§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made with the implementation of the tenants exchange scheme; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StanleyThe tenants exchange scheme is now in operation. From 1 April this year, council, new town and housing association tenants in England and Wales wanting to exchange homes with tenants in other council areas have been able to register their housing details with the computer-based tenants exchange scheme that the Government has set up and is financing in order to improve mobility. At the end of June nearly 20,000 tenants had already registered with the scheme and hundreds more registration forms are continuing to arrive daily.
On 29 June every council and new town was sent its first computer-produced list of tenants elsewhere in England and Wales who want to move to its own authority's area. These lists should now be on public display. Updated lists will be sent to authorities each month. Present indications are that the tenants exchange scheme should prove of material assistance to public sector tenants who are trying to move by exchanging their homes with tenants in other authorities' areas.