§ Mr. Blackburnasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consequences there would be for a local authority's housing investment programme allocation if it were to pay a building society's valuation fee on behalf of a tenant exercising his right to buy in order to maximise the private financing of sales of council houses and hence the local authority's capital receipts.
§ Mr. StanleyI understand that such a scheme is under consideration by the metropolitan borough of Dudley. Such fee payments would not in our view count against en authority's housing investment programme allocation. The local authority would of course need to satisfy itself as to the powers under which such payments could properly be made.