HC Deb 08 February 1984 vol 53 c872
11. Mr. Pawsey

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will require the owners of vacant sites included in the land registers to offer by way of a public sale without reserve price 5 per cent. of their holdings in 1982.

Mr. Macfarlane

No, Sir. In considering whether to use powers of direction I am bound to have regard to the circumstances of individual sites.

Mr. Pawsey

As about 110,000 acres of public land are still owned by local authorities, and as about only 4 per cent. of land on the registers has been sold, what action will my hon. Friend take to speed up the release of such important assets?

Mr. Macfarlane

I endorse my hon. Friend's concern. That is why we are not satisfied with the disposal rate and are stepping up the pressure on owners to explain what they intend to do with sites which do not seem to be needed for their own purposes and are capable of development.

Mr. Skinner

Does the Minister recall that prior to 1979, and during that election campaign, almost all the Conservative candidates, and the Conservative Government that followed, claimed that they had a solution to get rid of the land so that more houses could be built and none of the questions asked by his hon. Friend would need to be asked again? After five years, despite a slight increase in private sector house building on some of that land, public sector house building has dropped to a very low level. What have they been doing for the past five years?

Mr. Macfarlane

I assume that the hon. Gentleman has not been taking a close interest in what has happened during the past four or five years. Since the legislation was passed in 1980 and the scheme began, nearly 10,000 acres have been disposed of. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will take note of what has happened and perhaps take a closer interest in future.

Mrs. Currie

Is my hon. Friend aware of the considerable concern about the non-availability of building land, which is likely to lead to a crisis before the next election? Will he consider once again using his powers to compel recalcitrant local authorities, particularly in cities in the east midlands, not to hold on to land which they do not need so that building does not overspill into constituencies like mine?

Mr. Macfarlane

I am almost inclined to say that I shall refer that question to my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction. My hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire, South (Mrs. Currie) has raised a very important point. We shall consider the matter closely and continue to encourage a speeding up of this process.