§ Mr. MadelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will be consulting local authorities on proposals to strengthen their powers to deal with houses in multiple occupation as announced by the Minister for Housing and Planning the hon. Member for Bristol, West on 9 June.
§ Mr. WaldegraveCopies of a consultation document have been sent to every local authority in England, and to organisations and individuals who are interested in HMO problems. I have also arranged for copies to be placed in the libraries. The paper proposes that there should be a revised definition of an HMO; a fitness standard including means of escape from fire; that the management regulations should apply to all HMOs instead of simply to those on which a management order has been served; that the control order process should be simplified, and that local authorities should be able to charge a fee for registration schemes. Depending on the results of consultation, appropriate amendments to the existing legislation will be made in the next Housing Bill. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales will be consulting the Welsh local authorities separately.