asked the Minister for the Environment the reduction in the allocation for local authority house building; and the number of new house starts which will be sanctioned in the remainder of 1987.
557.
Written Answers. - Local Authority Housing Construction.
49.
asked the Minister for the Environment the local authority housing schemes which could have been started during 1987 if the capital provided in 20 January 1987 Estimates had not been reduced by £12 million and which will not now go ahead this year.
558.
asked the Minister for the Environment the number of local authority housing starts which will not now be possible due to a reduction of £12 million in the capital Estimates published on 20 January 1987.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 49, 557 and 558 together. The provision for local authority housing construction being made available from the public capital programme in 1987 is £87 million. This is a reduction of £12 million on the amount proposed by the previous Government which was in itself a reduction of £48.75 million on the 1986 capital allocation for local authority housing construction.
Pending the completion of the examination of housing authorities capital claims for their 1987 housing programmes, I am not at this stage in a position to indicate the number of new house starts which will be sanctioned in 1987 or what housing schemes will not now be allowed to proceed this year. The reduction of £12 million in the programme need not necessarily affect the number of new house starts in 1987 as the timing of such starts is a crucial element in the expenditure to be deployed in 1987.