| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
15 Jun 2010 : Column 375W—continued
The following table sets out details of all challenges made to Inspector planning appeal decisions in the relevant years.
| Upheld | Dismissed | To be decided | Total | |
| Note: "Dismissed" indicates challenge either successfully defended by the Secretary of State or where the challenge was withdraw; "Upheld" indicates challenge unsuccessfully defended by the Secretary of State or where the decision was quashed with the consent of the parties. | ||||
Regional Development Agencies
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations his Department has received for the retention of regional development agencies since the general election. [2428]
Robert Neill: The Department has received no formal representations since the May 2010 general election calling for the retention of the regional development agencies.
Social Rented Housing: Kirklees
Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many people in Kirklees local authority area are on the social housing waiting list; and if he will make a statement; [2321]
(2) how many people in Kirklees local authority area were on the social housing waiting list in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [2322]
Andrew Stunell: Information is available on numbers of households rather than people. The number of households registered on social housing waiting lists in each local authority, each region, and in England, as at 1 April each year from 1997 to 2009, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in table 600. The link for this table is given as follows:
Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the number of social houses in the Kirklees local authority area which are unoccupied; and if he will make a statement. [2323]
Andrew Stunell: As at 1st April 2009 there were 248 local authority owned dwellings in the Kirklees local authority area that were unoccupied (Source: Communities and Local Government's Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix). As at 31 March 2009 there were 53 registered social landlord (RSL) owned self-contained general needs dwellings that were unoccupied (Source: Tenant Services Authority's Regulatory Statistical Return).
Social Rented Housing: Wigan
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what social housing construction projects are being funded by his Department in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. [1629]
Andrew Stunell: The Homes and Communities Agency is supporting the following schemes for constructing new social housing:
Bickershaw Colliery
Mother and Baby Move-on Unit, Lancaster Road, Hindley
Durham Street, Phases 1 and 2, Wigan
Byrom Fields, Wigan
Plot 24, 7 Aveley Gardens, Highfield
Windermere Gardens, Gordon Street, Leigh
Gadsbury Fold, Plots 112 and 113, Atherton
Worthington Park, Plots 49, 54 and 194, Standish
Kay Close, Scholes
Etherton Street, Wigan
Windsor Avenue, Astley
The Orchards, Wigan
Greenfields, Billinge.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much finding he plans to provide for capital expenditure on the decent homes programme of Wigan and Leigh Housing. [1632]
Andrew Stunell: Wigan and Leigh Housing is an Arms Length Management organisation (ALMO) which manages the council housing stock of Wigan council. The Department does not provide capital funding to ALMOs such as Wigan and Leigh Housing but funds Wigan council directly through the HRA subsidy system.
Since the Decent Homes programme began in 2001, Wigan council has received £137 million in ALMO supported capital expenditure to undertake a Decent Homes investment programme. There are no plans to fund additional capital expenditure to Wigan council for Decent Homes works beyond the major repairs allowance funding provided in the subsidy system.
Tenant Services Authority
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on his plans for the Tenant Services Authority. [1998]
Grant Shapps:
I have received representations on a range of subjects since my appointment as Minister for Housing and Local Government, including on the regulation of social housing. The role of all CLG
quangos is being examined closely, but no final decisions have been made about the future of the Tenant Services Authority.
Travellers: Caravan Sites
Mr Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the change in the number of unauthorised traveller sites since 1997. [1573]
Andrew Stunell: The number of caravans on unauthorised developments has increased from 887 in 1997 to 2,395 in 2010-an increase of 170% over 13 years.
Wigan
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what public spending projects in (a) Wigan constituency and (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan his Department secured Treasury approval between 1 January 2010 and the date of his appointment as Secretary of State. [1626]
Robert Neill: The Government are reassessing spending approvals granted between 1 January 2010 and the general election to ensure that they offer good value for money and are consistent with the Government's priorities. Further announcements will be made in due course.
Transport
Bus Services: Finance
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the effects of bus services operators grant levels on bus (a) usage, (b) fares and (c) service. [1588]
Norman Baker: Our assessment of the impact of bus service operators grant (BSOG) is that on average usage is 6.7% higher, fares are 6.5% lower and services are 7.1% higher outside London than if BSOG funding were completely withdrawn.
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to review the operation of bus service operators grant; and if he will make a statement. [1623]
Norman Baker: As part of the forthcoming spending review, and in common with all other areas of departmental expenditure, the Government will examine carefully the amount of subsidy paid to the bus industry, and the basis on which it is paid, to ensure that it offers the best value for taxpayers' money, and meets wider Government objectives.
Departmental Flags
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on flying the Union flag each day from each official building for which his Department is responsible. [1808]
Norman Baker: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport issues guidance for the flying of the Union flag on UK Government buildings. The guidance encourages the Union flag to be flown 365 days a year, and as a minimum all departments must fly the Union flag on the 19 special designated days eg Queen's birthday, Remembrance Day, etc. and other special occasions as required eg. State Opening of Parliament.
More information on the guidance is available on the DCMS website:
At the main Department for Transport London headquarters building the Union flag is flown 365 days of the year. The Union flag is flown on designated days at other departmental buildings able to fly flags.
Departmental Official Residences
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any domestic properties in the gift of the Government have been allocated to the use of Ministers in his Department. [1793]
Norman Baker: There are no domestic properties in the gift of the Government allocated for the use of Ministers in the Department for Transport.
Northern Rail: Rolling Stock
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future of the High Level Output Statement agreement on the delivery of carriages for (a) Northern Rail and (b) TransPennine Express. [1255]
Mrs Villiers: We are assessing our policy for managing crowding on the rail network in the light of likely spending constraints over the next few years. The National Audit Office report "Increasing Passenger Rail Capacity" published on 4 June highlighted a number of problems with delivery of the High Level Output Statement capacity programme. In the light of this report and in anticipation of the current Spending Review, we have announced that proposals by the previous administration for the purchase of additional carriages will be reappraised and assessed for affordability.
Public Transport: Carbon Emissions
Mr Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he plans to issue to local authorities on the appraisal process for low carbon local transport schemes; and if he will make a statement. [1367]
Norman Baker: In the Coalition Agreement we committed to reform the way decisions are made on which transport projects to prioritise, so that the benefits of low carbon proposals (including light rail schemes) are fully recognised. We will announce details of how these reforms are to be implemented in due course.
Railways: North West
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the electrification of the rail network in the North West. [1748]
Mrs Villiers: We are in the early stages of the new Government and Ministers are considering the full range of transport policy. The Government supports rail electrification as it helps to reduce carbon emissions and cut running costs.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of high speed rail on rail services serving Wigan North Western station. [1751]
Mr Philip Hammond: The detail of any changes to service patterns on the existing network that may result from a new high speed rail network will be determined in due course, in consultation with passengers and the rail industry. By generating significant additional capacity new high speed lines would free up space on the existing lines, which would ultimately benefit passengers.
Tolls
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the levying of charges on foreign-registered (a) cars and (b) heavy goods vehicles using UK roads; and if he will make a statement. [1496]
Mike Penning: The Secretary of State has ruled out national road pricing for cars on existing roads. As stated in the Coalition programme for Government, we are working towards the introduction of a new system of HGV road user charging to ensure that foreign heavy goods vehicles contribute to the upkeep of UK roads that they use and to ensure a fairer arrangement for UK hauliers.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the measures required to be introduced during the present Parliament to prepare for any introduction of road pricing after May 2015. [1497]
Mike Penning: The Secretary of State has ruled out for the duration of the Parliament national road pricing for cars on existing roads and any preparation for such a scheme beyond that time horizon.
For this reason no such assessment has been made.
Wigan
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for which public expenditure projects in (a) Wigan constituency and (b) the Metropolitan borough of Wigan his Department secured Treasury approval between 1 January 2010 and the date of his appointment as Secretary of State. [1749]
Norman Baker: The following transport projects affecting Wigan have gained approval since 1 January 2010:
Kickstart funding for enhanced bus services on circular routes 664-674 in Wigan. This funding has now been withdrawn as part of the 2010-11 grant reductions to local authorities.
£298,000 allocated to Wigan metropolitan borough council for emergency highways repair funding to deal with the impacts of the adverse weather during the winter. This funding will be paid in full in 2010-11.
The Government are re-assessing spending approvals granted between 1 January 2010 and the general election to ensure that they offer good value for money and are consistent with the Government's priorities. Further announcements will be made in due course.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |