§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the number of people who benefit from each of (a) subsidies to local authority housing, (b) subsidies to new towns, (c) subsidies to housing associations, (d) rent rebates, (e) rent allowances, (f) option mortgages, (g) improvement grants and (h) house purchase assistance.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergOn estimates relating to 1978–79, the following numbers may be assumed to have benefited from housing subsidies:
- (a) some 4.8 million council tenants from housing subsidies to local authorities;
- (b) some 80,000 new town tenants from housing subsidies to new towns;
- (c) some 225,000 housing association tenants from housing subsidies to housing associations;
- (d) some 2.07 million council tenants in England and Wales from rent rebates (whether directly from local authorities or indirectly via the supplementary benefit system);
- (e) some 550,000 private tenants in England and Wales from rent allowances (whether directly from local authorities or indirectly via the supplementary benefits system).
In 1978–79 also, some 58,000 private dwellings are estimated to have been renovated or converted with the assistance of house renovation grants.
At present some 800,000 option mortgages are outstanding in Great Britain. Assistance to first time purchasers under the Home Purchase Assistance and Housing Corporation Guarantee Act 1978 will not begin until December 1980.
These figures relate to England only, unless otherwise stated.