HC Deb 20 March 1985 vol 75 cc510-1W
Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning the total size and quality of the housing stock in the north-west of England in the last three years.

Sir George Young

Estimates for the north-west region based on information provided in local authorities' annual housing investment programme returns on dwellings which are unfit, lack amenities or in need of renovation are as follows, with the Department's own estimates of the total housing stock.

Housing Stock: North West Region
Thousand dwellings
December 1981 December 1982 December 1983
Total stock 2,470 2,478 2,489
Defective dwellings April 1982 April 1983 April 1984
Unfit 73 69 80
Fit, lacking amenities 125 111 93
Non-substandard in need of renovation* 364 367 376
* Not unfit or lacking amenities, but needing major capital expenditure of more than £2,500 (1982) or £3,000 (1983 and 1984).

Numbers reported by local authorities are not necessarily comparable as their criteria differ and in total their reports are not consistent with estimates of English house conditions survey of 1981.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has concerning the number of starts of new council houses in the north-west of England in each of the months for the last three years for which figures are available;

(2) if he will give a monthly breakdown of new house completions in the north-west of England in each of the last three years for which figures are available;

(3) if he will give a monthly breakdown of the numbers of new housing starts in the north-west of England in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Sir George Young

Information is readily available only on a quarterly basis and is published in table 1.3 of "Housing and Construction Statistics, Part 1", which is available in the Library. Figures for the fourth quarter 1982 to the provisional fourth quarter 1984 will be an issue number 20 to be published tomorrow; figures for the first quarter of 1982 appeared most recently in issue No. 17.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning the numbers of houses which have become uninhabitable or been demolished in the north-west of England in each of the months for the last three years for which figures are available.

Sir George Young

Information on slum clearance and other losses is collected on a financial year basis from local authorities. Following are estimates for the region:

Dwellings demolished or otherwise lost to the Housing stock: North-West Region
Thousands
1981–82 10
1982–83 8
1983–84* 3
* Provisional

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning the number of people on council house waiting lists in each of the months for the last three years for which figures are available in the north-west of England.

Sir George Young

The Department does not collect information on council housing waiting lists.