Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Mulholland Excerpts
Tuesday 9th December 2014

(9 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Danny Alexander Portrait Danny Alexander
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I totally agree with the hon. Lady. It is incredibly important to improve the rate of house building. I would set the figure at closer to 300,000 houses a year across the UK, rather than the 200,000 that she mentioned. She will know that in the autumn statement we extended the affordable house building programme for a further two years in order to build 275,000 affordable homes in the next Parliament. We are taking forward the idea of Government commissioning of housing, which would be a radical departure for this country, at Northstowe, and looking at it as a solution for the whole country.

Greg Mulholland Portrait Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD)
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I warmly welcome the infrastructure announcement, but does my right hon. Friend agree that we also need further devolution to allow the much-needed rail link to Leeds Bradford airport and the electrification of the Leeds-Harrogate-York line? Will he meet me and other interested colleagues who represent the area to discuss how we can take this forward?