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14 Dec 2009 : Column 915W—continued
Multiple Occupation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many indicators and datasets councils must submit to his Department as part of the Register of Licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation regime; with what frequency; and for what reasons those data are not included in the National Indicator set. [305927]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Register of Licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation collects 31 data items in one dataset. Local authorities are asked to provide data once a quarter. These data are collected to monitor the 2004 Housing Act and were not intended to be part of the National Indicator set.
Non-Domestic Rates: Fire Services
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been paid in empty property business rates in respect of each regional fire control room liable for such rates. [303478]
Mr. Malik: The North West Regional Control Centre (RCC) has paid £47,808.73 in business rates and the South East RCC has paid £3,939.54.
No other business rates have been paid.
Ordnance Survey
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to revise Ordnance Survey's Business Strategy published on 23 April 2009 with reference to the announcement of 17 November 2009 on access to Ordnance Survey data. [306348]
Mr. Ian Austin: The purpose of the forthcoming consultation is to hear feedback on the most appropriate future business strategy for Ordnance Survey in order to deliver access to certain geographic information for free re-use.
Recycling
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities are making facilities available for the recycling of Christmas trees in 2009. [305564]
Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not hold the information requested. The Government believe local authorities are better placed to make decisions on the best waste management strategy for their local area, so we do not direct or interfere in the decisions they make. This includes the facilities local authorities make available for recycling Christmas trees. It does however, encourage local authorities to consult extensively with residents, to ensure their opinions and preferences are taken into consideration.
Regional Planning and Development
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the effect of the removal of the needs test in planning guidance on levels of out-of-town development. [306388]
Mr. Ian Austin: Annexe A to the impact assessment of the draft Proposed Changes to Planning Policy Statement 6: "Planning for Town Centres", which we published for consultation in July 2008, sets out our assessment of the effects of removal of the need test on levels of out-of-town development.
Regional Planning and Development: Finance
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much public funding the regional assemblies and their successor bodies will receive in 2010-11. [306389]
Mr. Ian Austin: We are still awaiting business plans from regional assemblies and successor bodies which will set out their funding requirements for 2010-11. However, we have said that overall resources need to be reduced in 2010-11 compared to 2009-10.
Rented Housing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many right to manage companies exercised their right to take over the management of properties in each year since the implementation of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. [307138]
Mr. Ian Austin: Communities and Local Government does not hold information on the number of RTM companies that have registered as a company and have gone on to acquire the right to manage, or information in respect of yearly breakdowns since implementation of the right to manage in October 2003.
Repossession Orders: Rural Areas
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in rural areas were repossessed in each year since 1997. [305062]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Department does not collect information on mortgage possessions and arrears although information for the United Kingdom as a whole is published separately by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). These are not split by whether the mortgage was for a home in a rural area or not.
Sheltered Housing
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure that sheltered housing residents are consulted on any changes proposed by service providers; what sanctions are available to his Department in respect of service providers who do not consult residents prior to taking decisions on changes to service provision; and if he will make a statement. [305992]
Mr. Ian Austin: Changes to services provided under the Supporting People programme, including in sheltered housing, are a matter for the individual local authority concerned. However we have made clear that any changes should only be implemented after meaningful consultation with residents.
CLG does not impose sanctions on providers of services as it is local authorities which have a contract with providers, not CLG. However, CLG have developed a framework, called the quality assessment framework (QAF) whereby authorities are able to measure the standard of the services which are being delivered to service users. To meet the necessary standard the service must take account of service user views.
In response to concerns raised about changes to sheltered housing services, Lord McKenzie chairs a ministerial working group which will produce guidance to providers and commissioners on consultation and engagement with residents, and a complaints guide to make residents more aware of how best to raise concerns they may have.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will instruct local authorities to provide residential wardens for sheltered housing schemes in circumstances in which existing residents signed tenancy agreements on the understanding that such wardens would be provided. [306272]
Mr. Ian Austin:
The provision of residential wardens in sheltered housing schemes is a matter for local authorities. Local authorities determine what services
to provide, including the provision of resident wardens in sheltered accommodation, based on local needs and priorities.
Social Rented Housing: Asbestos
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will require the owners of social housing to inform residents of such housing of the presence of asbestos in their housing and its communal areas. [305566]
Mr. Ian Austin [holding answer 9 December 2009]: Guidance published by the Health and Safety Executive states that in the case of the common parts of domestic premises such as lift and stair spaces in flats, there is a duty placed on those with maintenance and repair responsibilities to provide information on the location and condition of the material to anyone who is liable to work on it or disturb it.
Social Rented Housing: Insurance
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on reviewing his Department's guidance Insurance for All: A good practice guide for providers of social housing. [305073]
Mr. Ian Austin: The document 'Insurance for All: a good practice guide for providers of social housing' was published by the Housing Corporation in April 2001. Revision of the document was one of four recommendations on insurance in Sir Michael Pitt's review of the summer of 2007 floods which the Government accepted.
Six-monthly reports on the progress of the recommendations accepted by the Government are available on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website at:
The latest report is currently being finalised and will be published shortly.
Social Rented Housing: Property Transfer
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of housing transfers within housing associations in South East London. [304998]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Department has not made any estimate of the number of housing transfers within housing associations. However, the following table lists those local authorities in south-east London who since 1997 have transferred all or part of their housing stock to registered social landlords under a large scale voluntary transfer programme.
| Local authority | Date of transfer | Registered social landlord |
Social Rented Housing: Waiting Lists
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will rank local authorities in England by the number of applicants on their waiting lists for social housing (a) on 2 December 2009, (b) in April 2009, (c) in 2008 and (d) in 2007; how many such applicants there were on each such waiting list in each case; and if he will make a statement. [304777]
Mr. Ian Austin: Information is available on numbers of households rather than applicants. The number of households on the local authority housing waiting list is collected on the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) as at 1 April each year.
Where local authorities and registered social landlords operate a common register, households registered with the RSL will be included in the data. However, registered social landlords are independent bodies and can keep their own waiting lists.
A table has been placed in the House Library ranking the number of households on the local authority waiting lists for each local authority in England as at 1 April each year for 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Supporting People Programme
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to promote best practice by local authorities in the provision of services under the Supporting People programme. [305989]
Mr. Ian Austin: CLG has developed a Supporting People Quality Assessment framework (QAF) and a Supporting People Outcomes framework. The QAF enables local authorities to measure the standard of the services which are being delivered to service users and the Outcomes Framework shows the benefits attained by individuals of using the services. CLG will continue to promote the use of both the QAF and Outcomes Framework in the procurement and delivery of Supporting People services.
In addition CLG have convened a Supporting People Transition Board to support the sector, including local authorities, to deliver the Supporting People programme in an un-ringfenced environment.
Tenancy Deposit Schemes
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the financial stability of tenancy deposit schemes. [307079]
Mr. Ian Austin: The three tenancy deposit protection schemes are operated by private companies and are self-financing. Communities and Local Government monitors all three schemes and holds regular contract governance meetings with the scheme providers.
Tenant Services Authority: Manpower
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff will be directly employed by the Tenant Services Authority; and what the estimated number is of staff who will conduct inspections for the authority without being employed by it. [306409]
Mr. Ian Austin: The number of staff directly employed by the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) is set out in their annual report and accounts which was laid in Parliament on 5 November 2009.
Travelling People: Republic of Ireland
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the rate of migration of Travellers to the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland; and whether any assessment has been made of the effect of the new criminal trespass laws in the Republic in affecting migration patterns. [305942]
Mr. Malik: A "common travel area" is in place between the United Kingdom and Ireland, and therefore no record is kept of the movement of particular ethnic groups between the two countries.
Communities and Local Government publishes data twice yearly on the number of Gypsy and Traveller caravans in England. Recent data do not indicate any unexpected increases in the number of Gypsy and Traveller caravans.
Valuation: Tribunals
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many disputes relating to (a) service charges and (b) TV aerial digital switchover were dealt with by the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal service in (A) each of the last three years and (B) 2009 to date; [307136]
(2) how many long leases were varied by the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal service under the terms of Part IV of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 in each of the last 10 years; [307137]
(3) how many disputes of each category were dealt with by the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal service in each of the last three years. [307140]
Mr. Ian Austin: The information is as follows:
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