HC Deb 26 November 1990 vol 181 cc257-8W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effect of the new house renovation grant scheme on(a) the number of applications for house renovation grants, (b) the number of grants awarded and (c) the size of the grants awarded.

Mr. Key

From a sample survey of activity in 40 local housing authorities under the new grants system it is estimated that up to the end of September in England as a whole.

(a) 5,810 grant applications have been submitted, sub-divided as follows:

Grant applications
Mandatory renovation grants 480
Discretionary renovation grants 60
Mandatory disabled facilities grants 230
Grant applications
Discretionary disabled facilities grants 230
Houses in multiple occupation grant 10
Minor works assistance 4,800

(b) 4,450 grants have been awarded.

(c) The average size of minor works grant awarded is £620. The sample size is, as yet, too small to allow reliable estimates to be made of the average size of renovation or disabled facilities grants.