§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest figure for the number of houses below standard in (a) Wolverhampton, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England and Wales as a whole; and what percentage of the housing stock this represents in each case.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergFollowing are the latest available estimates:
DWELLINGS BELOW STANDARD: ENGLAND AND WALES: 1976
Unfit (1) dwellings and fit dwellings (2) lacking one or more basic amenity.
Thousand dwellings 1,878 Percentage of all dwellings 10.4 Source: English and Welsh house condition surveys 1976. Estimates are based on samples of dwellings and are therefore subject to sampling error.
(1) Dwellings are classified as unfit on the basis of section 4 of the Housing Act 1957 and section 71 of the Housing Act 1969.
(2) Exclusive use (to the occupier of the dwelling) of (i) a water closet inside the dwelling (ii) a fixed bath or shower (iii) a wash basin (iv) a kitchen sink and (v) a hot and cold water system serving a bath, a wash basin and a sink.
Corresponding estimates for Wolverhampton and West Midlands region are not available in my Department.