§ Mr. Boatengasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the deficiency in the quantity of housing available for renting in London by reference to the number of households needing rented accommodation; what research is being carried out in his Department on the deficiency; and when he will report on the results of such research.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI shall write to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. Boatengasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he plans to publish a Green Paper or a White Paper on the Government's proposals for rented housing; and what plans he has to consult local authorities over those proposals.
§ Mr. WaldegraveWe are considering this matter.
§ Mr. Boatengasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence is available to his Department
Per cent, households Satisfactory dwellings Unsatisfactory dwellings Fit Unfit All amenities but medium disrepair Lacking amenities plus low or medium disrepair Serious disrepair Lower medium disrepair Serious disrepair Owner occupiers 75 15 1 3 3 3 Private tenants 45 20 3 9 10 13 Local authority tenants 84 11 3 — 1 1 Housing Association tenants 80 9 1 — 3 7 Not known 75 14 — 8 4 — All tenures 76 13 2 3 3 3 An idea of occupants' commitment to their housing was obtained by asking those occupants who saw that there was something wrong with their home what they intended to do about it. The replies are summarised in the following table.
136W
Per cent, of households Action intended Owner occupiers Private tenants LA and HA tenants No action intended 32 49 34 Will do something sometime 34 12 11 Intend to get it done soon 23 6 5 on the relative performance of local authorities and private landlords as regards (a) the level of vacant property, (b) the condition of the property, (c) rent arrears, (d) fairness in lettings and allocation procedures and (e) harassment; and if he has any plans for undertaking any research on these matters.
§ Mr. WaldegraveInformation on the condition of dwellings rented from local authorities and from private landlords and housing associations was published in the "English House Condition Survey 1981: Part I Report on the physical condition survey". Results of the 1986 survey are not yet available.
There is no comparative evidence on the other aspects of performance.
§ Mr. Boatengasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government plan to introduce right to rent, giving any person the right, enforceable in law, to have a house to rent.
§ Mr. WaldegraveNo