§ 11. Mr. Simon CoombsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new houses have been constructed in the past two years; and if he will make a statement. [25683]
§ Mr. CoombsIs my hon. Friend aware that the level of house building in Swindon rose from 664 houses in 1994–95 to 1,163 houses in 1995–96? Is not that near doubling in the number of houses under construction in those two years clear evidence of a very strong recovery of the economy?
§ Mr. CurryMy hon. Friend is right. The basis for that recovery is the containment of public expenditure and ensuring that interest rates remain low. Both those would 896 be threatened by a policy of spend and high taxation such as the Labour party refuses to deny. The Labour party will not give us any details on what it will spend and what it will tax.
§ Mr. SutcliffeDespite those figures, is it not the case that real housing need—that of the homeless—is not being met? Is it not the Government's policy to prevent local authorities from building the necessary houses for social rent and affordable housing? When will the Government do something about providing homes for the homeless?
§ Mr. CurryAs a matter of interest, I spent part of this morning at a conference run by the English Churches housing association, dealing with the problems of street homelessness in London. At that conference, there was a very warm welcome for the imaginative and forward-looking programmes to deal with people in the worst possible circumstances—the street homeless. The hon. Gentleman will know that we plan to extend those programmes to cities outside London, where a clear need can he determined and where the voluntary sector and the public and statutory authorities can work together. That is a remarkable attack on the problems of the people in the worst possible circumstances in the United Kingdom, and it works.