§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will list the deprived local authority housing estates and the local authority and local authority wards that those estates fall into, referred to in DETR, Housing Research Summary No. 65 (1997); [57568]
(2) which of the deprived local authority housing estates referred to in DETR Housing Research Summary No. 65 (1997) have subsequently been part of a stock transfer to housing associations. [57569]
§ Mr. Byers[holding answer 20 May 2002]: The publication referred to in these questions is the DoE report on "Mapping Local Authority Estates Using the Index of Local Conditions" No.65 (1997).
The study was designed to show the probable distribution and concentration of deprived local authority estates at the regional level. The main report explains that the Department cannot publish the list of estates on which the study was based, or provide specific details on the particular local authority wards which they are in.
There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the analysis was based on one specific definition of deprived estates. It used the 5 per cent. of Census Enumeration Districts with the highest scores on the Index of Local Conditions which had more than 50 per cent. of households renting from the local council. The report stressed that the study did not produce a definitive list of deprived estates. Alternative definitions could be used, based on other data, which could produce different lists. Secondly, the Department wanted to avoid creating or contributing to the stigmatisation of estates.
Both these reasons for non-disclosure are still valid and therefore DTLR cannot provide a list of the estates.