§ Mr. John H. Osbornasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what special measures he has taken to date, and on which local authorities, to bring about compliance with the 1980 sale of council houses; and what further action he is contemplating.
§ Mr. StanleyWhere complaints from tenants and other information about aspects of an authority's implementation of the right to buy provisions appear to give serious cause for concern, formal inquiries are made of the authority about progress and other relevant matters. The local authorities whose right to buy progress is being monitored monthly were listed in the replies to my hon. Friends the Members for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Griffiths) on 13 May—[Vol. 23, c. 320–1.) —and Leek (Mr. Knox) 23 June— [Vol. 26, c. 281.] Where my right hon. Friend remains concerned as to whether the tenants of a particular authority have or may have difficulty in exercising the 299W right to buy effectively and expeditiously, the authority is given administrative warning that he is contemplating using his power to intervene under section 23 of the Housing Act 1980. A notice of intervention under section 23 was sent to the Council of the City of Norwich on 3 December 1981. All cases where individual tenants appear to be having difficulty in exercising their right to buy are pursued with the council concerned.
§ Mr. John H. Osbornasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those 10 local authorities which have made (a) least satisfactory and (b) best progress in the sale of council houses, indicating in each case the value of sales to date, the number of houses, the percentage of total council house stock this represents, and the total demand to buy.
§ Mr. StanleyI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Paddington (Mr. Wheeler) on 12 July 1982.—[Vol. 27, c.297.] The table referred to in that answer gives for each local authority in England the number of council house sales between April 1979 and March 1982, the council house stock and the number of applications received under the right to buy provisions of the Housing Act 1980. The table does not give figures for the value of sales and I regret that this information could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. In assessing progress my right hon. Friend takes into account all factors that are relevant to whether an authority is making satisfactory progress or not, and this does not enable a straightforward ranking in the form my hon. Friend has requested to be provided.