HC Deb 22 June 1988 vol 135 cc1110-1
3. Mr. Haynes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to assist council tenants who cannot afford to buy their property under the present discount system to do so.

Mr. Ridley

I have no such plans at present, but I am always interested in ways of encouraging the spread of home-ownership.

Mr. Haynes

I shall help the Secretary of State. If he sells all the council houses that are left, where will future generations find houses at prices that they can afford? Why does he not bring forward proposals to help first-time home-buyers to buy their own homes, instead of playing Bingo with people's homes?

Mr. Ridley

I found the thrusts of that question working almost in opposite directions, but I should tell the hon. Gentleman that there are still 4.5 million council and half a million housing association homes to rent. The more of those that are bought by their owners, the happier I shall be. The hon. Gentleman knows full well that we have major plans for expanding the housing association movement and providing a new social rented class of house for the very people whom he has in mind.

Mr. Heddle

Instead of playing Housey-Housey with the hon. Member for Ashfield (Mr. Haynes), does my right hon. Friend agree that, beneath the skin of every ardent Marxist, there is someone who would rather own his own home than be a serf of the local authority? Will he therefore continue to pursue his policies to expand home ownership and so enrich the lives and environment of those 1 million council house tenants who have already bought under the right to buy?

Mr. Ridley

I agree with my hon. Friend. He will know that the Housing Bill includes proposals to limit the effect of the cost floor rule on tenants' discount entitlements, measures to enable tenants to counteract delays by landlords and to speed up sales, and amendments to clarify local authorities' powers to assist tenants to move out of their council houses and to buy homes elsewhere. In addition, the £35,000 cash limit on discount is being reviewed.

Mr. Madden

Is the Secretary of State aware of the difficulties in Bradford and elsewhere involved in buying or selling Dennis-Wild type houses? Will he intensify his efforts to persuade building societies to give mortgages on this type of property, and will he urgently revise the home improvement grant rules so that money is made available to local authorities and others to carry out the necessary repairs on these homes?

Mr. Ridley

I prefer to write to the hon. Gentleman about the first matter, about which I cannot be expected to know, not having had notice of it.

On the second matter, however, I can inform the hon. Gentleman that we intend to reform the home improvement grants legislation in a Bill to be introduced at the first possible opportunity—I hope next Session. It has already been announced that extra money will be made available and that it will be targeted on those who need it most.