§ 78. Mr. James Hillasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the conditions applicable to improvement grants so that local authorities can, if there is a safety hazard, and as a separate item, give a grant towards electrical repairs.
§ Mr. ChannonImprovement grants can already be given for electrical repairs and replacements carried out when a house is modernised. I have carefully studied my hon. Friend's suggestion but regret that I can hold out no prospect of grants being extended to cover these or any other repairs and replacements carried out on their own.
§ 110. Mr. James Hillasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will extend the 75 per cent. improvement grant concessions which now apply to development and intermediate areas to local authorities which have general improvement areas or large areas of pre-1914 dwellings.
§ Mr. ChannonI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 17th February to my hon. Friend the Member for Rochester and Chatham (Mrs. Fenner).—[Vol. 831, c.155.]
§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is aware that in some holiday resorts flats have been turned into holiday flats with the aid of Government improvement grants and are now being let with weekly tenancies; and if he will introduce legislation to prevent this practice.
§ Mr. ChannonMy right hon. Friend has no proposals for legislation to apply restrictions to the approval by local authorities of house improvement grants. To do so would risk slowing down the progress of house improvement generally.
§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ask local authorities to inform him within 14 days, from the local land charges records or their rating records, in how many cases property owners who have secured an improvement grant have sold the house within 12 months; and what action he proposes to stop this practice.
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§ Mr. AmeryNo. As I have explained in an earlier reply today to the hon. Member there is no proposal to apply restrictions to the approval by local authorities of house improvement grants.
§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now extend the period in which the 75 per cent. grant is made for the improvement of older houses in certain areas, in order to relieve unemployment and also to overcome the difficulties now being experienced in completing improvements before the final date.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerNo. As was made clear when the Bill was before the House the time limit is fundamental to the aim of getting improvement work in the development and intermediate areas brought forward now.