§ Major GLYNasked the Minister of Health if he is in a position to give the total number of houses built in England and Wales during 1930; what were the number built under each of the Housing Acts; and what proportion were houses letting at a rental of less than 8s. a week?
§ Mr. GREENWOODReturns as to houses erected without State assistance are obtained only for half-yearly periods ending in March and September respectively. The last year for which complete figures can therefore at present be given is that ended 30th September, 1930. During that year 161,699 houses of a rateable value not exceeding £78 (or £105 in the Metropolitan Police district) were completed in England and Wales, of which 51,324 were erected with State assistance (14 under the Housing Town Planning, &c., Act, 1919, and 51,310 under the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, and 110,375 without State assistance. These figures do not include houses erected by local authorities in replacement of houses demolished under improvement and reconstruction schemes. I am unable to state what proportion of the houses in question are letting at a rental of less than 8s. a week.
§ Mr. RAMSBOTHAMasked the Minister of Health the total liability to which municipalities are now committed under the different Housing Acts which have been sanctioned by Parliament to date, as well as the total number of houses which have been constructed by local authorities and by private enterprise, respectively, giving in each case the particular housing subsidy under which these houses are being erected?
§ Mr. GREENWOODThe outstanding loan debt of local authorities in England and Wales in respect of housing (including Small Dwellings Acquisition) at 31st March, 1929, the latest date for which figures are available, was approximately £416,000,000 and the total charges on rates for the year 1928–29 was £2,387,000.
The following statement gives the further information desired: 1173W
Act under which the houses are subsidised. Number of houses completed at 30th September, 1930. By Local Authorities. By Private Enterprise. Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919. 171,054 4,545 Housing (Additional Powers) Act, 1919. — 39,186 Housing, etc., Act, 1923. 84,349 362,738 Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924. 308,334 6,474 Totals 563,737 412,943