HC Deb 17 December 1968 vol 775 cc1156-7
21. Mr. Allason

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to transfer the functions of furnished rent tribunals to rent officers and rent assessment committees.

Mr. K. Robinson

Integration of the two systems would require legislation, and I cannot at present say when this would be possible. In the meantime membership of rent tribunals and of rent assessment panels outside Greater London have been integrated and a similar step within Greater London is now being considered.

Mr. Allason

I do not quite understand. Will the Minister explain how he can integrate if he cannot do it, combine, without legislation?

Mr. Robinson

I said that integration of the two systems would require legislation. It is possible to arrange integration of individual membership without.

Mr. Blenkinsop

Will my right hon. Friend give an assurance that he will give special consideration to the furnished tenant in view of the deep anxiety about many individual cases which might be helped by the kind of change proposed in the Question?

Mr. Robinson

I will certainly pay regard to the point made by my hon. Friend.

Mr. Lubbock

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that during the Committee stage of the London Government Bill, 1965, I drew attention to the risk that landlords of unfurnished properties would stick in a few pieces of furniture and thereby escape the machinery of regulation? Will he make inquiries about the extent to which this has happened since 1965 and consider it a matter of urgency to bring in legislation such as he has mentioned?

Mr. Robinson

I will make inquiries to see whether the situation to which the hon. Gentleman refers has happened to any extent since 1965.

Mr. Graham Page

Will the Minister look up what his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services said during the course of the Rent Bill, 1965, when he gave an assurance that it was the intention of the Government to bring about this integration as soon as possible?

Mr. Robinson

I shall clearly have a lot of weekend reading of the speeches of my right hon. Friend.