§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department has considered the conclusion of the housing research group's report on "The 1980 Tenants' Rights in Practice", a copy of which has been sent to him; what is his Department's response to the report's findings; and what is his Department's response to the report's recommendations for action by central Government to seek to ensure more effective implementation of the Housing Act 1980 tenants' charter.
§ Mr. TraceyThe housing research group of the City University carried out the research reported in its new book, "The 1980 Tenants' Rights in Practice" under contract to the Department during 1981–83. We have considered the researchers' main conclusion: that local authorities' poor implementation has limited the impact of these rights. Since the research was completed three years ago we have continued to inform tenants of their rights (and extended them in the Housing and Building Control Act 1984) and we have revised and reprinted our booklet about the tenants' charter, which is made freely available to tenants. We are also promoting among local authorities more responsive, locally based approaches to housing management involving greater tenant participation.