§ 30. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs which local authorities will have their housing subsidies reduced from £22 to £8 per house per annum; and which will have them increased to £24.
§ Mr. RipponMy right hon. Friend is not in a position to give this information, as the relevant financial details which will determine the amount of subsidy payable to each individual authority are not yet available.
§ Mr. AllaunIs it not a fact that cities with such terrible housing problems as in Newcastle and Liverpool will go down to the £8 a year subsidy whereas places like Bournemouth will go up? Is it not also a fact that even if the subsidy were raised to £50 a year it would still not cover the extra burden imposed by the Government's higher interest rates?
§ Mr. RipponI think that we discussed this fairly fully yesterday. My right hon. Friend explained how the subsidy could move up from £8 to £24, or even to £40, and showed that an authority extending its slum clearance programme, which is what we want it to do, would very often be able to get the higher subsidy.
§ Mr. FernyhoughIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware that, although some local authorities want to expand slum clearance programmes, they are not getting the necessary go-ahead signal from the Minister and that the Minister himself is cutting them down?
§ Mr. RipponAs with education, we have to consider what is put forward and what is allowed in relation to what can be done.