Housing Mr. Wigley To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department is taking to help first-time house seekers in Wales to secure a house to buy or rent at a price within their reach. Mr. Grist A large number of first-time buyers are able to buy a house at prices well within their reach through our right-to-buy policy and, more recently through our pilot flexi-ownership scheme in mid-Wales. Furthermore, there are a number of established low-cost home ownership initiatives operating in Wales and several authorities have developed innovative schemes to meet particular local needs. The Department actively encourages the development of these schemes both through the dissemination of information and best practice and by allowing the beneficial treatment of capital receipts derived from such schemes. In addition, Housing for Wales, funded this year in excess of £100 million, will provide some 3,000 new homes to rent and to buy at affordable prices, including innovative schemes for the elderly and for homes in rural areas. These new homes will supplement the substantial number of homes available for rent each year by local authorities at affordable rents. Mr. Wigley To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information there is as to the number and proportion of homes in Wales (a) in need of repairs exceeding £2,000 and (b) which lack basic amenities; and whether the Welsh housing survey identifies those occupied by pensioners, unemployed single-parent families, disabled people and people with low incomes, respectively.----------------------- | | ----------------------- | | ----------------------- |Aberconwy | ----------------------- |Alyn and Deeside | ----------------------- |Arfon | ----------------------- |Blaenau Gwent | ----------------------- |Brecknock | ----------------------- |Cardiff | ----------------------- |Carmarthen | ----------------------- |Ceredigion | ----------------------- |Colwyn | ----------------------- |Cynon Valley | ----------------------- |Delyn | ----------------------- |Dinefwr | ----------------------- |Dwyfor | ----------------------- |Glyndwr | ----------------------- |Islwyn | ----------------------- |Llanelli | ----------------------- |Lliw Valley | ----------------------- |Meirionnydd | ----------------------- |Merthyr Tydfil | ----------------------- |Monmouth | ----------------------- |Montgomeryshire1 | ----------------------- |Neath | ----------------------- |Newport | ----------------------- |Ogwr | ----------------------- |Port Talbot | ----------------------- |Preseli Pembrokeshire| ----------------------- |Radnorshire | ----------------------- |Rhondda | ----------------------- |Rhuddlan | ----------------------- |Rhymney Valley | ----------------------- |South Pembrokeshire | ----------------------- Mr. Grist The information is given in the following table; that for disabled people is not available.----------------------------------------------------- |Occupied first homes | ----------------------------------------------------- |Repair costs of £2,000 and over | ----------------------------------------------------- |Of these: ||| ----------------------------------------------------- |Household headed by person of pensionable age | ----------------------------------------------------- |Single parent household headed by unemployed person| ----------------------------------------------------- |Gross household income less than £4,000 | ----------------------------------------------------- |Lacking one or more basic amenity | ----------------------------------------------------- |Household headed by person of pensionable age | ----------------------------------------------------- |Single parent household headed by unemployed person| ----------------------------------------------------- |Gross household income less than £4,000 | ----------------------------------------------------- Source: 1 Welsh Housing Surveys, 1986. Figures are estimates based on the results of sample surveys and are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2 "—" represents less than one half of one per cent. Mr. Wigley To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many houses were built in (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector in each district authority area in Wales in 1989; and what were the corresponding figures for each year since 1979. Mr. Grist The information is given in the following tables. Figures exclude dwellings provided by rehabilitation or conversion. ------------------- | | ------------------- | | ------------------- |Swansea | ------------------- |Taff-Ely | ------------------- |Torfaen2 | ------------------- |Vale of Glamorgan| ------------------- |Wrexham Maelor | ------------------- |Ynys Môn | ------------------- |Wales | ------------------- ----------------------- | | ----------------------- | | ----------------------- |Aberconwy | ----------------------- |Alyn and Deeside | ----------------------- |Arfon | ----------------------- |Blaenau Gwent | ----------------------- |Brecknock | ----------------------- |Cardiff | ----------------------- |Carmarthen | ----------------------- |Ceredigion | ----------------------- |Colwyn | ----------------------- |Cynon Valley | ----------------------- |Delyn | ----------------------- |Dinefwr | ----------------------- |Dwyfor | ----------------------- |Glyndwr | ----------------------- |Islwyn | ----------------------- |Llanelli | ----------------------- |Lliw Valley | ----------------------- |Meirionnydd | ----------------------- |Merthyr Tydfil | ----------------------- |Monmouth | ----------------------- |Montgomeryshire1 | ----------------------- |Neath | ----------------------- |Newport | ----------------------- |Ogwr | ----------------------- |Port Talbot | ----------------------- |Preseli Pembrokeshire| ----------------------- |Radnorshire | ----------------------- |Rhondda | ----------------------- |Rhuddlan | ----------------------- |Rhymney Valley | ----------------------- |South Pembrokeshire | ----------------------- |Swansea | ----------------------- |Taff-Ely | ----------------------- |Torfaen2 | ----------------------- |Vale of Glamorgan | ----------------------- |Wrexham Maelor | ----------------------- |Ynys Môn | ----------------------- |Wales | ----------------------- ------------------ | | ------------------ |Aberconwy | ------------------ |Alyn and Deeside| ------------------ |Arfon | ------------------ |Blaenau Gwent | ------------------ |Brecknock | ------------------ |Cardiff | ------------------ |Carmarthen | ------------------ |Ceredigion | ------------------ |Colwyn | ------------------ |Cynon Valley | ------------------ |Delyn | ------------------ |Dinefwr | ------------------ |Dwyfor | ------------------ |Glyndwr | ------------------ |Islwyn | ------------------ |Llanelli | ------------------ |Lliw Valley | ------------------ ----------------------- | | ----------------------- |Meirionnydd | ----------------------- |Merthyr Tydfil | ----------------------- |Monmouth | ----------------------- |Montgomeryshire1 | ----------------------- |Neath | ----------------------- |Newport | ----------------------- |Ogwr | ----------------------- |Port Talbot | ----------------------- |Preseli Pembrokeshire| ----------------------- |Radnorshire | ----------------------- |Rhondda | ----------------------- |Rhuddlan | ----------------------- |Rhymney Valley | ----------------------- |South Pembrokeshire | ----------------------- |Swansea | ----------------------- |Taff-Ely | ----------------------- |Torfaen2 | ----------------------- |Vale of Glamorgan | ----------------------- |Wrexham Maelor | ----------------------- |Ynys Môn | ----------------------- |Wales | -----------------------