HC Deb 11 November 2003 vol 413 cc254-6W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many domestic properties were sold for under £20,000 in each of the housing renewal Pathfinder areas in the latest year for which figures are available. [136996]

Keith Hill

The information is as follows:

Pathfinder area Sales below £20,000 during 2002
Birmingham-Sandwell 53
East Lancashire 2,463
Hull 719
North Staffordshire 636
Manchester-Salford 1,656
Merseyside 770
Oldham-Rochdale 502
South Yorkshire 621
Tyneside 369

Notes

1. The boundaries of the nine Pathfinder areas do not conform with any existing administrative area. So, for instance, the pathfinder area of South Yorkshire is not the same as the metropolitan county of the same name and the Pathfinder area of Hull is not the same as the area occupied by the unitary authority of Kingston-upon-Hull.

2. Sales are taken to mean the transfer of ownership for value of freehold and long leasehold residential properties, whether or not the purchase was supported by a mortgage.

Source:

Land Registry

Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the housing renewal Pathfinder areas, broken down by(a) population, (b) households and (c) empty and abandoned properties. [136997]

Keith Hill

The latest data available is tabled as follows:

Pathfinder Population Households Vacant household spaces
Birmingham-Sandwell 152,354 57,160 3,354
North Staffordshire 146,637 64,100 3,799
Merseyside 246,464 109,647 8,583
Manchester-Salford 240,370 102,085 13,773
Oldham-Rochdale 183,143 72,593 4,494
East Lancashire 206,770 81,754 8,009
South Yorkshire 297,887 125,132 6,288
Humberside 241,412 103,078 7,203
Newcastle-Gateshead 154,790 68,716 5,261
All pathfinders 1,869,827 784,265 60,764

Notes

1. The data relates to the Pathfinder intervention areas that are smaller than the boundaries of the pathfinder local authorities. It uses the most consistent, robust and up-to-date data available for population and households, that being the Census 2001 data. 'Empty and abandoned properties' is not directly available within the Census 2001 dataset nor through other datasets for the intervention area. Therefore the closest equivalent Census 2001 —'vacant household spaces'—has been provided. This figure approximates to what we would expect from 'empty and abandoned' property statistics if these were available.

2. Data for 2002 on empty properties for the districts involved in the Pathfinders is available at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website thorough the Housing Investment Programme, Index of Data list under Housing Statistics.

3. The data was derived from the published Census 2001 data as of June 2003 and does not reflect any subsequent revisions. The intervention area boundaries are those agreed between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Pathfinders as of June 2003.

4. Each Pathfinder 'intervention area' in the table above consists of all Census small areas (2001 Output Areas) whose centroids fall within the Pathfinder boundary. This means that in a few cases the boundary is an approximation that includes small areas outside the Pathfinder or excludes small areas actually within it. For 2001 Census Output Areas, the centroids are supplied on the boundary file by Office for National Statistics. This is the most detailed level of analysis available through Census.

Source:

2001 Census, Key Statistics for output areas.