§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the counties in England and Wales which(a) have and (b) have not implemented a houses in multiple occupation registration scheme. [14210]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThis information is not currently available. Since 3 March 1997, local housing authorities in England and Wales have been free to adopt registration schemes for houses in multiple occupation, which conform to models prepared by the Secretary of State, without the need to notify or obtain prior approval from central Government.
The Government are committed to introducing a national licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation. The coverage of the existing registration schemes will be a relevant issue in formulating proposals for such a scheme and we will be collecting this information from local authorities in due course.