§ Miss Wrightasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands who have exercised their right to buy their council house have subsequently been unable to pay the mortgage repayments due to ill health, unemployment or other reasons; and, of these, how many have been forced to sell their homes and (a) move out or (b) again become council tenants.
§ Mr. StanleyOn mortgage arrears information, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Harlow (Mr. Newens) on 8 December—[Vol. 33,c. 553–54]. Information specifically on the repossession of dwellings purchased under the right to buy provisions is not available, but returns from 27 out of the 36 housing authorities in the west midlands region show that in 1981–82 a total of 87 dwellings, whether formerly council dwellings or private dwellings, mortgaged to these authorities were repossessed by them. Of these, Birmingham repossessed 60 dwellings.