Housing Mobility (Hansard, 17 February 1988)

§ 4. Mr. Tony Lloyd
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any proposals to increase housing mobility amongst owner-occupiers; and if he will make a statement.

§ The Minister for Housing and Planning (Mr. William Waldegrave)
There have been a number of welcome changes which make it easier and cheaper for people to buy their own homes. These have included reductions in stamp duty, increased competition in conveyancing —which has led to a drop in charges—moves to speed up local authority searches, and an end to mortgage queues.

§ Mr. Lloyd
I am surprised at the Minister's response. Does he not recognise that, because the Government have allowed over-development to continue apace in the southeast, a terraced house there costs about three times as much as one in the north? That means that there is no possibility of mobility between the regions amongst owner-occupiers, as there is no real possibility of the south-east housing its own population.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
The argument is usually put the other way by northern Members—that they do not want a relaxation of planning controls in the south to bring down prices against the north. One of the comparative advantages of the north is its much cheaper prices. I remind the hon. Gentleman that last year there were a record number of first-time buyers—just under 700,000 — and many more first-time buyers even in the south than in 1979.

§ Mr. McCrindle
Has my hon. Friend's attention been drawn to the limitations on mobility applying to those who have engaged in the otherwise very desirable plans of part renting and part ownership? Has he any thoughts on how such people who may wish to move to another part of the country can be helped to do so?

§ Mr. Waldegrave
We certainly support such schemes, both in the commercial sector and when subsidised by the Housing Corporation. There has been an increase in such schemes, and we welcome it.

§ Mr. Soley
That is an incredibly complacent response. Does the Minister realise that people are having problems buying for the first time and in trading up and renting, all because of the mess into which the Government have got themselves over housing finance? When will the Government respond to the very sensible request from the Duke of Edinburgh's committee, the Church's report and every housing expert in the country? The Government must grasp the nettle of housing finance and introduce a sensible reform of the schemes for both renters and owners which makes it fairer for both groups within and between the two systems.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
It is rather extraordinary that the hon. Gentleman should say that, when he spent a considerable time trying to prevent us from increasing the private rented market, one of the benefits of which would be to increase mobility. I remind him that the shift in the house-price-toearnings ratio in London and the south-east between 1979 and 1987 moved from only 4.66 times earnings to 4.80 times earnings. The catastrophe is not quite as great as the hon. Gentleman suggests.

§ Mr. Hill
Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the difficulties that many purchasers encounter is the increasing length of time that it is taking the Land Registry office to bring forward recognised plans so that conveyancing can take place? Is it possible for his Department to have a word with the Land Registry office to find out where the blockage is, and whether the problem is shortage of staff or of accommodation? This is one of the great handicaps in conveyancing.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
My hon. Friend has made a good point, and I shall make the inquiries for which he has asked. Lord Templeman has recently introduced a Bill to open up the Land Registry, which is a sensible move and one that I believe will help.