§ Mr. Murphyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what encouragement his Department is giving to the concept of building starter homes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StanleyThe Government have been consistently encouraging low-cost home ownership in a variety of forms. I set out the Government's low-cost home ownership programme in my speech to the Institute of Housing in April 1980. Subsequently the Government produced a film "A First Home", and an accompanying booklet, which has been seen by local authorities and house builders throughout the country. In 1981–82 the House Builders Federation in conjunction with my Department mounted a series of 11 regional presentations to which representatives of all local authorities and house builders were invited to illustrate low-cost home ownership schemes undertaken by various authorities. This was followed last year by a series of meetings between individual local authorities and the House Builders Federation, chaired by my Department, to discuss the release of specific sites for low-cost home ownership. Ninety-two such meetings have now taken place, and others are planned.
In addition, we are encouraging authorities to use their capital receipts to buy low-cost homes from builders for resale on shared ownership terms.
Encouragement of starter homes was also given in the Department's circular 22/80 on development control which emphasised to planning authorities the importance which the Government attach to the provision of low-cost starter homes.