§ Mr. Thurnhamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is yet able to announce additional allocations from the £50 million holdback from the initial 1984–85 housing improvement programmes.
§ Mr. Gow£50 million was held back from initial 1984–85 housing investment programme allocations to compensate authorities which would otherwise be adversely affected by the change in the prescribed proportion of housing capital receipts from 1 April 1984. That sum has been allocated, first, to authorities whose existing commitments would otherwise have exceeded their available resources next year as a result of that change, and then more generally to authorities whose programmes would otherwise be seriously affected by the change. The authorities concerned are today being informed of their additional allocations. I have placed details in the Library.
The additional allocations announced today bring to £1,853 million, the total of housing investment programme allocations for 1984–85. In addition, authorities remain free to reinvest the prescribed proportion of their capital receipts, although at the revised rate of 40 per cent. for most categories of housing receipts. We estimate that authorities will generate at least £666 million of housing capital receipts in 1984–85 which will be available to increase their allocations.