HC Deb 21 October 1988 vol 138 c1033W
Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if receipts from council house sales will be released to discretionary housing use by holding local authorities in the forthcoming parliamentary Session.

Mr. Trippier

Under the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980, local authorities may augment their prescribed expenditure allocations in any financial year by an amount equal to the prescribed proportion of their in-year and accumulated capital receipts. The prescribed proportion currently applicable to receipts from sales of council houses in England is 20 per cent. Proposals for a new statutory framework for the capital programes of local authorities were published by my right hon. Friend on 7 July. These proposals would require legislation and would not take effect before the financial year 1990–91.