To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the eco-towns initiative; and if she will make a statement. (166914)

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 6 November we have received over 50 expressions of interest in respect of eco-towns. These have come from both local authorities and developers, and will be considered in a cross-Government strategic review. The intention is then to announce the selected schemes in February 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for eco-towns she has received from (a) local authorities and (b) private developers. (166915)

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 6 November we have received over 50 expressions of interest in respect of eco-towns. These have come from both local authorities and private developers and in some cases a public-private partnership. In a number of cases private developers are in ongoing discussion with local authorities about their involvement in proposals, so it is not possible to give a breakdown at this stage. The intention is to announce the selected schemes in February 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether new dwellings approved as part of an eco-town development by her Department will contribute to performance against the house building requirements of the revised regional spatial strategies. (166917)

The Housing Green Paper sets out that we expect eco-towns to help contribute to achieving the 240,000 national target. As set out in the Eco-Towns Prospectus we would expect new schemes to be additional to existing plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodologies will be used to assess the carbon dioxide emissions of eco-towns, with particular reference to transport issues and the need for commuting to and from such towns. (166919)

We will look to those making proposals for development of eco-towns to set out how they expect to achieve the Government’s criteria for sustainability, including transport, as set out in the Eco-towns Prospectus, launched on 23 July 2007. Eco-towns should be planned in a way that supports low carbon living, and minimises carbon emissions from transport. One of the key issues for eco-towns is the ‘consideration of the impact on roads and congestion when siting the eco-town, and the planning of infrastructure requirements’. We will want to see design that promotes sustainable transport usage and the reduction in car dependency.

We will produce an assessment methodology for those proposals that, following a strategic review across Government, are considered to have the potential to go forward as candidate eco-towns.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) when she plans to announce the chosen eco-town development sites; (169410)

[holding answer 29 November 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies) on 13 November 2007, Official Report, column 116W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the criteria are for selection of eco-town sites. (169411)

[holding answer 29 November 2007]: The criteria and assessment approach for the selection of eco-town sites are set out in the Eco-towns Prospectus. This was published on 23 July 2007 as part of the Housing Green Paper and copies have been placed in the Library of the House.