HC Deb 28 February 1973 vol 851 c355W
38. Mr. David Reed

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to enable him to curb the practice of speculative buying of new houses for immediate resale at a profit.

Mr. Eyre

This practice, so far as it exists, is a symptom of the fact that the supply of houses to buy has not yet caught up with the demand. The answer is to build more houses. Whereas 165,000 private houses were started in 1970, 227,000 were started in 1972.