HC Deb 30 July 1957 vol 574 cc148-51W
80. Mr. Blenkinsop

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will circulate to local authorities an explanatory memorandum on those forms of dampness, bad ventilation, and other insanitary conditions which may be included by a tenant in his notice of disrepair to his landlord under the Rent Act, 1957.

Mr. H. Brooke

Local authorities are not lacking in experience of these matters, and general guidance is already available to them, as well as to tenants, in a note forming part of Form G.

Mr. Collins

85, 87 and 88. asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1)if he is aware that some stationers are charging as much as 2s. per copy for form G required under the Rent Act, 1957; and if he will fix a reasonable price for all forms required under this Act and take steps to see that a sufficient supply is readily available;

(2)if he is aware that some 2 million copies of Form I will be required by the end of August; and if he will arrange to make these available for distribution throughout the country, free of charge, by local authorities.

(3)if he is aware that stationers in Shoreditch who have no stocks of Form G are informing their customers that the hon. Member for Shoreditch and Finsbury is the only holder of stocks in the area; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter.

89. Mr. Albu

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will arrange for supplies of forms required under the Rent Act, 1957, to be supplied to local authorities on sale or return.

91. Mr. Lewis

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will make a statement on his latest arrangements to make available all the forms required under the Rent Act, 1957, at local council offices; and whether these will be available free of charge to the applicants.

95. Mr. Short

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps his regional officials have taken to ensure that an adequate supply of forms required under the Rent Act, 1957, are available in the Central constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Mr. H. Brooke

As my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary explained a week ago in reply to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis), I have invited local authorities to place Forms A, G, I, T and U on sale at their offices. Forms A and G will sell at 4d. and the others at 3d. each. Stationers can obtain supplies for sale at the same prices. Ample supplies are available.

92. Mr. Lewis

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware of the strain being imposed upon local authorities in finding staff to deal with the inquiries they are receiving arising from the Rent Act, 1957, that councils are finding it difficult to find adequate suitably qualified staff to deal with house inspection in connection with Form G, and that this is causing additional financial burden to local authorities; and what action he proposes to take to assist local authorities to deal with these difficulties.

Mr. H. Brooke

I am aware that there is some shortage of public health inspectors. In Committee on the Bill, the Opposition moved and the Government resisted amendments which would have greatly and needlessly enlarged the load of work falling on these inspectors. I have every confidence that local authorities will meet the demands falling on them as a result of the Rent Act with the same energy and resource they always show where service to the public is involved.

93. Mr. G. Thomas

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will establish an office at Cardiff to advise tenants given notice to quit under the terms of the new Rent Act on means of obtaining alternative accommodation.

Mr. H. Brooke

No. No notice to a sitting tenant to quit a house decontrolled by the Act can take effect before October of next year. Tenants who are not able meanwhile to negotiate new three-year leases with their landlords, as many are doing, will be helped by the increase in the accommodation available for letting which will take place between now and then.

94. Mr. G. Thomas

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what estimate he has now made of the number of tenants likely to ask to be put on municipal housing lists as a result of cessation of tenancies in October, 1958, under the terms of the Rent Act, 1957: and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. H. Brooke

Neither I nor anyone else could make any such estimate, any more than an estimate could be made of the number of persons who will take their names off the housing lists between now and October, 1958, because they have found accommodation as a result of the Rent Act.

105. Mr. Allaun

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that thousands of tenants in northern towns are receiving rent increase notices for houses which have no baths or hot water systems and which were built during the industrial revolution more than 100 years ago; and if he will consider introducing legislation to protect such tenants against the effects of the Rent Act, 1957.

Mr. H. Brooke

I assume that the hon. Member refers to houses whose rents remain controlled. The new rent limit is based on the 1939 letting value of the house as it was at the time of valuation, and therefore takes account of matters of this kind.

106. Mr. M. Stewart

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will introduce legislation to prevent the service of notice to quit under Section 11 and Schedule 4 of the Rent Act, 1957, on any tenant who is the widow of a man who died or was killed while serving with the armed forces of the Crown.

Mr. H. Brooke

I do not think that special exceptions could be made as the hon. Member suggests.

107. Mr. M. Stewart

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will introduce legislation to exclude from the operation of Section 11 of the Rent Act, 1957, dwelling-houses which were acquired by their present owners at a date later than 30th June 1956.

Mr. H. Brooke

No. The point raised by this Question was thoroughly discussed during the debates on the Bill, and the House decided against making any exception.

114. Mr. Blenkinsop

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action he proposes to take to protect tenants who are threatened with eviction if they call for repairs to be carried out.

Mr. H. Brooke

I presume that the hon. Member is thinking of cases where the tenant of a house remaining in control has served notice of defects of repair on his landlord. The answer is that such tenants are already protected against eviction under the Rent Acts.