HC Deb 11 January 1978 vol 941 cc1648-9
4. Sir A. Meyer

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to introduce the Housing Bill.

Mr. Shore

We hope that the Housing Bill foreshadowed in the Queen's Speech will be introduced shortly.

Sir A. Meyer

Is the delay in introducing the Bill due to a dawning recognition on the part of Ministers that Socialist housing policies lead inevitably to homelessness and to a growing readiness to accept the ideas underlying the last Conservative Housing Act?

Mr. Shore

That is a rather curious intervention, first, because it is based upon the assumption that there has been delay. The hon. Gentleman will recall that we published the Green Paper in July of last year and invited interested parties to comment upon it by 1st December. We have had comments and we have acted, I think, quite swiftly. I hope that we shall present a Bill very shortly.

Mr. Douglas-Mann

Does not my right hon. Friend agree that the objective of the proposed Bill to assist first-time house buyers will not be achieved if building societies continue with their present practices, particularly with reference to red-lining, and their objections to flats? Will he ensure that the Bill makes provision for guarantees by local authorities, to enable those persons who are at present having the greatest difficulty in obtaining adequate building society mortgages to obtain them?

Mr. Shore

The whole system of interest-free loans for five years, which is the basic provision of the Bill, together with savings bonus schemes, will make it possible for a number of people who might previously have been thought not to qualify for a building society mortgage to qualify for one. I think it will b2 helpful in that respect. The problem of red-lining in general is one that has to be tackled more directly. As my hon. Friend knows, we have taken a number of initiatives with building societies and local authorities to try to bring that about.