§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has made to the criticism made to him by the National Federation of Building Trades Employers that his recent decision on levels of improvement grants could lead to 30,000 job losses in the building industry.
§ Sir George YoungMy right hon. Friend has not yet received representations from the federation on this subject. He is, however, in regular and frequent contact with the federation about matters of mutual interest.
The Minister for Housing and Construction reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the repair and improvement of the housing stock when he recently presented the National Home Improvement Council's awards.
The Government hope that local authorities will continue to give high priority to repair and improvement expenditure. Such expenditure is regarded as an important part of the housing programme and will be taken fully into account in determining the allocations to be made to individual authorities for 1984–85.