HC Deb 18 February 1969 vol 778 cc183-4
7. Mr. R. C. Mitchell

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has completed his consultations with the local authority associations on the subject of the content of housing revenue accounts; and if he will make a statement.

35. Sir E. Errington

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects to receive the Report of the Working Party on Housing Revenue Accounts; and whether he will publish it.

Mr. Greenwood

I have consulted the local authorities about the Report and have now agreed with them that it should be published, because it contains a thorough exposition of the function and scope of the Account, which local authorities will find helpful. The associations and I are not committed to the recommendations in the Report, since these need further study.

Mr. Mitchell

How long does my right hon. Friend think this further study will take? This has been going on now for a long time and what we want is some action.

Mr. Greenwood

This is probably the most complicated problem in the whole field of housing finance. It involves a number of considerations and the local authority associations and representatives of my Ministry felt that it would be much better if these problems were ventilated in public. We hope to have further discussions as soon as the document is available, so that many points of view can be considered.