The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people gaining work through the Work Programme have entered self-employment since the inception of that programme.
Esther McVey
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many houses built in each of the last five years are (a) wheelchair accessible and (b) built to lifetime homes standards.
Stephen Williams
DCLG does not collect information on the number of wheelchair-accessible or lifetime homes standard properties built each year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many houses not compliant with Part M building regulations were built (a) in the last two years and (b) since 2010.
Stephen Williams
My Department does not hold the information requested.
Building control bodies (local authorities or private sector approved inspectors) assess new dwellings for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations, including Part M, at both plans stage and throughout the course of building work on site. If at any stage the building control body considers that a new dwelling would not be compliant on completion it will give the person carrying out the work advice and guidance on what is needed to make the dwelling compliant and a warning that a failure to comply might result in formal enforcement action. In almost all cases this is sufficient to achieve compliance. At the completion of work, if the work complies, the building control body will give a compliance certificate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in the UK maintain a register of accessible or adapted homes; and what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on registers of accessible housing.
Kris Hopkins
The Department does not hold this information.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities are able to access suitable accommodation which meets their needs.
Accessible housing registers can be useful and we are aware that some councils and social landlords have incorporated such an approach within their lettings scheme.
The Government believes it is more important that people who require accessible housing are given the right level of priority under a council’s housing allocation scheme, and that councils and social landlords are able to make the best use of affordable housing in their area, including accommodation which is accessible or has been adapted.
That is why, through the Localism Act, we have retained the statutory reasonable preference requirements which ensure that priority for social housing is given to those who need to move on medical and welfare grounds (including grounds relating to a disability). We have also made sure that council and housing association landlords have the flexibility to use their social housing stock in a way which best meets the needs of individual households and their local area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the demand for (a) homes built to lifetime home standards and (b) wheelchair accessible homes.
Stephen Williams
The Department for Communities and Local Government, does not hold information on the overall demand for lifetime homes or wheelchair-accessible properties in the UK.
While the Department’s English Housing Survey does ask respondents whether their current accommodation requires adaptations given their disability or long standing illness, these questions do not ask specifically about wheelchair accessibility. It is therefore not possible to estimate demand for wheelchair accessible properties in England using this data source.
Estimates using the English Housing Survey show there to be around 1.1 million wheelchair-accessible homes in England, equating to 5 per cent of the dwelling stock. Data reported by social landlords, in England, shows that around 1 per cent (2,700 of 240,000 general needs lettings) of tenants taking up a social letting in 2011/12 identified their household as needing wheelchair accessible housing (source: The Continuous Recording of Lettings and Sales of Social Housing in England).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people in receipt of disability living allowance or personal independence payments have received support from the Help to Buy scheme.
Kris Hopkins
This Government is committed to supporting people’s aspirations to own their own home. That is why we have introduced schemes such as Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme and Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee scheme, which is managed by HM Treasury. We do not collect data on the number of people purchasing a home using either of the Help to Buy schemes who are in receipt of disability living allowance or personal independence payments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average waiting time was in each local authority for an assessment for a disabled facilities grant in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Kris Hopkins
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will provide incentives to developers to ensure that new homes planned for construction in 2014-15 will be (a) wheelchair accessible and (b) built to lifetime homes standards.
Stephen Williams
Part M of the Building Regulations set minimum access standards for new homes. The Government plans to introduce an optional level of accessibility above these minimum access standards which will set out criteria for age friendly, accessible and adaptable standards. The Government also plans to set out within Part M an optional standard which will set out criteria related to the specific needs of wheelchair adaptable and accessible housing.
Furthermore, the National Planning Policy Framework already sets out that Local Plans should take into account the current and future needs of range of households including older and disabled people.
This combination of Building Regulations and national planning policy sets a robust framework to promote adaptable and accessible housing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to ensure accessible housing, meeting internationally recognised visitability standards, for people who become disabled in 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.
Stephen Williams
The Approved Document to Part M (Access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations already includes key criteria for visitability including requiring reasonable provision for level or gently sloping entrances, level thresholds, minimum entrance door widths and circulation in the entrance storey, and provision of an entrance level WC
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of homes in (a) Ebbsfleet and (b) other planned garden cities will be (i) wheelchair accessible and (ii) built to lifetime homes standards.
Nick Boles
It is important that all locally-led large scale new developments like Ebbsfleet incorporate a high standard of design, and I am keen to see the use of design tools like Building for Life 12 which can serve this objective. Responsibility for delivering on the local plans for Ebbsfleet will sit with the new Urban Development Corporation and it would be premature to make any commitments on design standards at this stage. Ultimately, the development should be created in partnership with local communities and it should reflect and respond to their needs.