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14 Jan 2010 : Column 1125W—continued
Affordable Housing: Finance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of funding allocated to the National Affordable Housing Programme for (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 has been spent. [309826]
John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency will report in their annual report and financial statements spend through the National Affordable Housing Programme in 2009-10 after the end of the financial year. No expenditure has yet occurred in 2010-11 or 2011-12.
Affordable Housing: Tamworth
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has allocated for affordable housing in Tamworth constituency in the next three years. [309677]
John Healey: The Department does not itself directly take steps to match demand for social rented housing in local authorities. We encourage authorities to assess the housing needs of their area as part of their strategic housing role and then work in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) with developers (using planning policies e.g. section 106 agreements) and local registered social landlords (RSLs) to deliver the required number of homes through our National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP).
During the period 2008-11 this is expected to deliver a total of 123 affordable homes with over 70 of these homes being for social rent. The total investment will be over £3.8 million in Tamworth borough council.
As part of the Government's £1.5 billion housing pledge we increased investment in NAHP, alongside extensions to the Kickstart programme to unlock stalled sites and local authority new build. In round two of Kickstart, which developers were able to bid for, one scheme has been short-listed within Tamworth. This will now be subject to due diligence. No applications were received from Tamworth borough council for the local authority new build programme.
Council Housing: Construction
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) projects and (b) units he expects to be built in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area under the Local Authority New Build round (A) 1 and (B) 2; and how much funding has been allocated to each area for each round. [309829]
Mr. Ian Austin: Bids for funding under the local authority New Build programme are assessed by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and published by them on their website. The information on the allocation of funding to local authorities and regions under round 1 of bidding was published in September 2009. Information about allocations under round 2 has now been published by the HCA following the announcement of successful round 2 bids on 11 January.
Fire Services
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department provides to fire and rescue authorities on the conduct of their duties in relation to the requirements of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. [310293]
Mr. Malik: Fire and Rescue Service Circular 6/2008, issued on 29 January 2008, informed fire and rescue authorities of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 (the Act), in particular the exception in section 6 of the Act and the limits of that exception as it applies to the Fire and Rescue Service.
The circular explains that Communities and Local Government cannot give a definitive legal ruling on the application of the Act to fire and rescue services-that is a role that only the courts can fulfil-and suggests that fire and rescue authorities may wish to seek their own legal advice.
Home Information Packs: Crime
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) estate agents and (b) individuals have been (i) fined and (ii) prosecuted for selling a home without a home information pack. [310539]
John Healey: I refer to the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 8 July 2009, Official Report, columns 902-03W.
Housing: Construction
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of new build (a) socially rented properties and (b) affordable homes which were completed in the London borough of (i) Bexley, (ii) Bromley, (iii) Croydon and (iv) Greenwich in the last three years for which figures are available. [304994]
Mr. Ian Austin: The following table shows the number of new build social rented and affordable homes (social rent, intermediate rent and low cost home ownership) in the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon and Greenwich each year since 2006-07.
| Social rent | All affordable | |||||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
| Source: Homes and Communities Agency Investment Management System (IMS), and local authority returns to CLG. Figures have been rounded to nearest 10 units. | ||||||
Not all affordable housing is provided by new build completions, as some supply can come from acquisitions. For example, in 2008-09, a total of 150 affordable homes were provided in Bexley (new build and acquisitions), 340 in Bromley, 600 in Croydon, and 480 affordable homes were provided in Greenwich.
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses are expected to be built in (a) the Bournemouth area, (b) the Dorset area and (c) the South West in 2010. [310086]
Mr. Ian Austin: As part of the refresh of Local Area Agreements, including the LAA for Dorset, the Government office for the south west is currently discussing with local authorities expected house building for 2009-10 and 2010-11 to reflect realistic assumptions. I expect those discussions to be concluded in March 2010. Until these Local Area Agreement negotiations are concluded, no figures are currently available.
As part of the response to the recession, the Government will be investing a further £1.5 billion as part of the housing pledge to build an extra 20,000 new affordable homes for rent and low cost sale. This will also create an estimated 45,000 additional jobs in the construction and related industries.
Housing: Finance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) from which (a) funding stream and (b) annual budget the additional resources for new homes announced by the Minister of State for Housing on 30 December 2009 will come; [309825]
(2) what contractual conditions will apply to housing associations which obtain the funding announced by the Minister of State for Housing on 30 December 2009. [309827]
John Healey: The allocations announced on 30 December 2009 form part of the existing budget of the Homes and Communities Agency's National Affordable Housing Programme. As such, housing associations receiving allocations through this funding stream will be subject to the terms and conditions of grant set out by the HCA as part of their agreements with their investment partners. Information on these terms and conditions are contained within the Capital Funding Guide published on the HCA website.
Housing: Lincolnshire
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated to North East Lincolnshire under the (a) Kickstart Round One, (b) Local Authority New Build and (c) National Affordable Housing Programme scheme since the inception of that scheme; and how many houses have been authorised for construction in North East Lincolnshire under each such scheme. [309769]
John Healey:
I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) on 12 October 2009, Official Report , column 329W, which placed information on the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing programme expenditure at local authority level in 2008-09 and to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 30 November 2009, Official Report , column 499W,
which placed expenditure information for the same programme for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 in the House Library.
Indicative allocations for each region in 2009-10 and 2010-11 are shown in the Homes and Communities Agency's Corporate Plan which can be found on their website:
Allocations made to registered social landlords and other bodies by local authority area are published on the HCA website on a quarterly basis in their regional investment statements. Allocations made in any one year may not deliver the completed homes in that same year due to the time taken to build the homes.
Information on the number of affordable homes completed in North East Lincolnshire can be found in the Affordable Housing Live tables published on the Departments website:
No funding has been allocated to the authority area under Kickstart round one and no application was received from North East Lincolnshire for the local authority New Build programmes.
Housing: Sustainable Development
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals for a code for sustainable buildings which includes an assessment of (a) whole-life performance and (b) building type. [302768]
Mr. Ian Austin: We will be launching a consultation on proposed revisions to the existing Code for Sustainable Homes shortly. The consultation will focus on aligning the code with ongoing developments in zero carbon homes policy, including consulting on the energy efficiency standard; and developing opportunities for streamlining in the rating process as well as increasing awareness of the code and encouraging good practice.
Housing: Women
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps the Government have taken to provide sufficient accommodation for women who have been subject to domestic abuse or forced marriage; [302642]
(2) what steps the Government have taken to provide sufficient accommodation in Coventry for women who have been subject to domestic abuse or forced marriage; how much funding is being provided for such accommodation in 2009-10; and what steps the Government are taking to re-integrate such women into the community. [302643]
Mr. Ian Austin: Decisions around the provision of accommodation and support services for victims of domestic abuse and forced marriage are a local matter and it is the responsibility of the individual local authority to plan and commission or provide as they see fit.
Government strengthened the homelessness legislation in England by extending the priority need categories (that is, those people who must be secured accommodation
if they have become homeless through no fault of their own). The additional categories included people who are vulnerable as a result of fleeing accommodation because of violence or threats of violence likely to be carried out In 2003 the Government announced major investment in refuge provision in England in 2003-06. A total of £34 million capital was allocated and 511 units of accommodation were refurbished or newly built. More recently the Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (2005/07) funded six new and refurbished refuges at a cost of £4 million. If new provision is required then bids can be made to the National Affordable Housing Programme.
CLG provides essential revenue support, via housing related support services, for victims of domestic violence through the Supporting People Programme. £64.5 million in 2007-08 up from £61.6 million in 2006-7. In Coventry £849,229 (2007-08) was spent on housing related support services for women at risk of domestic violence.
This Government take extremely seriously the issue of protection for people at risk of domestic violence and we must understand whether there is appropriate provision out there. That is why we have commissioned new research which will identify the current housing options available to households at risk of domestic violence, and to assess whether this provision meets current need. This will report next year.
Mass Media
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2009, Official Report, column 1295W, on mass media, which search terms have been monitored by (a) the Homes and Communities Agency, (b) the Tenant Services Authority, (c) the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit and (d) his Department since January 2009. [309957]
John Healey: The search terms monitored by the Homes and Communities Agency are:
Homes and Communities Agency-main agreement
Homes and Communities Agency
English Partnerships
Milton Keynes Partnership Committee
Places of Change
Invest Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes plus World Cup
HCA London - regional office agreement (paid for by London team)
HCA London Board
David Lunts
Kidbrooke
Ferrier Estate
London-Wide Initiative
Blackwall Reach
Greenwich Peninsula
Greenwich Millennium Village
Croydon Town Centre
Robin Hood Gardens
Barking Town Centre
Wembley
Cane Hill
Elephant and Castle
Thames Gateway
Woodberry Down
Lower Lea Valley
HCA Academy agreement (paid for by academy)
Academy for Sustainable Communities
Place-Making
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