HC Deb 06 November 1989 vol 159 c409W
Mr. French

To 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. Chope

I 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 Greenway

To 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. Chope

The 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. Devlin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses have been sold in the northern region since 1980.

Mr. Chope

From April 1980 to June 1989 an estimated 74,000 dwellings were sold by local authorities and new towns in the northern region.