asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures for housing starts and completions in the private and public sectors; and if he will make a statement.

The figures for February were published on 5th April. In Great Britain in the public sector there were 7,100 starts and 11,400 completions: private sector starts were 7,600 with 10,070 completions. These are lower figures than for comparable periods last year but I expect some improvement in both sectors.