set out in PPG2.
Government encouragement to give priority to "brownfield" development is also playing its part. In 2008, 80 per cent. of dwellings (including conversions) were built on brownfield land. Also, homes were built at an average of 44 per hectare. This all helps to reduce the pressure on both greenfield and green belt land.
Green belt area at 31 March 2009 was estimated to be 1,638,840 hectares, around 13 per cent. of the land area of England. This represents a net increase of 3,170 hectares on the 31 December 2007 estimate of 1,635,370 hectares.
Homelessness
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were classified as homeless in each region in each of the last two years. [303572]
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, accessible from this link:
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:
Housing
Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 11 November 2009, Official Report, columns 525-6W, on housing, how many first-time buyers there were in (a) Norwich North constituency and (b) each region in each year since 1997. [301758]
Mr. Ian Austin: Information on numbers of mortgages to first time buyers is collected and published at the UK level by the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
Housing: Energy
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to bring forward requirements for the retrofitting of the existing UK housing stock with heating system water treatment cleaners and inhibitors. [302115]
Mr. Ian Austin: Current building regulations guidance calls for the application of water treatment when heating systems are installed in new and existing dwellings.
Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much grant his Department has allocated to (a) the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government and (b) the Leadership Centre for Local Government in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11. [303578]
Barbara Follett: The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) received the following amounts of core funding from my Department for 2008-09 and 2009-10.
| £ million | |
As part of this the Leadership Centre for Local Government has received £2 million in each year.
Allocations for 2010-11 have not yet been agreed and are currently out for consultation.
KBR
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has entered into any contracts with Kellogg, Brown and Root or its subsidiaries since January 2009. [303339]
Barbara Follett: The Department has entered into no commercial contracts with Kellogg, Brown and Root or its subsidiaries since 2009.
Local Government Finance
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the shortfall in local authority funding following recovery operations after the floods of summer 2007; and whether he plans to make up the shortfall from central Government funds. [302145]
Ms Rosie Winterton: As at June 2008, it was estimated that local authorities had spent £224 million on the response to and recovery from the summer 2007 floods. This total includes insurable costs.
Government made available a comprehensive package of over £136 million to assist the affected regions and help those in greatest need, including funding for schools, transport and businesses.
The Bellwin scheme was activated nationwide, for all authorities affected by the June and July 2007 floods. The schemes announced by the Prime Minister were among the most generous ever, with an extension of the period for which local authorities are eligible to claim from two months to six months and an increase in the proportion of costs local authorities could claim to 100 per cent. (instead of the usual 85 per cent.), once they spent above their usual threshold (0.2 per cent. of their revenue budget). Around £19 million was paid out through this scheme.
In addition, we exceptionally made available Flood Recovery Grant of £18.4 million to support the work of the hardest hit local authorities in helping these people in their communities in greatest need and, in July 2008, £30.6 million was allocated under the Restoration Fund to support their continued efforts to rebuild their communities. The Department for Children, Schools and Families also made £13.5 million available for schools and children's services affected by the floods.
Local authorities are expected to meet some of the costs of flooding by claiming on their insurance policies, reprioritising their budgets, and using their reserves, if necessary. Every local authority is required to maintain reserves, one of the main purposes of which is to meet unexpected costs.
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