§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now intends to prepare and publish an updated review of projected housing need and demand in relation to effective supply from both public and private sectors as recommended by the Environment Committee in its first report of Session 1979–80.
§ Sir George YoungMy right hon. Friend does not believe that global projections of housing need and demand, of the kind set out in the Green Paper on housing policy published by the previous Government in 1977, are of great help in decision taking. As far as the private sector is concerned, the housebuilding industry is in the best position to assess future market prospects. In the public sector, it is for local authorities to assess their local requirements; the Government take account of the views of local authorities, as reflected both in their individual housing investment programme returns, and through the local authority associations, when deciding on the total public expenditure provision for housing and on its allocation between authorities.
§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for the Environment upon what assumptions he determines current housing demand in relation to effective supply from both the public and private sectors; and to what extent future assumptions will take account of his Department's recent report, "Local Authority Empty Dwellings."
§ Sir George YoungMy Department does not determine current housing demand in relation to effective supply. In the private sector, the housebuilding industry is in the best position to assess future market prospects. As regards the public sector, my Department takes account of many factors, including such facts as those reported in "Local Authority Empty Dwellings", in considering both the total public expenditure provision for housing and its allocation between local authorities.
§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconsider, in the light of his Department's recent report on "Local Authority Empty Dwellings", his response to the observations contained in the Environment Committee's third report of Session 1980–81 concerning the extent to which, in the Committee's opinion, housing expenditure was then being treated as a residual item in the public expenditure programme.
§ Sir George YoungAt no time since 1979 has housing been treated as a residual item in the determination of the Government's public expenditure plans. In deciding what provision should be made for housing the Government have regard to a wide range of indicators of housing need, within an overall judgment of what the country can afford. The report on local authority empty dwellings recognises 295W that a large proportion of long-term empty dwellings is awaiting expenditure on rehabilitation, but concludes that improved local management, combined with effective sales policies, could substantially reduce their numbers.