§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the Housing Corporation's approved development programme for the number of affordable housing units in rural settlements; and if he will make a statement; [31160]
(2) pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2002, Official Report, columns 975–76W, on affordable housing, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the underlying trend in the number of affordable housing units in rural settlements with a population of 3,000 or less; and if he will list them. [31245]
§ Ms KeebleThe amount of new affordable housing built in recent years has declined because of reductions suffered by the Housing Corporation's capital programme in the mid-1990s, and a rapid increase in scheme costs.
In the 2000 Spending Review we provided significant additional resources for housing: the Housing Corporation's approved development programme will almost double to over £1.2 billion by 2003–04; and we have doubled the Corporation's programme for affordable 445W housing in small rural settlements (with less than 3,000 people) from 800 in 2000–01 to 1,600 homes a year by 2003–04, with 1,100 homes in 2001–02.
As announced in the Rural White Paper, we expect 9,000 affordable homes to be delivered annually in rural districts by 2003–04 through Housing Corporation and local authority funding and by judicious use of planning powers.
§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2002,Official Report, column 975–76W, on affordable housing, if he will list the number of affordable housing units in rural settlements by region in each year since 1990. [31346]
§ Ms KeebleI will write to the hon. Member with a regional breakdown for England of the number of affordable housing units in rural settlements (with a population of 3,000 or less) funded by the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme and through local authority social housing grant since 1991–92.
Information for 1990–91 is not available, and information about the number of affordable housing units completed through the planning system without public subsidy is not held centrally.
§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many affordable housing units were provided by local authorities through local authority funding in rural settlements in each year since 1990. [31159]
§ Ms KeebleI will send the hon. Member a table showing affordable housing units in rural settlements in England with a population of 3,000 or less funded by local authorities through local authority social housing grant since 1991–92.
Information for 1990–91 is not available.