§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any proposals for initiatives to provide new rented housing for local people in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RoeThe White Paper published last September, "Housing: The Government's Proposals", Cm. 214, set out the Government's proposals for housing generally including proposals to expand the housing association programme which provides low cost homes for rent arid other tenures in rural and urban areas. On 11 February my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Housing and Planning announced that the Housing Corporation's guidelines for allocations to rural areas were being reviewed. Priority will no longer be confined to designated rural stress areas and the corporation will aim to double the present level of provision by housing associations in rural areas.
We are considering whether any further measures, designed specifically to help rural areas, are needed.