§ 54. Mr. Awberyasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware that it is now possible for a person to purchase a council house of which he is the tenant and sell it again in a short time making a substantial profit in the transaction; and if he will insert conditions in the sale of such houses to prevent them being sold at a higher price until they have been 27W occupied for a reasonable period after purchase.
§ Mr. BrookeThe terms of my general consent to the sale of council houses are given in Circular No. 5/60, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy. In the case of pre-war houses, I require the local authority to impose conditions limiting the price at which the house may be resold during the following five years, and reserving to themselves a right of pre-emption during that period. I do not think a general requirement of this sort necessary in the case of post-war houses, because my general consent to their sale is subject to the condition that the price must not be less than the all-in cost, so that there is no great likelihood of re-sale at a substantial profit.