§ Mr. Jesselasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the effect of the decline in the birth rate on requirements for future housing construction.
§ Mr. ArmstrongA reduction in the number of births has little effect on household formation and therefore on housing needs and demand for some 20 years.
§ Mr. Wakehamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the approximate increase in the number of new local authority dwellings and the increase in the number of older properties acquired by local authorities in
Numbers Average receiving Numbers weekly amount Number receiving as percentage of those eligible £ Rent rebates, January 1976 … … … 955,000 2.87 70–75* Rent allowances, January 1976 … … … 190,000 2.70 30–35*† Rate rebates 1974–75 … … … 2,500,000 40.00 per annum 70 per annum * Percentage take-up during the first half of 1975 † Unfurnished tenancies only.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many persons are at present in receipt of (a) a rent rebate, (b) a rent allowance and (c) a rate rebate; what is the average amount paid for each of these benefits; and what proportion of those eligible it is estimated that these numbers represent.
§ Mr. ArmstrongIt is estimated that at January 1976 520,000 tenants in England and Wales over pensionable age, about three-quarters of those eligible, were receiving a rent rebate. The average weekly rebate was about £2.90. These figures exclude tenants receiving supplementary benefit. This information is not available for rent allowances or rate rebates.
472WEngland and Wales in each of the last three years.
§ Mr. ArmstrongThe reported numbers of dwellings completed, and estimated numbers of existing dwellings acquired for continued housing use by local authorities in England and Wales are:—
Develapings completed Existing dwellings acquired 1973 72,400 5,000 1974 89,200 20,000 1975 110,700 23,000