§ 16. Sir B. Rhys Williamsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the rate of allowances under the proposed rent rebate scheme will be adjusted by reference to the general level of rents in the district in which the recipient lives.
§ Mr. AmeryThe relationship between rent rebates and allowances, tenant's circumstances and rents is one of the subjects I shall be discussing with the local authority associations.
133W
§ 36. Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to ensure that no tenant of a local authority house, as a consequence of the Government's housing subsidy policy, will face a rent increase of more than fifteen shillings per week in any one year.
§ Mr. AmeryThe level of increase in any one year is something which I shall be discussing with the local authorities associations. But I will certainly consider the Hon. Member's proposal.
§ 49. Mr. Concannonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give an assurance that when his consultations are complete he will publish a White Paper stating by how much each housing authority will lose in Government grant due to his new proposals; and what this will mean with regard to the average increase in council house rents in each housing authority.
§ Mr. AmeryNo. The information requested will in due course be obtainable from each local authority in the light of the rents fixed for its dwellings and its estimate of its future housing costs.
§ 56. Mr. Evelyn Kingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average rent payable in respect of the 1.3 million controlled tenancies in England and Wales; what estimate he has of the rent payable on these houses being brought under the Fair Rent Scheme; and whether he will estimate the total value of the subsidy given by private landlords to their tenants.
§ Mr. AmeryAt December, 1969, the average rent of controlled tenancies was £1 9s. 8d. in London, and 17s. 3d. in the rest of England and Wales, the national average being 20s. 2d.
A sample analysis has been made of the rents of 430 dwellings which have passed from control into regulation since the beginning of 1969 otherwise than under the provisions of the Housing Act.
The average controlled rent for these dwellings was £1 2s. 6d. a week exclusive of rates, and the average fair rent £2 18s. 6d. exclusive.
Thus for these dwellings the average difference between controlled and fair rent was £1 16s. 0d.
134WThis figure contains an element of subsidy given by private landlords to their tenants.
§ 100 and 117. Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) by how much the rents of local authority tenants in Oldham will rise on average above their present level when a fair rent system has been fully brought into operation, in the case of tenants whose weekly rents now stand at under £1, at over £1 but under £2, at over £2 but under £3, at over £3 but under £4, at over £4 but under £5, at over £5 but under £6, at over £6 but under £7, and at over £7, respectively; and how many tenants are at present placed in each of these income categories;
(2) by how much the rents of local authority tenants in Chadderton Urban District will rise on average above their present level when a fair rent system has been fully brought into operation, in the case of tenants whose weekly rents now stand at under £1, at over £1 but under £2, at over £2 but under £3, at over £3 but under £4, at over £4 but under £5, at over £5 but under £6, at over £6 but under £7, and at over £7; and how many tenants are at present placed in each of these income categories.
§ Mr. AmeryThe rent charged to any tenant will depend not only on the local application of the fair rent principle but also on the tenant's entitlement to rent rebate, under arrangements which have yet to be perfected in discussion with the local authority associations. I do not have information about the personal means of every local authority tenant in Oldham and Chadderton.