§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Enviornment how much local authorities spend on former council houses they no longer own; and when he anticipats local authorities being free of debt on these former assets.
§ Mr. ChopeLocal authorities in England spent £110 million up to 31 March 1989 on reinstatement grants under part XVI of the Housing Act 1985. Information is98W not available on how much authorities pay in home improvement grants on former council houses. Authorities generally manage their debt on a collective basis and it is, therefore, impossible to attribute a specific amount of outstanding debt to specific former assets. Outstanding debt in authorities' housing revenue accounts, however, is taken into account in the assessment of housing subsidy.
§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average price of council houses sold during the period 1985 to the end of 1989.
§ Mr. ChopeThe average discounted selling price for local authority and new town sales in England between January 1985 and December 1989 was £16,200.