§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the value of work carried out by local authority direct labour departments in 1973, or to the latest date for which figures are available, on (a) new housing, (b) other new building work,(c) housing repairs and maintenance and (d) other repairs and maintenance.
§ Mr. KaufmanInformation is obtained on the value of work done by the direct labour departments of local authorities in Great Britain in the first and third quarters of the year only. The latest information is for 1973 and is as follows:
Value of work done (£ million)(at current prices) January-March 1973 June-September 1973* New housing … 11.2 11.9 Other new work … 24.7 23.3 Housing repair and maintenance … 50.5 50.3 Other repair and maintenance … 65.9 65.7 Total … 152.3 151.2 * Provisional.
§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how 172W many local authorities built houses or flats for rent and for sale by direct labour during 1973; which they were; how many units were involved; and if he will identify in each case which were for sale and which for rent.
§ Mr. KaufmanReturns received from local authorities show that 40 had schemes of building for rent by direct labour approved during 1973, for a total of 5,302 dwellings.
The local authorities concerned were: Aldridge and Brownhills UDC Reading CBC St. Helens CBC Blackburn CBC Scunthorpe BC Blyth RDC Sheffield CBC Bootle CBC Southwark LBC Bury St. Edmunds BC Stanley UDC Stoke on Trent CBC Cannock UDC Sunderland CBC Chesterfield RDC Swanscombe UDC Colchester BC Swinton and Pendlebury BC Darlington CBC Dartford RDC Hackney LBC Derby CBC Harlow UDC Easington RDC Isles of Scilly RDC Felling UDC Kingston upon Hull CBC Gateshead CBC Greenwich LBC Lincoln CBC Leigh BC Waltham Forest LBC Manchester CBC Wandsworth LBC Newham LBC Warley CBC Norwich CBC Weardale RDC Pewsey RDC Wigan CBC
§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many operatives and professional, clerical and administrative staff were employed by local authority direct labour building departments in 1973 on new housing, other new work, housing repairs and maintenance, and non-housing repairs and maintenance.
§ Mr. KaufmanInformation on employment in the direct labour departments of local authorities in Great Britain is obtained for April and October of each year. The information for 1973 is as follows:
173W
Operative employment (inc. Apprentices) (thousands) April October 1973 1973* New housing 9.4 10.0 Other new work 19.2 18.2 Housing repair and maintenance 67.4 68.2 Other repair and maintenance 82–1 79.2 178.1 175.6 * Provisional. Employment of administrative, professional, technical and clerical staff was 86,100 in April 1973. Such staff cannot be allocated to a particular type of work and no figures are available yet for October 1973.
§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the local authorities which received loan sanction from his Department to build houses or flats for sale by direct labour in 1973, indicating in each case the approved cost of the scheme and the number of units involved.
§ Mr. KaufmanThere was none.
§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in the light of his Department's Circular 52/74 permitting local authorities to build houses by direct labour for sale, he will now introduce legislation requiring that direct labour departments should be established as separate trading organisations with their own accounts which would be scrutinised by the district auditor and published annually.
§ Mr. FreesonIt might be that the experience and machinery of existing direct labour organisations could be used to form the basis of public sector trading organisations but I am not at present considering such a proposal.