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23 Feb 2010 : Column 487W—continued


Data are reported by the tenure of the dwelling rather than by the organisation carrying out the construction as most dwellings are built by private builders even if the final tenure is in the social stock.

Not all housing for social rent is provided by new build completions, as some supply can come from acquisitions. In 2008-09, a total of 31,090 homes for social rent were supplied.

Complete estimates for 2009-10 are not available. House building statistics for the first six months of 2009-10 show that 160 new build units for social rent were completed by local authorities in this period. The Homes and Communities Agency have published official statistics on the number of affordable homes delivered under the National Affordable Housing programme (NAHP) for April to September 2009. These show that a total of 10,671 units were completed for social rent in this period under the NAHP, of which 9,809 were new build completions. However, these figures do not provide a complete picture of new build homes for social rent delivered by RSLs. Estimates for the private sector are not available for 2009-10.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of all new (a) dwellings, (b) affordable homes and (c) homes for social rent in England were flats with (i) one bedroom, (ii) two bedrooms, (iii) three or more bedrooms in each year since 1997. [317011]

Mr. Ian Austin: The information requested on all new dwellings can be found on the Department's website in Live Table 254:


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For information on affordable homes and homes for social rent I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 6 May 2009, Official Report, column 243W.

Not all affordable housing is provided through new build completions, supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. In 2008-09, a total of 55,770 additional affordable homes, of which 31,090 were for social rent homes, were provided.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of all new (a) dwellings, (b) affordable homes and (c) homes for social rent in England were (i) flats and (ii) houses in each year since 1997. [317012]

Mr. Ian Austin: The information requested on all new dwellings can be found on the Department's website in Live Table 254:

For information on affordable homes and homes for social rent I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 6 May 2009, Official Report, column 243W.

Housing: Prices

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the average cost, including value added tax, to a certificate holder of a domestic energy performance certificate for an average family home in London. [317880]

Mr. Ian Austin: The cost of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) is determined by the market. No information is therefore held centrally upon which to base an estimate of the average cost to building owners or landlords of having an EPC prepared on any property that they may own.

Infrastructure Planning Commission: Finance

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his latest estimate is of the (a) capital and (b) running costs of the Infrastructure Planning Commission in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [317861]

John Healey: The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) was established on 1 October 2009 providing advice and guidance to promoters.

The estimated costs for the IPC for six months from October to March of 2009-10 are tabled as follows:

£ million

(a) Capital

1.24

(b) Running costs

2.68


The capital costs include the development of an IT case management system and running costs include staff and Commissioner recruitment and training.

From 1 March 2010 the IPC will be ready to receive applications for development consent and the estimated
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running costs for 2010-11 are set out in the Impact Assessment published in November 2007 and the Annex published in January 2009 which are available on the Communities and Local Government website. No major additional capital costs for 2010-11 are anticipated to those incurred in 2009-10.

Infrastructure Planning Commission: Pay

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 16 June 2009, Official Report, column 204W, on the Infrastructure Planning Commission, what the monetary value is of the remuneration paid to the chairman of the Commission is including (a) salary, (b) employee pension contribution, (c) travel expenses and (d) benefits in kind; whether any form of bonus or incentive payment is included in the package; and what (i) minimum length of contract and (ii) notice period applies. [317816]

John Healey: The annual financial monetary value of the remuneration paid to the Chair of the Commission is as follows:

Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC): Chair remuneration

£/Hours

Basic salary

£184,000

Bonus structure

None

Employer's pension contribution

Not pensionable

Benefits in kind/Incentives

None

Contracted hours

4 days/week

Travel expenses (October to December 2009)

£3,538.85

Note: The IPC will publish the detail of expenses on their website on a quarterly basis.

In line with Schedule 1, Part 3 (1) of the Planning Act 2008, which stipulates that the chair must be appointed for a fixed period which must not be less than five years or more than eight years, the chair has been appointed for the minimum five years, which can be extended for a further three years subject to satisfactory performance. The appointment can be terminated early by either party, by giving three months notice, in writing.

Land: Databases

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 October 2009, Official Report, column 1124W, on land: databases, what (a) type of information and (b) level of detail provided by infra-red aerial photography as part of the Pan-Government Agreement on geographical information. [317601]

Mr. Ian Austin: The information requested is as follows:


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Local Government Finance

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 22 October 2009, Official Report, column 1645W, on local government finance, how many separate data attributes or indicators are collected as part of each of the datasets listed in the answer. [317114]

Barbara Follett: The information collected on each of the local government finance data sets can be found from the forms which can be accessed on the Department's website at:

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate the Audit Commission has made of the cost to local authorities of central government inspection, audit and compliance in 2008-09. [317859]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.

Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 23 February 2010:

Local Government Finance Funding Changes Independent Inquiry

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 79 of the final report of the Lyons Inquiry into local government, if he will place in the Library a copy of the written submission to that Inquiry made by the National Audit Office. [317567]

Barbara Follett: I have placed a copy of the National Audit Office's submission to the Lyons Inquiry in the Library of the House.

Local Government: Bank Services

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities' requests for permission to capitalise potential losses on investments held in Icelandic banks have been (a) granted and (b) rejected; and on what grounds such bids have been rejected. [317749]


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Barbara Follett: As capitalisation allows local authorities to use capital resources to meet revenue pressures applications are considered against strict and readily available criteria. All Icelandic capitalisation applications were assessed against the exceptional financial difficulties criteria.

The list of authorities who applied for capitalisation under exceptional financial difficulties is available on the Department's public website at:

All bids were carefully considered, and the grounds for acceptance or rejection were the criteria for exceptional financial difficulties which are contained within the guidance to authorities. This is available on the Department's public website at:

Local Government: Cost Effectiveness

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 19 January 2010, Official Report, column 290W, on local government: cost effectiveness, for what reason the £250 million cost to local authorities of the Personal Care at Home Bill is not being classified as a new burden under his Department's new burdens principle; over what period and in which financial years local authorities will be required to make the personal care efficiency savings; and whether local authorities will be required to increase council tax or cut services if the personal care efficiency savings are not made. [317810]

Barbara Follett: The provisions under the Personal Care at Home Bill will be funded through a combination of additional grant and redirected local authority efficiency savings. The cost of providing free Personal Care has been calculated to be £335 million in the first half year from October 2010; £210 million of this will be funded by the Department of Health and £125 million from local government efficiencies. The full-year costs have been calculated to be £670 million. Of this, £250 million would be met by local authority efficiencies and £420 million would come from the Department of Health. Decisions about the funding of frontline services from 2011-12, including adult social care, will be taken as part of the normal spending review process, which will take into account both pressures and the scope for further efficiency gains.

The Government believe that it is right to expect councils to play their part to help deliver this new commitment. We have provided record investment in local government, with local authorities receiving £8.6 billion more over the current spending review. We have also confirmed in 'Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government' that we will free-up local resources through reducing burdens, targets and the level of ring-fencing. On top of this, low inflation and affordable pay settlements should mean that councils have room to redirect efficiency savings to deliver this priority.

The Government have made clear that it expects the average Band D council tax increase in England to fall to a 16 year low in 2010-11 and will not hesitate to cap any excessive council tax increases set by individual authorities.


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Local Government: Debt Collection

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Rossendale borough council's supervision of private bailiffs acting on that authority's behalf. [317174]

Barbara Follett: No. Any request for an assessment of Rossendale borough council's commercial contract with a private bailiff company should be raised with the council itself or the Audit Commission.

Local Government: Equality

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has provided to local authorities (a) under the formula grant system and (b) through specific grants to fund new burdens arising from new equality and diversity duties in each year since 2005-06. [317809]

Barbara Follett: The formula grant settlement in all these years took account of the spending pressures on all authorities' responsibilities, including equality and diversity duties, as well as the scope for efficiencies. No specific grants have been allocated relating to these issues.

Local Government: Pay

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of the planned increase in employers' National Insurance Contributions in each of the next three years. [317862]

Barbara Follett: There are no proposed or planned increases in employer's national insurance contributions in 2010-11. However, in 2011-12 employer's contributions are set to increase by 1 per cent. to 13.8 per cent. and the additional pressure this will put on the wage bills of local authorities will be considered, with all others during the next spending review. This will also take into account other factors, like the scope for continued efficiency gains.


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