§ 65. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why the rents fixed by the rent assessment committees in London, Birmingham and Southampton are higher than those for similar dwellings in the rest of the country; and if he will now introduce amending legislation to ensure that rent assessment committees exclude the housing shortage factor from their consideration.
§ Mr. MacCollSection 46(2) of the Rent Act, 1968, following Section 27(2) of the Rent Act, 1965, requires rent officers and rent assessment committees to assume in fixing fair rents that the local demand for dwellings of the type under consideration does not substantially exceed the supply; hence, the re- 139W quirement my hon. Friend is seeking is already embodied in legislation.
No figures are available to illustrate average rents of similar dwellings in different registration areas; the figures I am supplying in answer to another Question by my hon. Friend give the average rents registered for all dwelling considered by rent assessment committees.
§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) if he will state the average increase in rents fixed by the rent assessment committees in London, Birmingham, Southampton and each of the London boroughs, respectively, and that for the rest of the country and for the whole country to the latest convenient date, compared with the previous controlled rents of these dwellings;
(2) how many rents have been fixed above and below, respectively, the previous controlled rent by rent assessment committees in London, Birmingham, Southampton and each of the London boroughs, respectively, and in the rest of the country and in the whole country to the latest convenient date.
§ Mr. MacCollI regret that this information is not available, since the statistical material on tenancies for which rents have been registered under the rent regulation machinery does not indicate whether a tenancy was previously controlled.
§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the average rent determined by rent assessment committees in London, Birmingham, Southampton and each of the London boroughs, respectively, and that for the rest of the country and for the whole country to the latest convenient date.
§ Mr. MacCollThis information is available from the commencement of the rent regulation scheme in 1966 up to the end of 1968 for cases where the basis on which the rent assessment committee determined the rent was comparable with the basis on which the previous rent rested.
140WThe details are as follows:
Area Number of Cases Analysed and on which average rent is based Average rent determined by Rent Assessment Committees 1966 to end 1968 £ p.a. Greater London 4,331 233 Birmingham C.B. 131 169 Southampton C.B. 33 194 London Boroughs: Westminster 430 359 Camden 245 263 Islington 162 170 Hackney 690 189 Tower Hamlets 216 101 Greenwich 67 157 Lewisham 233 190 Southwark 234 158 Lambeth 140 255 Wandsworth 119 261 Hammersmith 100 234 Kensington and Chelsea 117 396 Waltham Forest 99 194 Redbridge 46 250 Havering 10 223 Barking 23 191 Newham 232 150 Bexley 35 222 Bromley 28 240 Croydon 43 250 Sutton 25 253 Merton 48 214 Kingston upon Thames 70 261 Richmond upon Thames 40 295 Hounslow 70 248 Hillingdon 18 240 Ealing 230 289 Brent 85 233 Harrow 17 280 Barnet 188 327 Haringey 224 240 Enfield 47 205 City of London — — England and Wales excluding Greater London, Birmingham C.B. and Southampton C.B. 2,019 163 England and Wales 6,514 210
§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the average rent determined by rent assessment committees in London, Birmingham, Southampton and each of the London boroughs, respectively, for a two-bedroomed terraced house with a bathroom, and without a bathroom, respectively, and that for these two types in the rest of the country and for the whole country to the latest convenient date.
141W
§ Mr. MacCollThis information is not available, and could not be obtained without undue cost and disruption of other work.