To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by how much average house prices have increased (a) in the Tees Valley and (b) the area corresponding as closely as possible to Middlesbrough and South East Cleveland over the last 10 years. (139811)

The statistics which are readily available for these specific geographic areas cover house sales since April 2000 and therefore represent six financial years from 2000-01 to 2005-06. In Tees Valley, the overall percentage increase in house prices over this period was 100.3 per cent. The corresponding percentage increase figure for Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland was 114.7 per cent.