§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward legislation to allow leaseholders of flats (a) to buy the freehold collectively, (b) to hire and dismiss managing agents, (c) to have the right to have the freeholders accounts examined by an auditor of their choice and (d) the same right to extend the lease as applies to houses.
§ Mr. John PattenThese are all matters which we will take into account in considering the report of the committee chaired by Mr. E. G. Nugee QC on the management of privately owned blocks of flats, which was published on 14 November.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward legislation to extend the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 to include flats and maisonettes.
§ Mr. John PattenBefore this could be considered it will be necessary to resolve the technical difficulties over the enforcement against successive owners of freehold flats of positive covenants dealing with the repair and maintenance of common parts and the provision of common services. My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor is considering Law Commission report No. 127, which proposes a way of dealing with these difficulties, and he intends to give the public an opportunity to comment on the Government's provisional conclusions before any major reform of the law relating to positive and negative covenants is proposed.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish for each year since the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 came into operation the numbers who (a) have purchased freeholds and (b) have extended their leases under that Act; and if he will give a regional breakdown of the figures.
§ Mr. John PattenThe Government have never collected information about individual transactions between freeholders and leaseholders under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967.