asked the Minister of Power whether he will take steps to ensure that the limit in the amount of increase permitted for council house rents under prices and incomes legislation is also made applicable to the rents of houses owned by the National Coal Board.

The fixing of rents is a matter for the National Coal Board within the framework of the Government's prices and incomes policy and relevant statutory controls. I understand that the Board is continuing its practices of relating rent increases of Coal Industry Housing Association houses to those for comparable council houses.