HC Deb 24 May 1972 vol 837 cc388-9W
Mr. Idris Owen

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will withhold permission to local authorities to build houses for sale unless they also sell council houses to sitting tenants.

Mr. Eyre

I am most anxious that council house tenants who wish to buy their homes should be given the opportunity of doing so. I hope that councils generally will soon recognise the merits of such a policy. But I would not necessarily wish to link this question with the circumstances in which a local authority should or should not be authorised to build for sale.