§ 13. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total housing subsidy paid to the Wolverhampton Council in 1969, 1970 and 1971; and what amount will be paid in 1972, 1974, and 1975.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Paul Channon)Housing subsidies, including improvement contributions, totalling £901,118 were paid to Wolverhampton Council for 1969–70 and £1,074,865 for 1970–71. About £1.2 million is estimated to be payable for 1971–72. Under the provisions of the Housing Finance Bill the amounts which will be payable for 1972–73 and subsequent years will depend mainly on the state of the authority's housing revenue account and the authority itself is best placed to make such an estimate.
§ Mrs. ShortIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the authority has estimated that the sum that it is to receive under the iniquitous Housing Finance Bill will reduce considerably the amount that it has been receiving up to now? Is the hon. Gentleman aware, further, that Wolverhampton is an urban area which is in urgent need of housing renewal and a large housing programme? It will not have those needs met under the Bill. What special measures does the hon. Gentleman intend to introduce to enable urban areas like Wolverhampton to carry out their housing programmes?
§ Mr. ChannonThe slum clearance subsidy proposed will be of tremendous help to areas of the sort that the hon. Lady mentions. I expect that Wolverhampton will be among them.