§ Mr. Andrew BowdenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage an increase in the availability of rented accommodation suitable for older people.
§ Mr. YeoThe Housing Corporation is now the major provider of new subsidised housing for rent. Its capital programme is set to rise significantly—from £1.1 billion in 1990–91 to over £2 billion in 1993–94.
Both the housing needs indicator, by which the Housing Corporation distributes resources to housing associations, and the generalised needs indicator, by which the annual local authority housing investment programme allocations are made, take into account the housing needs of the elderly.
My Department has recently commissioned an independent study of the housing needs of the elderly, to help review the provision of subsidised specialised housing for elderly people.