§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is considering introducing any new schemes to promote the sale of council homes in England.
§ Mr. ChopeI shall be considering the experimental schemes recently announced in Scotland and Wales to enable tenants to buy their homes while deferring payment of part of the purchase price.
§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council homes were sold in 1988; what were the figures for five, 10 and 15 years ago; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeThe information requested is as follows:
Local authority and new town sales, England (Thousands) 1973 1978 1983 1988 Number of sales 39 30 137 142 It is clear that the right to buy, introduced in 1980, continues to meet the desire of very many tenants to take on the responsibilities of home ownership.
§ Mr. DevlinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses have been sold in the northern region since 1980.
§ Mr. ChopeFrom April 1980 to June 1989 an estimated 74,000 dwellings were sold by local authorities and new towns in the northern region.