§ Mr. George RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide, in relation to rent arrears for each metropolitan borough and district council in England and Wales for 1987–88 and each succeeding year for which the information is available,(a) the number of tenants in rent arrears and this figure as a percentage of all local authority tenants, (b) the average and total amounts due and (c) the total amount as a percentage of local authorities' revenue from rents.
§ Mr. BaldryI have today placed in the Library a table showing the total amount of rent arrears due to each local authority in England, at the end of financial years 1987–88 to 1990–91 inclusive, and the percentage this represents of total rent due. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy publication "Housing Rents Statistics at April" contains information about the number of tenants in arrears with rents, rates and other charges in England and Wales; copies are available in the Library. For information on total rent arrears in Wales, I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.