§ Mr. Viggersasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the number of housing units available for private letting on 6th March 1974 or the nearest convenient date thereto, and on 6th March 1977 or the nearest convenient date thereto.
§ Mr. ArmstrongThe number of dwellings rented from private owners in England and Wales in December 1973 is estimated to have been about 31 million. In December 1975, the last date for which estimates are available, the number was 2–9 million. These estimates include dwellings rented with farm or business premises or by virtue of employment. They include certain assumptions regarding the tenure distribution of gains and losses in the housing stock and are, therefore, not based on direct evidence.