§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority dwellings have been sold to tenants each year for the last 10 years
DWELLINGS REPORTED SOLD, EXCLUDING THOSE SPECIFICALLY BUILT FOR SALE, BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND PROPORTION OF THEIR STOCK: ENGLAND, 1966–75 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 Number sold … 3,736 3,042 8,302 7,342 6,135 16,393 42,867 30,588 3,327 1,990 less than Proportion of stock % … 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.4 1.0 0.7 0. 0.05 Tenants are not distinguished from other purchasers.
§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give consideration to the introduction of legislation permitting local authorities to convert council rents into mortgages where circumstances such as length of waiting lists and average earnings are satisfactory.
§ Mr. FreesonNo legislation is necessary to enable local authorities to sell council houses to tenants. As my right hon. Friend said in answer to a Question from the hon. Member for Braintree (Mr. Newton) on 26th May—[Vol. 912, c. 435]—we are considering the policy for such sales in parallel with the housing finance review, and will certainly take account of any ideas the hon. Member may like to put to us.