§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what evidence is provided by the English House Conditions Survey and the Survey of English Housing on the quality of housing of pensioners aged over 80 years in relation to that of other pensioner households. [76099]
§ Mr. Raynsford[holding answer 11 March 1999]: The table from the 1996 English House Condition Survey indicates that pensioners aged over 80 years are much more likely to live in poor quality housing than pensioners below that age. The likelihood of the latter living in poor quality housing is on average not that much different from the population as a whole.
Percentage of pensioners in poor quality homes, by age group Percentage of people in each age group: (a) living in (b) i. unfit homes1 ii. poor housing2 without central heating Pensionersaged 81+ 9 23 18 Pensionersaged 80 or less 5 14 12 all ages 6 13 11 1 Unfit homes refer to properties assessed as unfit according to the standard defined by Section 604 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. 2 Poor housing refers to homes that are either unfit, in substantial disrepair or requiring essential modernisation.