§ Mr. Wan Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what instructions he has given to Welsh district councils concerning their planned programmes of expenditure on housing next year;
(2) on what basis he proposes to allocate finance for housing to local authorities in Wales next year.
§ Mr. Alec JonesNo instructions have yet been issued about next year's programmes, but we have made it clear to Welsh district councils that their expenditure on housing will have to be contained within the approved public expenditure provision. The Welsh Office is currently consulting local authorities, through the Council for the Principality, on the measures necessary to achieve that requirement.