§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state (a) in general terms, and (b) by individual local authority, the percentage of the cost of construction of new local authority housing borne (i) by the ratepayer and (ii) by the taxpayer in England and Wales for each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. WaldegraveLocal authorities finance capital expenditure primarily from capital receipts or borrowing. Loan charges on borrowing attributable to the construction of new housing are debited to an authority's housing revenue account. Payments of exchequer subsidy, and the rate fund contributions made by local authorities themselves, are both related essentially to the overall position rather than to particular items of expenditure. In 1985–86 about half the 366 local housing authorities in England made a rate fund contribution, and 99 qualified for exchequer subsidy. Under the present housing subsidy system, which came into operation in 1981–82, the calculation determining an authority's entitlement to subsidy includes 75 per cent. of the actual or notional loan charges on the admissible costs of any new construction it undertakes.
§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the total number of empty local authority houses in each individual local authority area in England and Wales making up the total number of currently empty local authority houses.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe latest available figures for English authorities are those for 1 April 1986 from their 1986 housing investment programme returns. The figures appear in column A81 of the "HIP1 (1986) All items print" which is in the Library. For information on Welsh authorities, I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.