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9 Feb 2010 : Column 881W—continued
Local Government: ICT
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what account his Department took of the effects on district councils of the current economic situation in determining the IT-related requirements to be placed on those councils in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10; [315440]
(2) what estimate he has made of the cost to district councils of central Government requirements in relation to IT in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [315441]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government do not place requirements on local government which specifically relate to IT. In the event that a government programme places a new burden on local government, including through additional use of IT, we would provide funding for the overall initiative through the formula grant system or through specific grants as appropriate.
Local Government: Reorganisation
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will list for each unitary authority created since 2007 (a) the projected cost savings prior to the creation of the new authority, (b) the target for cost savings set when the new authority was established and (c) the cost savings achieved to date. [314992]
Ms Rosie Winterton: When we debated the structural change orders in Parliament creating the nine new unitary authorities that came into effect on 1 April 2009, the savings we were anticipating totalled over £100 million per annum once the transition costs of the reorganisation have been met. Estimates of the savings included in the councils' budgets for 2009-10 either directly attributable to the transition to unitary government or facilitated by it total some £159 million. These are summarised in the following table.
| £ million | ||
| Unitary council | Initially identified minimum estimated annual savings when councils are fully established | 2009-10 budget savings |
Mortgages: Government Assistance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much had been spent by his Department on the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme on the latest date for which figures are available. [315660]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 November 2009, Official Report, column 871W. Total spend on Homeowners Mortgage Support in 2009-10 will be reported after the end of the financial year.
Non-domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many appeals relating to the 2005 national non-domestic rates valuation remain outstanding in relation to (a) petrol filling stations and (b) car washes. [314070]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 28 January 2010]: The number of rating appeals outstanding against the 2005 Rating Lists in England, for the following class of property is:
Petrol filling stations (excluding those with supermarkets) (SCAT 209): 785
Stand alone car washes (SCAT 045): 90.
The data are obtained from the Valuation Office Agency operational database.
Public Holidays
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the introduction of an additional public holiday; and if he will make a statement. [315123]
Barbara Follett: This Department has made no estimate of the cost of the introduction of an additional public holiday. However, we are aware of plans for the introduction of one in mid 2012. This would, consequently, fall in the 2012-13 financial year. This Department takes, and will continue to take, full account of public holidays in its delivery planning so to ensure that any disruption to front line services is minimised.
Regeneration: Rural Areas
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the National Audit Office's report, Regenerating the English Coalfields, HC 84, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Homes and Communities Agency and regional development agencies (a) claim and (b) reclaim the benefits from the English Coalfields programme against their own objectives. [311519]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA, and previously English Partnerships (EP) the former national regeneration agency), as primary funding body, is entitled to claim and report all of the outputs from the National Coalfields Programme, although it must make the shared nature of these outputs clear. Regional development agencies (RDAs) are also allowed to report these shared outputs provided this is made clear when they are reported, and that there is no double-counting in relation to wider targets.
Regional Ministers: Expenditure
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated cost to the public purse was of the work of regional Ministers in the last year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [316647]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The estimated cost to the public purse for the work of regional Ministers in 2008-09 was £1,461,720. This total was met from within existing Government office and Department budgets. Estimates are based on staff and communication support costs.
Sheltered Housing
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the future of sheltered housing; and whether he has had recent discussions with the Local Government Association on that matter. [316056]
Mr. Ian Austin:
It is for local authorities to determine how best to meet the housing-related support needs identified in their communities, including the need for sheltered housing. Central Government do not prescribe
any particular model of services. However, we expect every service user to have a full risk and needs assessment undertaken and an appropriate support plan put in place. In contracting for Supporting People services, we would expect authorities to specify expected service standards and to monitor these.
The Local Government Association is a member of the ministerial working group on sheltered housing which last met on 12 January 2010. The working group will be re-convened shortly to discuss the recommendations on sheltered housing contained in the recent Select Committee report on Supporting People. The Local Government Association also sits on the Supporting People Transition Board whose aims include disseminating the benefits of housing related support to partners and strategic decision makers following the removal of the ring-fence from the Supporting People grant.
Social Rented Housing
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 10 (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords have sold the largest number of dwellings in the last five years; how many dwellings each type of vendor sold in that period; and what the monetary value was of such dwellings, excluding those sold to sitting tenants. [316493]
Mr. Ian Austin: Local authorities can sell their dwellings to sitting tenants through schemes such as right to buy, right to acquire and social homebuy, or they can transfer their stock to registered social landlords as a large scale voluntary transfer (LSVT). The total number of sales and LSVTs by local authorities selling the largest cumulative total between 2004-05 and 2008-09 is shown in the following table. There were LSVTs for only three of the 10 local authorities during the period (Manchester, Salford and Sheffield) of which only Manchester received any capital receipts and which are also shown in the table.
| LA code | LA name | All LA sales | Capital receipts from LSVTs (£ million) |
| Source: P1B returns to CLG, HCA | |||
Registered social landlords (RSLs) can sell or dispose of dwellings through schemes such as right to buy, preserved right to buy, right to acquire, social homebuy, low cost home ownership, by transfer to other RSLs or a sale to the private sector. The following table shows the cumulative total number of sales between 2004-05 and 2008-09 to the 10 RSLs with the largest number of sales.
| RSL code | RSL name | Sales |
| Source: Regulatory statistical returns made to the Tenants Services Authority, 2004-05 to 2008-09. Data have been compiled to reflect current organisational structures, reflecting the mergers and transfers of engagement that have happened over the past years. | ||
Data on the monetary value of RSL properties sold, excluding those to sitting tenants, are not held centrally.
Social Rented Housing: Employment
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of (a) people of working age and (b) other households in social housing were in employment, education or training in each year since 1997. [316028]
Mr. Ian Austin: Estimates of the percentage of people of working age in England, in all tenures and in social housing, who were in employment, education or training in each year since 1997 are provided in the following table. These estimates are based on data from the ONS Labour Force Survey.
| Percentage of working age people( 1,2 ) in employment, education or training, England, 1997 to 2008 | ||
| All tenures | Social rented sector (percentage) | |
| (1) Excludes cases with unknown economic status (2) Excludes those resident in Halls of Residence or Nurses Homes Source: ONS Labour Force Survey | ||
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