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22 Feb 2010 : Column 272W—continued
The season tickets, bicycle loans and salary advances are interest free and are to be repaid within 12 months of receipt.
The interest rate for the car loans which are available to those designated as an "essential user" varies according to the five years National Loan Funds rate which is compounded half yearly and converted into the annual percentage rate before being fixed for the term of the loan. The maximum term for car loans is five years.
Housing Associations: Finance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing associations have been assigned to grade (a) 3 and (b) 4 following a Tenant Services Authority review of their financial position; and if he will make a statement. [316806]
John Healey: At present the Tenant Services Authority has two organisations whose judgment level (J) for viability is graded at J3. None are currently graded at J4.
Housing: Finance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much his Department plans to spend on improving the supply and quality of housing in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 in (i) cash terms and (ii) 2008-09 prices; [316807]
(2) how much his Department spent against its Objective 4 to deliver a better balance between housing supply and demand (a) in cash terms and (b) in 2009-10 prices in each of the last five years. [316810]
John Healey: Information on departmental plans to spend on improving the supply and quality of housing in 2009-10 and 2010-11 was published in the 2009 departmental annual report, at:
including programmes delivered by the Homes and Communities Agency. Although given timing of publication the 2009 report was not able to reflect budget changes made to support the £1.5 billion Housing Pledge covering 2009-11 announced in Building Britain's Future on 29 June 2009, planned spending figures resulting from
the Housing Pledge were subsequently specifically identified in the Homes and Communities Agency's corporate plan 2009-11 (see section on Housing Pledge in table 3 on page 28) published in September 2009, at:
For conversion to 2008-09 prices, Government use the GDP deflator to allow for the effects of changes in prices. This can be found on HM Treasury's website at:
Plans on spending on the supply and quality of housing for 2011-12 will be determined through the next spending review.
Figures for departmental spending on housing supply and demand for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07, are shown in each of the annual departmental reports covering those years. The 2008 departmental annual report provided data on 2007-08 spend on public service agreement target 5 (to achieve a better balance between housing availability and the demand for housing) on housing supply. In line with Treasury guidance, 2008 was the last report on public service agreements which had an end date later than 2008 but were subsumed within our CSR07 public service agreements and departmental strategic objectives. The 2008-09 departmental annual report showed forecast out-turn spend figures for 2008-09 against the new departmental strategic objective on improving the supply and quality of housing.
Expenditure can be converted to 2009-10 prices using the GDP deflator as published by HMT. This deflator is calculated from ONS data for seasonally adjusted current and constant price GDP for years up to 2008-09. The 2009-10 deflator is derived from HM Treasury forecasts for GDP deflator increases at the pre-Budget report 2009.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average Homes and Communities Agency grant per unit was for a new (a) affordable home and (b) home for social rent in each region in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) 2009-10 to date. [316812]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley, North (Mr. Austin) on 15 July 2009, Official Report, column 495W.
The following table shows the average grant per unit for social rent and low cost home ownership for 2009-10 to end September 2009 for each region.
| £ | ||
| Social rent | Intermediate housing | |
| Source: Homes and Communities Agency. | ||
Housing: Standards
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by his Department on the English House Condition Survey in 2008-09. [316816]
John Healey: Expenditure on the English Housing Survey in 2008-09 was £4,737,821 which includes the cost of household interviews, surveyor training, property inspections and the Department's expenditure on the Survey.
Further information about the EHCS, including annual reports, can be found at:
Further information about the EHS can be found at:
Land Use: Agriculture
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the area of farmland of grade (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3a, (d) 3b, (e) 4 and (f) 5 taken for development in each of the last five years. [317138]
Mr. Ian Austin: Annual information on the estimated area of agricultural land in hectares changing to a developed use in England for the most recent five years available is given in the following table:
| Hectares | |
Information on how much of the above changes were from each grade of agricultural land could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Local Government Finance: Barnet
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 16 October 2009, Official Report, column 1129W, on local government: Barnet, if he will place in the Library a copy of the final report on the pilot study. [317600]
Barbara Follett: The London borough of Barnet has received an evaluation of its Behaviour Change Pilot Projects and is considering publishing the findings. As the pilot projects were directly commissioned by the London borough of Barnet, a decision on whether to publish a report rests with the council.
Local Government: East of England
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse has been of the structural review of local government in Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon. [316214]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not hold information about the costs incurred by local authorities of participating in the Boundary Committee's structural reviews in Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk. In the normal course of their business, local authorities respond to many consultation exercises and requests for information, and consequently, budget for this as part of their business planning.
The Boundary Committee estimate of their total costs, to date, of the three structural reviews is over £1.4 million.
Within the Department, there are currently some 10 full time-equivalent staff working on the structure of local government including work on unitary council restructuring-supporting those new unitaries that were created on 1 April 2009 and taking forward the reviews in Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk-and on improving the operation of two-tier local government. The anticipated expenditure in 2009-10 is some £590,000.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to respond to the letter of 5 January 2010 from the hon. Member for Billericay on his constituent Mr. M. Beiley. [317547]
Barbara Follett: A reply was sent to this letter on 9 February 2010.
Mobile Homes Act 1983
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will begin the proposed consultation on reforms to the Mobile Homes Act 1983 within the next two months. [317279]
Mr. Ian Austin: We remain committed to introducing reforms that improve transparency in relation to the Mobile Homes Act 1983. We intend to consult on initial proposals with key stakeholder groups in April before carrying out a public consultation.
Mortgages: Government Assistance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on publicising the (a) Mortgage Rescue Scheme and (b) Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme. [316747]
John Healey: No money has been spent specifically on advertising MRS and HMS.
In September 2009, the Government launched a national campaign to help struggling homeowners take control of their finances and make the most of the support available for them to avoid repossessions and stay in their homes. Press, radio, online and billboard advertisements point people to an advice line and a new website illustrating the practical steps they can take to resolve their mortgage repayment worries, as well as contacts for the wide range of support available, including targeted schemes such as Mortgage Rescue and Homeowners Mortgage Support.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households received an offer on their property under the Mortgage Rescue Scheme in each local authority area in each of the last 12 months; and how many such offers were subsequently accepted by the homeowner. [316821]
John Healey: We have acted rapidly to put in place a range of help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage, and launched a campaign to ensure households have clear information about the help available.
Mortgage rescue scheme summary monitoring statistics are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website. Figures can be accessed using the following link:
Quarterly figures reported by local authorities from January to December 2009 are provided in a table which has been placed in the Library.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Mortgage Rescue Scheme monitoring statistics published by his Department on 12 November 2009, how many of the 92 offers accepted under the scheme have been completed. [316943]
New Deal for Communities
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent by the New Deal for Communities programme since its inception; and what estimate he has made of the number of people assisted by the programme. [317910] [Official Report, 12 March 2010, Vol. 507, c. 14MC.]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Between 2000-01 and 2007-08 (the last year for which audited accounts are available) NDC Partnerships reported that they have spent £1,559 million in grant funding. The latest figures available estimate that there were 797,100 people living in NDC areas in 2007.
Note:
Population figures from: Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Regional and Economic and Social Research.
Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the merits of extending the current empty property rate relief scheme beyond April 2010. [317078]
Barbara Follett: An impact assessment will be published shortly alongside the statutory instrument that will extend the empty property rate relief exemption threshold.
Our reforms to empty property relief are principled and right for the long-term. They provide a strong incentive on owners to bring empty property back into use, helping to improve access to premises for businesses and so to exert a downward pressure on commercial rents.
However, we provided owners with real help to manage short-term pressures in a difficult property market by exempting all empty properties with rateable values up to £15,000 from business rates in 2009-10.
We have listened to the continued concerns of owners and we are extending the temporary measure for a further 12 months-to cover the whole of 2010-11-and we are uprating the threshold to £18,000 in line with the general movement of property values at revaluation.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much empty property rate relief has cost the Exchequer since 2007; [317112]
(2) how much empty property rate relief has cost the Exchequer since April 2009. [317113]
Barbara Follett: The amounts of empty property relief granted in 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 and the amount forecast to be granted in 2009-10 are as follows:
| Empty property relief | |
| £ million | |
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