HC Deb 18 February 1969 vol 778 cc186-8
13. Mrs. Joyce Butler

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what consideration he has given to the report on the operation of the housing cost yardstick by the National Housing and Town Planning Council, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

16. Mr. Costain

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will now make a further statement on the housing cost yardstick.

29. Mr. Allason

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he intends to revise the housing cost yardstick.

Mr. Greenwood

This report is being considered along with all the other evidence which has been collected. Good progress is being made, and I shall be making a statement in the near future.

Mrs. Butler

In his review of the housing cost yardstick, has my right hon. Friend taken into account the increased costs of local authorities due to S.E.T. and other charges and the need for a simplification of the procedure in regard to the yardstick? Can he also give a date by which the revised yardstick will be known?

Mr. Greenwood

I do not think that S.E.T. adds substantially to the costs of local authorities. I assure my hon. Friend that we will be happy to consider, and possibly to adopt, any suggestions for ways and means of simplifying the procedure. I hope that a statement will be possible within two or three weeks time.

Mr. Costain

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that on 17th December he made a statement saying that it would not be long before these figures were given? As he now says that they will be given shortly, would be explain how long is "not long" and how long is "shortly"?

Mr. Greenwood

This problem has been considered not only by Government Departments but also by a large number of local authorities and many other institutions, such as the R.I.B.A. and the National Housing and Town Planning Council. This is an extremely complicated problem and it is, therefore, right that we should attach due importance to the various representations which have been made to us. I answered the last part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question when replying to my hon. Friend.

Mr. Allason

Is not the Minister being less than frank with the House? Did he tell the Labour Party conference on local government on Sunday that a circular was shortly to be issued concerning a revision of housing cost yardsticks?

Mr. Greenwood

I did not see the hon. Gentleman at the Labour Party local government conference. Perhaps he has been misinformed. Nothing that I said at the weekend conflicted with what I have told the House this afternoon.

Mr. Wellbeloved

As soon as the new housing cost yardstick is available, will my right hon. Friend apply it to the G.L.C. development at Thamesmead, where the average cost per unit is now reaching an extraordinarily high standard?

Mr. Greenwood

I will bear in mind what my hon. Friends says.

Mr. Peter Walker

As the second annual review is due on 1st April, will the Minister finish the first annual review before that date?

Mr. Greenwood

Yes, certainly. The difficulty here was that at the beginning of the period not many schemes designed with the yardstick in mind had reached the tendering stage. Only towards the end of the year was it possible to get the necessary statistical information on which to form any sort of reliable tentative judgment.