HC Deb 28 October 1986 vol 103 cc115-6W
Mr. Gregory

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated cost of transferring personnel from the present Property Services agency area works in York, including travelling expenses.

Mr. Chope

The latest management estimate of transfer costs arising from the move of staff from York to Leeds is £363,000 over three years.

Mr. Gregory

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the square footage currently used by the Property Services Agency area works office in York.

Mr. Chope

The area of accommodation occupied by Area Office York staff is 12,820 sq ft.

Mr. Gregory

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what alternative office accommodation is being considered for the staff currently employed at the Property Services Agency area works office in York; and at what cost per square foot by comparison with existing accommodation.

Mr. Chope

I shall answer this question shortly.

Mr. Janner

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much public money has been available to the Leicester city council for the provision and for the improvement, respectively, of public sector housing in each of the last 10 years for which records are available.

Mr. John Patten

[pursuant to his reply, 28 October 1986]: Local authorities are free to determine how to spend the resources available to them for capital expenditure. My Department does not have information about the total resources available to individual authorities over the past 10 years, which since 1981–82 have included use of the prescribed proportion of capital receipts. The housing investment programme allocations to Leicester city council, which represent permission for the council to borrow money to finance capital expenditure, have been as follows:

£ million
1977–78 19.923
1978–79 22.681
1979–80 20.524
1980–81 17.379
1981–82 17.036
1982–83 18.496
1983–84 17.373
1984–85 18.900
1985–86 15.000
1986–87 13.200

The council's total capital expenditure on housing has been considerably larger, and in 1985–86 was over £28 million.

Dr. Cunningham

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the housing subsidy paid to each London borough, metropolitan district and non-metropolitan district in each of the years from 1978–79 to 1986–87, expressed in constant 1986–87 prices.

Mr. Ridley

[pursuant to his reply, 23 October 1986]: I am placing in the Library the information requested for the years 1981–82 to 1986–87 inclusive. Information for the years prior to 1981–82, when the present housing subsidy system came into operation, cannot be provided except at undue cost.