§ Mr. Rossiasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the amount of expenditure on housing (a) from the rates, and (b) from the Exchequer in the years 1974–75 and 1975–76.
§ Mr. FreesonThe figures are as follows:
Estimated Housing Expenditure in England £ million 1974–75 1975–76 (a) Rate fund … 215 250 (b) Exchequer … 820 1,200 Notes: (a) The figures for rate fund expenditure are net of housing subsidies and specific grants;
(b) The Exchequer figures exclude payments and repayments of short-term loans to building societies;
(c) Payment by the Exchequer and receipt by the rate fund of rate support grant is not included in the figures.
§ Mr. Raisonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of housing revenue account income he expects to be met in 1976–77 (a) by council rents, (b) by the rate fund, and (c) by the Exchequer; and how this compares with the 1975–76 percentages.
§ Mr. FreesonThe estimated proportions for 1975–76 are (a) 42 per cent., (b) 11 per cent. and (c) 41 per cent. Other income accounts for the remaining 6 per cent.
On the assumption that rents rise on average in line with prices generally in 1976–77 the proportion of HRA income to be met by rebated rents is likely to remain at about 42 per cent. How much of the remainder will be provided by the rate fund and by the Exchequer respectively cannot be precisely estimated so far in advance, since it will depend both upon the movement of housing costs during the year and on the level of the special and high cost elements of subsidy.