HC Deb 20 June 1967 vol 748 cc1399-402
15. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether, in view of the progress now made by rent officers in fixing fair rents, he will exercise his powers under the Rent Act, 1965, to bring into regulation under that Act all tenancies at present controlled.

Mr. MacColl

My right hon. Friend has no such proposals at present.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Does the hon. Gentleman recall that when the present Lord President of the Council took these powers he gave an undertaking that they would be exercised as soon as the initial rush of applications under the Rent Act had been dealt with? In view of the progress that has now been made with these applications, does the Minister's Answer means that the Government intend to welsh on this pledge?

Mr. MacColl

My right hon. Friend is keeping an eye on the progress made under the Rent Act. As Answers to previous Questions today have shown, many more tenants ought to go for protection to the rent officers. We hope that they will.

Mr. Blenkinsop

Will my hon. Friend note the anxiety of hon. and right hon. Members opposite to increase rents at every possible opportunity?

Mr. Graham Page

Is it not a fact that many rent officers have not sufficient work to do under the present Act and could easily take on this new duty? Would that not make it possible for many landlords of controlled properties, where rents are too low, to carry out repairs and keep their properties in a proper condition?

Mr. MacColl

My right hon. Friend keeps under continuous review the work loads on rent officers and makes necessary adjustments as the need arises.

Mr. Lubbock

What is the explanation for the failure of tenants to ask rent officers to assist them in regulating the rents of their properties? Ought not the Government to undertake an investigation of this matter in order to discover why the rate of progress has been so slow?

Mr. MacColl

My right hon. Friend is keeping a close eye on the recent statistics and is considering their implications. The main explanation is probably still fear of eviction. In spite of the protection of the Rent Act, too many tenants still think that they will be evicted if they go to their rent officers.

16. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many houses and flats respectively are held under controlled tenancies in London and in the rest of the country; and what in each case is the average rent.

Mr. MacColl

Precise figures are not available; but I estimate that in Greater London there are about 200,000 controlled tenancies of houses and about 100,000 of flats; in the rest of England and Wales about 1.1 million of houses and about 50,000 of flats. The estimated median annual rent is £66 in Greater London and £38 in the rest of England and Wales.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

In view of the fact that the hon. Member himself said a moment ago that he wished more tenants would come forward and use the services of their rent officers, have not rent officers now the ability to deal with cases of this size and number? Is it not now clear that it is political cowardice rather than administrative difficulty which prevents his right hon. Friend taking the action which the Lord President of the Council pledged himself to take?

Mr. MacColl

In Greater London—to which area the right hon. Gentleman referred—in many places there is still a heavy backlog of cases.

Mr. Hugh Jenkins

Does not my hon. Friend agree that the reason why tenants will not go to their rent officers is that in their experience, in the majority of cases—certainly in my constituency—the consequence is to put the rents up?

Mr. Speaker

Order. That supplementary is really on a previous question.

Mr. Rippon

Does the pledge still stand? If so, when does the hon. Member hope to implement it?

Mr. MacColl

All the pledges of the Labour Party stand.

24. Mr. John Hall

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that the level of rents which can be charged for properties coming within the scope of the Rent Acts makes it impossible in many cases for property owners to keep their properties in reasonable repair; and what action he is proposing to take to prevent such properties degenerating into slums.

Mr. MacColl

My right hon. Friend is aware of the many problems surrounding the condition of the older parts of the housing stock. I would also refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Gardner) on 13th June.

Mr. Hall

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that that Answer gets us nowhere? Would he listen much more sympathetically to the plea that controlled rents should now be brought within the scope of the 1965 Act, so that fair rents can be fixed and properties can be kept in order?

Mr. MacColl

I have already dealt with the questions of controlled rents. Raising rent does not, by itself, get property into repair.

Mr. John Fraser

Will my hon. Friend recognise that many statutory tenants in London are prepared to arrest the degeneration of their houses by buying them and doing the necessary improvements, and the fact that the money lent by local authorities is only half what it was two years ago is preventing tenants being able to do this?

Mr. MacColl

My right hon. Friend is answering a Question on the second part of that supplementary question later.