HC Deb 03 November 1976 vol 918 cc1396-8
16. Mr. Hooson

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the social consequences of the current council house-building programme.

Mr. Freeson

During 1974–76 a total of 416,000 dwellings were or will have been started by local authorities, new towns and housing associations, so that by the end of 1977 approximately 430,000 dwellings will have been completed. Thus about 1.3 million people have been or will be housed in good-quality publicly-owned dwellings in the period 1975 to 1977.

Mr. Hooson

Does not the Minister consider it socially desirable to bring up the younger generations to be owner-occupiers? Is not one of the ways of doing that for councils to be encouraged to build new dwellings for sale and to maintain most of their existing stock for letting?

Mr. Freeson

I find this concerted campaign of questions from the Liberals on this matter most interesting. However, they come about 18 months—or perhaps even more—too late. I refer them not only to the various speeches and statements by myself and my hon. Friends in the Department but to the policy circular "Housing Needs and Action" which we issued and which covered precisely the sort of points which are being made by the Liberals today.

Mr. Ovenden

Is my right hon. Friend aware of the serious social consequences which could develop from the future decline in the council house-building programme? What answer does he intend to give to Shelter, which has criticised the singling out of so-called stress areas on the ground that there is an acute shortage of rented accommodation in all areas of the country?

Mr. Freeson

I do not wish to get involved in a detailed discussion of the Shelter statement except to say that I accept parts of it but that it would be wrong for me to accept it in full or generally. My hon. Friend is quite right. If there is a reduction in house building in areas of shortage or where there are large numbers of properties to be cleared rather than rehabilitated, it means that people will be continuing to live in conditions in which they should not be expected to live.

However, the Government have to act within the prevailing economic circumstances, and housing could not escape unscathed from the recent review of public expenditure. I repeat what my right hon. Friend said earlier. We shall do our best to protect housing programmes—whether new building, rehabilitation or housing association programmes—in the areas most hard hit, the priority stress areas. We shall be developing and refining this policy in the housing policy review which we are now carrying out.

Mr. Arthur Jones

Does the right hon. Gentleman see in his proposals for extending the work of direct labour departments a significant contribution to the effective use of labour resources in the industry? What criteria has he for the operation of direct labour departments?

Mr. Freeson

The answer to the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question is "Yes". I wish to see an expansion of efficient direct labour organisations. The answer to the second part of the question will be put before the House when we introduce legislation on this matter not too long from now.

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