To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Homebuy loans were issued to support key workers in (a) Dorset and (b) Hampshire in the last period for which data are available. (111319)

[holding answer 25 January 2007]: The Key Worker Living (KWL) programme does not currently operate in Dorset.

In Hampshire 840 key workers have been helped through the Open Market HomeBuy equity loan product of the KWL programme, since April 2004.

In addition other first time buyers in Dorset and Hampshire have been helped into shared ownership schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her estimate is of the level of home ownership in (a) each local authority area and (b) each region in each year since 1979. (105728)

Reliable estimates of home ownership at local authority level are only available from census data—and the most recent figures, from the 2001 census, can be found at the following link:

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/asv2htm.aspx?output=dn87000_{3D4CE8BF-B1FD-4795-95A5-5AB108566D72}

Annual estimates of home ownership at regional level are available from household surveys. These figures include a margin of error and can therefore fluctuate between years. Estimates are only available for some of the early years: 1981, 1984 and 1988. Annual figures are available from 1991. Estimates are shown in two tables because the data for the years 1981, 1984, 1988 and 1991 are only available by standard statistical region and data for subsequent years, 1992-2006, are only available by Government office region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will allocate specific funds for key worker loans in Dorset. (111544)

[holding answer 26 January 2007]: The key worker living programme is focused on helping key workers in London, the east and the south-east of England regions with funding coming from those regions’ allocations. In 2005, the South West Regional Housing Board declined the opportunity to specifically allocate resources to key worker schemes in 2006-07 or 2007-08. The South West Regional Housing Board did however recommend that key public sector workers providing essential public services should be one of their priority groups for low cost home ownership assistance through the 2006-07 to 2007-08 national affordable housing programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will announce which bids for the sixth round of arm’s length management organisations have been successful. (111780)

[holding answer 26 January 2007]: We are continuing to consider the Round 6 ALMO bids.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department is having with EU-based manufacturers of construction materials on the plans to introduce zero carbon housing. (118952)

We are in discussion with the Construction Products Association, who represents EU-based manufacturers among other organisations, about the consultation proposals to move towards zero carbon homes by 2016.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the cost implications for the house building industry of the proposal to introduce zero carbon housing. (118953)

A partial regulatory impact assessment has been published alongside the proposal in “Building a Greener Future” to move towards zero carbon homes by 2016. This assessment shows that the costs of delivering a 25 per cent. improvement in energy/carbon levels is around 2-3 per cent., or around £3,000 per dwelling, on the basis of current technologies. As we move on to lower energy/carbon housing in the future, the costs are inevitably more uncertain as they will depend on the technologies delivered by the market, and cost reductions achieved through economies of scale and over time.

A final regulatory impact assessment, which will set out the expected costs implications, will be published alongside the final policy statement in the summer 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she is having with UK manufacturers of construction materials in preparation for the introduction of zero carbon homes by 2017. (118962)

We are in discussion with the Construction Products Association, which represents UK manufacturers amongst other organisations, about the consultation proposals to move towards zero carbon homes by 2016.