§ 39. Mr. Galbraithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how the prices obtained for the sale of local authority houses compare with the capitalised value of the rent less the capitalised value of the cost of repair.
§ Dr. Dickson MabonI do not have this information.
§ Mr. GalbraithIs it not distressing that the Secretary of State has not this valuable information? Will the hon. Gentleman try to find it out? Is he aware that my calculations seem to show that it would be a very good thing for the local authorities financially if they were to sell these houses? They would get more for them in that way than they are now getting from rents when one takes off the cost of repairs. Would this not enable local authorities to build more houses for people who need them?
§ Dr. Dickson MabonNo, Sir. Although we do not have information about indivividual transactions, there is no obligation on local authorities to tell us. It is extremely unlikely that by selling older houses one would be able to cover the cost of new houses. The monetary gain to the local authority would be questionable. What is no in question is the housing need, which is very important.