§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many applications for improvement grants were made to the Kidsgrove Urban District Council; and how many were successful, in each of the years since 1970;
(2) how many applications for improvement grants were made to the Biddulph Urban District Council and how many were successful, in each of the years since 1970;
(3) how many applications for improvement grants were made to the Cheadle Rural District Council; and how many were successful, in each of the years since 1970;
(4) how many applications for improvement grants were made to the Leek Urban District Council; and how many were successful, in each of the years since 1970;
(5) how many applications for improvement grants were made to the Leek Rural District Council, and how many were successful, in each of the years since 1970.
§ Mr. KaufmanInformation on numbers of improvement grant applications cannot be obtained for individual 127W local authority areas at reasonable expense. In any case, the applications received by individual local authorities cannot be related to the number of grants approved by them during any given period.
In 1973, the numbers of grants approved for private owners and housing associations were as follows:
Kidsgrove UD 30 Biddulph UD 41 Cheadle RD 107 Leek UD 60 Leek RD 75 Numbers of approvals in the years 1970, 1971, and 1972 were published in Table 9 of Local Housing Statistics Nos. 18, 22 and 26, respectively.
§ Mr. Leeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total value of disbursements made in the form of improvement grants over the last five years; and what are the respective percentages of money thus disbursed to (a) owner-occupiers, (b) properties to let and (c) properties sold.
§ Mr. KaufmanDuring 1969 to 1973, £246 million was paid in house improvement grants to private owners in England and Wales, including some payments to housing associations. The proportions received by different types of owner are not known, but of the dwellings for which grants were approved 67 per cent. belonged to owner-occupiers, 1 per cent. to housing associations and 32 per cent. to other landlords.