HC Deb 11 March 1985 vol 75 cc18-20W
Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many housing improvement grants have been paid in Wales for each year from 1982 to date.

Mr. Wyn Roberts

The information requested is as follows:

1982 1983 1984
Improvement and Conversion Grants 5,050 7,231 8,337
Repair Grants 4,703 18,403 19,001
Intermediate and Special Grants 1,236 1,689 2,640
Total 10,989 27,323 29,978

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will provide the latest estimates for spending on housing improvements grants by each district council in Wales for 1984–85 and 1985–86, indicating, in each case, the potential under or overspend on original estimates (a) in cash terms and (b) in percentage terms;

(2) what is the most recent information he has as to the amount likely to be spent on housing improvement grants in Wales and mid-Glamorgan, respectively, during 1984–85 and 1985–86.

Mr. Wyn Roberts

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to him of 30 November 1984 at column599–602.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many applications for home improvement grants are currently waiting to be processed by district councils in Wales;

(2) if he will estimate the total number of applicants waiting for housing improvement grants in mid-Glamorgan at the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr. Wyn Roberts

It is provisionally estimated that at 31 December 1984, there were 68,000 renovation grants awaiting processing, about 19,000 of which related to districts in Mid Glamorgan.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will indicate, in real and cost terms, the total estimated spending on housing improvement grants by district councils for 1984–85 and 1985–86; and how this compares with the figures for 1983–84.

Mr. Wyn Roberts

The information requested is as follows:

Spending on housing renovation grants
Cash 1984–85 prices
£ million £ million
1983–84 107.5 112.6
1984–85* 81.7 81.7
Difference
£ million -25.8 -30.9
Percentage -24.0 -27.0
* Forecast.

No information is available for 1985–86.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent in each housing district in mid-Glamorgan on (a) improvement grants, (b) insulation grants, (c) repair grants and (d) intermediate grants for each year since 1979; and what is the estimate for 1984–85.

Mr. Wyn Roberts

The information available is given in the following table and relates to completed grants in each calendar year:

£ thousand
Expenditure on:
District Improvement grants Insulation grants Repair grants Intermediate grants
Cynon Valley
1979 430 30
1980 472 28
1981 561 65
1982 754 42 2 12
1983 1,225 94 319 56
1984 1,770 45 189 252
Merthyr Tydfil
1979 270 31 3 6
1980 388 32 2 12
1981 193 43 97
1982 273 30 209 226
1983 888 33 1,108 255
1984 615 25 808 429
Ogwr
1979 505 84 24 19
1980 554 58 23 21
1981 533 68 12 16
1982 1,120 68 12 38
1983 1,317 96 281 41
1984 2,094 60 927 65
Rhondda
1979 663 66 1 15
1980 919 72 1 23
1981 945 54 80 33
1982 579 161 763 147
1983 1,272 124 4,806 447
1984 1,287 72 8,222 379
Rhymney Valley
1979 305 52 8 13
1980 431 46 14 10
1981 341 84 82 103
1982 287 107 519 281
1983 465 76 955 622
1984 1,483 40 1,276 790
Taff Ely
1979 504 34 41 12
1980 561 41 13
1981 760 56 191 18
1982 1,155 53 1,145 61
1983 2,132 42 2,752 746
1984 2,232 31 2,498 322

Note:

Estimates of expenditure for the first quarter of 1985 are not available in this detail.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate by what amount public demand for housing improvement grant expenditure in Wales in 1984–85 and 1985–86 will exceed the amount allocated by local authorities for such purposes.

Mr. Wyn Roberts

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 8 December 1983 at column247.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of Welsh housing district grants is discretionary; and if he will illustrate this with reference to the total spent across the whole range of housing grants by local authorities in 1983–84 and the estimate for 1984–85

Mr. Wyn Roberts

Of the housing grants paid by district councils, improvement grants, most repair grants and most special grants are discretionary. Intermediate grants, grants made under the homes insulation scheme (up to the amount specified by the Secretary of State for that purpose), and reinstatement grants paid under the Housing Defects Act 1984, are mandatory. In addition, repairs grants where notice is served under section 9 of the Housing Act 1957, and special grants where notice is served under section 15 of the Housing Act 1961 or schedule 24 of the Housing Act 1980, are also mandatory.

Payments on improvement, repairs and special grants formed 93 per cent. of total payments on grants completed in 1983–84. The corresponding percentage for the first nine months of 1984–85 was 90 per cent. Information collected by the Department does not distinguish between discretionary and mandatory repairs and special grants.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the housing block allocation for Rhymney Valley district council for 1983–84, in cash and percentage terms, was represented by expenditure on housing improvement grants; and what are the equivalent estimates for 1984–85 and 1985–86.

Mr. Wyn Roberts

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to him on 6 December 1984 at column231 for 1983–84 and 1984–85. No later information is available for 1984–85 and no information is available for 1985–86.

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