HC Deb 25 April 1991 vol 189 cc489-90W
Mr. Mills

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what encouragement he has given to an increase in the number of starter homes.

Mr. Yeo

For the most part it is for the building industry to offer homes at a price people can afford. We have asked planning authorities to deal promptly with planning applications and streamlined appeal procedures. We encourage local authorities to make land available for all forms of low-cost home ownership, one aspect of which is our initiative to secure the release of sites for local needs in rural areas. Through the Housing Corporation we have invested nearly £400 million since 1983 in shared ownership schemes, which has brought home ownership within the reach of over 20,000 first-time buyers.