§ Mr. Simon Mahonasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that many local authorities by leaving houses empty for long periods cause concern to many homeless families; if he will introduce legislation to lay down limits on the length of such periods; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacCollI have no evidence that local authorities are leaving houses empty unnecessarily. Inevitably there will be vacancies at any one time, owing to the need for repairs, or when re-lets or transfers are being arranged.
§ Mrs. Lena Jegerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many empty houses and flats he estimates to exist in the inner London area 211W in council ownership and in private ownership; and what steps he proposes to take about their utilisation for people in housing need.
§ Mr. MacCollRegular statistics of unoccupied dwellings are not kept but the sample census returns showed that in April, 1966 there were some 36,000 dwellings vacant out of 934,000, in an area which approximated to that of the old London County Council. This is about 3.8 per cent. which, in an area where there is a high turnover of households, is less than that required for mobility of labour and for houses under repair or between changes of occupancy.