§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will quantify the net value of transfers—gross transfers minus reverse transfers from housing revenue accounts to general funds—from local authority general funds to their housing revenue accounts for each calendar year between 1980 to 1990 both on an England and Great Britain basis.
§ Mr. YeoThe information requested for English local housing authorities for the financial years 1980–81 to 1989–90 is shown in the table.98W
Year Net Value of Transfers to Housing Revenue Accounts £ 1980–81 308,697,811 1981–82 327,383,247 1982–83 251,723,321 1983–84 291,333,242 1984–85 287,590,281 1985–86 257,615,638 1986–87 276,691,862 1987–88 279,016,885 1988–89 308,841,920 1989–90 82,580,313 The figures are taken from housing subsidy claim forms and are not audited.
§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities in(a) Great Britain and (b) England made transfers from their housing revenue accounts to their general funds during 1990–91 and 1991–92; what is the estimated total value of such transfers; and if he will provide similar information on a projected basis for 1992–93 and 1993–94.
§ Mr. YeoSchedule IV to the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 requires a local housing authority to make a transfer from its housing revenue account to some other revenue account if its housing revenue account subsidy calculation results in a negative amount. The transfer must be equal to that amount. An authority not entitled to housing revenue account subsidy may also transfer any end-of-year surplus on its housing revenue account to some other revenue account. In 1990–91, a total of 19 English authorities transferred an estimated total of £23,227,569 from their housing revenue accounts. In 1991–92, a total of 14 authorities are expected to transfer an estimated total of £21,741,658 from their housing revenue accounts.
The level of transfers from housing revenue accounts in 1992–93 and 1993–94 will depend largely on annual decisions about rent guidelines and management and maintenance allowances for those years and the amount of rent rebate expenditure incurred.
§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many local authorities in England failed to attract a positive housing borrowing capital account during 1990–91 and 1991–92 and the total aggregate value of the annual housing capital guideline allocations to such authorities;
(2) how many local authorities would continue not to attract a positive borrowing capital account if total gross capital housing allocations to local authorities in England were raised to (a) £5 billion, (b) £7 billion and (c) £10 billion, assuming that the pattern of distribution of that allocation prevailing during 1991–92 between authorities remained unchanged and both their RTIAs and the capital grants provided to them for housing purposes did not change; and what would be the aggregate value of their annual housing capital guideline allocations.
§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will update the information given in his answer of 28 March 1991,Official Report, column 533, on how much the estimated cost of housing revenue account 99W rent rebate subsidy for years 1990–91 and 1991–92, and its planned provision for years 1991–93 and 1993–94 would be were it not for the assumed transfer of rental income from the tenants of some councils.
§ Mr. YeoThe total contributions to rent rebates which local authorities made from their housing revenue accounts in 1990–91 is estimated to be £195 million. It is estimated that authorities will make contributions of £302 million in 1991–92 and £530 million in 1992–93. The estimate for 1992–93 is subject to the outcome of the current consultation exercise on proposals for rent guidelines and management and maintenance allowances for that year. No decision has been made for 1993–94.