Rents

HC Deb 23 July 1975 vol 896 cc206-7W

4. Mr. Tebbit

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the likely level of increases in local authority housing rents.

Mr. Crosland

I would refer the hon. Member to paragraph 35 of the White Paper "The Attack on Inflation".

Mr. Critchley

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied that under existing legislation tenants of publicly-owned housing whose family incomes exceed£100 a week are paying an appropriate rent.

Mr. Armstrong

The responsibility for public sector rents lies in law with local authorities and new town corporations. I would not favour a system under which standard rents were based directly on individual householders' incomes. Levels of financial assistance are dealt with by rent rebates and allowances, the equity and effectiveness of which along with the system of tax remission and option mortgage subsidy fall to be examined in our housing finance review.