§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the number of purpose-built disabled persons' bungalows owned by(a) local authorities and (b) housing associations; what plans he has to increase resources available for this work; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeLocal authorities report the number of their dwellings that have been specially designed or adapted for use by the disabled and those owned by housing associations, in their annual housing investment programme returns (HIP1). These returns do not distinguish bungalows from other dwelling types. Preliminary estimates for April 1989 of the number of local authority wheelchair and other dwellings for the disabled appear in columns A2c1 and A2d1, respectively, of "1989 HIP1— Regional Grossing"; the small number of dwellings owned by the local authorities outside their areas are shown at columns A2c6 and A2d6. Corresponding estimates of the numbers of housing association wheelchair and other dwellings for the disabled appear in columns A2c2 and A2d2. A copy of the document is in the Library.
We have established a statutory and financial framework to enable housing associations and the private sector to increase their provision for those in housing need, including the disabled.
The Government announced last November that total provision for gross capital expenditure by the Housing Corporation will double over the next three years, rising from £818 million this year to £1,736 million in 1992–93. Detailed allocations of funds to individual types of schemes are the responsibility of the corporation.
587WWe are continuing to promote appropriate design standards for new housing and, with the special needs of the disabled in mind, have quite recently agreed with the Housing Corporation that all new housing association schemes should conform to basic "mobility" standards.