§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department's research report on new housing association tenants is to be published; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeI welcome the report's findings. These demonstrate that housing associations are targeting their lettings at lower-income groups in housing need. They vindicate our policy of making housing associations the main providers of new subsidised housing for rent.
The research, published today, was carried out for the Department of the Environment by Research Surveys of Great Britain after a census of new lettings in 1988 by the National Federation of Housing Associations. Interviews were sought with all households in the census where there was someone in employment or receiving an occupational pension, in order to collect detailed information about household characteristics and incomes.
The findings confirm that the incomes of new housing association tenants, even those in work, are low. The average gross income of households with an income from employment was £153 per week and average net weekly household earnings were £115.
Occupational pensions averaged £29.10 per week with the state pension and other benefits bringing average total income for these households to £91.70 per week.
Nearly nine out of 10 of the households with someone in work had savings of less than £1,500. Households receiving an occupational pension had higher savings but only one third of these had savings of more than £3,000. Among households with an earned income, over half were in manual jobs and a third were in unskilled manual work. About half the respondents in the survey had been on a council waiting list. Most people had applied direct to the housing association for accommodation, but about a fifth had been nominated by their local council.