§ Dr. NaysmithTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to meet Regional Planning Guidance targets of 6,000 to 10,000 new affordable homes per year established in 2001 for the South West. [183990]
§ Keith HillPolicy of the Office Deputy Prime Ministerߝas set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3ߞis not to set region-wide targets or quotas for affordable housing. Targets are more appropriately set at the local level as they are, necessarily, derived from local circumstances and assessments. The figures set out in Regional Planning Guidance for the South West (RPG10) are, therefore, not a target but an indicator against which the provision of affordable housing can be monitored. Better quality information than currently available is needed to assess how we are progressing against this indicator. However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does know that we are not yet providing sufficient affordable homes. That is why the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has accepted Kate Barker's recommendation that there should be a step-change in housing supply. Over the coming months, we will be consulting on a package of proposals designed to achieve this, including the provision of independent advice to the Regions, which should improve significantly our ability to deliver and monitor the provision of affordable homes. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also committing more resources to the206W delivery of affordable homesߞthe 2004 Spending Review will allow us to increase new social house building by 50 per cent.
§ Mr. Edward. DaveyTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the departmental expenditure limit for housing was in 2003–04. [184124]
§ Phil HopeHo using programmes, including the growth areas, comprised £4.022 billion of the Office of the Deputy prime Minister's final departmental expenditure limit for 2003–04.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to allow arm's length management organisations access to borrowing to meet the decent homes standard. [184568]
§ Keith HillThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no current plans to change the current arrangements under which local Authorities carry out the borrowing necessary for their Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) to meet the decent homes standard. ALMOs e unable to borrow direct because, as managers of the local authority's stock, they have no assets on which to secure a loan.
§ Mr. FlookTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding has been made available in each of the last three years under the Supporting People programme to each of the housing authorities in Somerset. [184636]
§ Phil HopeThe Supporting People programme went live in April 2003. Prior to this date the Government contributed towards the administration costs of administering authorities in establishing the programme.
For 2003–04 and 2004–05 Supporting People grants have been given for both administration and programme costs. Budgets for 2005–06 to 2007–08 have not yet been finalised. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister plans to announce individual allocations to administering authorities for 2005–06 to 2007–08 in the autumn. Supporting People grants are paid direct to county councils and unitary authorities not district authorities.
The following table sets out the Supporting People grant funding over the last three years for each of the housing authorities in Somerset:
£ Grants Bath and North East Somerset North Somerset District Somerset 2002–03 Administration 190,412 170,885 369,694 Programme — — — 2003–04 Administration 211,383 198,798 455,878 Programme 4,389,642 6,437,692 21,430,845 2004–05 Allocated Administration 185,000 174,217 472,697 Programme 4,299,069 6,294,582 21,133,324
§ Mr. FlookTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many(a) affordable, homes and (b) homes for rent have been built by (i) Taunton Deane borough council and (ii) housing associations in Taunton Deane in each of the last seven years. [184639]
207W
§ Keith HillFigures for affordable homes built are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Based on data reported by Taunton Deane council and the National House-Building Council, the number of council and registered social landlord dwellings that have been built within Taunton Deane in the last seven financial years are shown in the following table:
(i)Taunton Deane (ii)Registered Social Landlords 1997–98 0 20 1998–99 0 111 1999–2000 0 79 2000–01 0 44 2001–02 0 51 2002–03 4 51 2003–04 0 23
§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many social housing units he expects to be built in the south Midlands growth area as a result of the extra finance for housing announced as part of the Government's three-year spending plans; [184696]
(2) what proportion of funds for affordable housing announced as part of the spending review will go to the south Midlands growth area. [184697]
§ Keith HillThe additional funding provided in the Spending Review will, along with efficiency improvements, produce 10,000 extra social rented homes a year by 2007–08. Decisions have not yet been taken on how Regional Housing Pot funding for 2006–07 and 2007–08, including the additional funding for affordable housing, is split between regions. This needs to reflect the different pattern of needs across regions and the Government's national housing priorities, including development of the growth areas, and targets. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aiming to complete this work, which raises some complex issues, by the end of the year. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will announce decisions on allocation of funding within regions next summer in the light of recommendations from Regional Housing Boards, which are due in May next year.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding was made available to the London Borough of Islington for each year since 1997 for housing capital work, broken down by(a) housing capital authorisation, (b) authority to use capital receipts for housing capital work, (c) authority for stock-transferred estates to undertake capital work, (d) allocations to housing associations for work within the borough, (e) authority for work to be carried out by the arm's length management organisation; and (f) what projected funding in future years is in each of these categories. [184725]
§ Keith HillThe information is as follows:
(a) is comprised of a number of different elements as shown in the following table.
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£000 Housing Supported Capital Expenditure1 Major Repairs Allowance Disabled Facilities Grant Cash Incentive Scheme 1997–98 12,708 — 136 2,240 1998–99 17,214 — 124 1,524 1999–2000 18,019 — 131 — 2000–01 28,415 — 142 — 2001–02 12,651 25,434 212 — 2002–03 14,970 25,030 237 — 2003–04 13,607 25,477 360 — 2004–05 13,843 23,966 389 — 1Previously known as Annual Capital Guideline, includes private sector renewal and capital receipts initiative allocations; figures up to 2002–03 include an allowance for spending financed from the authorities' capital receipts. (b) As a with-debt authority, Islington were allowed to use the useable part of the capital receipts they generated for any capital purpose they saw fit, including housing capital work.
(c) Islington received £22.69 million of Estates Renewal Challenge Fund funding after the transfer of two schemes in September 1999.
(d) is comprised of three different elements, as detailed in the following table.
£000 Approved Development Programme Starter Home Initiative Local Authority Social Housing Grant 1997–98 9,130 — 9,192 1998–99 14,318 — 200 1999–2000 5,800 — 223 2000–01 9,815 — 1,048 2001–02 10,313 — 2,761 2002–03 24,906 597 1,541 2003–04 34,187 3,183 1— 2004–05 256,696 3— — 1Local Authority Social Housing Grant abolished with effect from 1 April 2003. 2 1997–98 to 2003–04 is spend, 2004–05 is allocation. 3 No figures for 2004—05 available yet. (e) Islington has been awarded provisional ALMO funding of £24.9 million for 2004–06. Release of this funding is conditional on the ALMO achieving at least a two star rating from the Housing Inspectorate when it is inspected later this year.
(f) A provisional allocation of £16,273,000 has been made for 2005–2006. No other indications for projected funding in future years exist at this time.
§ Llew SmithTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to order an environmental impact assessment of the additional home construction he announced on 13 July 2004. [184821]
§ Keith HillProposals for new housing development projects are subject to the requirements of the planning system. Decisions on the need for environmental impact assessment for such proposals will be taken at the appropriate by the relevant local planning authority in accordance with the requirements of Directive 85/337/ EEC (as amended) on the effects on the environment of certain public and private project which is given 209W effect in England by the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (England and Wales) 1999.
§ Mr. Tony ClarkeTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many(a) affordable homes and (b) homes for rent have been built in Northampton in each of the last five years. [184865]
§ Keith HillFigures for affordable homes built and homes for rent built are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Based on data reported by Northampton council and the National House-Building Council, the number of registered social landlord and council dwellings that have been built within Northampton in the last five financial years are shown in the following table:
Number 1999–2000 26 2000–01 51 2001–02 0 2002–03 0 2003–04 83
§ Dr. NaysmithTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what account he will take of the information on housing in the South West in the National Housing Federation's booklet, "The Evidence Update", when making future housing investment decisions about the South West region. [185387]
§ Keith HillThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister welcomes the work that the National Housing Federation (NHF) have done for their recent reports on housing needs in the South East and South West. The general picture on housing pressures and the affordability of home ownership is in line with our analysis which under-pinned discussions of funding for affordable housing in the 2004 Spending Review. Officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime will be meeting with the NHF shortly to discuss these reports.
The NHF South West is represented on the South West Housing Body Steering Group and as such they will play a key role in the development of the region's new Regional Housing Strategy (RHS) due for publication in early 2005. The RHS will reflect all relevant evidence from a variety of sources and will form the basis for the housing body's recommendations to Minister's on the distribution of housing resources within the region.