§ Lord Gallacherasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the average time currently taken by local authorities in England to approve applications for mandatory grants for home improvement schemes.
Lord SkemersdaleLocal authorities do not provide statistics in the form requested. The best estimate available is that, on average, they normally take of the order of two months to deal with cases. The Government are reviewing the operation of the home improvement grant system with the aim of simplifying procedures for both local authorities and grant applicants, thereby enabling speedier progress to be made.