§ 10. Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many new houses were built by (a) councils and (b) housing associations in Wales in 1979, 1989 and 1991; if he will make a statement on the performance of Tai Cymru, Housing for Wales; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesFigures are not available for 1979–80 in respect of new homes. In the remaining two years, local authorities built 301 and 119 and housing associations built 534 and 1,003 respectively. Housing association stock has increased by more than one half since the inception of Housing for Wales in 1989.
§ Mr. CarlileOn the question of quantity, will the Minister tell the House his excuse for the burgeoning shortage of houses to rent in rural areas of Wales? On the question of quality, will the Minister join me in expressing sympathy to the family of Stanley Gregory, who died on Saturday having been burned in a property owned by Cartrefi Cymru housing association, to which he had been transferred under care in the community provisions? Will he ensure that, in future, those who go from hospitals into the community receive nursing care as part of that care in the community?
§ Mr. JonesI join the hon. and learned Gentleman in offering my condolences to the family. I am aware of that sad case, which is being closely looked at by officials of my Department.
On rural housing, I remind the hon. and learned Gentleman that Housing for Wales has contributed £35 million towards meeting housing needs in rural areas, in addition to a further £10 million that has generally come from local authorities. The need for new homes is accepted, but again I must point out to the hon. and learned Gentleman that, since the Conservative party came to power, 126,000 new homes in Wales have been provided, which is an increase of more than 11 per cent., while the population has grown by less than 3 per cent.