§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment to what factors he attributes the fact that house renovation grants were approved for only 33,900 dwellings in England and Wales in the period March to May 1975, compared with 73,400 in the same period of 1974; and what action he intends to take to reverse the trend.
§ Mr. ArmstrongIt is too soon after the introduction of the 1974 Act to speculate on the reasons for this decline, which may not denote a long-term trend. Approvals for private owners have in fact risen slightly, month on month, from March 1975 onwards. It would, therefore, be premature to take any specific action at this stage, but the Government will continue to watch the situation closely and to encourage local authorities to use their new powers, including the declaration of HAAs, to deal with stress conditions. It is more important to ensure that resources are devoted to tackling the worst housing conditions than that large numbers of grants are approved for non-priority purposes.