HL Deb 22 July 1975 vol 363 cc314-5WA
Lord HYLTON

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many applications for possession were received by county courts

  1. (i) in England and Wales, and
  2. (ii) in the Greater London area,
in each of the quarters of 1973 and 1974, and the first quarter of 1975 in respect of:
  1. (a) unfurnished accommodation rented from a private landlord,
  2. (b) furnished accommodation rented from a private landlord,
  3. (c) accommodation rented from a local authority,
  4. (d) accommodation rented from a housing association;
and how many possession orders for each of the above categories were granted by the courts.

The LORD CHANCELLOR

In 1973, 77,376 actions for the recovery of land were commenced in the county courts in England and Wales; the majority of these were in respect of residential accommodation, but the exact number is not known.

In 1974, 82,124 actions for possession of residential premises were commenced (including 19,373 in the Greater London area); 57,370 actions were disposed of (15,280 in the Greater London area).

For the first quarter of 1975, the available information is as follows:

Nature of action Actions commenced Possession orders made
(a) (b) (a) (b)
England and Wales Greater London (included in (a)) England and Wales Greater London (included in (a))
Actions brought by local authorities, housing associations etc., excluding actions brought by these authorities 10,127 2,416 6,900 1,079
Actions for possession of agricultural tied cottages 409 3 329
All other actions for possession 15,250 3,001 8,323 2,757

It is not known how many of these actions refer to furnished, or to unfurnished, premises. Quarterly figures are not available for 1973 or 1974, nor are figures of possession orders made in those years.