Local Authority Housing (Hansard, 31 July 1981)

§ Mr. Heddle

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make a statement on the procedures which local authorities are recommended to adopt to recover rent and rate arrears direct from his Department in cases of persistent default;

(2) if he will introduce a statutory definition of housing need;

(3) whether his Department accepts the figures of council waiting lists contained in the housing investment programme returns of all local authorities in England and Wales as an accurate measurement of applications for council housing; and if he will make a statement;

(4) whether his Department will devise a standard formula for compiling council house waiting lists to which each local authority in England and Wales would be required to adhere in the completion of housing investment programme returns;

(5) whether he will publish in the Official Report the number of applications for council houses in each local authority in England and Wales for the latest available date;

(6) what action has been taken in each of the main recommendations of the report "Allocation of Council Housing" published by his Department in 1978;

(7) what studies his Department is currently making into the composition and compilation of council house waiting lists;

(8) whether his Department has received a copy of Shelter's annual waiting list survey 1976–80; and whether the central findings of the survey are in accordance with his Department's own analysis of changes in the size of council house waiting lists over the same period;

(9) whether he will publish in the Official Report the, total numbers of (a) empty council houses, (b) council houses empty for over one year, (c) hard to let council houses, (d) unfit dwellings, (e) fit dwellings lacking basic amenities and (f) non-substandard dwellings needing major repairs in local authorities in England for each of the last five years and for the latest available date;

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(10) whether he will estimate the total loss of annual rent for all local authorities in England as a result of empty council houses;

(11) if he will publish in the Official Report the total rent arrears for all local authorities in England for the years 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80, expressed as a percentage of total rent collectable and divided into the following categories (a) London boroughs, (b) the Greater London Council, (c) metropolitan districts and (d) non-metropolitan districts in England;

(12) whether he will list in the Official Report the total amount of non-recoverable rent arrears of all local authorities in England in each of the last five years and for the latest available date;

(13) what current research his Department is undertaking into council housing rent arrears; and what previous recent studies into the problem have been undertaken;

(14) what evidence his Department has received, and from what sources, on changes in the size of council house waiting lists; and whether any evidence exists that increased size may result from registrations made without positive housing need but for insurance purposes;

(15) whether he is satisfied with the methods devised by local authorities in England and Wales for measuring and compiling council housing waiting lists; and if he will make a statement.