§ Lord HYLTONasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many housing authorities (a) in London and (b) in England and Wales, have so far inspected the whole of their districts in accordance with their duty under Section 70 of the Housing Act 1969 and Section 48(3) of the Housing Act 1974, and what action Her Majesty's Government are taking in cases where inspection has not been made.
§ The PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE, DEPARTMENT of the ENVIRONMENT (Baroness Birk)My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has given no directions to local authorities under Section 70 and there is no requirement upon them to notify Her Majesty's Government of inspections carried out under that Section. It is known, however, that many authorities have carried out specific surveys: others are monitoring the condition of housing within their area as part of the on-going exercise of their general housing functions. On the second part of the Question, Her Majesty's Government have given advice to authorities on the need for up-to-date information about housing conditions in their area and have issued detailed guidance on a technique for sample surveys.