§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total sum of money which has so far been approved for loan sanction for the purchase of second-hand and new dwellings, respectively, by local authorities under Circular 70/74; and what is the total number of dwellings in each case.
§ Mr. Kaufman:The returns so far submitted by local authorities in England and Wales indicate that under the general loan consent given in Circular 70/74 about £70 million may have been spent over the period 1st April to 30th September 1974 on acquiring about 8,700 existing dwellings for continued housing use. Later estimates are not available. In addition, about £20 million has been approved for acquisitions falling outside the general consent relating to about 3,000 dwellings.
As regards new dwellings, approval was given for the purchase of about 11,700 dwellings at an estimated cost of about £118 million between 1st April 1974 and 28th February 1975.