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100319

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to reply to the letter of 24 July 2014 from the hon. Member for Warley, on compulsory purchase orders.
tabling member constituency	Warley
tabling member printed	Mr John Spellar
uin	211411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>My Department takes seriously its responsibilities to respond to MP’s letters in a timely fashion. Having checked all of our databases I can find no record of the letter the rt. hon. Member for Warley refers to and I respectfully ask him to send me a copy so that I may respond.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 28/10/2014 15:41:51 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	318 label Biography information for John Spellar

100320

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Social Rented Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what was spent on the Decent Homes Programme in each year since 2005.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	211623
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2015 answer text <p>The last Administration failed to meet its Decent Homes target. It pledged in 2000 that: “We... are committed to ensuring that all social housing is of a decent standard within 10 years” (DETR, <em>Quality and Choice: A Decent Home for All: The Housing Green Paper</em>, April 2000, p.11). But 16 per cent of local authority homes were not decent by 2010.</p><p>That last Government also cut the Decent Homes programme by £150 million in July 2009, cannibalising the housing programme to pay for other policies. I also observe the last Prime Minister planned to cut back housing investment, remarking before the general election: “Housing is essentially a private sector activity. Let's be honest about this... I don't see a need for us to continue with such a big renovation programme” (<em>BBC Newsnight</em>, 30 April 2010).</p><p>However, the Coalition Government is investing £2.3 billion from 2011 to 2016 to improve the quality of existing social housing through the Decent Homes programme and large-scale voluntary transfer gap funding The funding is for clearing the backlog, and therefore is less than under the last Administration – as by intention, there should be an increasingly smaller number of homes to pay to refurbish.</p><p>The table below shows spending since 2005.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p>£ million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004-05</p></td><td><p>£578</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005-06</p></td><td><p>£864</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006-07</p></td><td><p>£814</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007-08</p></td><td><p>£1,005</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>£1,017</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>£1,079</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>£756</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>£494</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>£563</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>£631</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>est. £532</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>NB. The figure for 14-15 contains £15 million funding for South Tyneside which was brought forward from the 2015-16 allocation.</p><p>The number of non-decent local authority dwellings across England has fallen from 292,000 in 1 April 2010 to 146,000 in April 2014, with a forecast of a further fall to 113,000 by April 2015. This shows clear progress in refurbishing these homes.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 23/02/2015 16:51:14 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis previous answer version 24440 answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

100321

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Social Rented Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, (b) the borough of Tower Hamlets, (c) London and (d) England failed to meet the decent homes standard in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	211624
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>I refer the Hon. Member to my written answer of 21 October 2014, PQ 206256.</p><p> </p><p>Figures are held by local authority area, not parliamentary constituency.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 29/10/2014 16:35:05 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis previous answer version 24450 answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

100435

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Refuges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of children living with parents in women's refuges in (a) Huddersfield, (b) Kirklees, (c) Yorkshire and (d) England.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	211435
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>The Statistics requested are not centrally held.<br><br></p><p>Decisions on the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic abuse are for local authorities; we expect local authorities to commission services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources.</p><p> </p><p>The dynamics of domestic abuse mean that accommodation can play an important role in the resolution of interpersonal abuse and conflict. This is why the homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and for vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.</p><p> </p><p>There is a range of support for victims of domestic abuse. Some victims will be accommodated in refuges, but Sanctuary Schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some victims will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has secured £6.5 billion investment to help vulnerable people through housing related support. This forms a key element of refuge funding through local authority commissioned services. We also fund UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. This service enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 multi-agency risk assessment conference co-ordinators and 144 independent domestic violence advisers. We have piloted and rolled out Clare's Law and domestic violence protection orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies.</p><p> </p><p>We are keeping this matter under review, and are keen to support best practice and greater joint working<em>. </em></p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins grouped question UIN 211433 211434 question first answered 28/10/2014 15:39:30 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

100451

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Refuges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that there are sufficient women's refuges to meet demand.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	211433
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>The Statistics requested are not centrally held.<br><br></p><p>Decisions on the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic abuse are for local authorities; we expect local authorities to commission services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources.</p><p> </p><p>The dynamics of domestic abuse mean that accommodation can play an important role in the resolution of interpersonal abuse and conflict. This is why the homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and for vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.</p><p> </p><p>There is a range of support for victims of domestic abuse. Some victims will be accommodated in refuges, but Sanctuary Schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some victims will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has secured £6.5 billion investment to help vulnerable people through housing related support. This forms a key element of refuge funding through local authority commissioned services. We also fund UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. This service enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 multi-agency risk assessment conference co-ordinators and 144 independent domestic violence advisers. We have piloted and rolled out Clare's Law and domestic violence protection orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies.</p><p> </p><p>We are keeping this matter under review, and are keen to support best practice and greater joint working<em>. </em></p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins grouped question UIN 211434 211435 question first answered 28/10/2014 15:39:29 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

100452

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Refuges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many women's refuges are operating in (a) Huddersfield, (b) Kirklees, (c) Yorkshire and (d) England.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	211434
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>The Statistics requested are not centrally held.<br><br></p><p>Decisions on the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic abuse are for local authorities; we expect local authorities to commission services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources.</p><p> </p><p>The dynamics of domestic abuse mean that accommodation can play an important role in the resolution of interpersonal abuse and conflict. This is why the homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and for vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.</p><p> </p><p>There is a range of support for victims of domestic abuse. Some victims will be accommodated in refuges, but Sanctuary Schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some victims will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has secured £6.5 billion investment to help vulnerable people through housing related support. This forms a key element of refuge funding through local authority commissioned services. We also fund UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. This service enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 multi-agency risk assessment conference co-ordinators and 144 independent domestic violence advisers. We have piloted and rolled out Clare's Law and domestic violence protection orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies.</p><p> </p><p>We are keeping this matter under review, and are keen to support best practice and greater joint working<em>. </em></p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins grouped question UIN 211433 211435 question first answered 28/10/2014 15:39:30 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

100564

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Council Tax Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish the detailed terms of reference for the review of the impact of abolishing Council Tax Benefit.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL2301
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>The Department is currently working with the Council Tax Partnership Forum and local authorities to identify appropriate and proportionate data for the independent three-year review of the local council tax support policy.</p><p> </p><p>The timetable, coverage, process for data collection and detailed terms of reference for the review will be agreed and published in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Spending on council tax benefit doubled under the last Government, costing taxpayers £4 billion a year—equivalent to almost £180 a year per household. Welfare reform is vital to tackle the budget deficit by the last Administration.</p><p> </p><p>Our reforms to localise council tax support now give councils stronger incentives to support local firms, cut fraud, promote local enterprise and get people to into work. We are ending the last Administration's 'something for nothing' culture and making work pay.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/11/2014 17:48:45 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

100565

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing Revenue Accounts: Tower Hamlets
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 October (HL1902), whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the correspondence encouraging the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to revise its bid for funding from the Local Growth Fund Housing Revenue Account Borrowing Programme 2015–17.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL2302
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2014 answer text <p>I have today placed copies of the relevant letters - a letter from the Minister for Housing to all stock holding local authorities dated 7 July 2014; a letter from officials to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets also dated 7 July 2014; and a second letter to the authority dated 5 August 2014 - in the Library of the House.</p><p> </p><p>The Greater London Authority, which has an operational involvement in the programme in London, also had discussions with the Council, but such correspondence/information is not held by my Department.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon attachment 1 file name PQ428929 HL2302 - Letter1_Redacted.pdf title Minister of Housing 7 July 2014 2 file name PQ428929 HL2302 - Letter2_Redacted.pdf title London Borough of Tower Hamlets 7 July 2014 3 file name PQ428929 HL2302 - Letter3_Redacted.pdf title London Borough of Tower Hamlets 5 August 2014 question first answered 19/11/2014 14:48:36 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

100566

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 October (HL1906), whether they will place in the Library of the House the findings of their review into the impact of the abolition of the Discretionary Social Fund.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL2303
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions are undertaking a review into how local welfare provision has been used in 2013/14 and its anticipated use in 2014/15. The Department are making plans to publish the review shortly. A copy will be placed in the Library of House.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 05/11/2014 14:01:03 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

100568

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Homelessness
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the findings of the recent research by Crisis into the treatment of single homeless people by local authorities in England.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL2305
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>This Government is committed to preventing and tackling homelessness. We have increased homelessness prevention spending, making over £500 million available since 2010 to local authorities and the voluntary sector to help the most vulnerable in society. <br> <br> We are improving services through the new £8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund. This will enable local authorities, working with local partners such as the health and probation services, to better tackle and prevent single homelessness. <br> <br> We are helping single homeless people find and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector through our £13 million funding to Crisis. By 2016 we expect the Crisis scheme to have helped 10,000 single homeless people since it started in 2010. <br> <br> We are continuing to tackle and prevent rough sleeping. Thousands of vulnerable people have been helped off the streets through the No Second Night Out and Streetlink initiatives. £20 million funding has been made available to the voluntary sector through the Homelessness Transition Fund which has helped No Second Night Out schemes across the country. There have been 18,000 Streetlink referrals since December 2012.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/10/2014 15:17:28 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow