Written question asked by Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative) on Tuesday, 23 October 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 25 October 2007. It was answered by Iain Wright (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 October 2007 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Housing: Peterborough

Question: (4) if she will make an estimate of the proportion of the Peterborough city council Choice Based Lettings housing waiting list which is made up by individuals who do not hold British nationality.

Answer: Local authorities in England report the numbers of households (not people) on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. However, information is not collected centrally on (a) whether the household has been refused admittance to the housing waiting list; (b) information on the priority banding system of the waiting list; (c) the nationality of the household on the waiting list or (d) individual Choice Based Lettings registers,The number of households on Peterborough's housing waiting list, as at 1 April each year, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600. The link for this table is given as follows:"http://www.comm.unities.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=1163853"Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get on to the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.Since this Government came into power, we have strengthened the regulations which determine eligibility for access to social housing for foreign nationals.

Secondary information