§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the factors affecting rates of household formation; and how these vary in respect of regional household projections.
§ Mr. John PattenThe factors that influence household formation include the number of adults and their ages; marriages, and divorces; preferences for living independently; incomes; and the supply and cost of housing. The adult population and their marital status are taken into account explicitly in regional household projections. Regional differences in other factors are taken into account implicitly by the use in the projections of past trends in headship rates.