If he will make a statement on the house-building programme in the Chelmsford local authority area.

The Essex and Southend structure plan includes an annual building rate of 777 homes in Chelmsford borough. The future building rate for the area will be determined through the current review of the regional spatial strategy for the east of England.

The Minister knows that those figures add up to 14,000 houses over 10 years being inflicted on the Chelmsford local authority area. One of the concerns of many people is the lack of infrastructure to support those new communities. Has the Minister had time to study the Tym report, which suggests that there is a £6 billion black hole in funding the infrastructure? Will she tell me and my constituents how and where the money will be found?

We do believe that infrastructure is important. That is why we are already putting £700 million for local and regional transport into the region over the next three years. The hon. Gentleman has consistently opposed the proposed new homes in his area, regardless of the infrastructure. He knows that the average house price in Chelmsford now is more than £200,000 whereas the average household income is just over £30,000. He can do the maths as well as the rest of us: if he wants to help first-time buyers, he needs to support proposals for the extra homes that we need throughout the region.

My hon. Friend Mr. Burns illustrates the importance of decisions about new housing developments being made by local councils, not central Government. What will the Minister do to assess accurately the number of hidden homeless people who are not registered anywhere and therefore not included in homelessness statistics? Crisis estimates that the number of single people in bed and breakfast accommodation or hostels, squatters, people sleeping on friends' floors—

Order. I am sorry to interrupt, but the hon. Lady is bound by the rules of the House. The question is about the Chelmsford local authority.