HC Deb 25 March 1982 vol 20 cc415-6W
Mr. Cartwright

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what undertakings he has been given by the London borough of Greenwich about progress in dealing with applications under the right-to-buy provision of the Housing Act 1980; what steps he is taking to monitor progress; and whether he is satisfied with the current situation.

Mr. Stanley

Greenwich council has declined to give any undertakings. It did indicate last October, however, that, projecting forward progress, it would envisage having completed by June-July 1982 the issue of section 10 notices in 2,165 cases in respect of which the right to buy had been admitted as at 2 October 1981 with the possible exception of any particularly difficult cases. My right hon. Friend does not consider the current situation at all satisfactory, and both he and I had a meeting with representatives of the council on 17 March at which there was a further discussion about progress. The council was asked to reply by 26 March on various points arising from that meeting. Greenwich's progress is being monitored monthly and the council has been warned that my right hon. Friend is contemplating serving a notice under section 23 of the Housing Act 1980.

Mr. Cartwright

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the most recent estimates of the numbers of council houses and flats sold by each of the London boroughs and the Greater London Council under the right-to-buy provisions of the Housing Act 1980; and what were the capital receipts represented by the sales in each case.

Mr. Stanley

Figures for sales of dwellings under the right to buy have been reported by authorities generally up to 31 December 1981, and are included in the table referred to in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Proctor) on 10 March 1982.—[Vol. 19, c. 454.] Information on capital receipts arising from sales under the right to buy is not collected separately from the receipts arising from the sale of council dwellings generally.

Mr. Proctor

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the London borough of Waltham Forest council has now issued section 10 notices under the Housing Act 1980 in all cases in which the right to buy was admitted by 31 December 1981.

Mr. Stanley

The council has informed the Department that at 31 December 1981 the right to buy had been admitted in 1,686 cases, and that at 28 February 1982 section 10 notices had been issued in 1,332 cases.

Mr. Guy Barnett

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing progress of right-to-buy applications for each London borough, indicating the numbers of forms RTB 1 received, the number of RTB 2 forms issued, the number of section 10 notices issued, the number of RTB 4 forms received, the number of notices of mortgage terms issued and the number of completions to the latest available date.

Mr. Stanley

Information on the number of section 10 notices issued, the number of RTB 4 forms received and the number of notices of mortgage terms issued is not collected from local authorities generally. Information provided by local authorities on RTB 1 claims received, RTB 2 forms issued admitting claims and sales completed is set out in a table which I placed in the Library in connection with my reply of 10 March to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Proctor).—[Vol. 19, c. 454.]

Mr. Kaufman

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the written answer to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Ardwick, on local authority capital receipts in 1981, Official Report, 18 March, column 139, how much of these capital receipts relates to the 94,000 council houses sold in 1981; and how this compares with the assumption on receipts on sales of 120,000 postulated in his answer on 19 December 1980 to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, South (Mr. Dobson), Official Report, 19 December 1980, columns 441–42.

Mr. Stanley

I made it clear in my reply to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, South (Mr. Dobson) on 18 December 1980—[Vol. 996, c.441–42]—that our initial assumption was of £425.2 million of gross capital receipts from the sales of dwellings—category B—in the financial year 1981–82. Authorities have informed the Department that by 31 December 1981 they had generated £333 million from those sales. Included in that £333 million are receipts from sales of those of the 94,000 to which I referred in answer to the hon. Member for Cannock (Mr. Roberts) on 10 March 1982—[Vol. 19, c. 455]—which took place between 1 April and 31 December 1981.