To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what Government funds are available to registered social landlords for the construction of new social housing in Birmingham; and by what means they can be accessed. (235470)

Through the Housing Corporation, and from 1 December the Homes and Communities Agency, the Affordable Housing Programme provides grant to registered social landlords and others, including developers and local authorities, to provide affordable housing either through new build or acquisition and refurbishment. We are providing £8 billion over the three years, 2008-11, to fund this programme. Of this around £467 million has been allocated indicatively for affordable housing in West Midlands.

Bidding for these funds is now taking place on a continuing basis. To the end of October over £69 million has been allocated for schemes in West Midlands, of which £21 million is for schemes in Birmingham.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many unsold houses have been bought by the Government for affordable housing under its recent £200 million scheme. (235931)

Developer stock units are purchased by the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme investment partners for the provision of either social rent or for sale on low cost home ownership terms. Funding is a mix of grant from the Housing Corporation and from the investment partner's own resources. As at the end of October, the Housing Corporation had allocated grant funding of £90 million for the purchase of 2,600 homes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the proportion of existing social housing that meets current standards for new build social housing; and if she will make a statement. (236267)

We have made no assessment of what proportion of existing social homes would meet the standards for new build social housing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses owned by local authorities for social accommodation there are. (236836)

The number of dwellings owned by local authorities in England on 1 April 2007 was 1,987,340.

Source:

Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix.