§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) in view of Her Majesty's Government's endorsement of recommendation 880 (1979) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, what advice and encouragement he has given to local authorities to ensure that they allocate substantial funds for the rehabilitation of old buildings to aid the provision of housing accommodation;
(2) in view of Her Majesty's Government's endorsement of recommendation 880 (1979) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which local authorities have allocated substantial funds for the rehabilitation of old buildings to aid the provision of housing accommodation.
§ Sir George YoungDOE circular 12/81 advised local authorities to give due weight to the claims of conservation when taking decisions about the use of resources. So far as housing funds are concerned, local authorities are given 703W an allocation by central Government which they are free to spend according to their own priorities. An increasing proportion of this allocation has been spent on housing rehabilitation in recent years.
Details of individual cases in the form requested are not readily available.
§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of Her Majesty's Government's endorsement of recommendation 880 (1979) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, what advice he has given to local authorities to encourage private persons or companies to purchase and rehabilitate old buildings not included in public works programmes.
§ Sir George YoungDOE circular 12/81 makes it plain that historic buildings should be kept in use and repair, and urges local planning authorities to draw attention to the availability of such premises in their areas if they receive inquiries.