HL Deb 21 November 1973 vol 346 cc1052-3
LORD STRATHCLYDE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government the purpose and estimated cost of the inquiry by the Social Survey Division of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, with the assistance of interviewers from Research Services of Great Britain Limited, on behalf of the Scottish Development Department.

LORD WINDLESHAM

My Lords, this sample survey is being conducted throughout Scotland to provide information about privately rented unfurnished accommodation and about the households occupying accommodation of this kind.

LORD STRATHCLYDE

My Lords, is my noble friend not aware that the information which is being gathered by visits and also by questioning the tenants is already available in the files of the local authorities, and that in these circumstances this inquiry is absolutely unnecessary and unwarranted?

LORD WINDLESHAM

My Lords, it will be known to the House that my noble friend, the Minister of State for Scotland, is better acquainted than I am with these matters. If there are supplementary questions, it might be better if he answered them.

THE MINISTER OF STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (LORD POLWARTH)

My Lords, I apologise for not being in my place when the noble Lord asked the Question. I must apologise to him particularly, in person. I cannot agree regarding the information being available in the files of the local authority. That may be so in the case of local authority, publicly-owned, housing; but I am informed that with privately-owned rented accommodation that information is not available.

LORD STRATHCLYDE

My Lords, I am sorry, but it seems to me that my noble friend has been misinformed. I should like to ask him further, in what way does he anticipate that the housing situation in Scotland will be improved as a result of this survey which is intended to provide a list of privately-owned unfurnished accommodations?

LORD POLWARTH

My Lords, as I think your Lordships have already been informed, considerable changes are going on in this sector of the housing market, and if we are to introduce the necessary policies to improve and increase the supply of this housing we must have the information about it in the first place.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, is it not the case that valuation rolls contain all this information?

LORD POLWARTH

No, my Lords.