To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been developed under the exceptions policy for affordable homes in rural areas in each of the last five years.

Information reported by local authorities on the provision of additional new build affordable housing on rural exception sites has been collected in the Local Authority Housing Statistics return since 2011-12 and is shown in the table below:

Provision of additional new build affordable housing on rural exception sites in England

2011-12 1,535

2012-13 981

2013-14 1,642

Source: Local Authority Housing Statistics return

Equivalent data was not collected prior to 2011-12.