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13 Mar 2008 : Column 585W—continued
In addition local authorities will make use of the allowances for major repairs that are provided through the annual housing revenue account subsidy determination. In 2008-09 this is £1,317 million.
Local authorities have powers to assist vulnerable households living in the very worst conditions by developing flexible approaches to respond to locally specific conditions, and to find ways to make their resources go further through the use of loans and equity release schemes.
Housing: Sustainable Development
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of new homes built since 2003 meet the Government’s targets for sustainability on (a) energy use and (b) water use. [191191]
Mr. Iain Wright: Building Control is a devolved service undertaken by local authorities and other building control bodies. Independent data on the levels of compliance achieved by individual homes that have been signed off by building control bodies is not kept centrally and it is not therefore possible to verify the absolute levels of compliance.
In relation to regulatory requirements on energy use, an implementation review of the 2006 amendments to part L of the building regulations will be undertaken shortly and will help to inform future amendments to the building regulations in this respect.
There are currently no requirements in building regulations for water efficiency, but the Government have committed to bringing new requirements into force for new homes during 2009. In December 2006, CLG and DEFRA issued a consultation on introducing minimum requirements for water efficiency in new buildings. The consultation gave a strong endorsement for the adoption of a performance standard for new homes to be administered through the building regulations. The standard will be set at 125 litres per person per day.
The Code for Sustainable Homes sets out standards, above the regulatory minimum, for the sustainability of new homes including energy and water. The code provides a means for house builders to differentiate their products, however, there is no national obligation for privately funded developments to be built to the code. Publicly funded homes must be built to code level 3. There are currently 395 registered developments that are building to the code, covering around 30,000 homes.
Local Government: Reorganisation
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what further plans her Department has for allowing further areas where two-tier local authorities exist to convert to unitary authorities. [188320]
John Healey: We have no plans for any further programme of invitations to councils to submit unitary proposals. However, we recognise that in some specific cases in the future there might be areas where circumstances are such as to warrant a focused and targeted invitation to the councils concerned, and the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 allows for this.
Local Strategic Partnerships: Chorley
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if she will meet Chorley Borough Council and the hon. Member for Chorley to discuss the local strategic partnership; [192422]
(2) if she will take steps to ensure that (a) Chorley Borough Council and (b) the Chorley Local Strategic Partnership consults the hon. Member for Chorley on future activities of the local strategic partnership. [192423]
John Healey: I have asked my officials to meet with my hon. Friend to discuss Chorley’s Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and its contribution to the successful targeting and co-ordination of services.
The Government’s consultation on the future of LSPs (2005-06) emphasised the key role hon. Members could play in LSPs. It stated that:
‘MPs have substantial democratic legitimacy in the local area and the ability to bring a wide range of partners to the table to produce genuinely collaborative working. There is no set way to do this and current practice varies between the MP chairing the LSP to receiving papers and attending an annual event. Each area will need to consider the most appropriate mechanism for them’.
London Development Agency
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Audit Commission's scrutiny of (a) the London Development Agency and (b) the Greater London Authority. [191648]
John Healey: It is the responsibility of the District Auditor to consider whether financial and accounting matters relating to the GLA and LDA need investigation and action.
Non-Domestic Rates: Public Lavatories
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 963W, how many public conveniences were registered for business rates by the Valuation Office Agency in each Government region at the most recent date for which figures are available. [193929]
John Healey: As at 30 January 2008, there were 5,084 public conveniences included in the 2005 rating lists for England and Wales.
| Government region | Number of public conveniences |
The figures do not include certain public conveniences, for instance those that are ancillary to public parks.
Planning Permission: Housing
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to monitor the proportion of affordable housing planned for sites recently granted planning permission by local authorities bidding to be housing growth points; and if she will ensure that account is taken of this proportion when decisions are made on the bids. [192445]
Mr. Iain Wright: Data for sites granted planning permission for affordable housing are not collected centrally although statistics which show the numbers of affordable dwellings built are available. Affordability is a key emerging priority for many areas and we would expect this to inform local authority proposals for growth point status.
Prisons: Construction
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what planning policy (a) statements and (b) guidance have been issued by her Department and its predecessors on the construction of new prisons since May 1997. [193831]
Mr. Iain Wright: Since May 1997, three extant publications have specifically referred to prison development. These are:
Circular 03/98 (DETR): ‘Planning for Future Prison Development’ includes the effect on local and unitary development plans, site selection, security and economic and other benefits.
Circular 02/06 (Communities and Local Government): ‘Crown Application of the Planning Acts’ describes how the planning Acts apply to the Crown with the ending of Crown immunity in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. Prisons are mentioned as part of the operational land of the Home Office (now Ministry of Justice) in the context of new Crown permitted development rights.
Planning Policy Statement 25: ‘Development and Flood Risk’ (Communities and Local Government), published in 2006. This classes prisons as more vulnerable to flood risk, which means that the PPS25 exception test should be applied if a prison is essential in an area of high flood risk to ensure it is safe.
Although prison development is not specifically mentioned elsewhere, since the removal of Crown immunity in 2006, prison development should be considered in the context of the national planning policy framework.
Private Sector: Thames Gateway
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methods she plans to use in future to assess the efficacy of private sector investment in the Thames Gateway area; and if she will make a statement. [191593]
Caroline Flint: The Government are not in a position to directly regulate private sector investment in the Thames Gateway except where the investment is part of a project being supported by the public sector. In these cases we would expect projects to have a clear fit with the Thames Gateway strategy and priorities in the Thames Gateway delivery plan, and be subject to a proper investment appraisal in line with the Treasury Green Book. Where appropriate, private sector development is subject to the normal land use planning regime.
Regional Planning and Development: Thames Gateway
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the Guarantee of Assured Progression in respect of further education in the Pan Gateway Skills Plan in the Thames Gateway area; if she will make a statement. [191948]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 6 March 2008]: All universities and colleges in the Thames Gateway are committed to participation in the Gateway Guarantee of Assured Progression scheme. We expect to launch across Departments the second stage of a feasibility study this spring which will look at progression from level 2 to level 3.
Our aim is that every course in the Thames Gateway, particularly but not exclusively at vocational level 3, will lead directly to a place on an appropriate level 4 course.
Already a number of these progression agreements exist formally and informally but using Lifelong Learning Networks and other relevant partner networks our aim is to roll out a series of comprehensive transparent progression pathway options for every student achieving level 2 and above.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will attend future meetings of the Thames Gateway Parliamentary Group; and if she will make a statement. [191949]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 6 March 2008]: In my new role as Minister with responsibility for Thames Gateway I am looking forward to engaging with hon. Members who have constituencies within the Thames Gateway boundary. This will include attendance at future meetings of the Thames Gateway parliamentary group.
Rental Rights: Leasehold
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will provide leaseholders whose freehold landlord is a public authority with the same leasehold rights as those with private sector landlords. [192400]
Mr. Iain Wright: Leaseholders have a wide range of rights and protections that have been developed over the last 40 years. Significant improvements have been made to these rights through the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. The majority of the rights and protections apply equally to leaseholders with social sector landlords as to those with private sector landlords. However, there are some necessary exceptions and variations.
Social sector landlords are primarily responsible for the provision of social housing. Their systems and arrangements are set up in order to achieve this and to comply with specific legislation in that regard, while recognising their obligations to leaseholders. This is one of the many factors that need to be taken into account when considering how best to frame leaseholder rights so that they can effectively deliver the benefits intended to all concerned. This can mean that it will not always be appropriate or helpful to make identical provisions for social sector and private sector leaseholders in order to provide them with similar rights and protections.
Thames Gateway Development Corporation Planning Committee: Public Appointments
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what process is followed for the appointment of members of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation Planning Committee; and what criteria are used to appoint members. [193367]
Caroline Flint: The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation Planning Committee currently consists of nine members. Seven of those members are members of the Corporation's Board, appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. They were appointed to the Planning Committee by the chairman of the Corporation.
Two members of the Planning Committee are co-opted and are not members of the Corporation's Board. They were appointed by the chairman of the Board with the consent of the Secretary of State, following an appointment process involving advertising the position, short listing and interviews.
The criteria used for the interviews were:
Motivation/understanding the challenges/opportunities of the role;
Committee contribution/adding value;
Technical/professional contribution.
Working Neighbourhoods Fund
Grant Shapps:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 31 January 2008, Official Report, column 592W, on the Working Neighbourhoods Fund, which local
authorities which were in receipt of (a) either Deprived Areas Funding or Neighbourhood Renewal Funding and (b) both types of funding will receive Working Neighbourhood Funding but at a lower cash level per year. [189402]
John Healey: The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund was set up as a time limited fund and was provided to deliver a different set of objectives from those to be delivered by the new Working Neighbourhoods Fund. The following list of local authorities were in receipt of either Deprived Areas Funding or Neighbourhood Renewal Funding or both types of funding, and will receive Working Neighbourhoods Fund at a lower cash level in 2008-09 than their 2007-08 allocation.
Newham
Manchester
Birmingham
Tower Hamlets
Hackney
Southwark
Nottingham
Liverpool
Bradford
Sandwell
Islington
Lambeth
Haringey
Kingston upon Hull
Middlesbrough
Knowsley
Greenwich
Sheffield
Waltham Forest
Leicester
Salford
South Tyneside
Doncaster
North East Lincolnshire
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