§ Mr. RaynsfordTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what consideration he has given to the funding of the leasehold enfranchisement advisory scheme beyond its initial two years; and if he will make a statement on the expected longer-term demand for the scheme and the necessary resources to ensure that it is able to respond appropriately;
(2) what proposals he has for further publicity to increase leaseholders' awareness of their rights under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993;
(3) what assessment he has made of the interim report of the leasehold enfranchisement advisory service; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesI have carefully studied the interim report of the leasehold enfranchisement advisory service and taken note of its conclusions about the way the new rights for leasehold enfranchisement and lease extension introduced by the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 have been exercised.
I have been impressed with the start that the service has made and consequently I am able to announce that the 111W Department has decided to make available, from its special grants programme, a grant of £78,711 to LEAS for 1995–96. This is an increase of 8 per cent. on the initial grant given to the service in 1994–95. The primary reason for the increase is to allow the service to increase its programme of publicity designed to make leaseholders and freeholders more aware of the new rights to enfranchisement and lease extension. At the same time, the Department will continue to make its booklets on enfranchisement freely available on demand. So far, over 145,000 copies have been issued.
The intention has been to provide funds from the SGP to the service over a three-year period. This means that, subject to a review of the service's performance, planned for later this year, further funding will be made available to the service in 1996–97.