§ Mr. William PowellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his proposals for housing revenue account subsidy entitlement for 1993–94.
§ Sir George YoungMy Department is tomorrow consulting local authorities about my proposal for the management and maintenance allowances and rent guidelines to be used in calculating authorities' entitlement to housing revenue account subsidy next year. I will place the consultation papers in the Library with a list of proposed guidelines and allowances for each authority.
I propose an average increase in guideline rents of £2.12 a week within a range of £1.50 to £3.00, giving a new average guideline rent of £29.40 a week; at 5 per cent. above inflation, this is a smaller increase in cash terms than for 1992–93.
On management and maintenance, I propose an overall increase of 1 per cent. above inflation, enabling further progress to be made towards targeting allowances according to relative need. For 1994–95 and 1995–96, I am proposing further increases in guideline rents of 5 per cent. above the underlying rate of inflation in each year, and in the overall national management and maintenance allowance of 1 per cent. above the underlying rate of inflation in each year. I will review these guidelines and allowances each year after taking into account the relevant matters known to me at the time.