To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether her Department authorised representatives of the Homes and Communities Agency to attend the launch of the affordable housing funding package by the Mayor of London on 3 March 2009; (263038)

The £135 million package announced by the Mayor on 3 March contained two elements:

(a) £93 million to unlock five stalled development sites across London over the next 12 months. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) estimates this will result in approximately 941 new affordable homes on these five sites; and

(b) £42 million for the "Up2U/First Steps" scheme. The details of this scheme are still being finalised, but it is potentially novel and therefore may require ministerial approval before HCA funding can be committed.

It was appropriate for the HCA to attend the launch event on 3 March to support the first element of this package (the £93 million to support development in London). The joint GLA/HCA press notice issued for this event indicated that funding for the "Up2U/First Steps" scheme was subject to ministerial approval.