§ Mr. Raynsfordasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the average level of (a) local authority rents and (b) fair rents registered for unfurnished lettings in Wales in each of the years from 1979 to 1986, indicating the percentage increase in each case on an annual and cumulative basis; and how these increases compare with the movement of the retail price index over the same period.
§ Mr. Mark RobinsonThe information requested is shown in the following table:
Average weekly net unrebated rents of local authority dwellings as at April of each year £ week Per cent. increase over previous year Per cent. change since 1979 1979 6.32 — — 1980 7.85 24.2 24.2 1981 11.43 45.6 80.9 1982 13.93 21.9 120.4 1983 14.55 4.5 130.2 1984 15.51 6.6 145.4 1985 16.48 6.3 160.8 1986 17.34 5.2 174.4
Fair rents registered by rent officers for regulated unfurnished tenancies £pa1 Percentage change2 over previous period since 1979 1979 397 — — 1980 441 — — 1981 509 — — 1982 570 46 46 1983 574 — — 1984 664 23 80 1985 708 — — 1986 840 19 114
664W
Fair rents registered by rent officers for housing association tenancies £pa1 Percentage change2 over previous period since 1979 1979 556 — — 1980 601 — — 1981 684 — — 1982 797 45 45 1983 822 — — 1984 927 20 74 1985 964 — — 1986 1,083 17 104 1Based on registrations during the first 6 months of each year except for 1979 and 1980 which are annual averages. 2Data on registered fair rents are analysed by the Department of the Environment. The range and types of property presented for registration vary from year to year. More accurate measurement of increases in these registered rents is obtained by comparing rents for properties which have been registered previously and for which there have been no material changes in either the terms of the tenancy or in the dwelling's condition. The percentage increases for 1982 represent the increase over the previous 3 years since 1979, while those for 1984 and 1986 cover increases of their respective preceding 2 years. The implied annual rates of increase are set out in the following table:
Estimated percentage annual increase in registered rents Year (First Half) Regulated Unfurnished Housing Association 1980 13 13 1981 13 13 1982 13 13 1983 11 10 1984 11 10 1985 9 8 1986 9 8
Retail Price Index Index Per cent. increase over previous year Per cent. change since 1979 1979 214.2 — — 1980 260.8 21.8 21.8 1981 292.2 12.0 36.4 1982 319.7 9.4 49.3 1983 332.5 4.0 55.2 1984 349.7 5.2 63.3 1985 373.9 6.9 74.6 1986 385.3 3.0 79.9