§ Mr. Tebbitasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the results of his sample National House Condition Survey for 1971 are now available.
§ Mr. AmeryThe Survey, undertaken last autumn, covered 6,000 dwellings first inspected in a similar survey in 1967. I can now give the main results.
While the total number of dwellings in England and Wales has increased by 1.4 million since 1967, the number that are unfit by Housing Act standards has decreased from 1.8 million to 1.2 million. Of this latter figure, about 700,000 are judged to be in existing or potential clearance areas compared with 1.1 million in 1967.
The number of dwellings lacking one or more of the basic amenities—internal WC, fixed bath, wash hand-basin, kitchen sink and a hot water supply—fell from 3.9 million in 1967 to 2.9 million in 1971 of which 1.0 million are in an unfit condition.
The number lacking each amenity has fallen similarly. In 1971, 2.0 million lacked an inside WC (2.9 million in 1967), 1.3 million lacked a fixed bath (2.1 million in 1967), 2.0 million lacked a washbasin (3.0 million in 1967), and 2.4 million lacked hot water at the three points (3.4 million in 1967).
Full results will be available later in the year. A selection of statistical tables together with a short commentary will be published in the Department's Housing Survey Report series.