The Nation's Housing Stock (Hansard, 23 October 1985)

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Lord Skelmersdale
My Lords, the Government's proposals for safeguarding the condition of private sector housing stock in England and Wales were published in May this year as a Green Paper (Cmnd. 9513), Home Improvement—A New Approach. In April my right honourable friend the then Secretary of State for the Environment launched an inquiry into the repair and improvement needs of public sector stock. We expect to publish those findings shortly.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords will the Minister comment on reports in the responsible press that the inquiry calls for a minimum of £20 billion to be spent in order to deal with the present situation? Bearing in mind that that view has been reinforced by the institute of maintenance and building management and the Building Employers Confederation, can the Minister say what we are waiting for? When will the Government take the necessary action?

§ Lord Skelmersdale
No, my Lords, I cannot comment except to say that obviously newspapers thrive on speculation. However, that does not necessarily mean that we have to be sucked in by it. As I said, I expect publication of the report shortly.

§ Baroness Fisher of Rednal
My Lords, will the Minister give some consideration to the accumulated capital receipts held by those authorities which have to deal with inner city deprivation, to enable some of them to use those capital receipts to take care of properties in need of repair and improvement?

§ Lord Skelmersdale
Yes, my Lords, the Government have been giving considerable thought to the use of capital receipts in the past 18 months or so, especially since those receipts have been increased so dramatically by the successful policy of selling council houses. Unfortunately, if vast amounts of money are spent it has a deleterious effect on inflation.

§ Baroness Nicol
My Lords, if the Minister will not take very seriously the questions which have been put to him but dismisses them as speculation, then will he take seriously the report of the national chairman of the Young Conservatives who has, in conjunction with the construction federation, said that we have 4.3 million houses which are substandard, unfit for habitation, or lacking basic amenities? He has called on the Government to do something about that situation. Will the Government not take that request seriously?

§ Lord Skelmersdale
My Lords, there is no question of not taking this matter seriously. I said that we will have to wait for the true picture to be revealed, when the results of the inquiry are published. Certainly one takes all such comments with great seriousness.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, is the Minister not aware that most of the bodies which have reported on this subject are non-political but have expertise in this particular area? They include the National Housing Improvement Council. It is not a question of loose newspaper talk. Will the Minister be more sympathetic to the large conurbations in the United Kingdom, such as the City of Manchester, which has submitted a claim under its housing investment programme for £90 million to deal with its problems in a modest way, but which was granted access to only £36 million? Is this really good enough? That situation is mirrored in every other major city of this country. When will the Government do something about it? Action in this area would create tens of thousands of jobs which would be beneficial to everybody.

§ Lord Skelmersdale
My Lords, we are talking about houses which may or may not be fit for human habitation; accommodation which may not be in the kind of state in which we should like people to live in them. Wherever such houses are, that will be where such money as is decided upon will be directed. So far as employment goes, since 1979 the number of construction firms has grown by 69,000. The number of firms employing from one to seven people grew from 79,000 in 1979 to 153,000 in 1984. The growth in the number of construction firms between 1980 and 1983 was more than 25 per cent. of all gains in United Kingdom businesses. It was the highest gain in any United Kingdom industrial sector.

§ Lord Underhill
My Lords, have the Government taken any notice of the many other reports which have been published on the condition of the housing stock, particularly that of the Building Trades Employers Federation and the survey conducted by the Association of Metropolitan Authorities?

§ Lord Skelmersdale
Yes, my Lords, of course we take notice of such reports; but as I have already informed the House on previous occasions, we have been conducting our own survey. Today's questions were directed at when the results of that inquiry will be analysed and published. I have answered that question.

§ Baroness Fisher of Rednal
My Lords, while it may be that the noble Lord takes notice of such reports, when does he propose any action?

§ Lord Skelmersdale
My Lords, we are currently spending £3,051 million per year. That is action.