§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria were used in excepting expenditure on council house sales from the cash limits applied to local authority finance; and to what extent any income from sales may be set against expenditure on housing in excess of cash limits.
§ Mr. StanleyOn the first part of the question, DOE circular 19/80 does not apply to any sum or sums left outstanding by way of mortgage by a local authority on the sale of a council dwelling because the arrangement does not require any new expenditure by the local authority and therefore, as in earlier years of the housing investment programme (HIP) system, there is no charge on its HIP allocation. On the second part of the question, local authorities are not able to present to use their housing receipts to augment their allocation.