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28 Jun 2010 : Column 372W—continued
National Museums Liverpool: Finance
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect on National Museums Liverpool of reductions in expenditure on his Department's creative partnerships programme; and if he will make a statement. [4008]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 24 June 2010]: The Creative Partnerships programme is delivered by Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE). Following the £19 million post-election cut to Arts Council England's 2010-11 grant in aid by DCMS, the Arts Council has reduced 2010-11 funding to CCE by 4%. This is in line with its own budget reduction.
CCE has stated that it will absorb the cut within the organisation without impacting on the schools and children involved in the Creative Partnerships creative learning programme. Therefore this should not have any impact on the National Museum of Liverpool.
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect on the arts in Liverpool of the ending of the pilot project between National Museums Liverpool and Creativity, Culture and Education; and if he will make a statement. [4100]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 24 June 2010]: The Find Your Talent pathfinder programme was cancelled as part of a package of savings announced by the Department on 17 June 2010. No assessment has yet been made by Creativity, Culture and Education on the impact of this decision on National Museums Liverpool, but existing commitments will be honoured.
Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps he intends to take to encourage home ownership among those on low incomes; [4446]
(2) whether he plans to retain Government schemes to assist low and middle income families to enter the housing market. [4447]
Grant Shapps: We are reviewing options in the context of the Spending Review. This Government have committed to support those who aspire to own their own home-including by promoting shared ownership schemes-and to helping social tenants and others to own or part-own their home. More broadly, this Government are seeking to return economic stability which will improve the situation for first-time buyers.
The new Government are concerned that home ownership has fallen to its lowest level for nearly 20 years and the number of first-time buyers is at its lowest level since modern records began.
Coalfields Regeneration Review
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will publish in full the report of the Coalfields Regeneration Review; [4530]
(2) on what dates the members of the Coalfields Regeneration Review group have met since the review was announced; [4552]
(3) if he will meet the chair of the Coalfields Regeneration Review to discuss the progress of the Review; [4600]
(4) what progress has been made on the Coalfields Regeneration Review; when he expects to receive the report of the Review; and if he will make a statement. [4601]
Grant Shapps: Since the Coalfields Regeneration Review was announced in March 2010, the review board, chaired by Michael Clapham, has met six times, and taken evidence from various partners, organisations and delivery bodies. Details are set out in the following table:
Further meetings and discussions are scheduled. As part of the review programme a wider written consultation has been issued to enable all interested parties to contribute to the review. Responses are due to be returned by 30 June.
I will be meeting with the chair of the review on 30 June to discuss progress, and look forward to receiving the final report by the end of August 2010. It is my intention, subject to Michael Clapham's agreement, to publish the Regeneration Review report in full.
Community Development: Hastings
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of the Communitybuilders programme in the borough of Hastings; and what assessment he has made of the potential of that programme to contribute to the regeneration of the Hastings pier. [3935]
Robert Neill [holding answer 24 June 2010]: Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust has been awarded development and feasibility grants from the Communitybuilders programme so that it can develop plans to regenerate the pier as a community asset. Awards of feasibility grants do not carry a commitment for further investment and no decision has been taken at this time.
Community Development: Religion
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent under the Prevent Violent Extremism Next Steps for Communities Programme on (a) Muslim groups, (b) groups from other faiths and (c) groups with no faith affiliation in 2009-10. [4379]
Andrew Stunell: The Department spent £27 million to support local partnership activity to prevent violent extremism in 2009-10, of which £16.5 million was allocated to local authorities through the un-ringfenced Area Based Grant, which gives local authorities discretion on how funding is allocated.
The Department's programme budget funds a variety of groups that undertake a range of Prevent activity. Funding has been made to a variety of organisations and is not defined or recorded by religious affiliation.
Consultants
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contracts his Department has entered into with external consultants since the Government came into office; and what the (a) name of the consultants, (b) terms of reference of the work, (c) monetary value of the contract and (d) expected date of completion of the work is in each case. [3594]
Robert Neill: No new contracts with external consultants have been let since the Government came into office.
Council Housing: Construction
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department intends to take to increase the number of local authority homes under construction. [4417]
Grant Shapps:
My Department will continue to support the construction of new affordable homes from all providers, including local authorities, through the National
Affordable Housing Programme. It is of course important that in the current financial climate we support those schemes that offer the best value for money.
Decentralisation and Localism Bill
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials have been assigned to work on the Decentralisation and Localism Bill. [3890]
Greg Clark: This would be a major piece of legislation spanning many housing, planning and local government issues and consequently engages a range of officials from across the Department.
Departmental Voluntary Work
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of his Department's staff took up (a) all and (b) part of the leave for volunteering to which they were entitled in the financial year 2009-10. [3882]
Robert Neill: This information is not held centrally. However we know anecdotally that a considerable number of staff are involved with voluntary activities, which the Department encourages.
Development Plans: Blackpool
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what aspect of Planning Policy Statement 1 on delivering sustainable communities he considered before deciding not to call in the development application to Blackpool borough council, reference 09/0740, for determination. [4373]
Robert Neill: On the issue of sustainability the Secretary of State has had regard to the site's location, design, settlement patterns, amenities, accessibility and its environmental impact. In this respect my right hon. Friend has taken account of the assessment provided in the site's sustainability appraisal in comparison with other sites, including brownfield sites, and in relation to the emerging policies of the local development framework.
My right hon. Friend has also had regard to all representations made concerning the proposal.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the concerns raised by his Department over the loss of versatile agricultural land arising from the development application to Blackpool borough council, reference 09/0740, before he decided not to call it in for determination. [4375]
Robert Neill: The site referred to contains 11.2 hectares of land which could be readily used for agriculture. This falls below the 20 hectares threshold for statutory consultation with DEFRA, as set out in Article 10 of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995. In this case I understand that Blackpool council consulted with DEFRA, and though the council was urged to have regard to such a loss, there was no objection to the application. Therefore, there was no requirement for the Secretary of State to engage in discussions with DEFRA.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he had with representatives of Sport England on that organisation's concerns on the lack of wider assessment of sport and recreation facilities in the development application to Blackpool borough council, reference 09/0740, before deciding not to call it in for determination. [4376]
Robert Neill: Sport England did not formally comment on this planning application. They had commented on a previous application, and these comments were taken into account by Blackpool council. The council considered on-site and off-site open space provisions, together with a village green, and it was considered that the possible deficiencies in future sports provision appeared to be fairly marginal. The Secretary of State considered the representations in determining whether or not to call in the application. On propriety grounds it would not be appropriate to enter discussions with bodies making representations, including Sport England.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he had with representatives of the Campaign to Protect Rural England on that organisation's objections to the development application to Blackpool borough council, reference 09/0740, before deciding not to call it in for determination. [4377]
Robert Neill: The Campaign to Protect Rural England's comments were taken into account by Blackpool council in its consideration of this application, including matters relating to housing land supply situation, housing need, and loss of agricultural and recreation land. The Secretary of State considered these representations in deciding whether or not to call in the application. On propriety grounds it would not be appropriate to enter discussions with bodies making representations, including the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
Fairgrounds: Planning
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what planning regulations apply to fairgrounds. [4380]
Robert Neill: Fairgrounds are normally treated as a temporary land use and regarded as permitted development, provided that they operate for 28 days or less in a calendar year. Where a more permanent use is proposed a planning application would need to be submitted to the local authority and determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
National Planning Policy in respect of fairgrounds as a permanent land use is set out in PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth.
Housing: Construction
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of housing starts that were attributable to expenditure from the public purse in 2009. [4056]
Grant Shapps [holding answer 24 June 2010]: The Department does not make estimates of the number and proportion of housing starts that are directly attributable to public investment. Figures are available on the number of new build starts that took place under the National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP), Local Authority New Build (LANB), Kickstart and the Property and Regeneration (PR) programmes. However, it is not possible to assess whether some of these housing starts would have been delivered by the private sector anyway if funding were not available.
Data underlying the official statistics published by the Homes and Communities Agency have been analysed to identify new build starts on site with public funding under the programmes identified above. They show that there were 45,600 housing starts in 2009 with grant funding under NAHP, LANB and PR programmes. In addition a further 840 units were started with assistance from the Kickstart programme. These estimates cannot be directly compared with figures on the total number of house building starts collected by CLG as they are from different sources.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if his Department will undertake a review of the value for money of funding for housing private finance initiative schemes. [4313]
Andrew Stunell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 15 June 2010, Official Report, column 368W.
Housing: Empty Property
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to bring more empty and unoccupied homes into use. [3893]
Grant Shapps: We are looking closely at the cause and nature of empty homes and the full range of potential measures to bring empty homes back into use as part of a well functioning housing market.
Housing: Tower Hamlets
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to the London borough of Tower Hamlets for the purposes of servicing debt on its Housing Revenue Account in each year since 1997. [4121]
Andrew Stunell: The level of subsidy support for assumed housing debt in Tower Hamlets for each year since 1997 is given in the following table:
| £ | ||
| Assumed debt | Subsidy support | |
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