§ Mr. Arthur Jonesasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many acres have been released by local authorities following his appeal to authorities in the Outer Metropolitan Area to release land to build 35,000 houses per year for seven years; and whether he will publish the results of the investigations by the Land Commission into what land is available for development, stating if it is publicly or privately owned, and how this information will be used to ensure adequate land for housebuilding.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonI have recently had a full discussion with the local planning authorities mainly concerned and asked them to let me have by the end of next month firm proposals for meeting the target. Last year about 30,000 private houses were built in the Outer Metropolitan Area, but figures about acreages are not readily available. The Land Commission's investigations on land availability are internal working documents, not intended for publication. They help to identify the areas where more land needs to be made available for building.