HC Deb 19 March 1981 vol 1 cc170-1W
Mr. Frank Allaun

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what factors account for the differences between the figures for housing investment programme allocations to English local authorities, Official Report, 21 January, column 200, and the figures for volume actually achievable from provision, Official Report, 26 February, column 438.

Mr. Stanley

In his question on 14 January 1981 the hon. Member asked for figures on housing investment allocations, and in that on 19 February he asked for figures on the provision for housing capital expenditure. The differences in the figures arise from the fact that provision for housing up to and including 1980–81 included provision for expenditure on gipsy sites and also for items of housing expenditure which at that time were covered by locally determined sector allocations rather than housing investment programmes. In addition, when the revised HIP allocations for 1979–80 were issued in August 1979, a contingency sum of £50 million at 1980 outturn prices within the gross provision was not distributed for the reasons indicated in paragraph 2 of the allocation letter to local authorities dated 7 August 1979.