§ 40. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what number and proportion of council houses now under construction are for general needs; and what assessment he has made of the annual need for new homes to rent in the next five years, apart from slum clearance.
§ Mr. H. BrookeAt 31st March, local authorities had approximately 100,000 houses under construction in England and Wales. The authorities have not furnished me with information showing how they intend to use these houses when completed, but I would expect that nearly half of them will become available for general needs, including the needs of old people.
I cannot assess the future annual demand for new homes to rent, particularly as the House Purchase and Housing Act, which comes into operation next week, will afford new opportunities to people to buy homes of their own.