Series details: CRDA/29

The quarterly P1D data provides information on grants made for repairs to housing. It relates to the numbers and values of grants, for each local authority in England, covering each type of grant separately; and also numbers of dwellings of group repair schemes started, completed and in progress. The total level of expenditure involved was in excess of £350 million per annum.

The information was used to brief ministers and others on the level of local authority private sector renewal activity, to help estimate future levels of demand for grants, and to identify trends in local authority activity in order to set future regeneration policy. Two policy divisions of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, HPRO and Research Analysis and Evaluation (RAE), made most use of the information collected.

The data was owned and created by various Housing Data and Statistics sections of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and its predecessor bodies. The Housing Data and Statistics section was part of the Housing Monitoring and Statistics Division until 1993 and of the Housing and Urban Monitoring and Analysis Division until 1998 and is now part of the Housing, Private Policy and Analysis Division.

Quarterly data on housing capital expenditure and receipts is now collected by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, using a revised form numbered P1A. Some information previously gathered on the discontinued P1D form is now also included on the P1A. 1

This series contains quarterly data collected by various housing statistics sections of the DETR and its predecessors relating to renovation grants and group repair schemes activity. The data was collected using the quarterly P1D Form. NDAD holds one dataset in the series, covering the period December 1980 to March 2001, when the P1D form was discontinued.

The grant schemes covered house renovation, disabled facilities, houses in multiple occupation (HMO), common parts grants, group repairs, minor works assistance, and home repairs assistance. Some schemes under earlier legislation were subsumed under later schemes.

The quarterly P1D data was supplemented by an annual survey, collected using the P3D form. NDAD does not hold this annual data.

Housing and renovation grants were available from local authorities to owners and tenants for the improvement, conversion and repair of sub-standard older housing. Grants would be mandatory if works were required to comply with a statutory repair notice; otherwise grants were discretionary.

The basic scheme for giving out grants was introduced in 1949, but has been amended through the years. In 1980, grants were introduced for secure tenants in the public sector and regulated tenants in the private sector. Later the scheme was affected by the Housing Act 1985, and further amended by the Housing and Planning Act 1986.

The most recent piece of legislation to affect this series was the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Under this Act, a system for house renovation grants, which made provision for payments to private owners and tenants, came into operation in 1990.

Further details of the grants that were available, and how these are reflected in the contents of the tables, are with the Dataset catalogue. See Links to dataset catalogues.

This dataset has been selected by The National Archives for permanent preservation, as it monitors a significant commitment of public expenditure and provides information which was used in the development of future policy on urban regeneration.

The P1D survey was discontinued in March 2001, so no accruals of quarterly P1D data in this exact same form are expected, but data gathered using the revised P1A form may in the future be transferred to NDAD.

The Housing Data Renovation Grants and Group Repair Schemes dataset and related dataset documentation are public records under the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967. The National Archives has assigned the dataset to series AT 68. The Annual P3 data has been assigned to series AT 69.

The dataset and related dataset documentation are open to users of NDAD without restriction.

The dataset and related dataset documentation are Crown Copyright. Copies may be made for private study and research purposes only.

The dataset is not subject to registration under the Data Protection Acts.

The language of the materials is English.

NDAD holds examples of photocopies of annotated P1D Housing Activity Forms for 1980-1999, with field names written on them. This collection represents one copy of the form for each time that it was changed, although the collection is not comprehensive. NDAD also holds one example each of a P3 Form, a P4 Form, and the [current] P1A Form which replaced P1D. For this subseries, see the Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/29/DD/1.

The National Archives has determined that completed P1D forms do not constitute part of the archive of this series, so they have not been transferred, either to TNA or to NDAD.

A related dataset series, the Housebuilding Inquiry dataset (P2 data), is also held by NDAD in CRDA/54. It was transferred to NDAD on 25th June 2005. The National Archives has assigned this dataset to series AT 86.

The results - ie totals - of the quarterly surveys were published in the following DoE / DETR periodicals, published by HMSO or The Stationery Office: Housing and Construction Statistics, 1971-1981; Housing and Construction Statistics (annually); Local Housing Statistics (quarterly).

Details of computer hardware not known.

Details of operating system not known.

The P1D data for 12/1980 - 08/1999 was held on Comshare C77 databases, at the department's processing unit in Bristol. Later this data was moved to Comshare Commander ADL databases, to match the more recent records. The Comshare business was eventually acquired by GEAC in 2003.

The P1D data for 09/1999 - 03/2001 was stored on an SQL database.

NDAD has no information on the user interface prior to 09/1999. For the data entry during 09/1999 - 03/2001, local authorities were able to submit data to the department using the InterForm Gateway system (see also How Data Was Captured and Validated). This web interface was underpinned by the same SQL database system (see Application software). InterForm was established by the DETR in 1998 and is still used by the ODPM. NDAD holds two electronic documents relating to InterForm; see the Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/29/DD/2. NDAD has no information about other aspects of the user interface.

The series contains a single dataset comprising 38 tables. These tables represent conversions of the original data from the databases into Excel format, performed by the Department. The original arrangement as presented in these conversions by the Department has been preserved by NDAD, although the name components RETURNS and RESPONSES have been added by NDAD to differentiate the two main categories of data. For further detail, see Links to Dataset Catalogues.

For the early period (ie 12/1980 - 08/1999), the data in the series was compiled from completed P1D forms. The forms were completed by local authorities, and the data subsequently keyed into the database by Department staff. Data was collected on a local authority basis. Each local authority is identified by a code in the Lacode field.

For the period 09/1999-03/2001, the data was collected using the web interface system InterForm Gateway. Using this online form, local authorities were able to submit data directly to the department. For further technical information on InterForm, see User Interface. NDAD holds two relevant electronic documents; see the Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/29/DD/2.

NDAD has no information on how the department originally validated the data.

The data may not be completely reliable as statistical data, because the forms are a 'voluntary' return by local authorities, so the data collection may not be comprehensive. This is different to other data-gathering exercises, for example the Housing Investment Programme (HIP) forms where local authorities must complete the forms if they have applied for funds.

Details of the content and transformation validation checks performed by NDAD on the Housing Data: Renovation Grants and Group Repair Schemes Activity dataset are contained in the dataset catalogue: see Links to dataset catalogues.

Dataset catalogues provide more detailed information about individual datasets, and are currently available for the following dataset(s):

1. See Data collection by topic, page 5, published by ODPM; http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_housing/documents/page/odpm_house_023790.hcsp, consulted on 02 November 2004.