HC Deb 20 April 1983 vol 41 cc107-8W
Mr. Dooley

asked the Prime Minister if she will list in the Official Report the public assets, including the municipal dwellings, sold to private interests since the Government took office and the amounts realised from each sale — an aggregate sum for all municipal dwellings; and if she will estimate the current market value for such assets, including an estimate for the aggregate market value of municipal dwellings already sold.

The Prime Minister

An analysis of those disposals attributed to the special sales of assets programme is published annually in the Public Expenditure White Paper. A breakdown of receipts for 1979–80 and 1980–81 is provided in table 4.8 in Cmnd. 8494, and for 1981–82 in table 4.6 in Cmnd. 8789. Final outturn figures for 1982–83 are not yet available and the latest forecast outturn of £500 million was published in the recent financial statement and Budget report. A detailed analysis of special assets sales in 1982–83 will be published in due course. The following table shows the latest estimate of total receipts attributed to special sales of assets since 1979–80, together with initial receipts from sales of land and buildings by housing authorities, including sales of municipal dwellings.

No estimates are available of the current market value of assets transferred to the private sector, since there is no operational need for such estimates to be made.

Receipts from sales of public assets* £ million
Receipts included in Special Sales of Assets Programme, 1979–80 to 1982–83† 1,776
Initial receipts‡ from sales of land and buildings║ by housing authorities¶ 1979–80 to 1982–83 2,610
TOTAL 4,386
Notes
* All figures for 1982–83 are estimated outturn.
† Includes receipts from Britoil sale of £334 million, from Debenture and first payment on shares, but not the second payment of £293 million which falls into 1983–84.
‡ Gross receipts from sales less local authority mortgages.
║It is not possible without disproportionate cost to give a figure for dwellings only but some 90 per cent. of these sales are of municipal dwellings.
¶ Comprises local authorities, new towns, the Scottish Special the Housing Association and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.