Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Edward Leigh and Grant Shapps
Grant Shapps
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for allowing me to clear up one thing. It is worth knowing that when I said that the HomeBuy Direct scheme had been an expensive flop, it had been launched 10 months earlier and had helped just five people to secure a home. It is true that the scheme has developed over a period of time and has helped people in between, but as I said in my previous answer—I appreciate that it was given after she had written her question, but none the less it is useful to connect the two—the previous scheme does not end until 2012. We are in 2011, and we have already announced a new scheme.
Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) (Con)
8. If he will bring forward proposals to increase the powers of local authorities to tackle unauthorised development.