To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how the Government are encouraging tenant participation in the management of council estates.

The Department has increased its grants for the promotion and development of tenant management initiatives on local authority estates by over a third since last year. In addition, it has contributed towards the costs of developing the new national certificate in tenant participation and is grant-aiding moves to establish a national housing and tenant resource centre. Last week it began a national distribution of the tenant participation video and leaflet which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched with the council tenants charter.