HC Deb 04 March 1981 vol 1000 cc122-3W
33. Mr. Winnick

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of housing starts in the public and private sectors during 1980; and how many starts he estimates will take place during the course of the current year.

35. Mr. Cryer

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many housing starts in the public sector he plans for 1981.

Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

Provisional figures show that in England in 1980 there were 44,300 housing starts in the public sector and 83,600 in the private sector. The number of public sector starts this year will depend largely on decisions taken by local authorities on the use of their HIP allocations. In the private sector it will depend on the commercial judgments of private housebuilders.