§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether directions have been made under Section 334 of the Housing Act 1985 to require information on overcrowding. [136940]
§ Keith HillThe information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. As far as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware, the powers in section 334 of the Housing Act 1985 have not been used by local authorities or my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister in recent years. However, all local authorities have carried out assessments of the need for new affordable housing, to underpin their housing strategies. Part 7 of the Local Government Act 2003 puts these strategies on a statut/ory footing for the first time.