§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much money has been allocated by(a) his Department and (b) the Housing Corporation to support new social housing in the Portsmouth City Council area in each of the last five years. [27549]
§ Mr. Raynsford[holding answer 6 February 1998]: The Department provides funding for new social housing through grant-in-aid to the Housing Corporation. The grant is allocated to Registered Social Landlords through the Housing Corporation's Approval Development Programme. Local authorities may also choose to invest in new social housing. Local authority spending on the provision of new social housing by Registered Social Landlords which meets the Housing Corporation's criteria is reimbursed by Local Authority Social Housing Grant from the Corporation.
415WAllocations for the provision of new social housing by Registered Social Landlords in Portsmouth are shown below. Additional social lettings are also provided through grants to tenants to help them buy a new home and vacate their existing dwelling for reletting, and the Housing Corporation's Do-It-Yourself Shared Ownership scheme for tenants (DIYSO). Expenditure on these home ownership schemes is excluded from the figures below.
£m Year Approved Development Programme Local Authority Social Housing Grant 1993–94 4.02 4.68 1994–95 4.44 1.20 1995–96 1.61 0.86 1996–97 6.22 1.59 1997–98 2.00 0.54 Notes:
1. 1997–98 figures are start of year allocations.
2. The figures include allocations for new build social housing and the purchase and rehabilitation of existing private sector properties for social housing. The figures exclude allocations for works to existing stock owned by Registered Social Landlords; temporary social and market rent housing; grants to help tenants buy a new home and vacate their existing property for reletting; and the Housing Corporation's Do-It-Yourself Shared Ownership scheme.