§ 7. Mr. Jayasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total of new housing starts in 1948, 1978 and to the nearest convenient date in 1981 at an annual rate.
§ Mr. StanleyThe figures for England for the respective years are 142,000, 227,000 and, for the first nine months of 1981 expressed as an annual rate, 137,000.
§ Mr. JayDo not those figures conclusively show that we now have the worst Government for 40 years?
§ Mr. StanleyWhen the right hon. Gentleman makes such a comment, he should bear in mind that in 1979, the last year of the allocations by the previous Government, starts in the public sector were the lowest since 1945.
§ Mr. HeddleDoes my hon. Friend agree that we have the most negative Opposition for 40 years? Were it not for their blind prejudice and mongrel dogma in opposing the 226 shorthold provisions of the Housing Act, and were it not for their outright opposition to the short tenancy proposals and their total inability to understand my right hon. Friend's tenants' charter, they would realise that these provisions will do much to relieve homelessness and reduce the number of people waiting for council houses, people who would just as soon rent in the private sector and have the freedom of choice to rent where they want to live?
§ Mr. StanleyI entirely agree with my hon. Friend. One of the basic paradoxes of the Opposition is that on the one hand they complain about the insufficiency of starts in the public rented sector, but on the other hand they do all that they can to destroy the privately rented sector.