§ 13. Mr. O'Halloranasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the latest position in the private building sector and on his policies in this regard.
§ Mr. Crosland:I am far from satisfied with the position, though there is at last some sign of an up-turn in private house building. We have taken a number of measures which will help the industry, including in particular the various initiatives to stimulate private house-building which I announced on 27th January.—[Vol 885, c. 43–4.]—I shall continue to keep the position under close review.
§ 47. Mr. Hal Millerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has received of the likely number of private sector housing starts in 1975; and if he will make a further statement on the difficulties of the housing construction industry.
§ Mr. Freeson:I would refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary gave to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Nelson) on 5th February.—[Vol. 885, c. 588.]—There are some signs in the latest private house building figures published on 6th March of a recovery from the disastrous situation we inherited.
§ 48. Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the expected housing starts in 1975 and 1976.
§ Mr. Freeson:I am confident that the improvement we have brought about in public sector house building will be maintained in 1975 and 1976. The final figures for January published today are a sign that the Government's measures to help the private market are beginning to show results. These final figures seasonably adjusted show that starts in both sectors are rather higher than the provisional estimates published on 6th March, although the final completion figures are, disappointingly, lower.