HC Deb 17 December 1986 vol 107 cc589-90W
Mr. Phillip Oppenheim

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures available for the number of home-owners in (a) Derbyshire and (b) Amber Valley; how this compares with the years 1979 and 1983; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Tracey

The latest available figures for Derbyshire are from the 1981 census which counted 198,453 households who were owner-occupiers, representing 59.9 per cent. of all the households present on census night. The corresponding figures for Amber Valley are 28,099 and 69.3 per cent.

Since 1979 there has been an unparalleled growth in owner-occupation in Britain, as a result of the measures introduced to enable tenants to buy council housing. The following sales of council houses and flats in Derbyshire have been reported:

Derbyshire Amber Valley
April 79-March 83 110,725 931
April 83-Sept 86 26,247 681
1 Quarterly return from 1 authority missing.
2 Quarterly returns from each of 2 authorities missing.