§ 17. Mr. Turner-Samuelsasked the Minister of Health whether his Department has any machinery for supervising the housing revenue accounts required to be kept by local authorities under the Housing Act, 1936; and whether, in cases where these accounts show a steady yearly surplus. he requires the local authority with such a surplus to review and revise its rents accordingly, where it has failed to do so within a reasonable time.
§ Mr. BevanA local authority's housing revenue account is audited, and each year a copy is submitted to my Department. Disposal of surpluses is governed by statutory provisions and I could not give a direction which would conflict with these provisions or with the provisions relating to the determination of rents by the local authority.