asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council homes have been provided in each year since 1983; how many he expects to be completed in the current year; and how these numbers compare with the record for 1979.

The number of new dwelling completions for local authorities in 1979 and 1983 to 1985 appear in table 6.1(a) of "Housing and Construction Statistics 1975–1985" and a provisional estimate for 1986 appears in table 3 of this Department's press notice No. 60, issued on 5 February 1987: copies are available in the Library. It is not the practice to make forecasts of housebuilding.