§ Mr. Kaufmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the expected additional increase in average council house rent, in addition to the £2–50 announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 2 December, that will be brought about as a result of the consideration stated in the last 34 words of page 4 of annex A of his consultation paper on local authority housing subsidy system, 2 December.
§ Mr. StanleyMy right hon. Friend has not yet reached a final view on the average rent increase to be assumed for 1982–83. However, the provisional £2.50 average rent increase for rate support grant purposes, announced in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Dover) on 2 December 1981—[Vol. 14, c. 161–63]—assumes that no additional amount need specifically be sought to cover new housing costs in that year which fall outside the subsidy system. The consideration referred to by the right hon. Member arose from the need to make the introduction of the new subsidy system compatible with public expenditure plans for 1981–82. No such need should arise for 1982–83.