§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total value of extra resources requested by local authorities to operate the Housing Defects Act following his circular 9/85; and how this compares with the total extra resources made available.
§ Mr. John PattenThe local authorities in England which responded to circular 9/85 indicated that they could incur some £131 million in 1985–86 on statutory obligations under the Housing Defects Act. The need for expenditure under the Act was taken into account when the housing investment programme allocations for 1985–86 were first set; but we announced on 9 August 1985, in response to the circular, that additional allocations of up to £37 million would be made available to those authorities which would otherwise be unable to meet their obligations under the Act.