§ 55. Mr. Flanneryasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to help local authorities deal with the backlog of repairs to their housing stock, and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenRepairs to local authority housing will be taken into account in the allocation of resources for housing investment to local authorities. The Department's urban housing renewal unit is ready to offer advice and526W guidance to local authorities on a variety of imaginative ways in which the problems of run-down estates can be tackled.
§ 57. Mr. Sayeedasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many dwellings owned by local authorities in England were improved in the years 1980 to 1984, and how this compares with the period 1975 to 1979.
§ Sir George YoungPublic sector improvements completed in 1975 to 1983, together with provisional figures for 1984, were published in table 7.1 of "Housing and Construction Statistics 1974–1984". A copy is in the Library. Final figures for 1984 were published in my Department's press notice No. 433 issued on 4 September 1985.
§ 60. Mr. Bruceasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's housing policy in the light of the Royal Institute of British Architects' publication, "Local Authority Housing Repair and Maintenance Needs", a copy of which has been sent to him.
§ Sir George YoungMy right hon. Friend expects shortly to publish the findings of the Department's own inquiry into the repair and improvement needs of local authority housing. We will be discussing the implications of those findings with the local authority associations and other interested bodies.