§ Mr. Livingstoneasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information his Department collects on a regular basis concerning the operation of the shorthold tenancy scheme;
(2) what is his Department's latest available information concerning (a) the proportion of shorthold tenancies with and without regulated rents and (b) the average rent in both categories (i) in Greater London and (ii) elsewhere in England;
(3) what is the proportion of shorthold lettings to date, which have been in property (a) previously vacant, (b) previously let under a non-shorthold regulated tenancy, and (c) previously let under a shorthold tenancy (i) in Greater London and (ii) elsewhere in England;
(4) what is (a) the proportion of shorthold lettings to date, which were initially for (i) a year, (ii) more than a year, but not more than two years, (iii) more than two years, but not more than three years, (iv) more than three years, but not more than four years, and (v) more than four years, and up to five years and (b) the proportion of shorthold lettings to date which have subsequently been renewed (i) in Greater London and (ii) elsewhere in England.
§ Mr. WaldegraveOver 5,000 protected shorthold tenancies were created in England and Wales in 1981, the first year after shorthold was introduced. Information about shortholds created since 1 December 1981, when the compulsory rent registration requirement for new shortholds outside Greater London was lifted, has not been collected. The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys produced a report for the Department in 1986, "Recent Private Lettings 1982–84", based on a small sample of 704 occupiers and 543 landlords. This indicated that 14 per cent. of new lettings in England were shortholds; in Greater London the proportion was 8 per cent. The technical report on the survey, to be published later this year, will contain information on the rents for shorthold lettings, though not in the detail requested by the hon. Member.