HL Deb 16 March 1994 vol 553 cc232-4

2.50 p.m.

Lord Mackie of Benshie asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans they have to stop the purchase of public sector retirement houses by families of the tenants for later resale.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Arran)

My Lords, most public sector housing for the elderly is excluded from the right-to-buy scheme. Landlords are not therefore obliged to sell it. Where a landlord chooses to allow elderly tenants to buy their homes, we believe that those tenants should have the same freedom as other homebuyers to finance their purchase.

Lord Mackie of Benshie

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. Is he aware that, while I am primarily concerned with the shortage of affordable rural housing, the situation in the cities is exactly the same? In this case, there is no question of the parents wishing to have the satisfaction of owning their own house; it is purely for the benefit of their children, who may otherwise have a house and who may use the new house as a second home. If I remember the Bill when it went through this House, it was full of enabling clauses. Does the Minister agree that the Government may well be able to allow local councils to prohibit the sale of one and two-roomed apartments in rural areas?

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, all I can do is add to the original Answer which I gave. It is not the Government's job to say how people should raise finance for any particular acquisition, nor is it their job to tell people how to dispose of their property.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham

My Lords, is not housing, other than sheltered housing built for the elderly, a special case? Does the Minister agree that it often costs more to build to mobility standards? Is it not true that those elderly tenants to whom the noble Lord, Lord Mackie of Benshie, referred only occupy such bungalows precisely because the previous elderly tenants did not buy? Does the Minister further agree that therefore we should seek to protect such a precious asset within the local community?

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, we look very carefully after the circumstances which the noble Baroness has outlined. It is the job and the responsibility of the local authorities to respond to the needs and the sensitivities concerning the housing stock in their areas.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham

My Lords, we certainly endorse that sentiment. But will the Minister permit local authorities to recycle the capital assets which follow from such sales in order to replace the lost housing.

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, that is another matter altogether. I have said that it is the responsibility of the local authorities to act according to appropriate circumstances.

Lord Ewing of Kirkford

My Lords, is the Minister defending a situation where families of tenants purchase public sector housing? Is it not illegal for families of tenants to purchase public sector housing? Is it not the case that the legislation lays down that only the tenant can purchase the house? How does the Minister come to the Dispatch Box to defend a situation which is technically illegal?

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, I do not come to the Dispatch Box to defend situations which are technically illegal. The noble Lord knows full well the legality surrounding these circumstances. But I say once again that it is up to the local authorities to make their decisions as they think appropriate.

Lord Mackie of Benshie

My Lords, is the Minister aware that his attitude is very disappointing? The local authorities have to face a very large problem. If by a device these houses are purchased, does the Minister agree that that is not fulfilling the original purpose of the Act which the Government expressed so often and tediously in this House? Perhaps the legislation is quite different.

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, I regret it if the noble Lord finds my Answer disappointing. But it is my job to give responsible answers as the circumstances at the moment dictate.