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Defective Housing

Volume 205: debated on Tuesday 10 March 1992

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government have completed their consultations on the proposed new expenditure limits for grant eligible reinstatement works under the housing defects legislation; and if he will make a statement.

I am most grateful to all those who have responded to our consultation proposals; we have, as a result, been able to settle the final figures for each designated house type. Our suggestion that the limits should be revised within a structure of six main cost bands was widely welcomed, as indeed were most of the individual proposals. Some concern was expressed as to whether £32,000 would be sufficient for repairs to Airey and Schindler and Hawksley SGS houses, and we have therefore decided instead to place these types within the £36,000 cost band.The new limits will therefore be as follows:

New limit house typePresent limit £
£20,000
Cornish unit (1 storey PRC)17,000
Gregory17,000
Unity and Butterley (1 storey PRC)17,000
£24,000
Dorran (1 storey PRC)17,000
Myton (1 storey PRC)17,000
Newland (1 storey PRC)17,000
Tarran (1 storey PRC)17,000
Wessex (1 storey PRC)17,000
£28,000
Cornish unit (2 storey PRC)23,000
Stent23,000
Unity and Butterley (2 storey PRC)23,000
£32,000
Boswell27,000
Dorran (2 storey PRC)27,000
Dyke27,000
Myton (2 storey PRC)27,000
Newland (2 storey PRC)27,000
Stonecrete27,000
Tarran (2 storey PRC)27,000
Underdown27,000
Waller27,000
Wates27,000
Winget27,000
£36,000
Airey27,000
Schindler and Hawksley SGS27,000
Smith27,000
£40,000
Boot Pier and Panel31,000
Orlit31,000
Parkinson31,000
Reema Hollow Panel31,000
Wessex (2 storey PRC)31,000
Woolaway31,000
£14,000
All locally designated types14,000
These new limits should enable local authorities themselves to decide the appropriate level of grant, in the majority of cases, without further reference to the Department.

The parliamentary order implementing these new limits has now been made by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales and, provided that Parliament is content, will come into operation on Tuesday 31 March. My officials will be writing to local authorities, home owners groups, repairers and the professional bodies, to make sure that all those with an interest are fully aware of all the changes.