§ 21. Mr. Allasonasked 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. RobinsonIntegration 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. AllasonI do not quite understand. Will the Minister explain how he can integrate if he cannot do it, combine, without legislation?
§ Mr. RobinsonI said that integration of the two systems would require legislation. It is possible to arrange integration of individual membership without.
§ Mr. BlenkinsopWill 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. RobinsonI will certainly pay regard to the point made by my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. LubbockIs 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. RobinsonI will make inquiries to see whether the situation to which the hon. Gentleman refers has happened to any extent since 1965.
§ Mr. Graham PageWill 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. RobinsonI shall clearly have a lot of weekend reading of the speeches of my right hon. Friend.