We remain committed to a substantial increase in social housing. Our aspiration is to deliver 45,000 homes a year by 2010-11. This is still some time away and it remains too early, given current market conditions, to predict outputs in that year with certainty.
We are committed to ensuring that all homes are built to the highest levels of sustainability and as such we are increasing the energy efficiency standards set out in Part L of the Building Regulations and introducing the water efficiency into Part G. In addition, one of the requirements for grant funding through the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) Affordable Housing programme is that they should be built to Code level 3 as set out in their Design and Quality Strategy published in April 2007.
The HCA is currently considering how to harmonise the standards and commitments made by English Partnerships and Housing Corporation prior to the establishment of the HCA and will, subject to a cost-benefit analysis, confirm the timetable for building to higher levels of the code in due course.