§ Mr. Leadbitterasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what house building programmes have been delayed in the county borough of Hartlepool during the past 12 months arising from representations made to him due to increasing costs and the restrictions of the Government's unit cost yardstick; and by how much have the tenders for these programmes increased.
§ Mr. ChannonI understand that about a year ago the council had difficulty in 651W getting a tender which it felt able to accept in the light of the yardstick assessed by the Department. A further tender was received in July and the Department has now been able to give a yardstick, including a special market allowance, which will enable the scheme to proceed.
§ Mr. Leadbitterasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the extent to which local authorities have transferred house building costs on to the ratepayers to meet the gap in the Government's unit cost yardstick and the level of tenders submitted by builders in the Northern Region, and of the total cost to the ratepayers, and of the rolling costs in the following five years.
§ Mr. ChannonThese estimates are not available nor would they be meaningful. Special allowances granted for individual schemes in the light of local market conditions are added to the basic yardstick to determine the expenditure reckonable for subsidy.
§ Mr. Leadbitterasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average percentage excess over the unit cost yardstick of tenders for local authority house building in the Northern Region.
§ Mr. ChannonThe tendering situation is complex and erratic and the special market allowances which the Department is prepared to grant, where appropriate and necessary, are intended to enable local authority programmes to proceed in the light of local conditions. An average figure as requested would not be meaningful.