§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the need for provision of affordable housing in advance of his publication of his(a) rural white paper and (b) urban white paper. [138548]
§ Mr. MullinWhile the Government have from time to time commissioned studies of the extent and nature of housing need to inform their views on the need for affordable housing in England, they believe that neither national nor regional estimates can adequately reflect the diversity of needs and priorities which exist at the local level. For these reasons, the Government believe that local authorities are best placed to carry out assessments of housing need in their areas.
But the Government recognise that in many areas there is a need for more affordable housing. That is why we shall be almost doubling funding for affordable housing through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme over the next three years. Our Rural White Paper will set out our policies for affordable housing provision in rural areas.
§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many of the recommendations made in the Policy Action Team 7 report from the Performance and Innovation Unit, "Unpopular Housing" his Department(a) has implemented to date and (b) plans to implement in the near future. [138547]
18W
§ Mr. MullinNearly all recommendations are being progressed. A number of these have been implemented in full. Several were included as proposals for reform in the Housing Green Paper, published in April. We will make an announcement on the outcome of consultation on the Green Paper later this year. An Audit tracking progress on implementing the recommendations made by all 18 Policy Action Teams will be published by the Social Exclusion Unit in the next few months.