To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of all planning permissions granted (a) for part or full residential developments and (b) for all homes in each planning authority in the Government zone of the south-west in each of the last 10 years for which records are available were for affordable homes. (148368)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today, (UIN 148447).

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what mechanism she monitors local planning authority decisions on affordable housing in Cornwall. (148447)

[holding answer 9 July 2007]: The Secretary of State monitors housing projects where registered social landlords are or will be involved, through local housing authorities returns. This will include most projects which include affordable housing, but not necessarily all, because private sector developers may also plan to build units of affordable housing. She does not monitor planning decisions for affordable housing as such. Local authorities monitor the actual delivery of affordable housing in their annual monitoring reports which are published and submitted to the Secretary of State. In Penwith district 31 affordable houses were built in 2005-06, 10 per cent. of the total new houses built. In Kerrier district, 22 affordable houses were built in 2005-06, 9 per cent. of the new houses built.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2007, Official Report, column 1340W, on housing: low incomes, what the (a) estimated and (b) actual (i) costs and (ii) receipts of the Design for Manufacture competition have been to English Partnerships, broken down by type; and if she will make a statement. (149608)

[holding answer 16 July 2007]: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007, Official Report, column 1340W, on housing: low incomes, how many affordable homes are being built across the 10 new mixed communities developments, broken down by (a) development site and (b) type of tenure; and if she will make a statement. (149609)

[holding answer 16 July 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) on 26 June 2007 to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) Official Report, column 628W. Each of the 10 sites included in the Design for Manufacture competition will include a high proportion of affordable homes of different tenures, such as social rent or homes available for share equity purchase.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new social housing units were built in the last (a) one, (b) two and (c) five years. (149654)

[holding answer 16 July 2007]: The numbers of homes built for social rent, in England, in the last one, two and five years are tabulated in the following table. Not all social rent housing supply is through new build completions; supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. For completeness the numbers of social rent homes provided through the acquisition and refurbishment of market properties are also shown.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements her Department makes of local authorities wishing to renegotiate section 106 agreements. (149851)

Planning obligations (also known as section 106 agreements), may be discharged or modified by agreement between the local planning authority and all the persons against whom they are enforceable, or by application to the local planning authority after five years.

The powers for modifying and discharging planning obligations are contained in sections 106A and 106B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Requirements placed on local planning authorities for the handling of applications are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Modification and Discharge of Planning Obligations) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2832).

These regulations require that local planning authorities publicise applications, including making available for inspection the relevant part of the instrument which created the obligation; invite and consider representations from the public; give clear and precise reasons for their decision; and inform applicants of their right of appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the sites being considered by the Government for release for development of affordable homes include sites owned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. (152020)

The recent review of surplus sites owned by central Government Departments and their agencies identified over 550 new sites, in addition to those which were not already on the register of surplus public sector sites. The review of central Government surplus sites is continuing and English Partnerships is undertaking an immediate evaluation of the potential for additional housing on these sites, including one site owned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Ministry of Defence will release seven major sites immediately to English Partnerships with potential for 7,000 new and affordable homes, including sites at Aldershot and Chichester. A review is being undertaken to identify further sites.

A portfolio of Highways Agency and the British Rail Residuary Body surplus sites is being identified and transferred to English Partnerships and brought forward for new and affordable housing.

The Department of Health will transfer 13 new sites into the programme for new and affordable homes. In addition, NHS Trusts are identifying the surplus land they hold with potential for further new housing.