§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many housing association properties have been built in each local authority area in England over the last three years for(a) general need and (b) sheltered housing; and how many properties have been acquired by housing associations and renovated for renting over the same period.
§ Sir George YoungEstimates of the total numbers of housing association housebuilding completions within each local authority area in England for the latest three years are published in "Local Housing Statistics". Figures for 1990, 1991 and 1992 are in issues 103, 105 and 106 respectively.
The Department collects information about special types of housing for the elderly, including sheltered dwellings. Figures for housing association completions of sheltered dwellings for each local authority area in England are also published in "Local Housing Statistics". Figures for 1990, 1991 and 1992 are in issues 99, 102 and 106 respectively.
Figures showing renovation work completed by housing associations on dwellings for rent are available only for standard statistical regions. They are also shown in "Local Housing Statistics". Figures for 1990, 1991 and 1992 are in issues 101, 105 and 106 respectively.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate his Department has made of(a) the time or (b) the financial resources needed to resolve the housing problems in each local authority area of England.
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§ Sir George YoungNo such estimate is possible. However, local authorities are responsible for drawing up comprehensive housing strategies for their areas, taking account of priority needs and available resources.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many families for whom the London borough of Wandsworth has a housing responsibility were living in bed-and-breakfast accommodation on 1 November;
(2) how many people were on the Wandsworth council housing list on 1 November.
§ Sir George YoungThe latest data available within my Department relate to the beginning of the current financial year when Wandsworth reported 407 households in bed-and-breakfast accommodation and 6,913 households on its waiting list.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new dwellings have been(a) built and (b) bought by each local authority in England over the past five years for (i) general need and (ii) sheltered housing.
§ Sir George YoungEstimates of the total numbers of local authority house-building completions within each local authority area in England in each calendar year 1988 to 1992 are in the publication "Local Housing Statistics". Figures for 1988, 1989 and 1990 are in issue No. 103, for 1991 in issue No. 105 and for 1992 in issue No. 106.
The Department collects information about special types of housing for the elderly, including sheltered dwellings. Figures for local authority completions of sheltered dwellings for each local authority area in England are in certain issues of "Local Housing Statistics". Annual data for 1988 to 1992 are in issues Nos. 90, 94, 99, 102 and 106 respectively.
Copies of these publications are available in the Library.
The Department does not collect data on how many new dwellings are bought by local authorities for either general need or sheltered housing.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions have been made to assist authorities with clearance procedures for new house building; and if he will list what help has been given to each local authority in England over the last five years.
§ Sir George YoungIt is for local housing authorities, in preparing comprehensive housing strategies for their areas and in performing their enabling role, to identify the problems and the solutions, working together with housing associations and the private sector. My Department helps where it can. Subsidy is available to help meet the costs of clearance activity.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many clearance projects in England have been delayed due to the problems of rehousing those that will be displaced in the process.
§ Sir George YoungThe Department of the Environment does not collect statistics on delayed clearance projects.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present strategic guidance for the 497W provision of new dwellings in Doncaster, South Yorkshire; what meetings he has held with Doncaster metropolitan district council on this matter; and what allowance has been made for the need for more (a) student and (b) single-person accommodation in Doncaster.
§ Sir George YoungRegional planning guidance note 5 for South Yorkshire, issued in December 1989, indicates that Doncaster metropolitan borough council should, in the period between 1986 and 2001, plan for 14,000 dwellings to be provided in its area, either through new construction or by conversion of existing buildings. No further strategic guidance has been issued since 1989; but local planning authorities in Yorkshire and Humberside, including Doncaster MBC, are in the process of preparing regional planning advice which they hope to submit jointly to the Secretary of State around the end of the year. The Secretary of State will then prepare and issue for consultation draft regional planning guidance and, in doing so, will take into account the advice provided by the authorities.
Officials have regularly attended meetings of the regional planning conference as observers and the Department helped to fund a study of population trends in the region in order to assist in the formulation of advice on housing provision.
Allowance for single person and student accommodation is usually included within the overall estimate of dwellings to be provided, although it is noteworthy that in its 1993 housing strategy statement Doncaster MBC has identified no significant need for more single-person or student dwellings.
§ Mr. RaynsfordTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he proposes to his estimates of local authority capital provision for housing set out in figure 80 of his Department's annual report 1993.
§ Sir George YoungInformation on the Government's public expenditure plans for housing is contained in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report", to be published by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer this afternoon. Separately, the Department will issue a press notice this afternoon, giving information on the programmes for which it is responsible. I will write to the hon. Member shortly when more detailed information becomes available.