§ 21. Sir B. Jannerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will now seek to amend the Rent Acts so as to cover dwelling-houses which are becoming decontrolled on being vacated by the tenants, in view of the large number of tenants who have to seek employment away from their present dwellings as the result of Her Majesty's Government's stated policy on British transport.
§ Sir K. JosephNo, Sir.
§ Sir B. JannerI am amazed. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that as soon as a house is vacated—and this applies to hundreds, if not thousands, of cases throughout the country—that house becomes decontrolled? Is he further aware that if the person who has left the house needs a house elsewhere which, in turn, has also been vacated by someone else—and that, in rum, has become decontrolled—that person can be charged any rent the landlord wishes to impose?
Will not the right hon. Gentleman do something, in view of the serious position that exists, to ensure that hundreds of thousands of houses are not so decontrolled at a time like this?
§ Sir K. JosephIf control is kept on when a vacancy occurs it is almost certain that the house will be sold with vacant possession, so the action which the hon. Member wants the Government to take would reduce the stock of houses available for rent for those people who have to move to get another job.
§ Mr. C. HughesWhat consultations has the right hon. Gentleman had with his right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport about the size of this and the overall problems which may arise from the transference of labour from one part of the country to another as a result of railway closures?
§ Sir K. JosephI know that my right hon. Friend is carefully considering the implications here, but it is not the same as, for example, the Coal Board, where concentrations of men are expected to be drawn into another project, perhaps a coal mine. It is not as simple a problem that it can be solved by, for example, a new housing association. I was merely saying that the sort of action the hon. Member for Leicester, North-West (Sir B. Janner) wants the Government to take would harm, and not help.
§ Sir B. JannerDoes the Minister not realise that because a house is decontrolled it commands a higher price? If it were controlled it would not command such a price and, consequently, what the right hon. Gentleman is actually doing is decontrolling houses which can be sold at very much higher prices than would be the case if they were controlled. In view of this, why does he not do something about it?
§ Sir K. JosephThe main interest of the lower wage earner is that there will be some houses available to rent; as many as possible, in fact. The process that the hon. Member wants to adopt would reduce the stock of houses to rent.