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Mr. Tebbit
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to prevent the waste of national housing resources caused by the building of unwanted council houses.
Mr. Channon
Local authorities have the responsibility for assessing the need to build council houses. I have no evidence at the present time that they are deliberately building unwanted houses.
Mr. Tebbit
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates he has made of the total of council houses left vacant.
Mr. Channon
Local authorities are not required to keep my right hon. Friend informed of the numbers of their vacant dwellings and I am not in a position to make national estimates.