asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the feasibility of a national computer system for registering requests from council tenants for housing transfers; and what his conclusions are.

Such a facility has in the past been ruled out on grounds of cost, but current developments in the use of computers by local authorities, which are receiving positive support from my Department, should offer better prospects in the future. Other ways of improving the mobility of local authority tenants are being examined by the Housing Services Advisory Group.