§ 32. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will encourage local authorities to extend the new proposals for improving houses without baths, hot water or inside toilets, by loans to landlords or by compulsory acquisition of certain houses not part of a scheme for a whole area.
§ Sir K. JosephThe use of the powers available to local authorities for both these purposes will be dealt with in a circular which I am sending to them.
§ Mr. AllaunI understand that this circular goes a little way towards meeting the proposals of the Public Health Inspectors Association for area improvement schemes, but why not apply the same limited form of compulsion to individual houses which badly need improvement grants? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that persuasion has failed, since only 23,000 private landlords used the grants last year?
§ Sir K. JosephI do not accept that persuasion has failed here. It is a problem where we meet reluctant tenants as well as reluctant landlords. I hope that the circular will be a help.