§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make a statement on the future expansion of social housing, in terms of Government grant, private funding, local authorities funding and housing associations in(a) the United Kingdom as a whole and (b) Suffolk and Norfolk;
(2) if he will make a statement on the future of social housing funding and grant aid to housing associations from 1991–92 onwards.
§ Mr. ChopeHousing associations are to be the main providers of new subsidised housing for the future; local authority expenditure on housing will increasingly be focused on renovation of their own stock. Gross expenditure by the Housing Corporation on grants and loans to housing associations in England is planned to rise from £938 million in 1989–90 to £1,736 million in 1992–93. In addition, associations can expect some continuing support from local authorities. By 1992–93, 90 per cent. of the housing association schemes for rent which the corporation approves for grant are expected to be on a "mixed funding" basis: that is, the proportion of scheme cost not met through grant will be financed by borrowing from the private sector; the programme of low-cost home ownership schemes is already wholly mixed-funded. Housing associations' output, in England and in Suffolk and Norfolk, should therefore increase greatly as a result of increased public expenditure provision and growing use of private finance. My Department is not responsible for housing in other parts of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on affordable rents in social housing; and what definition of affordability his Department uses in its policy.
§ Mr. ChopeI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 25 April 1990 to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo), at column 326.