§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department last carried out a detailed forecast of the demand for new housing units; and what plans he has to update estimates of Great Britain's housing requirements.
§ Mr. FreesonThere has been no Government forecast of this kind. Work on forecasting methods has been done within my Department and elsewhere, and work continues to establish a better understanding of the complex workings of the housing market. At local level the assessment of housing need is primarily for the local housing authorities and I shall be considering the possibility of giving them general guidance.