§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many extra dwellings are likely to become available in the public sector in 1975 as a result of the £1,000 million increase in housing expenditure during 1974–75.
§ Mr. KaufmanThe additional provision for housing expenditure of more than £1,000 million in 1974–75 was not wholly related to dwellings becoming available in 1975.
The initiatives taken by the Government to secure the expansion of public sector housing programmes have produced already,
- (a) 22,000 more completions in 1974 than in 1973,
- (b) 33,000 more starts,
- (c) 37,000 more dwellings in new contracts approved,
- (d) 12,000 new houses in approvals of acquisitions from private developers.
- (e) at least 15,000 existing dwellings, many of them empty, acquired by local authorities from other private owners.
I envisage that the expansion will be maintained in 1975.