§ Mr. Ronnie CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the Government's allocation to Blyth Valley local authority for expenditure on improvement grants of private sector housing in real terms in each year since 1979.
§ Mr. YeoThe Government have not made specific allocations to local authorities for expenditure on improvement grants. However, the amounts of Exchequer contribution given by the Department to Blyth Valley borough council towards its expenditure on home improvement grants for the financial years 1981–82 to 1989–90, at current values, is as follows. Information is not available for years prior to 1981–82.
Year £ 1981–82 590,483 1982–83 661,459 1983–84 810,791 1984–85 851,060 1985–86 822,668 1986–87 820,752 1987–88 797,711 1988–89 762,608 1989–90 739,348 Improvement grants were replaced by a new system of renovation grants on 1 July 1990.
§ Mr. Ronnie CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the total levels of new houses completed in each year from 1970 to 1979 and in 1989 in Northumberland.
§ Mr. YeoThe available information about the numbers of housebuilding completions by local authority area in 1989 is in table 1(b) of "Local Housing Statistics: England and Wales", No. 97 (April 1991). In the case of Northumberland county totals are not shown because of non-response to the regular housebuilding returns by one authority. The Department's current estimate of new housebuilding completions in Northumberland in 1989 is 1,500 dwellings.
The publication also lists on page iv the volume numbers in which Northumberland totals for the earlier years can be found. Copies are in the Library.