HC Deb 17 December 1986 vol 107 cc1200-2
14. Mr. McCrindle

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to ensure that the range of grants aimed at repairing and maintaining houses is sufficient to preserve the housing stock.

Mr. Tracey

Yes, Sir. However, the repair and maintenance of housing is primarily the responsibility of the owners.

Mr. McCrindle

Does my hon. Friend accept that without an adequate range of grants some property owners will be unwilling or unable to maintain the standard of their properties? In those circumstances, and with a thought to the maintenance of the standard of the housing stock, will my hon. Friend take steps to ensure that the level and the number of grants are adequate in the national interest, as distinct from the interests of the individual owners?

Mr. Tracey

The Government are well aware of the value of grants available for improvement, repair work and loft installation. My hon. Friend will be interested to know that under this Government over £3,000 million has been spent on home improvement grants, 1 million grants have been given by local authorities since 1979, and 3 million grants have been given under the homes insulation scheme.

Mr. Rooker

Will the Minister confirm that the latest information available to his Department shows that there are over 501,000 dwellings that are fit but lacking basic amenities? Notwithstanding the massive amount of money that has been spent on home improvement, would it not be possible for the Government to say to those 500,000 families, 400,000 of whom are in the private sector, that the fact that they lack a bath, hot and cold water or an inside toilet or washhand basin is an obscenity in the late 1980s? Should we not at least have a crash programme to offer people the installation of basic amenities within at least a couple of years?

Mr. Tracey

It is interesting to hear what the hon. Gentleman has to say, but I must point out that the public sector renovations this year are likely to be the highest since 1973, and the inside conditions of houses in this country are the highest in western Europe.