§ Mr. Pikeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the expenditure from the 1982–83 housing investment programme allocation (a) on mandatory home improvement grants and (b) on discretionary home improvement grants; what these figures represent in percentage terms of the total housing investment programme allocations for that year; and if he will estimate the likely comparative figures for the current financial year and the next financial year, respectively.
§ Sir George YoungIn 1982–83, local authorities spent £71.6 million on mandatory home improvement grants, and £352.7 million on discretionary grants. These amounts represented 2.9 per cent. and 14.5 per cent. respectively of housing expenditure by local authorities in that year, which totalled £2,432 million.
It is not possible to provide the comparative figures requested by the hon. Member for 1983–84, as special supplementary capital allocations are being made available to local authorities, in addition to their housing investment programme allocations, specifically to support higher levels of expenditure on home improvement grants. Local authorities' total spending on grants this year is expected to range around £800 million.
167WThe level of expenditure on home improvement grants in 1984–85 will depend on the policies of individual local authorities, but I and my right hon. Friend expect this investment to be substantial.